(33 votes, average: 3.61 out of 5)
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2 thoughts on “Raytheon CRP 5814 Black Plates D-getter”
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Tube Maze
Guides and reviews of vacuum tubes and tube equipment
This Raytheon CRP 5814 Black Plates D-getter is a truly rare find for any serious audiophile. While you might notice a slight roll-off in the upper frequencies, it more than compensates with an expansive, cavernous soundstage that breathes life into every recording. The imaging is nothing short of phenomenal, offering superb instrument separation and breathtaking dynamics that make the music feel startlingly real.
Unlike later Raytheon iterations that often trade dynamic range for bass response, this specific version maintains a perfectly balanced presentation. The top end, despite being rolled off, remains incredibly precise and crystalline, easily outclassing lesser tubes in its category. While it doesn’t quite reach the lush warmth of an RCA 12AU7, it avoids all the “messiness” often found in warmer alternatives, keeping the output tight and controlled.
The Raytheon 5814 is DEFINITELY a great 12AU7 type. I love them in amplifier input stages and tube linestage preamps, where they open a totally transparent window onto well-recorded music. This is a high-detail, 3-d tube. If your tube budget allows you to experiment with the less common variants of 12AU7, then 5814 tubes like Raytheon 5814 are a great place to start. The RCA 6189 is also great, better than the regular RCA 12AU7. ALSO–If you can FIND them, the CBS/Hytron type 7730 gold pin premium 12AU7 type has a unique and tremendously musical presentation, and the 7730 sounds great in medium to high gain applications like linestage and phono preamp circuits. Occasionally, tubes that sound great in low gain applications like phase splitter circuits, inputs of hifi tube amps, headphone amps, and tube buffers.. some of these tubes will not sound quite as good in medium to high gain circuits; both the Raytheon 5814 and Hytron 7730 DO. If you are unsure, consult a trusted tube seller who listens to the musical qualities of the tubes he has for sale. Also–As much as I love Raytheon 5814s, when I have to stick to a budget, I have often found that the standard black plate Raytheon 12AU7 with the rectangular getter sounds absolutely magical in ALL applications. It is inexpensive, and if you purchase from a reliable tube dealer you can get non-microphonic ones easily (on ebay and other sites, TRY to ONLY buy from sellers who state in their listings that they listen to the tubes they sell for audio quality and noise issues; VERY important!) Anyway, standard Raytheon 12AU7s have a slightly warmer midrange and more sparkle on top than almost ANY other 12AU7 I have tried. If you are on a budget and want a detailed, slightly warm, wide bandwidth 12AU7, the Raytheon 12AU7 is for you. There are many good 12AU7s, very few truly bad 12AU7s, but the Raytheon 5814 and standard 12AU7s are both very much GOOD 12AU7 types!