@mclinnguy Not just break-in but as you discovered tube rolling is crucial especially in an SET amp with a very simple circuit tubes make a huge difference.
COINCIDENT FRANKENSTEIN 300B STEREO
Just purchased one of these beasts from Israel of Coincident (quite the gentleman).
I already have a few SET amps that buck the trend of little bass and dynamics that often get associated with S.E.T. amps.
The Frankie is a top notch power amplifier. Not a good value. Not a giant killer. A true, top quality power amplifier period.
I swapped out the stock tubes and what happened next shocked me. Of course the midrange is gorgeous, But I did not expect the highs to sparkle and the bass to have definition, texture, and punch. Sorry, I intended to say PUNCH.
As always, speaker matching is a key and a stable 6 Ohm speaker will sound best - but these babies are the real deal.
BTW, they retail at around $2,500.
Disclaimer - I am not a Coincident dealer and have no affiliation with Coincident. I am a NOS tube dealer.
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Yeah. What is interesting is an amp like the Yamamoto comes with excellent NOS tubes already installed, so when an owner receives it they appreciate it immediately, whereas the Frankenstein stereo comes with a $40 rectifier and $20 driver tubes and that first impression is not as compelling. I wonder how many people live with this amp as it is as far as the oem supplied tubes, and never consider changing them out? It’s like buying a Porsche and never revving it past 3000 rpm. A power cord is not even supplied as he assumes people will just upgrade it anyway, so why even bother supplying throwaway tubes? Just thinking out loud. |
@ghdprentice Thanks. I found the same comment from you in this thread which started 6 years ago. Found posts from @sns and @alexberger as well. Adding EML to my list. |
@mclinnguy Generally you're going to only see positive reviews of all the boutique 300B tubes, and this over many reviews and many years. I'm still in process of evaluating WE's, to be completely transparent recently experienced failure of one of my new WE's, have replacement in hand, we'll see. As for sound quality vs Acme too early to say, WE warmer in mids, slightly less extended and open on top. Completely satisfied with Acme's over a couple years, aprox. 700 hours, simple curiosity and great sale price at Upscale ($1100) over holidays led to WE purchase. |
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