which 300b tube sounds the best?

TJ's but get the ones with the white ceramic base. There is a noticble difference over the black base ones.
Good Listening.

I have also had good luck with the fairly new Valve Art Titanium Meshplate tubes, a great deal at $165/pr. Particularly good if your amp uses a lot of tubes because the price is so good.

Jond, how's the 98-C compared to other tubes you have heard? Some folks complain about 98-C being slightly on the hard sounding side over the TJ and the Western Electric.

The Svetlana's at around $180 a pair are wonderful. Relaxed and airy. However, making the jump to the Western Electric's was absolutely worth every penny. They are the best tube I've ever heard, of any type.

When you consider that the WE's come with a 5-year warranty, have a 40,000 hour lifespan, as well as excellent resale value, I would consider them to be worth the cost. I've not heard the TJ's, but many people seem to love them.
All the best,
Howard

S23chang - What is a 98-C? Is it the Valve Art Titanium Meshplate? What are your experiences with the TJ Meshplates?

Ever since I put KR 300BXLS in my CA-339s I stopped chasing power tubes. Yeah, they're pricey, but I even preferred them to WE in my Wavelength Tritons.

Tomryan, I'm just a new 300B tube shopper like yourself. I got the Svetlana 300Bs for now. Looking for something different and better.

Are the KR 300BXLSs usable in all 300B amps or are they just for the higher output versions? I'm using W.E.s now in the Air Tight ATM300 and would like a bit more body and warmth.

They are a drop-in replacement for standard 300Bs. I've used them to good effect in two amps designed for regular 300Bs, as well as in an amp specifically designed for them. I don't know if they will give you more body and warmth, though. The differences I heard were greater linearity, better dynamics and extension as well as a cleaner overall sound. In one case I compared them to WEs and Sophia meshies, in the other to EH.

If I was looking for more body and warmth (which to me says "midrange bloom") I might look in another direction. OTOH, I's suggest you try a pair of KRs anyway, because their other characteristics are so appealing it might turn out that's what you've actually been looking for.

S23chang,
I have only compared the 98-C to the regular Valve Art 300B, it was a huge improvement smoother with more detail, and the Western Electric, pretty much even, I would say the 98-C had a bit more resolution and the WE more body and warmth. The differences between the WE and 98-C would best be described a subtle, at least to my untrained ears. Hope that helps.

I bought the jj meshplates based on the positive review from enjoythemusic, plus the price was right. I used them for about 2 yrs. When I did a little tweaking I decided to put the tubes which came with the unit back in, and was amazed at the improvement. The tubes were A V V T 300BSL's. I did a google search to find any info. and found an enjoythemusic update here- www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0503/ a v v t300bsl.htm I agree with the review, but feel the difference was even greater. It is possible that the meshplates age fast, like a lot of chinese tubes tend to do. The new generation of meshplate tubes may be better also.

Which 300B is the best buy?