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