Elrog 300B vs Takatsuki 300B tubes

Charles, very sorry to hear that your replacements did not work out.  Mine are still OK, but I am getting very little listening time in these days.  Less now than when I was working.   I suspect that you have drawn the right conclusion.  In the event my replacement tubes fail prematurely, I will probably also go the EML route.

Charles,

Wow, I'm really sorry to hear that one of your Elrogs has gone bad. It sounds like a repeat performance of what happened to me. 

Perhaps there is some hope on the horizon in that a "new batch" should be to George any day now..... Well I hope anyday now since shipment was to be made two weeks ago. He told me that these were supposed to be even better than the batch from which mine and perhaps yours came from. 

Since yours are within the one year warranty period they will undoubtedly be replaced with some others. I guess you can choose to use them and roll the dice once again or just resell them "as new".  

How do the Taks compare to the EMLs?  

Hang my in there my friend,

Scifi

Sorry to hear that Charles

Well, I  willingly acknowledge The risk with this different type of 300b variant and proceeded with both eyes fully open. Other Frankenstein owners may have a better outcome with a newer batch of Elrogs, tough to say.  It's such an exceptionally good sounding tube in my amplifier that I wanted so badly for it to be reliable long term. I informed George(tubesusa) he'll follow up with me. These are very expensive tubes and they have to offer long term durability to make the high cost worthwhile,

Hi Scifi,
Takatsuki vs EML XLS,
I really enjoy and cherished both of them over a 3 year period. This is such a true example of individual taste and probably system synergy as well. I listen to the EML XLS more often, it has a "bit" more dynamic authority and scale and is organic and communicates emotion effectively. The Takatsuki is very organic, a "bit" lighter in presentation and very refine in character, maybe a "bit" sweeter. Nitpicking aside both are true reference standard 300b tubes and simply excellent sounding in my system

I suspect most 300b aficionados  might prefer the Takatsuki say 55 to 45 from a sample size group of 100 (pure speculation I admit). I give a modest edge to the EML XLS for its added punch and open large scale sound in my system. As I have implied, you couldn't possibly go wrong with either tube. They both have proven track records of reliability, I can attest to that.
Charles,

Update,
It has been suggested to me from a very trusted source that the Frankenstein amplifier would benefit in changing the cathode resistor value from 1000 ohms to 1200 ohms. This is said to lessen the stress on the cathode when the amplifier is powered up (reducing turn on surge) . I was told this simple swap will result in significantly longer tube life by stressing the 3oob tube less with a lower initial surge upon turning on the amplifier. I was informed this will benefit "all" 300b tubes not just the Elrog. Another suggestion was regulating the AC wall voltage range to keep within 115-120 volts. The cathode resistor change is highly recommended from this source. 

Given the cost of these tubes (all premium level 300bs) this simple and inexpensive fix seems wise, I'm going to do it. I was also told that this modification won't change the sound character of the amplifier.  I will report my findings once I complete this task.
Charles,