The New Western Electric 845 Replicas
It is a little confusing because, while both versions are copies of the Western Electric 284, the Psvane WE845 Replica's are a copy of the 284 A, which was the first version. They list for $798 and have a street price of around
$700. The Shuguang WE845 Replica's are copies of the later and superior 284 D version. United Electronics copied the Western Electric 284 D in the 1930's to 1950's. UE dubbed their version the 845 W. The "W" stood for
"warrized", which meat in today's jargon that they were "ruggardized" for military purposes. The Shuguang's go for about $450 a pair, I am not sure of the official list price. In my opinion, they are priced backwards.
The Shuguang WE 845 Replica's are the best 845, which I have heard since the United Electronics W's of which I owned a pair. They are now the best reason to own 845 output based equipment. If you are listening to 300 B's in a push-pull circuit because you need the extra power, these new 845's represent a viable alternative.
845 equipment owners, roll the correct new WE845 in and rejoice!
I will be back after I get a chance to listen to the new Shuguang 211's, which feature the same top chamber that their 845's and UE W's do. Western Electric used the top chamber to remove excess gas, which is why it was featured on many of it's larger output tubes.