Which 300B SET for SF Guarneri Homage?

I was leery of the Frankenstein's "lack" of power- until I got them. It's a damn robust 8 wpc, and I like to listen at pretty loud volumes. Couldn't comment when the thread came up, because one is never sure how a purportedly low power SET amp will perform with a not so sensitive speaker....but I had a strong hunch he'd really enjoy the Frankensteins. They are remarkable amplifiers- so much so that my beloved MastersounD Compact 845 amp is off on temporary loaner duty while I continue to explore what the Frankensteins can do. They're that good. Don, what I can tell you is that if you like the Franks, consider getting the Coincident Extreme IC's for them- opens up a whole new door of transparency with the Franks. Did you get them from Israel with the Shuguang Treasure Black Bottles? If not, I'd say go for that, too. Yet another decent upgrade to the amplifiers.

Don,
Afc makes a good point regarding the Shuguang Treasure series(black glass) tubes. I use these also, as good as the stock 300b is the treasure tubes are better in every way. They`re more dynamic, open, natural and transparent. They reveal just how low the noise floor of the amp really is. You`ll hear the most subtle nuance and inner details that seem to make the music come alive. the only down side is increased cost, but they`re worth it.

Yes, i guess it will depend on the listener's expectations, and there are so many factors involved that even cables i suppose will affect the combo. The truth is i was a bit puzzled of what could happen, but i'm really pleasantly surprised at the response i got: sounds like more power than my previous amp, more spaciousness, bigger soundstage, fuller sound (more on the vynil side) even though i play cd's. I think it's also quite dynamic: i even tried a chesky presentation disk and sounds good on the dynamic test tracks. Who knows how it sounds with the coincident dragon's - maybe much better. But for my expectations it sounds very good, so i don't need to pay the extra $$..
I did get the shuguang treasures from the beginning. I use nordost spm as speaker cables and aftermarket prepared short nordost valhalla IC with WBT connectors. I imagine the coincident IC's are good but not sure how they compare with the nordost. I'm waiting to try the 16ohm speaker b.post after i have the tubes somewhat more burnt-in, to compare with the 8 ohm binding post i'm using now. By the way, do you notice any difference with tube dampers - is it worth it? Anyway, thanks a lot for all the suggestions

Hi Don,
As good as those tubes are out of the box,the black bottles will take a while to burn in,around 500+ hours but are well worth the wait.
I am using Pearl tube cooler/dampers with my Franks. The help to reduce the microphonics and you really feel the heat coming off the tubes. Israel recommended them when I was experiencing a slight microphonic issue after going to the treasures from the Full music carbons.
After borrowing or audititioning different interconnects from MIT's to Nordest and a few inbetween, the Coincident Extreme interconnects worked the best for me. They sound like they are not there is the best way to discribe its effect on my system.
After that I went for Extremes from power chord to speaker cable. The intial interconnect switch I made, had the biggest impact for me.
I would love for you to hear those amps with a high efficent speaker of 94+ with a stable impedence curve. That would really display the dynamics of these 300b`s
Glad you are enjoying these special amps. After nearly three years I look forward to listening as much as I did when I first got them.

Regards,

Don, if you go for it, I think the Extreme IC's will be a sizable upgrade for you.

I too use Pearl Tube Coolers. The guys at Parts Connexion have them...they'll tell you that Pearl doesn't make a cooler for the 300B tubes, but Israel says the PF-150's fit the 300B tubes just fine. Do NOT go with the Dragon tube dampers for the 300B tubes- mine keep falling off the shoulders of my 300B tubes, and you can't mount them from below. Do the coolers work? I haven't had many problems with microphonics, but you can notice it if you tap the 300B's lightly, but as I said, can't hear it when playing music, to my ears at least. But they will, by the cooling effect, probably increase tube life, which makes them worth it IMO.