Why limit yourself to these two 300B. I have custom built 300b monoblocks, considered the two you've listed and Psvane Acme, Linlai Elite, Audio Note, EML, Elrog. In the end I recently placed order for the Acme, will likely try others in future. All have their pluses and minuses, there is no single best 300B based on my extensive research and observations.
Western Electric or Takatsuki 300Bs?
I'm building a pair of 300B Parallel SET monoblocks and want to fit them with a premium set of 300Bs (two per channel). From what I've read, I've pretty much narrowed it down to these two tubes. The Takatsuki tubes are a bit more expensive (based on Parts Connexion price) and have a much shorter warranty, so I'm leaning toward the WE reissues.
I read Terry London's Stereo Times review and he seemed pretty enthusiastic regarding the WE tubes. Anyone heard both of these in the same amp?
I read Terry London's Stereo Times review and he seemed pretty enthusiastic regarding the WE tubes. Anyone heard both of these in the same amp?
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@dekay - I'm basing my amps on the Audio Note Kit C-Core Interstage monoblocks, with a lot of embellishments (build thread - https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/ank-300b-interstage-monoblocks.1112018/#post-27958720). These use cathode bias ("auto bias") on each tube. I suspect that over time, the changes in tube performance will result in one tube handling most of the load. At some point, I may disable one of the tubes to see if I like the sound better, particularly once I finish my new speakers which will be considerably more efficient. Why not just buy both sets? Take the plunge. You only live once and you are building your own.I've already spent more on this project than I had planned, and I don't even know if I'll like the sound. If I love it, I may consider that in the future. Why limit yourself to these two 300B.I have spent a fair amount of time reading forum posts and reviews of various 300B tubes. There are fans of all the ones you mentioned. But if there is any hope of making a decision, I have to narrow down the choices. The Takasuki and WE tubes had the most consistently positive reviews in what I've read so far, but few posts/reviews mentioned both at the same time. One thing I should note is that my current speakers (GR-Research NX-Oticas) are crossed over to servo subs at about 70Hz. The new speakers I'm building (GR-Research Line Forces) will cross over an octave or so higher. So low bass performance is less important. However, I may end up using these amps in a different system so I don't want to completely ignore this range. Thanks all for you inputs. |
@sns - Agreed, although there have been a couple recent WE reviews that have been quite positive. But I think the main thing that is prompting me to more strongly consider the WE reissues is the five year warranty. Perhaps I shouldn't worry about this if the Takatsukis are generally reliable. http://v2.stereotimes.com/post/aricaudio-super-300b-set-amplifier-by-terry-london/ https://www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-51-feliks-audio-arioso-amplifier-western-electric-300b-tube-page-2 |
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