2019 300B tubes that are worth the money?

I have TJ mesh plates 300B. Very nice tubes. Good value for money. I also have EML 300B Mesh plates that is noticeably better especially in term of refining.

My amplifier has only ~6 Watt output, so mesh plate 300B power rating works.

Does anybody has experience with EML 300B Mesh plate? How are they compared to other 300B?

I’ve WE 300b tubes manufactured Q4 from 1948 and Elrog 300b (2nd generation). The Elrog is as good as the WE, but a different flavor: more air around instruments and less deep sound stage. My preference varies based on the how the album is recorded. The Elrog can be bright for some. I’d spend my $1000 on a sub, MC cartridge, or room treatments. Good luck.

The most solid 300b tube in my experience is the EAT. I have the Takatsuki as well, good sound but less solid construction. The EAT tubes are not well known but highly recommended

I sold my DHT preamp so I now have a pair of Elrog 300B and a pair of KR T-100 tubes laying around if anyone is interested.

Holy resurrected dead thread, Batman!

@wfowenmd ”I too urge caution in purchasing Sophia 300b tubes. They failed prematurely, but the warranty was honored. I sold the replacements immediately. BTW, they were no sonic substitute for WE originals from >50 yrs ago by date code. I am trying to minimize the use on the WE. At true AARP-age, the WE may outlive me.”

I just acquired an early Tektron TK Two 2A3/50S-i 300b-based SET. Sounds amazing. The tubes it came with was a WW2-period RCA 5Z3 rectifier, a pair of Sovtek 6SN7 drivers and I popped in a pair of 1943-ish Sylvania 6SN7 then 6F8G from the same decade.

The power tubes? Sophia 300b, just plain Jane 300b’s with factory test cards dated June 2002. I have the amp driving a pair of new - 2023 - Klipsch Heresy IV’s - and have played it for several days now, listening to vinyl favorites picking out details of tracks like Michael Hedges’ Aerial Boundaries I never knew were there. So Clarity, soundstage depth, instrument placement all boosted over the Willsenton R8 I’d been using and modifying this past year. BASS presence was so good I didn’t have to reconnect my subwoofer. Glad I got this, I think it’s worth the investment.

Now to invest in some tubes.

At true “AMAC”/SSA age, I suspect even these lowly Sophia’s might outlive me but I’m looking at either a pair of WE 300b or EML 300b XLS tubes, both of which have 5 year warranties I’ll likely surpass.

I did some quick arithmetic and came up with a rough number of playing hours/years, say, 4 hours a day on average for 300 days a year makes that 40,000 hours a 33+ year investment. Who knows, I may be around that long too.

I’m reminded of that Edison light bulb in a firehouse somewhere in the northeast that has been burning steadily since 1904.

Back to the reviews/hunt, I’ll likely flip a coin, the reviews seeming to run about 50:50 leaning towards the WE 300b, and buying products made new here in America is strong.

https://flic.kr/p/2oZ86Tf