300b lovers


I have been an owner of Don Sachs gear since he began, and he modified all my HK Citation gear before he came out with his own creations.  I bought a Willsenton 300b integrated amp and was smitten with the sound of it, inexpensive as it is.  Don told me that he was designing a 300b amp with the legendary Lynn Olson and lo and behold, I got one of his early pair of pre-production mono-blocks recently, driving Spatial Audio M5 Triode Masters.  

Now with a week on the amp, I am eager to say that these 300b amps are simply sensational, creating a sound that brings the musicians right into my listening room with a palpable presence.  They create the most open vidid presentation to the music -- they are neither warm nor cool, just uncannily true to the source of the music.  They replace his excellent Kootai KT88 which I was dubious about being bettered by anything, but these amps are just outstanding.  Don is nearing production of a successor to his highly regard DS2 preamp, which also will have a  unique circuitry to mate with his 300b monos via XLR connections.  Don explained the sonic benefits of this design and it went over my head, but clearly these designs are well though out.. my ears confirm it. 

I have been an audiophile for nearly 50 years having had a boatload of electronics during that time, but I personally have never heard such a realistic presentation to my music as I am hearing with these 300b monos in my system.  300b tubes lend themselves to realistic music reproduction as my Willsenton 300b integrated amps informed me, but Don's 300b amps are in a entirely different realm.  Of course, 300b amps favor efficient speakers so carefully component matching is paramount.

Don is working out a business arrangement to have his electronics built by an American audio firm so they will soon be more widely available to the public.  Don will be attending the Seattle Audio Show in June in the Spatial Audio room where the speakers will be driven by his 300b monos and his preamp, with digital conversion with the outstanding Lampizator Pacific tube DAC.  I will be there to hear what I expect to be an outstanding sonic presentation.  

To allay any questions about the cost of Don's 300b mono, I do not have an answer. 

 

 

whitestix

@whitestix 

When I "voice" amps and preamps I am always trying to make them sound like they are not there.  I have a Lampizator Pacific DAC so the front end is killer.  I am always trying to have the amps vanish.  That is the goal.  They should just sound like music and not be warm or cool or anything.  Lynn's circuit is amazing.  If you put a really good power supply in front of it and really good output transformers behind it you get the vanishing act......

I "voice" things mostly with recordings of acoustic instruments and vocals of course.   Does the piano or mandolin sound real?  So I have my favorite 100 test tracks.  Of course I enjoy Pink Floyd or a live Dead show, but you don't really know what the electric guitar is supposed to sound like. That sort of music will tell you if your amp rocks, but not if instruments sound convincing.  I know what a mandolin or stand up bass sounds like.  I love David Grisman's acoustic disc label.  I love the last recording of the Goldberg variations that Glenn Gould made.  If I can easily follow the left and right hands with no strain, then the amps are good.  I really like Myriam Alter's compositions.  She plays on some of them, but they are always interesting music with hints of Klezmer and all sorts of other influences.  They are usually 3 to 5 instruments, like piano, clarinet, bandoneon, and interesting percussion.  If you can easily follow an individual instrument or switch to listening to the whole, then the amp is good.  I find this circuit to be FAR better than any amp I have ever heard.  The reason is that it avoids many sorts of distortion that plague other circuits.  You don't really know you are listening to all of that until it is gone, or at least very minimized.  So what you hear is really the lack of all the other things you usually hear in other amps.  That allows only the music to remain, floating in the air in your room.  I find it quite astonishing after all the years of restoring classic tube amps, and then building my own, to hear what this approach brings.  Very enlightening.

Wish  the amp was going to be at T.H.E. Show in SoCal as i would love to hear it.

I look forward to hearing this amp at PAF. I'm currently running 300B PSET Monoblocks (transformer coupled) and love the way they sound. 

When individuals that have a keen interest in Audio and are time served, make a discovery that is able thoroughly impress, there should be little doubt as to the devices capabilities when properly partnered with supporting ancillaries.

Even though these Amp's are yet to receive a name, I know they will capture many when encountering them for a Demo', and a fair amount of talk should follow on. I know this experience personally through using my system for Public Attended events where demo's of my system and multiple other owned systems have been exhibited for demo' purposes.    

I wish the Amp' was available for one of my Local HiFi Groups future get togethers.

I'm sure all the owned and respected Sources and the selection of Quad ESL Speakers will be partnered to it for numerous hours of indulgencing in the delights it can conjure. 

I have to say this thread has more information, insight, and history about amp topology and component interaction than anything I've ever read.  What a wealth of information!  Thanks @lynn_olson and ​​​​@donsachs for a stunning primer in current amp design, and tube and tranny interaction.  Normally, I would say I'd love to be at the show (I'd still love to be just to shoot the breeze with Lynn, Don, and the guys from Spatial) but I'm on the other coast.  Thankfully I can get a big helping of what's being discussed by just going to my music room and having a listen to my DS 300b stereo edition along with the DS2 preamp, Lampizator Golden Gate 2 DAC, and Musica Pristina streamer (built by another great designer).  The music is like nothing I've ever heard and I've had a LOT of equipment in front of me over the years.  Having said this, I've already made arrangements to have a pair of these new monos, and the new pre in my system as soon as they become available.  (Yeah...I know I need a CAT scan or something, but at least I've come to accept the fact I have this incurable disease to keep advancing my musical experience).  I know these amps are going to draw a ton of interest and subsequent orders, so I figured I'd get in tbe queue now.  Happy listening to all.