Sophia 300B vs Jeff Korneff 45 Amp

Hi Philefreak, Thanks - When I look at the Cornwall II I think I count 3 drivers - is that going to be an issue with a 45 amp? (The specs say it's 8 ohms, but I'm not sure if about how that applies across the frequency spectrum.) Thx again

Hi Johnk, Thanks. I'm thinking about Cornwall II speakers; I thought i might need the power, including the headroom, of a 300B for the Cornwalls (but if I don't need the power, I could move to a 2A# or a 45 - depending on what is needed to drive the speakers. In general, I'm hearing/reading that the 45 is the ticket if you don't need more power; if you do then the 2A3 is up to bat; if that doesn't do it, then the 300B is the next choice. If this is the wrong approach, I'm open to a better approach. Also, to answer your question, the Sophia Mesh Plates get pretty good reviews; in fact, some people who like the Jeff Korneff amp (almost everyone seems to agree it's a good amp) think the Sophia 45 Mesh Plates are superior to the well regarded EML 45 tubes; so I figured if I need a 300B (which is still TBD) and Sophia makes good tubes, why not a Sophia 300B amp? But if you have amps you like better for the same or less price, either among the 45s, or the 300Bs, (or even the 2A3s), I'm open to suggestions. Right now, the Cornwalls are more likely to be the constant and the amp and tubes are open to discussion. I'm still trying to figure out what sonic differences one could expect to hear between the Sophia 300B amp (or another comparably priced 300B amp) and the Jeff Korneff 45 amp - assuming the 45 power is sufficient (which it might or might not be). Thanks for any advice.

If you are still interested I have both of these amps!!!

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts.

By now I suspect that you've made your decision to go w/the 300b or the 45's.

In general, what I have read in many forums and by talking to very knowledgeable people, 45s are the holy grail of the SET's.

I spent most of my audio life in SSland, until I heard tubes. My first tube amp was KT88 based, then I went to 845's because I wanted SET but my speakers were only 90 db efficient.

Yet, I still craved midrange magic and was introduced to BLHs made by johnk in this forum. Ahhh, that single driver and horn combo @ 98db efficiency is hard to beat. Yet, I wanted more and figured that the BLH speakers could deliver. johnk shared w/me that a number of his BLH users were employing Jeff Korneff's 45 SET amp with great success.

Whithout hesitation I plunged in and replaced my 845 amp with a Korneff 45 SEi integrated amp. Best audio decision I ever made. I'll put it in my will to be buried w/this amp.
Very liquid and detailed. In a word, refined. If you are looking for power, with the right speakers 2 watts can make the walls rattle. I am using mine in a room that is 20 x 30 and have more than plenty sound. Aside from the magical sound, dealing with Jeff Korneff is a distinctive pleasure. I dealt with the folks at Sofia and their practices are worlds apart.
I can't tell you how the Korneff 45 compares to the 300b since I never did that one on one comparison. All I can tell you is that you can't go wrong with the Korneff, and if you need service, your manufacturer is in Pittsburgh which is a lot closer than China.