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Favorite 300B: Sophia vs KR


Which do you prefer; S.E.T. Princess 300B Carbon Plate or KR 300B WE Clone?

I've only experienced NOS 40's/50's WE so my expectations are pretty high. Which do you think captures the essence of the WE most closely? I'm trying to keep the cost down as much as possible so EAT is not an option, as much as I was blown away by their KT88. I considered current WE but they're not in production until Spring 2011.

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sakahara
phaelon
1,049 posts
 
Charles1dad,
No problem. Sorry for your inconvenience. Too bad the Takatsuki-TA 300b tubes couldn’t be included in your shoot-out.
gsm18439
895 posts
 
There is also a new offering from Psvane that they claim is a WE-300b clone

http://psvanetube.com/wordpress/store/products/psvane-we300b-11-replica/
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Things are getting interesting in the upper tier of 300b tubes.This Psvane WE replica is 935.00 USD and is suppose to be a 'strict' copy,similar to whan the Japanese are doing with the Takaksuki-TA 300b. Psvane seems to have established a reputation for very high quality built and sound in a relatively short time.

I spoke to Rachel (Grant Fidelity) yesterday. She says buyer feedback for the Psvane Black glass 300b(500.00USD) has been very enthusiastic.
gsm18439
895 posts
 
Interesting, to say the least. I was happy with the Shuguang Black Treasures until I decided to try the Royal Princess. No comparison. I usually read reviews with skepticism. However, in this case, Jeff Day was absolutely right. The Royal Princess give up nothing in terms of sonics and added a liquidity and musicality that were missing in the Black Treasures. Two caveats about the Royal Princess: (1) My first pair drew a high current - 68mA - and tripped my amplifier's protective circuit. Richard Wu willingly swapped them for ones that draw 41mA. (2) They generate a bit more heat than the Black Treasures. (BTW. . .Sophia Electric was a pleasure to deal with.) I have a pair of Takatsuki TA-300b on order. . . an expensive was to satisfy curiosity. The rave report of the Takatsukis that was syndicated in Six Moons used an amplifier made by the same manufacturer as my 300b SET.
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Gsm,
I eagerly await your comparision of the Takaksuki and Royal Princess tubes. I f the RP exceeds the BT(my current standard) as you state then it`s truly a superb tube.Where did you purchase the Takatsuki? was it even more expensive than the RP? This is really becoming fun and so interesting. Damm, I keep thinking about that Takatsuki ever since that 6 Moons review. That group of Polish listeners really seem like music lovers as opposed to equiment driven-sound based audiophiles.

I just want the 300b that communicates the emotion of music the best,the heck with hifi.
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