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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
1,052 posts
 
"This tube is off to a promising start that`s for sure.”

Alright!!! Meat’s still on the menu :-)
pdreher's avatar
pdreher
1,213 posts
 
I was able to find a quad of gently used KR 300B's to try in my VAC REN amp... so I'm out of the running for the mysterious megabuck Takatsuki's. A part of me is sad that I won't get to try them, but the money saved by going with the KR's makes it a bit easier.

If the Takatsuki's continue to get killer review's, I'll probably bite the bullet in a year or two just to see what I'm missing.

Looking forward to following the evolution of this thread.
maxmad
182 posts
 
Phaelon, congrats! What type of KR's you got, present production WE bottle type? Any impressions so far?

THX
charles1dad's avatar
charles1dad
10,250 posts
 
Pdreher,
The KR is said to be a very good sounding tube.The problem is certain vintages have a spotty reputation for reliability. The VAC REN circuit(hot rod) is said to be demanding and tough on the 300b. I hope you got the good ones.Best of luck.
phaelon
1,052 posts
 
Pdreher,
I just want to second Charles1dad’s caution with the KRs. I was going to purchase them myself, but the distributor was admirably candid with me about their potential for finicky behavior, depending on the circuit application. So I had my tech take a host of measurements that KR recommended and was consequently advised that my amplifier would require modifications. That’s when I went with the RPs. Best of luck; I hear there incredibly dynamic when they work.
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