Best 300B

Charles, If I read a review of the WE replicas that suggested they were really in the same league as the originals, that would probably provoke a response. For now, I'm going to hold my cards on 300Bs. BTW, closing is scheduled for the house in TN and the one in Indy is on the market. Once the red clay dust is settled, and I've hiked about 10 lbs of lard off of my gut, I'll revisit the 300B question. I'm enjoying a euphoria of a different flavor right now. My feet are twitching for a good long hike!

Bill,
I know you and your wife are going to enjoy your new home and the beautiful TN. location, getting rid of lard is a good thing LOL. No need to rush concerning the 300b tubes swapping, you have excellent sound as it is.
Charles,

I have the EML 300bXLS and 300b Sophia Mesh and enjoy them both for different reasons. The mesh do crazy textural audio tricks in my room which makes for just plain fun psychedelic listening, and the EML's sound more powerful more linear and accurate. The EMLs are my go to tubes and if I had to choose one they would be it but glad to have both.
Jet

Charles and I have totally different equipment, but similar experiences with 300b tubes. I prefer the Takatsukis over the Royal Princes and think that both totally outclass the Shuguang BTs. I have not heard the Psvane Treasures that by all reports seem to be better than the Shuguangs. And I have not heard the EML mesh plates that Charles says are competitive with the Takatsukis and Royal Princess. I keep looking for a review of the WE replicas, but have not seen one. While I might be curious as to how they would sound, I am totally content with the Takatsukis. So much so that I bought a back-up pair. I know, crazy. My experience with SET amps is that the tube selection affects the sound a lot.

Gsm,
Yes, I have to agree with you, depending on the 300b I can significantly
alter the sound of my SET amplifier. It makes sense when think about it
however. Very simple and direct circuits with a low number of parts used.
Each 300b is exposed virtually bare to reveal its sonic characteristics. I've
been fortunate enough to have heard 10 different models of the 300b and
everyone of them changed the amplier's sound noticeably. This is a
testament to the innate transparency of a good SET circuit, pure and
natural. Gary, you having a back up Takatsuki pair makes perfect sense to
me. I'm listening to my Takatsuki as I'm typing this. I rotate them and my
EML XLS every 3 or 4 weeks.
Charles,