|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
58.110.92.159
In Reply to: 300B recommendation for JE Labs monoblocks posted by jamiemcc on February 15, 2007 at 06:30:39:
Hi JamieIf you want Chinese tubes specifically, I would perhaps try the SuperTNT 300B. Not mesh, but it appears to be designed for balanced sound and reliability.
As for the Chinese mesh, none are true mesh; they are pseudo-mesh / perforated plate. Some can handle the higher plate voltages, some can not. TJ / Full Music may be able to; Valve Art / Shang' probably can't. I am accessing my vague memory and I have never thought of running a 300B that high... just going on things I had a half interest in, so I could be mistaken.
Other options? For not crazy $$$, the JJ 300B (or perhaps better, 2A3 if you have 2.5V filament options) may be a okay. Good plate dissipation, pretty rugged, stable, and should last a while by recent accounts. The JJ may also add some life and transparency to the JE amp... though as always, it may not be to your liking.Oh, do not be too concerned about not doing a search re 300B tubes - these things are changed, refined, and newly released quite frequently; batch quality varies. Things change. The SuperTNT tube is quite new, the JJ has been regularly refined, TJ releases new (ever more expensive) versions of their tubes regularly...
Cheers
Raymond
Ultra-consumers: Spending money they do not have to buy things they do not need to impress people they do not like.
Follow Ups:
Thanks for your suggestions, Raymond.I've been checking out various threads here and it seems like the consensus is that the JE Labs design produces a fairly "sweet" sound and may thus be benefited by a tube that's a little crisper. Here's what the designer has to say:
"Current production Western Electric 300B is the best power tube I've heard in this amp. Other good choice include ANY of the Valve Art 300B 'family' tubes I've heard. The Full Music 'mesh plate' globe shaped 300B is another winner. In my experience, Tesla 300Bs from Slovaka sound nice but are just too unreliable due to poor quality control. No, I don't recommend any Russian 300Bs, or any other tubes they make for that matter."
And there's another guy with a page devoted to the project who swears by the KR 300Bxls, which is way out of my budget.
My searches indicate that the 300B-98C might be a good match, if it can handle the dissipation (34W in this amp) and the JJ/Tesla (is reliability still a concer?). SuperTNT looks like a good option as well, and some people seem to like the Electro-Harmonix gold grid as well. All of these seem to be in roughly the same price range. I guess I'm leaning towards the Valve Art or the SuperTNT at the moment. Any more opinions?
Okay, I have got to get back to my study, but in the spirit of procrastination…I think I would opt for the SuperTNT before the 300B-98C, as I have read viable reports of the later; the new ceramic base on the 300B-98C *may* improve things - I don't really know. The SuperTNT appears to have been designed to be reliable and balanced sounding, which is not necessarily all that common in current affordable 300B tubes as far as I can tell. These two factors are most important to long-term satisfaction.
As for the JJ - I am not sure when those comments were made. I think early on, perhaps 2002-3 or thereabouts, the JJ underwent some changes for the worse (thinner glass etc.). Since then, it seems to have been steadily improved and is currently very solid, stable, and reliable as far as I know.
When reading comments, on sites or forums, take note of the dates; as I wrote in the previous post, tube designs and their manufacture change.
Wish I could help you further, but my experience is limited (though I have been following, as a lay-person, 300B developments for a while).
Anyhow, enjoy the journey.
Cheers
Raymond
Ultra-consumers: Spending money they do not have to buy things they do not need to impress people they do not like.
OK, I think I've decided on the SuperTNT. Does anyone know if it's possible to buy them in the US, or must I pay to have them shipped from China?
(not the standard version) seems a decent all-round performer / workhorse at a good price. Worth checking out.Cheers
Ultra-consumers: Spending money they do not have to buy things they do not need to impress people they do not like.
Yes, a very god sounding workhorse for sure, I have ran a quad of them in a PP amp for a solid 3 years around played hrs on end daily.with many a power up & off abuse because of testing gear..still no hint of needing changed..
Can you describe the sound characteristics of the tube a little bit? Balanced tone? Lusher? Leaner? Thanks in advance.
I can say in this PP amp it is balanced with a hint of lushness, but this is a PP amp, so I don't know how it would react in a SET. Does it sound good..OH YA...
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: