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In Reply to: 300b recommendations for VAC 70/70 posted by DC Steve on September 24, 2002 at 12:43:25:
I would certainly recommend the TJ, etc. Chinese made mesh plate globe 300Bs.
Follow Ups:
I would check with VAC the amp runs tubes hard and they do not recommend the TJ mesh. I know, because I bought a pair from a guy that bought some for his 30/30. They do sound darn good.
Doesnt VAC sell only Golden Dragon and JJs as replacement tubes, and sell them at big markups?How could the Golden Dragon or even JJ be any more reliable and long lasting than a TJ?
I would try the TJs. I had nothing but confusing comments when I earlier asked about Full Music, TJ, Golden Dragon, and Sophia 300B differences. Many say they are all the same; the same wine in different bottles. I have one friend who insists that the Sophias are better built than even new TJs. But if VAC sells this tube, you might well want to just get their if not too much additional money. All I know is that this is the first 300B I can listen to.
It is my understanding that they all come from the same factory and
should be the same tube. That was covered here B4.
Steve,Check with Brian Cherry @ DIY Hi Fi. Thr TJ will not handle the operating point of your amp. They may sound better, but will probably have a shortend life. There was a thread here a while back about this.
Maybe try searching TJ and VAC.
http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.pl?forum=tubes&n=61305&highlight=vac+tj&r=&session=
the TJ seems like one of the best 300bs to try. I'm actually considering the Sophia 300b, since I'm in Washington, DC and they are local for me. I think I could get an OK price.So, if not the Sophia, then WHAT 300b beside the Golden Dragon is my choice?? Am I stuck using an inferior tube?
supplied with my old Audion Silver Night were similar (just a bit more rolled off) to Svetlana's which were my favorite soft sounding 300B (think they were called Hot Rods).I experienced a 50% failure rate with the Svetlana's (2 out of 4 failed @ around 600-700 hours) and have read of this happening to other users. The Svetlana's that failed were later production units which were supposed to be reliable per the dealer in Canada. This did not turn out to be the case and they were out of warranty by the time they failed. I have read that there may be a way to revive them (don't really understand the procedure though) and still have the bad Svetlana tubes in my possesion.
The JJ 300's were lean and etched (though had major HF/LF extension) in the Audion, but sounded much smoother in a Cary 300B amp. If your amp is on the soft side then the JJ's might be OK. The Audion is not a slow/soft sounding amp to start with.
In the Audion the new production WE's were tied for second best (my taste of course) with the Chinese tubes. They were more detailed (especially @ lower listening levels) and a bit more extended on the top. Bass extention was about the same as the Chinese tubes, but it was a tighter bass. The Chinese tubes were warmer (which is my preference), but lacked some of the depth that the WE's showed on good recordings. Now that new WE's are selling for around $450/pr I would not have a problem using them (especially if they lasted but half of what their claim in hours is), but they were selling for a lot more than this when I still owned the Silver Night.
I tried a pair of used Sovteks which were just so, so. Not bright, but they made my amp sound more like a decent push/pull than a 300B SET (very little magic to be had).
I guess that it also depends on what will last a reasonable amount of time in your amp (like trying to run Mullard and Amperex 6922's in an AI Mod 3a preamp there are some limits to our insanity)?
DeKay,If you don't mind sharing, could you let us all know who is selling new production 300B's for $450.00 per pair? TIA
JLH
Just viewed two ads yesterday ($425 and $450 for MP's and one claims to be an authorized dealer).Someone else here surmised that the new mesh plates are what drove the prices down. Never did get to listen to the mesh plates, though, before I sold the Audion, but would try their 2A3 versions if they were not so expensive (expensive for me anyway @ this time).
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