300b lovers


I have been an owner of Don Sachs gear since he began, and he modified all my HK Citation gear before he came out with his own creations.  I bought a Willsenton 300b integrated amp and was smitten with the sound of it, inexpensive as it is.  Don told me that he was designing a 300b amp with the legendary Lynn Olson and lo and behold, I got one of his early pair of pre-production mono-blocks recently, driving Spatial Audio M5 Triode Masters.  

Now with a week on the amp, I am eager to say that these 300b amps are simply sensational, creating a sound that brings the musicians right into my listening room with a palpable presence.  They create the most open vidid presentation to the music -- they are neither warm nor cool, just uncannily true to the source of the music.  They replace his excellent Kootai KT88 which I was dubious about being bettered by anything, but these amps are just outstanding.  Don is nearing production of a successor to his highly regard DS2 preamp, which also will have a  unique circuitry to mate with his 300b monos via XLR connections.  Don explained the sonic benefits of this design and it went over my head, but clearly these designs are well though out.. my ears confirm it. 

I have been an audiophile for nearly 50 years having had a boatload of electronics during that time, but I personally have never heard such a realistic presentation to my music as I am hearing with these 300b monos in my system.  300b tubes lend themselves to realistic music reproduction as my Willsenton 300b integrated amps informed me, but Don's 300b amps are in a entirely different realm.  Of course, 300b amps favor efficient speakers so carefully component matching is paramount.

Don is working out a business arrangement to have his electronics built by an American audio firm so they will soon be more widely available to the public.  Don will be attending the Seattle Audio Show in June in the Spatial Audio room where the speakers will be driven by his 300b monos and his preamp, with digital conversion with the outstanding Lampizator Pacific tube DAC.  I will be there to hear what I expect to be an outstanding sonic presentation.  

To allay any questions about the cost of Don's 300b mono, I do not have an answer. 

 

 

whitestix

@gladmo

The takeaway from your observations (quoted below) is that no system is universal, and we all latch on to different elements of the sonic illusion. Well done!

... Thom

My personal award show notes from PAF, including the room with the amp in this thread:

*Most intensely rich yet detailed tubey midrange: LTA prototype DAC, LTA Pre, LTA Ultralinear+ monoblocks, and Daedalus Argos V3 speakers

*Most delicate and intricately revealing top end with too much mid-bass: VAC components and Von Schweikert Ultra 7 speakers

*Second place for best top end and also clear midrange but garbled bass: Songer + Whammerdyne

*Most gossamer presentation: Don Sachs’ Raven/Blackbird + Spatial Audio Lab X series speakers

*Largest sounding very small, yet full range speakers: Gershman

*Most humongously oversized images and stage and most impressive driver tech: Aavik/Ansus and Borreson M6

*Most resonant enclosures: Black Ocean Audio

*Most disappointing tonality: Joseph Audio Pearl Graphene speakers

*Biggest surprise: Vanatoo’s little office stereo sized powered speakers

*Friendliest exhibitor reps: Tie between Furutech and ASC

*Most advantaged by vibration control: Millercarbon

*Most classic solid state sounding room: Infigo Audio

*Most inoffensive yet not all that unique sounding room: Bella Sound

@gladmo 

I will take gossamer:)   We were trying to produce sound stage in a shoe box room, but the tonality was nice, and we could get depth.

As Thom said, and I noted about a thousand pages up, there are many paths to audio nirvana, and rarely will we all agree!

 

Wow.

I’m just seeing this thread, and I just want to take just a moment to thank everyone for spending time with us over the weekend, and for sharing these lovely comments. We loved doing the show.

@lynn_olson @donsachs Meeting you and the immense praise you’ve offered for the driver and loudspeakers... it really is indescribable. I won’t even bother attempting it here. I’m so grateful to you both.

And, your room with Team Spatial was absolutely astonishing.  Incredibly clean sound, unbelievably deep and wide soundstage, razor sharp imaging...  Between the two of us, it's hard to say which I felt was subjectively better.  

Hi Ken..

Admittedly biased, but both Lynn and I thought your room and our room were the most musical ones at the show, and we were neighbors too.  Obviously others will have other opinions, but many folks told me that our two rooms were in their top 3 or 4 in the entire show.  Great to meet you!

Who is this @edisoncarter, whom feels they were overlooked when visiting a Room, that was on all accounts buzzing with excitable interest and inquiries.

Most who arrive at such an atmospheric place, would humbly inquire about when music was to resume, maybe even ask, if I return a little later could I hear a track of choice. I don't know how the @edisoncarter made their approach, I was not their.

The follow up communicating of their interpretation of their experience has been presented in my observation with a Forked Tongue, this is pretty much self evident by the content of the last comments made from @edisoncarter 

"You want my unbiased view on this thread? Never seen one so dedicated to shilling allowed to go on and on. Free advertising. Must be nice."

If this is the case as a casual observer of this Thread and then becoming influenced enough to contribute through making posts, is suggesting I have been complicit in Shilling a Product presented by a few individuals I have never met, or never communicated with until this very Thread.

Have the individuals behind the product got their correspondence absolutely honed to the point where they are able to compel others to do their bidding, either of the above are all BS, and not reality.

You want my unbiased view, "well done to 'Cutting the Head of the Snake'.

Fortunately it is only one's Pride hurt, @edisoncarter has engineered their 'What about me Moment'.

It does look like the Reputation of those that put in the real Sweat, Blood and Tears remains intact, credit where it is due.

Hopefully my 5 x referencing @edisoncarter in one Post has been a Band Aid for the Bruised Ego incurred.

I'm feeling like this following experience, might be a description that is accused of being a Shill, for a Certain Brand of Stepped Attenuator, so I will tread carefully.

A Certain Brand of Stepped Attenuator, referenced on the 25-06 @ 6.13 am, is a device I am quite familiar with.

I have been demo'd it as a Upgrade VC in a few Pre-Amp's over the past 5 Years.

Most recently a Pre-Amp' I get to sit in front of regularly had undergone exchanges of a few VC's over course of a Year, and the Pre Owner thought they had made a Good Choice with a DACT, which most who had heard it in use was in agreement.

Not too long ago the itch was scratched and out with DACT an in with said VC.

The difference the Part made was Night and Day, the new an impressive insight into the recordings was immediately perceived and as the session went on there was too many attractors detected and spoken about, to even consider the DACT might be worth a revisit.

I am not poo pooing the DACT, I have heard them as a Mono Device used a Balance Control on a 300b Monoblock Power Amp and they have been superb, when used as a VC on this set up. I also own a Brand New unused Stereo DACT 

The said VC, has just shone out as belonging in this Particular Pre Amp's Circuit.