2. amps-preamps
  3. 1072703247

300B which way to go?

Hi,

I have never heard any amp with this tube before. But I have been doing plenty of reading on tubes. So I'm curious. Can anyone give me some pointers about 300B tube amps? How many watts do I need to run a pair of 89db speakers? I'm leaning heavily in the direction of Meadolark. I'll be running a Rouge 99, or a Cary SLP-88 pre to start, and upgrading when I get rich (**)

I see these amps for sale all the time at Audiogon, with the watts ranging from 8-40. I don't know much about single-end vs. push-pull. Also is " class A " push-pull a quality way to go with a 300B amp? I am also interested in a integrated 300B amp perhaps.

Can anyone give me some ideas? I was thinking of a starter amp, but I see people dumping these things for 30 cents on the dollar, so might as well jump right in! But it does cause me some concern about the performance.
theseeker

Showing 1 response by twl

twl
3,251 posts
 
The lower power 300B amps with about 8 wpc are the true SET types. As you go up the power scale, some may be parafeed type amps or push pull type amps. Any of them can be very good, depending upon the design and execution of the product, and how well it fits into your system's needs.

With 89db efficient speakers, I think you'd be best to look at the push pull types with the higher power ratings(40wpc). Some 300B tubes are very expensive, so consider this when buying an amp with multiple 300B tubes in the circuit.

You may also consider using more efficient speakers(95+db) to give you more flexibility in choosing a lower power amp. This is a common path for SET users. Lowther, Fostex, Coral Beta, Diatone, AER, and REPS are single driver speakers that are popular with the SET crowd. Also Jordan drivers with a tweeter are another popular driver setup.

Speaker efficiency is your friend, when dealing with low power amps.
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