Aric Audio Custom 300b PSET

How much exactly were the WE 300bs ?

Thank you. Aric figured the amp in SET had enough power to be sufficient to drive my AN-e/lx speakers at 94db efficiency. I’ve read posts stating the same for years and said no way. I stand corrected! 
By doing 2, it may temp me to try 2 different ones in the future. If I had done all 4 for $3200, that may have been it. I don’t want to over think it. Just good fun listening to a lot of music again. 

My Coincident Total Eclipse II speakers are 94 db (14 ohm impedance) and they just sing with my 8 watt SET. Suitable driver tubes, robust power supply and quality output transformers will do the job. Aric obviously knows this.. So you were in good hands.😊

Charles

Thankfully yes! Was quite the leap of faith. It’s weird how I was programmed to think of the big companies being the only ones to produce quality hifi. It really added to the purchase speaking to Aric and knowing I’m directly contributing to his company. Similar to Decware in that regard. People with a sense of pride in their product. NoT That those big companies didn’t start out that way but it’s a price they pay for growth I suppose. 

The day has come! The new WE 300b tubes arrived and have been installed. Obviously, too early to tell anything yet. The one thing that does stand out in the first 10 minutes is that they don’t seem rough. The Gold Lions definitely take a few minutes to get going and smooth out. The WE’s are smooth right out of the gate. 
Aric if you read this. The right channel meter is 1 line higher. I would not think this is of any concern but I’m new and worry about everything!

I would try swapping the WE's left to right and then powering the amplifier back on to see if now the other meter is one line higher. If the same meter stays higher, then you can use a small flathead screwdriver to adjust the small set screw at the bottom center of the meter. They're only measuring cathode current, more or less to give an indication of a bad tube and whether the amplifier is in PSET or SET mode, but it's not abnormal for there to be a small variance. Alternatively, if the slightly higher meter follows the tube, then it's likely that they simply need to settle in for a bit. 

Cheers! Aric

Awesome. Thanks Aric. 

Not a problem! You'll have to let us know how they sound ;-)

They sound remarkably good. Here is my very pedestrian initial review of them. I only have Gold Lion 300b’s to compare to, so take this for what it is, a very inexperienced review. 
They vocals are remarkable. The Wood Brothers, Ways Not To Lose, is a great album to hear the vocal change. The GL’s are a bit grainier and the WE’s just really make his voice shine, very smooth. Also, the vocals are a bit more natural sounding with the WE’s. Overall the clarity is really stunning. The high end is crystal clear with no brightness. 
The bass is tighter with the WE’s. Here is where the Gold Lions may have an edge. I feel the GL’s have more bass. It a bit deeper and more pronounced. Could this be a result of the WE’s stronger, more forward mid range? Either way, perhaps the GL’s have a bit more balance that I like. Now does this mean I would choose the GL’s over the WE, no. The WE’s are so good at what they do. 
please take into to consideration, the GL’s have about 40 hours on them and the WE’s 10 hours. I’m sure things will change a bit. I was surprised how smooth the WE’s are right at start up. The GL’s definitely take a few minutes to reach their peak. 
I will definitely enjoy the GL’s on my rock and metal days and the WE’s for everything else. I really enjoy both tubes for different reasons. I will be ordering 2 more WE’s in the future though. 

@earthbound

Thanks for posting your very early listening impressions of the Western Electric 300b. They are going to only improve from this initial stage. The Gold Lions are solid and credible tubes in their own right. I believe as playing time/usage extends, the distinctions between them become more notable. Anyway that’s been my consistent outcome with the upper tier 300b tubes. Admittedly I have specifically not heard these current production Western Electric tubes.

Charles

I wish I could better describe the WE’s. They have the “it” factor. Their realism leaves me with a strange feeling. Almost awe in a way on well recorded material. On the Wood Brothers album, it seems as if you are in the recording room with them. All the drum stick taps, thumb plucks, inhalations, lip licking is there to hear. The Gold Lions sound like good music all around. There is certainly a level or 2 between them. Perhaps it’s the tone that really separates the WE’s. Not sure. Just love em!

@earthbound 

I get your meaning and this is why I was encouraging/supportive of your move to a higher level of 300b. You just get more from them especially if placed in a high quality amplifier. Expensive tubes but worth it as far as I am concerned. It's good to know that you are happy with them.

Charles

Thanks for your comments. Keep listening. Maybe, look over the glossary of terms from Stereophile’s glossary.

http://www.integracoustics.com/MUG/MUG/bbs/stereophile_audio-glossary.html

This is the way I slowly learned the terminology. You are doing great. Thanks.

Thanks for the link. I already discovered boomy and liquid are different than I thought. 👍

Had my first hiccup tube amp experience this week. Had a bit of static with slight pops creep in during startup, which diminished but didn’t disappear during play. Changed 4 of 6;tubes during the week and no change. Replaced the last 2, Sylvania chrome tops, this morning and bingo, dead quiet again. So psyched. New to this so not used to sound change or problems with tubes. Now I know a sick tube symptom!

@earthbound Are those the 6V6GTs? Let me know and I'll get another pair en route to you, they should've lasted much longer than that. I usually see these tubes last at least a couple of years in this amp. 

Best regards, Aric

Thanks Aric and thanks for your patience with a newbie! I will give them a clean up like you suggested and try them again. If the static continues I’ll let you know and we can swap them out. I am going to purchase a few new pairs of various tubes as backups. I will reach out Monday and see what you think as far as what else to try. Enjoy Sunday and thanks so much for being so supportive.

Btw, so wonderful to have that dead silence again. Awesome

"I suggest you add EAT (bold, very fleshed out) and Takatsuki (refined, deep soundstage) to your list. You‘ll probably find the Sophias not at the same level as the above."

Just thought I'd mention that JJ makes the EAT tubes.

OP,

Glad you found the problem. Tubes are not tremendously unreliable, but they do occasionally have problems. If you have a pop, hiss, whisle… or other strange issue, then that is the place to look. By keeping an extra set of tubes, it is easy to quickly trouble shoot.

While, tubes occasionally have problems, the infrequent issue is really worth it. For instance my current Audio Research Reverence 160m monoblocks have over 2,000 hours on them and my Reference 160s has over 1,600 hours, without any variation in sound or tube failure. Also my ARC REF 6se and Ref CD9 DAC / CD player have over 2,000 hours without variation or tube problem. I had a whistle in my ARC Ref 5SE preamp after a couple thousand hours… I quickly found the tube and replaced it. Problem gone.

Thanks markustheaimnut and ghdprentice. I have looked at the Takatsuki tubes and may give them a try next. 
of course the failed tube right out of the gate happens to the newbie! Lol. Good to get it out of the way and now I know what to listen for. Odds are with me now!

OP,

“ the failed tube right out of the gate happens to a newbie…”,  one of Murphy’s law corollaries I think. 

That's the thing with tubes- usually if you're going to have a bad one, you'll find out right away (too bad not within the first 20 hours!). In any case, I stand by my offer to replace them if you've cleaned the pins and found it still emits the same "hash". I'm very glad you're enjoying the amp as well, and appreciate you posting your comments here :-)

Cheers, Aric

Let this thread be an example to all of what excellent customer service is all about.    

@oddiofyl Thank you! Cheers, Aric

@aricaudio 

+1

It is very helpful and comforting to know you can send an email with a question and get an answer. Tube gear is certainly not for the faint hearted. It’s not difficult but it’s good to have a bit of knowledge, or in my case, access to someone who does. Aric has been super supportive. 
Vince Guaraldi and Bola Sete never sounded so good! I didn’t think when I started that I would tube roll, but I can see the appeal. I’ve found my 300b go to and now look forward to hearing other 6v6’s and 6sn7’s. Linlai sounds nice and the Sylvania as well. 

Thanks for a great series of posts on the new amp, and glad to hear that the Aric rig is living up to its reputation!  Really cool to see a small business doing so well, for all the right reasons, in this hobby of ours

Have a great day!

Thank you jonwatches1. It has been really fun. Just got my first set of new tubes, quite a bit more on order, and am doing some tube rolling. Cool to be able to change the tone and nuances of the music. Never thought tone controls would take this form! 

I just wanted to share my latest Aric Audio update. Picked up a Super 6sn7 Linestage today. Upgrades include the Khozmo motorized remote volume controller, Jensen input transformers and one set of fully differential XLR Inputs, ClarityCap TC series in the power supply and Jupiter copper foil output coupling caps. 
Aric matched what I had done upgrade wise with the amp and did what he thought would create the best synergy. He was able to use the preamp during the week so it’s not unused. Thankfully, he was able to shave off some of the breakin time. I’m off this week so will be able to put a lot of time in listening. 
My hopes were that adding the preamp would add a little more to the music. More meaning, “fullness”. Perhaps add just a little of what my push pull has but still keep the benefits of the 300b if that makes sense. 
First listening session appears to be just that. It seems to have more bass, although I am using the Gold Lions which have more than the WE’s. I also added faux walls so the Audio Notes have corner placement now. I’ve achieved the bass I was looking for when I was contemplating subs. 
I will put the WE’s in tomorrow and pay more attention to the clarity aspect of the sound which is where they have an advantage. 
Im sure I’m weeks away from full breakin. I will share my impressions along the way. 
Again, was great working with Aric to create this combination. He is so amenable to listening to what I am looking for and offering his thoughts. I’m truly lucky to own his gear and lucky to work with a man who is so passionate and honest about his craft. 

@earthbound 

Again, was great working with Aric to create this combination. He is so amenable to listening to what I am looking for and offering his thoughts. I’m truly lucky to own his gear and lucky to work with a man who is so passionate

Very gratifying to read. You chose wisely and are reaping the benefits.

Charles 

Thank you Charles. It’s nice to have access to knowledgeable people like Aric and forum members. I certainly would not have headed in this direction otherwise. It’s been quite the eye opening sonic discovery.