Aric Audio Custom 300b PSET

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. 

@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 

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. 

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! 

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!

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. 

@aricaudio 

+1

@oddiofyl Thank you! Cheers, Aric

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

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

OP,

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

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,

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.

"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.

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

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.

@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

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!

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

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.

@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

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

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

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. 

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

Awesome. Thanks Aric. 

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

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!

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. 

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

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. 

How much exactly were the WE 300bs ?

@earthbound 

👍 Congratulations with the new tubes. I hope that the Western Electric 300bs serve you very well. It’s really nice that your amplifier allows SET mode when desired.

Charles

I pulled the trigger today. I purchased 2 Sylvania 6v6’s, 2 Linlai 6sn7’s and 2 Western Electric 300b’s. The 300b’s will be used in SET mode and I’ll use the Gold Lions in PSET. The other tubes are back ups for the amp, which already has the Sylvania’s but the Linlai would be different. Look forward to hearing the difference between the Gold Lions and WE’s. WE also promised, due to the price, that a naked lady jumps out from behind the amp!

In an amp like the PSET 300b it is worth the money. , I think    We're not talking a $3000 amp here.    Yeah it stings,  but they are reported to last a long time .   

A relatively inexpensive quad I have running in a 300B Push Pull (I’ve also tried them in the PSET albeit briefly) are the Linlai 7300Bs. Sort of a KT150ish looking egg shape (which you’ll likely either love or hate), and a titanium coated plate structure. I paid $660 for a quad, and have about 100 hours on them, and they’re fantastic for the money this far in. They're very balanced and detailed without any bloat, raggedness or roll-off on either end. Somewhat "fast and detailed" sounding, without being analytical or sterile. So far I have not had any Linlai tubes fail on me- 6SN7s, 2A3s, 845s, 5U4GBs (and too soon to tell, but so far the 300Bs as well). YMMV, but so far they’ve all biased up consistently with no ticks, pops, or any other noises. Very consistent in sonics across tubes. My early impressions are very positive with Linlai’s tubes thus far.

@aricaudio

I believe that with the upper tier 300bs

Elrog,EML,KR, Takatsuki.Western Electric, one could not go wrong. I left out the Higher level Chinese 300b because I am not sure that reliability has yet been established. Inevitably some top tier brands will match with certain amplifiers better than others.
Charles

@charles1dad +1 I have three customers that can attest to that as well. One of them became a dealer after buying his first pair. He firmly believes in the sonics and quality of the WEs. 

Word of mouth feedback from owners of the current Western Electric 300b has been positive, 

Chatles

Unfortunately I have no first hand comparison of 300b but I think the Western Electric 300b was worth the money.  They sound phenomenal in my amp.   I bought a spare pair because I wanted to be sure I had a new pair on hand down the road

@earthbound 

The only downside with commitment to the 300b is its cost when compared with most other power tube alternatives. You’ll definitely pay for the premium tier options. As far as I am concerned, they are worth it. As you have discovered, a high-quality 300b SET is just fantastic for music reproduction.

I have consistently advised that if you have a very good quality SET amplifier, buy the best tubes you can afford. They are just worth it. You  want to hear your amplifier perform at its best. The good thing is, the higher quality tubes tend to have long life spans. EML and vintage W. E. 300b are the poster child for this.

Charles

Thanks Charles. You were one of my Emission Lab references from prior posts! It’s reassuring to have experienced 300ber’s sharing their experiences. These tubes, due to price, are not as easy to tube roll. I’d prefer to get it right the first time. The 5 year warranty is certainly a huge benefit and attractive option. 

@oddiofyl 

I haven’t heard a Decware amplifier but I do acknowledge that they have a very loyal group of customers. Rightly so I would imagine. I do agree with you that the Aric Audio amplifier is an excellent choice and for the reasons you stated. I’m glad that @earthbound is enjoying it.

Charles

@aricaudio For 300Bs, I’ve used Emission Labs 300BXLS with excellent results, and excellent reliability plus they come with a 5 year warranty from the manufacturer. I hope this helps! Aric

Yes, the EML XLS is a splendid 300b option. I’ve had them in my mono block SET for about 7 or 8 years with very frequent usage. They have excellent sound quality and exceptional reliability. It’s a very robustly built workhorse type of 300b.

I have owned the Takatsuki and it’s also excellent sounding. I did not experience quite the same reliability with them. However, Takatsuki graciously replaced the failed tube without issue.In my opinion, sonically you cannot choose wrong with either. The EML XLS is just a bigger/heavier/thicker glass/more solidly built tube having owned them both.

I have no listening or ownership experience with the current production Western Electric 300b. It does offer a 5 year warranty same as EML.

Charles

Thanks for the replies guys. Aric thanks for the tube alternatives. The Emissions Lab have come up in reviews as an excellent choice as well. I did a 5 hour SET session last night. I’m a lucky man!

You absolutely made the right choice.   There is a difference between a no compromise custom build and a boiler plate mass produced design.  

If i am paying $$$ for a custom amp I want the principle owner / designer to build it.    That amp will give you many hours of enjoyment every night you sit in front of it it.   

Plus it's eye candy too so it'll make you smile even when it's off because your buddies don't own anything like it .   

@earthbound For the other tubes, I really like the Sylvania 6V6GT black plate / smoked glass that are in there now, I find them to be completely grain-less and overall nicely detailed and neutral. I’ve tried using some RCA and GE grey and black plates and thought they sounded a bit coarse in the midrange. Another extremely high quality 6V6GT equivalent that several customers have reported they loved, are the Bendix 5992s- supposedly the holy grail of 6V6s! I've not listened to these myself though. For the input gain stage, the 6SN7s included are Hytron black plates, which are a nicely balanced, non-offensive tube. There are better out there however, they are nice. I really like the Sylvania "Bad Boy" 6SN7GTs with either 2 or 3 hole plates. They are extremely detailed and neutral without exhibiting any harshness and are probably my favorites in the amp. Another great sounding tube are the Linlai Elite 6SN7s. They’re new production, and I’ve purchased 6 pairs of them with excellent consistency and reliability across the board. Probably a bit less detailed than the Bad Boys, but very nuanced and add a nice subtle "flavor" to the mix. For 300Bs, I’ve used Emission Labs 300BXLS with excellent results, and excellent reliability plus they come with a 5 year warranty from the manufacturer. I hope this helps! Aric

Having owned an Aric Transcend and three different Decware amps over the years I can say you made the right choice. I think Aric’s use of better components makes it a step up. The Decware had what I can only describe as noisy transformers. The Aric brought another level of clarity.

I am certainly in the market for tubes. It is quite a relief that I really don’t feel the need for 4. When I want to rock out, I will use the 4 Gold Lions. When I want sane listening levels, where I sit in front, then the “better” tubes will be used. Having read so many reviews, it will be the WE’s or Tataksuki’s. Aric do you have any suggestions for the other tubes? I want a spare pair anyway. Is there an upgrade to the 6v6 and 6sn7 tubes you like or stick with what I have? 

@earthbound Hope you enjoyed some good grub! You got it- in SET vs PSET mode there is half the current passing through the output transformers producing 9 watts per channel instead of 18, so the amp will definitely run cooler! Also, I'm not sure if you did, but I would move the speaker connections to the 4 ohm taps when running in SET mode as the impedance ratio is changed with only one power tube per channel. I find this mode very useful if a premium (expensive) pair of power tubes are used and you don't want to purchase a quad (yet). For most music, SET is all I need with my speakers, but if you really want to drive some current to your speakers, then PSET allows the amp to punch above it's power/weight.