There is a big difference in terms of sound profile when you get into better 300Bs. As someone who imports 300B amps, a big question is what tubes to go with.
At a modest price, the Emission Labs 300B is a huge step forward from the Russian mass produced tubes and is what I ship standard with out Diavolo amps. These are $675.
KR tubes offer a bit...more. More detail, slightly better linearity. Tighter bass but are a bit more expensive. The base 300B is $1100, the balloon which has a larger envelope is $1300.
Sophia which are largely TJ Fullmusic are wonderful tubes. Last I checked, they have the Blue glass classics in-stock. Those are best with the matching 274B. What rectifier does that amp use? They are out of most of their other 300B tubes but they said the have a few Royal Princesses in stock. The blue glass are $1000 with the better warranty.
I sell these three brands at ArtAudio.us
Acme PSVane has a great line of products and only in the US, only sell direct. Lots of threads covering off on different variants to dig into. One note. Anyone claiming they are selling new PSVane/Acme tubes better be reselling a pair they bought or their is a chance they are counterfeit. Evidently this is a big issue on eBay for them. Go to their site to buy direct.
Takasuki’s are amazing tubes but a bit pricey. Made in Japan, these are stock tubes on the Luxman 300B and are one of the best current runs. The only issue with these is they tend to perform best at a lower bias. They aren’t as sensitive as the EML Mesh which max out at 28w as opposed to the standard 40w but operate best running a little lower. These typically are priced at $2K a pair from what I have seen.
I have an e-mail out to them to get a price and terms for importation. There are a few current dealers.
NOS 300Bs tend to be pricey as you know. I would be cautious about who I bought from.
At a modest price, the Emission Labs 300B is a huge step forward from the Russian mass produced tubes and is what I ship standard with out Diavolo amps. These are $675.
KR tubes offer a bit...more. More detail, slightly better linearity. Tighter bass but are a bit more expensive. The base 300B is $1100, the balloon which has a larger envelope is $1300.
Sophia which are largely TJ Fullmusic are wonderful tubes. Last I checked, they have the Blue glass classics in-stock. Those are best with the matching 274B. What rectifier does that amp use? They are out of most of their other 300B tubes but they said the have a few Royal Princesses in stock. The blue glass are $1000 with the better warranty.
I sell these three brands at ArtAudio.us
Acme PSVane has a great line of products and only in the US, only sell direct. Lots of threads covering off on different variants to dig into. One note. Anyone claiming they are selling new PSVane/Acme tubes better be reselling a pair they bought or their is a chance they are counterfeit. Evidently this is a big issue on eBay for them. Go to their site to buy direct.
Takasuki’s are amazing tubes but a bit pricey. Made in Japan, these are stock tubes on the Luxman 300B and are one of the best current runs. The only issue with these is they tend to perform best at a lower bias. They aren’t as sensitive as the EML Mesh which max out at 28w as opposed to the standard 40w but operate best running a little lower. These typically are priced at $2K a pair from what I have seen.
I have an e-mail out to them to get a price and terms for importation. There are a few current dealers.
NOS 300Bs tend to be pricey as you know. I would be cautious about who I bought from.