Elrog 300B vs Takatsuki 300B tubes

I, too, am curious about the comparison. I have not heard the Elrogs, but have been a fan of the Takatsukis for several years. I even bought a back-up pair ... just in case. They are available from Amazon for a premium, but can be sourced directly and easily from Japan for about 1200USD. Charles also likes the EML XLS that are less expensive than either the Elrogs or Takatsukis.

Randy, I, too, will be interested in Charles' opinion. I had a pair of SERPs that were relegated to the closet as soon as I heard the Takatsukis.

I heard the monoblock version of the First Watt SIT amplifiers at last summers CAF - driving the Zu Def 4s (a speaker that I know well). They sounded great, but are only 10 watts and run hot (much hotter than my 300b SET). If I needed more power, I would consider an SET amplifier using 845 or 211 tubes. Like Charles, I am firmly in the tube-based SET camp.

I tried to order a pair of Elrogs. It seems as if the current wait time is so long that at least one US importer has suspended importing Elrog 300b tubes.

Fortunately, as I have commented previously, I am very happy with the Takatsukis.

Although it may not be analogous and although I am not sure that I understand the principles involved, I had a similar experience with my Ancient Audio 300b SET. It was built with a protective circuit that proved rather touchy. As I learned through trial and error (and with the help of the folks at Sophia Electric and AmtransJapan, the distributor of Takatsuki), individual pairs of 300b tubes were less likely to trip the circuit if they had a low measured plate current. There is a range of specs for all tubes that fall within the high and low acceptable limits. The manufacturers helped to cull out pairs that were the most compatible with my amplifier.

Unfortunately, the prudent thing is probably to wait until the dust settles and Elrog solves the problem. I am rather impressed that Elrog produced a pair to match Charles' amp. Charles, did Elrog make a pair to your specs? Or did they cull their supply to identify the right pair. As I understand it, there is a certain variability in actual specs for all tubes - a typical bell-shaped curve.

As somewhat of an outsider, but one who is interested since I own an 300b SET, I am concerned by the number of failures and, even more, by the inconsistency in the company's response. Elrog has to understand that in the age of the Internet, all of this becomes common knowledge.

Although I have never heard the Elrogs (and I trust Charles' 'ears'), I am a fan of the Takatsukis.

Amtrans is a Japanese vendor of various audio and other electronics. I have bought a couple of pairs of Takatski 300b from Amtrans. I have found them totally reliable and honorable. Only sometimes they are slow to answer emails from the US. (I once had a Japanese friend call Amtrans after my emails had gone unanswered; Amtrans immediately emailed me. Not sure whether the issue was a server or language depending on who was the office.) Amtrans has also been helpful in working with Takatsuki to cull a pair with a low mA as recommended by my amplifier designer.

Takatsuki has had three US distributors: Axiss, Amazon, and now Trueaudiophile. The US price has always been higher than the direct-from-Japan price: 140,000-150,000yen (the price was increased when they introduced the black bases) vs 1800USD from Amazon and now almost 2000USD from Trueaudiophile. When Takatsuki has a US vendor, Amtrans will not sell direct to the US. Not sure about other Japanese vendors, but it might be similar.

Whenever I have bought something from Amtrans, it has been shipped EMS. Delivery has been fast (less than one week - often a matter of days) with no import duty. In my experience Amtrans has always accepted PayPal; in fact, Amtrans insisted on it.

If I needed something from Japan and it was available from Amtrans, I would not hesitate.

The Takatsuuki 300b were designed to match the WE specs.

I have been listening to Takatsuki 300b tubes for a couple of years. The Takatsukis replaced Sophia RPs in my 300b SET; no technical issues with the RPs - the Takatsukis just sounded better. I have not heard Takatsukis in Audio Note amplifiers, and I have not heard the Elrogs in any amplifier. I am, however, surprised at the wait time. I sourced mine from Amtrans in Japan. Once you get them, I will be curious how they compare to the WE Replicas from Psvane.

Gary