The "new" Western Electric, is not just a purchase of the old trademark; the company owns the old tube-making gear so there is at least a chance that the reissued 300b tube will be like the "old" reissued 300b (which means a very good tube).
As for wire, what is "best" or "better" really depends on personal taste and particular application. I have no idea about Duelund wire, but, if it is "better" than some other particular wire, it really means that it is different sounding. The same goes for their much touted capacitors; I've heard some of them in crossovers and they are good or bad depending on the particular voicing one is after.
There is a lot of old Western Electric wire out there, and only a small percentage of that wire is what the serious fans of their wire are after. I heard a long interconnect made with some wire which I think was pre-WWII or just after the war, and it was pretty close to the sound of Audio Note Sogon, but then again, the price of this wire was quite high too.
When dealing with really old vintage wire, it is prudent to handle it carefully because some of it has been laced with arsenic to discourage nibbling by rodents; my friends who know Western Electric know which wire is safe, but anyone without such knowledge should be careful about washing their hands after handling wire and avoiding stripping insulation with their teeth.
As for wire, what is "best" or "better" really depends on personal taste and particular application. I have no idea about Duelund wire, but, if it is "better" than some other particular wire, it really means that it is different sounding. The same goes for their much touted capacitors; I've heard some of them in crossovers and they are good or bad depending on the particular voicing one is after.
There is a lot of old Western Electric wire out there, and only a small percentage of that wire is what the serious fans of their wire are after. I heard a long interconnect made with some wire which I think was pre-WWII or just after the war, and it was pretty close to the sound of Audio Note Sogon, but then again, the price of this wire was quite high too.
When dealing with really old vintage wire, it is prudent to handle it carefully because some of it has been laced with arsenic to discourage nibbling by rodents; my friends who know Western Electric know which wire is safe, but anyone without such knowledge should be careful about washing their hands after handling wire and avoiding stripping insulation with their teeth.