I don’t believe that you can go wrong with that purchase. I’m interested in your listening impressions of the Western Electric 300b.
Charles
Original Cary 300B Monos Reliability?
Anyone have long-term experience with the original Cary 300B monos (with the single 6SL7 tube)? I'm looking for feedback regarding reliability. I've read that the engineering choices made in the design should have the amps failing on a regular basis, along with eating tubes.
Outside of a few DIY complaint/discussions, I haven't really seen this brought up as an issue.
I'm not concerned about the sound qualities or speaker compatibility as I have heard the combination before. Just looking to see if any of you have experiences to share regarding technical issues. I realize that these amps are now 28 years old, but they are point to point with basic parts. If the chosen values have worked for years, replacing defective caps/resistors should be straightforward.
Thanks for sharing!
Showing 5 responses by charles1dad
I’d certainly agree that it’s wise to check with the manufacturer regarding approved and compatible tubes for use in their amplifiers. If for Cary the W.E. 300b is the recommended or safer choice then so be it. By many indications it’s an excellent current production 300b. The EML XLS has been nothing short of truly brilliant in my Coincident SET mono blocks. But surely better safe than sorry. Charles |
Congratulations with the Cary SET and Finale Audio speaker pairing. I use the Coincident Statement Line stage (101D tubes). You are wise to consider the upper tier quality 300b tube such as Western Electric. I'd also recommend you consider EML XLS and the Elrog 300b as well. There are very good word of mouth reports in regard to the Lanlai Elite 300b tubes. Charles |
I do not doubt that your CJ CAV 45 amplifier is serving you very well. However the "reach out and touch " tactile quaility you're seeking is in my experience a true strength of good quality output SET amplification. As good as my previous push pull amplifiers were, my Coincident Frankenstein 300b SET just took this characteristic to an upper level. I'm curious to see how this plays out in your audio system given the inevitable variables and the Spector of component/system synergy. Charles |
Agree with @russ69 , these are very straightforward well designed amplifiers that have successfully withstood the test of time. One of the primary assets of SET is their simpler circuit and relatively low part count. The Cary 300b SET would not have its establhed longevity/reliability it they were built cheaply or poorly implemented. Charles |