Toolshed Amps 300b Stereo Amp


I am having one built now, check out the review on Part Time Audiophile's site....

 

128x128oddiofyl

Showing 13 responses by oddiofyl

This amp is amazing in it’s retrieval of small details that were never sharply defined with other amps.   Reproduction of the human voice is spooky real.   I’m still getting acclimated to it and am tweaking speaker placement a little.  
 

My initial impression is that this amp nails it with respect to projecting a believable image of the performance, especially with live material.  With bad material it is somewhat forgiving and is very listenable   With great recordings it is amazing 

With great recordings I am hearing subtle things that were masked or glossed over with previous amps   My Zesto preamp has this amazing quality with transients ,  the ability to “start / stop”  like the crack of a whip.   The two pair well and have that quality along with delivering the ambiance of where it was recorded    Decay is very realistic and it has no self noise .  Very quiet for any amp never mind a tube amp  

This was a big leap of faith for me, to buy an amp blindly , with no ability to listen first.   It is generally something I never do.  I called Matt a few years ago about one of his lower powered amps   He was straight up and said it was not a good match with the speakers I had at the time.  He could have said nothing and sold me an amp that day.   I called him a few years later and he told me he was building 300b amps .   He said this would be my last amp….  He may very well be right   
 

I am going to spend some time with it and follow up after some extensive listening  

 

Charles, I do use the EquiTech for most components but I actually plugged the amp straight into the wall

The Zesto gain is 12dB, it seems perfect with this amp.   George at Zesto recommends setting the internal gain to 3 if the volume control is too sensitive 

With my other amps it was but I held off on changing it until I got the 300b the 12 dB gain is perfect 

The 300b's input sensitivity is higher so now the volume isn't as sensitive and it has a broad range of control.   It's actually perfect now.   My DAC puts out a fixed 2.5 volts ,  so at some point I  may try connecting it directly to Source 2 and use the gain as volume.  Something tells me I'll prefer the preamp in place but I want to try it.   

Fsonic,  this amp is loaded with premium parts. THAT'S why it sounds so good.  I was in the biz for a while and I know how mfg cut corners spec' ing cheap caps and resistors til they whittle down the build of materials . Not the case with a Toolshed Amp.  Inside you will find Dale Vishay, Mundorf, Clarity Cap , Jupiter Cap, Khozmo....  among others.   No corners cut here.   

 

Thank you larsman ! Several times I have thought to myself “amazing clarity”. I actually bought a second pair because I was afraid they might change the recipe or they would become unobtainium

I read about it somewhere and learned that Fidelis in Nashua NH was the distributor.  I had a few days off at the beginning of June and gave them a call.   I asked if they took different category trades and they said sure come on up.   So I packed up my CJ Classic preamp that I was no longer using and took a ride up. 

I listened to it in a LAB 12 system driving Fyne speakers .   They offered me a generous trade that almost paid for half so it was a no brainer

It is built like a tank compared to a lot of stuff at this price or even above.   It sounds fantastic in this system.   

Ever been at that point in time where your system sounds so good that you are afraid to make any changes?    This is where I am at right now.   That DAC was a solid purchase.   It is very engaging and you want to just keep listening.Which is what I'm still doing at 1215 on a work night 

Synergy has a lot to do with good sound,  the Zesto / Toolshed  pairing is such a great match.    When I got the Zesto , it revealed how good those Quicksilvers are. 

As great as those Mid Monos have been,, the Toolshed 300b is in a completely different league.   It is amazing in it's ability to render a three dimensional image .   I have spent about 5 or 6 hours a night since Sunday playing song after song .   Some that I'm very familiar with, some are completely new to me .   

My mental notes while listening have been ;  amazing clarity , huge image extending way beyond the speakers.  They disappear.    Clarity , accuracy,  realism, lifelike,  are all things that i keep saying in my head.   

Little sounds like tapping the top of a guitar,   the inhale / exhale as a singer projects,  the ambiance of the venue are all revealed with this amp.  

Bass is solid and incredibly tight,  and deep.  I keep thinking this is only 7 watts?   Most surprising are the lower registers of a piano.   

There is a connection to the music that is so engaging that I am completely not thinking about the hardware,  I am thinking about what song I am going to play next.   

I can say without reservation that this amp was worth the wait and worth the money.    

This thread is about the Toolshed 300b.  Not vapor ware....Has anyone even seen the WE91e in person ?   Anyone here own one ?  Please chime in if you do. They have been promising this amp for a long time and it's still "coming soon"   Either way, it's way out of my price range.  It's more than 2x the price , so if you buy one let us know how it is.... beauty IS in the eye of the beer holder ....that thing is ugly in my eyes.

This amp sounds sublime.... So it's looks are a little polarizing, that's ok, the fit and finish is excellent,  this is execution on a high level.   I love it , pics do not do it justice .  

As far as the WE amp I think that's a little weird looking myself.   Should have had a more retro industrial look and analog meters .  

I'll take a simple point to point wiring design and analog volume  over a PCB and volume encoder any day.   The WE Monos look cool,  the 91e ?  fugly.

Three year warranty on WE amp,  and 5 years on tubes is a joke right?   Toolshed amps have a lifetime warranty , although I doubt I will ever have to exercise it.  

 

The WE is an integrated,  the Toolshed is a power amp....sure, it has volume trim and 2 inputs so it can be either....  I think it is best served with a great preamp driving it though

I am enjoying  this amp so much I am having Matt build me a DHT Line Stage.    

Yes, it should be awesome.     The Amp is beautiful sounding.  It should be a great match .   The Preamp will have 3 inputs and two parallel outputs to bi-amp or drive a sub which I will do.