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.
Toolshed Amps 300b Stereo Amp
I am having one built now, check out the review on Part Time Audiophile's site....
117 responses Add your response
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” True, and always will be the case. The W.E. amplifier is certainly a very different aesthetic (I don’t like the front panel big screen, but that’s just me 😊) I don’t find that it is more attractive than the Toolshed 300b SET amplifier appearance. Horses for courses folks.
|
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.
|
| Post removed |
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. |
Yes, I completely understand . This is why I’ve had the same preamplifier, amplifier and speakers unchanged since 2009. Genuinely happy and satisfied with them. Same situation with my DAC (Bought new in 2010) it just presents music beautifully. I’ve heard a number of other DACs in the interim. None compelling enough to make a change for. The Lab 12 DAC Reference is intriguing and seems like the real deal. I appreciate your feedback/impressions. Charles |
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 |
Yep, I’d also compare the DAC direct versus active preamplifier. I’m inclined to believe that the Zesto will be hard to beat.😊 You’ve put together a quite lovely audio system. Charles |
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.
|
Perhaps it’s me, I never got the impression that @oddiofyl wss suggesting that his new SET amplifier was a new innovative take on anything. Rather a very well built and implemented 300b SET. I’d venture that no “new “ take or approach is even necessary. These ultra simple but time proven circuits are fantastic to listen to. Maybe it’s my inference, but I thought that is all he was implying and sharing. One hell of a good sounding amplifier. Horses for courses I imagine. Charles |
I don't mean to be pissing on your sense of Nirvana, but reality is that there is nothing new under the sun when it comes to 300B amp circuit design and darned little new under the sun with implementation. I doubt that Matt and Ben have the means to wind their own trannies. All other parts have to be purchased from known suppliers too. The beautiful casework may lend great pride in ownership (though it is not to my taste-too Brooklyn Bohemian vibe for me) but it can not make the amp sound better. Yes, a well-designed 300B SET directly heated triode amp will have the attributes you describe and I applaud you for choosing them-I would too. But again, when I see a new amp from a small company with lots of shiny chrome and by virtue of small company/capitalization size no innovation (not that any is really available) I have to say, "OK, glad you like it". I am no hypocrite-I bought an Ampsandsound Nautilus a year ago that is not dissimilar though not 300B based. But I bought it with eyes wide open that the circuit design was ancient. The guy behind the amp, Justin Webber, makes no bones about it. It (the Nautilus) is all about being so basic and so well built that it will last for generations. |
I see that you use a balanced AC isolation transformer/conditioner. I find that balanced AC electrical power a very good choice for audio electronics. Are you using copper or silver cables in your system? Your speakers are quite efficient/ high sensitivity. Do you find that you have excess signal gain or is that okay? Not sure how much gain your Zesto has or the voltage output of your DAC? At one time In the distant past I had excessive system gain. So just curious. Charles |
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
|
| Post removed |
Just received the 300b. It is frigging awesome .!!!!!..... I will post some pics soon. I unpacked her , made my connections and she fired right up. I'm using a pair of Amperex 6688 drivers, Raytheon ceramic base 274b. Shout out to Craig Ness at Nesstone on that one ! Power tubes are Western Electric 300b. First thing I did was switch on my tuner and did some casual listening while cleaning up the 300 pounds of Styrofoam , wood , and cardboard. I have only spent about an hour listening , had some Mullards in there and then decided to try the Amperex and there were much more to my liking. I will say this about Matt Formanek, he is a no BS guy and delivers exactly what he promises you. Plus he loves nothing more than building music machines Happy listening
|
