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Western Electric WE300B glow and noise

Hello all,
I really hope you guys can help me out. Just bought a new pair of the Western Electric 300B new production from an authorized dealer in Southern California (I actually had to go through 3 pairs to pick out the best pair..the first pair got really loose pins, the 2nd pair had a crack on one of the tube's base).

Here's the problem: I had this pair for about 2 weeks now, about 110-130hrs on them. At first, the tubes displayed a blue glow in the dome of the envelops, which, according to WE's website FAQ, is normal. Now, the blue glow extends down to the base of the tubes and it moves in a sweeping motion like a light show. When the light moves, i can hear a soft hissing sound and also a soft pop/click as well (when the glow starts moving and stops moving)

Has anyone had this experience with WE300B tubes before? Will this phenomenon go away after the tubes burn in more or this is a sign of defects? Is this SAFE to use or should i unplug them???

Any suggestion/advice will be greatly appreciated.
thanx
jaytea

Showing 3 responses by jaytea

jaytea OP
78 posts
 
Hi guys..
Thanks for the responses. I talked to my dealer today and he said he'll speak with the distributor to find out what's going on. I also tried to call and email WE..but the call wasnt answered and the email got returned since there's no such address as service@westernelectric.com, and this address is listed on WE website for the customer service/warranty issues (#*!(*)

For those interested, i also got a response from audioasylum.com ..thought i'd share with ones who are not experienced like i am , and want to learn more:
" Jaytea, hi. Sounds like classic gassy tube syndrome. Normal blue glow
hugs the inner glass surface. Three dimensional glowing as you describe
moving in a sweeping motion in the interior is as far from normal as you
can get. Don't run these tubes. Return them as defective. How tube savvy
is your dealer? What you have been observing is a severe warning sign. The next thing that will happen is the ionization of gas on the interior will continue to the point where thermal runaway can take place and lead to
catastrophic failure of the tube. This could take out an output
transformer. In what amp are your WE 300B? "
jaytea OP
78 posts
 
Thanks all for your responses. I'm still waiting for the dealer's answer on the warranty. The tubes should be covered since they are only 2 weeks old. Will keep you posted on how the WE 300B tubes work out. So far...I tried to contact WE by both phone and email, not a good experience.
Swamwalker, Rwbadley, CycloneHarry: Which KR 300B do you use/suggest? I think the only real-compatible 300B from KR for my preamp would be the WE clone, since the KR300B balloon or the XLS has higher filament current (1.9A vs 1.2A) How does the KR 300B WE Clone sound? Did you guys have a chance to compare those KR with others like EH, Sophia ...?
jaytea OP
78 posts
 
Well..Finally, my dealer went extra miles to exchange the 4th (you heard it right) pairs for me...he's extremly nice for not making me wait too long for the seem-like-forever response from WE itself ! Now the new pair is working OK at the moment, i'll have to let it run for more hours to see how it is. The sound so far is really balanced vs the sweet, sugar coated Sophia Electric. To my ears & my setup, i think the Sophia electric is really lush in the midrange, a little more rounded in the bass and i love it ..overall, it'd be my first choice over the WE300B and ofcourse the EH gold, BUT somehow all the Sophia pairs i tried produce a slight hum on the left channel...which i cant do anything to get rid of...otherwise it'd be perfect...Not sure if anyone out there experience the same thing with Sophia electric?
One of my friend let me try out his pair of the AVVT 300B, boy oh boy..I wish i could find a pair on sale !!!!
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