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Which 300b amplifier for Devore O/96

I am looking to upgrade (and simultaneously downsize) from Coincident Frankenstein Mk2 300b SET monoblock amps to one of these stereo amplifiers.

These are the four candidates so far: Nagra 300p, Luxman MQ-300, Wavac EC-300B, Air Tight ATM-300R, Shindo Cortese 300b

My preamp/dac is Bricasti M12 and my speakers are Devore O/96.

I am not looking nor interested in any other 300b amps at this point.

If anyone has compared one or more of these amps (esp on an Orangutan) do chime in.

Where I live I can probably demo the Nagra and the Air Tight but nothing else.

Thoughts?
essrand

Showing 1 response by gsm18439

gsm18439
895 posts
 
Charles and I have gone back and forth regarding individual 300b tubes. I prefer the Takatsuki; he prefers the EML XLS (and 213Cobra [Phil] prefers the KR Balloons). However, the number of 300b variants on the market is insane with price ranges from the reasonable to the ridiculous; and there are new ones being produced all the time. IMHO, the specific tube can have a greater impact on the overall sound in an 300b SET based system than one based on an SET using 2A3 or 45 tubes. Unfortunately, rolling 300b can be expensive; but it can be as worthwhile as searching for the best amplifier. And the longevity of a good 300b offsets the cost. . . somewhat. 

Gary
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