300b lovers


I have been an owner of Don Sachs gear since he began, and he modified all my HK Citation gear before he came out with his own creations.  I bought a Willsenton 300b integrated amp and was smitten with the sound of it, inexpensive as it is.  Don told me that he was designing a 300b amp with the legendary Lynn Olson and lo and behold, I got one of his early pair of pre-production mono-blocks recently, driving Spatial Audio M5 Triode Masters.  

Now with a week on the amp, I am eager to say that these 300b amps are simply sensational, creating a sound that brings the musicians right into my listening room with a palpable presence.  They create the most open vidid presentation to the music -- they are neither warm nor cool, just uncannily true to the source of the music.  They replace his excellent Kootai KT88 which I was dubious about being bettered by anything, but these amps are just outstanding.  Don is nearing production of a successor to his highly regard DS2 preamp, which also will have a  unique circuitry to mate with his 300b monos via XLR connections.  Don explained the sonic benefits of this design and it went over my head, but clearly these designs are well though out.. my ears confirm it. 

I have been an audiophile for nearly 50 years having had a boatload of electronics during that time, but I personally have never heard such a realistic presentation to my music as I am hearing with these 300b monos in my system.  300b tubes lend themselves to realistic music reproduction as my Willsenton 300b integrated amps informed me, but Don's 300b amps are in a entirely different realm.  Of course, 300b amps favor efficient speakers so carefully component matching is paramount.

Don is working out a business arrangement to have his electronics built by an American audio firm so they will soon be more widely available to the public.  Don will be attending the Seattle Audio Show in June in the Spatial Audio room where the speakers will be driven by his 300b monos and his preamp, with digital conversion with the outstanding Lampizator Pacific tube DAC.  I will be there to hear what I expect to be an outstanding sonic presentation.  

To allay any questions about the cost of Don's 300b mono, I do not have an answer. 

 

 

whitestix

Oh my, thanks for chiming in, Mr. Olson.  Don has regaled me with the story of  your joint  development of the 300b monos and my ears at the present moment, listening to your creation, leaves me just delighted with the sound of my system. It is just simply stunning, driving my Spatial Audio speakers. I am going to attend the Seattle show largely to meet both Don and you in person.  I am sure that your room with the newest Spatial Audio speakers will be spectacular!  Thanks for participating in this thread.    

@lynn_olson 

It’s a fully balanced circuit, with 6SN7 input, 6V6 driver, and 300B output. It’s a high current, high speed design.

Thanks for taking the time to post on this thread. I have appreciated various articles written by you over the years. Quite some very insightful participation presented here on this topic. This amplifier from you and Don is genuinely exciting and intriguing. I wish you both a terrific audio show presentation.

Charles 

Being a continued user and lover of Don Sachs's preamp... where & with whom do I sign up to get one of these amps?

For now, Don tells me he is focusing on the Raven preamp and Statement power amp. We expect to transfer production to Spatial Audio, with product names and prices to be determined. The circuits, parts selection, and overall construction technique are pretty much done, so what you hear in your home (the first pre-production run) and at the Seattle show, will represent what's coming.

Will Don continue to make his current preamp and KT88 power amp? That's his decision, not mine. My focus right now is the Seattle show and completing the large-format high-efficiency 2-way speaker Thom Mackris (Galibier Designs) and I have been working on for the last couple of years. (This design is completely independent of Spatial Audio, and an outgrowth of the "Beyond the Ariel" thread elsewhere.)

As Lynn was saying above, I have spent the last year working on this 300b amp project and the matching "Raven" balanced preamp.  Spatial Audio will decide on final naming and pricing and I will help them get started on production.   The cosmetics will probably change a bit, but the circuits are stable and that is what will be shown in Seattle.  This thread has mentioned many fine amps and as I said, there are many paths to audio nirvana.  Lynn and I have had fun with this project and we want to see it out in the world.  It is cost no object, sort of within reason.  The gear isn't going to cost $50,000, but it also isn't going to cost what the current Kootenay amp and preamp cost either.  These are much more expensive to build and more involved.   If you can hear them in Seattle please drop by.  Honestly, I would love to hear people's opinion!