I have only had 3 or 4 pairs of the tennis ball psvane 6sn7 tubes come through here and I have yet to see a microphonic pair. I still prefer the sound of the Linlai E-6SN7 though. @1markr I think you will love the Linlai WE300b. They take maybe 50-100 hours to really come into their own, so be patient. Just put them in and forget about it and listen. In a week or two or three they will really open up. I am sure the super expensive original WE300b, or some of the pricier other 300b types may be slightly better, but these are so good I really don't care. There are far greater returns from changes to amplifier topology than switching 300b types after you hit a certain level of quality of 300b. Also, I am listening to them in my push pull 300b amp that is the original subject of this thread. I cannot say what they sound like in a SE amp or preamp or wherever else you may be trying them. They are very good in my Lampi Pacific DAC as well, but I prefer my 46 tubes with adapters to any 300b there. So application matters a lot.
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.
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@spazzghettie Looks like a nice amp. LC coupled and they use all DHT tubes. On the downside it is single ended so it won't have the bass punch nor the power of a push pull 300b. Also, I have moved on from LC coupling as I prefer custom interstage transformers, but that is my taste and it doesn't mean that Allnic amp is not a wonderful sounding amp. I also prefer solid state rectification and regulated supplies in power amps, but again, my taste. I am sure that is a very nice amp if your speakers can live with a 10 watt amp and you like the sound of tube rectification in power amps. It also has 6 dB of negative feedback. That isn't necessarily bad, but our amp project has zero feedback and you can tell. So again, they have made a nice compromise with good tubes, obviously good parts and a bit of feedback. I am sure it sounds really nice. |
Don I’m convinced of the merits of zero NFB tube circuit amplifiers implemented appropriately. Is this harder to pull off successfully? Does utilizing some degree of NFB confer a bit of a safety net? I inquire because its use is nearly universal with power amplifiers. Zero NFB amplifiers are a small niche. Charles |
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