Western Electric 300B's on loan
 

Hello friends,

A dear friend has been super kind to let me one of his pairs of NOS Western Electric 300B for my monoblocks. Yes, he is lucky enough to own at least 3 or 4 pairs of these legendary tubes.
The difference between these tubes and my Gold Lion reissue is very "severe".
To put it briefly, the Western Electric 300B's are magical. The bass especially gets to a level never reached before with incredible clarity, texture and dynamics. I just do not recognize my amps any more.
Now I understand all the excitement about them.
Along with my new Koetsu Urushi Vermillion, the WE 300'B make my system sound like never before. I am dreaming.
Now I need a pair.


https://www.audioaficionado.org/atta...8&d=1518385543



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Jerome.......The Western Electric 300B is the cream of the crop. There is no going back once you have experienced the sound. You are ruined for life.

Jerome, 300B is magic indeed. These KR 300B may get you very close. http://enjoythemusic.com/magazine/eq...300bballon.htm

Yes Dan. That appeared obvious to me.

Thanks Serge. I heard about these tubes a few months ago. They are not expensive. Worth a try.
But have you seen that WE may start again making their 300B's ?

I've heard that sometime ago, not sure if it happened?

WE has built a plant in Georgia -- I heard production has resumed. More here:

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/b...sville/111503/

and their website is here:

http://www.westernelectric.com/

Best Sirs,

Bob

Thanks a lot Bob !

When 2 300B's simply will not do and you feel the need for 16 300Bs and there is $50k burning a hole in your pocket! http://westernelectric.com/products/97a.html

Talk about 80W of audio sex. Oh My.

Best Sir,

Bob

"With this amplifier, the 3-D effect extends to the rear stage, where images are just as vivid as they are in the foreground with the best electronics. It’s as if you’ve suddenly both extended and expanded the depth of the soundspace so its field is as large as that of the original hall, and all this in a listening room not majestic in size. And there is not a trace of “bloat” in this effect."
Harry Pearson, "HP's 2007 Golden Ear Awards"

Serge....

I can imagine what Harry is talking about.
With only 1 WE per channel (SET amps) I get a fabulous stereo image, with a very very deep depth. The separation between all the instruments and the voices is unique. As Dan said, there is no way back when you hear this in your system. The other tubes look like kids toys compared to this one.
And yes ! I could spend this amount for the WE monoblocks, particularly if I would use speakers needing this power. But with my Altec I do not think that I need them.

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The WE tube plant has been located in Atlanta for many years. Became the fiber-optic cable plant. During my tenure in Area 10 at Bell Labs in Murray Hill, NJ we occasionally had the opportunity to visit the production facilities of WE (Allentown, Reading, KC, Lee's Summit, Atlanta, etc.). Was obvious why an AT&T phone would last virtually forever.
Here's the link to the 300B. Judging from Jerome's pic's, they were able to hold to their 2018 date.
http://www.westernelectric.com/products/300b.html#
Anyone have the MRSP for their 300B?

Just spoke to WE -- hope to have the production run shipping on/about 09/01/18. They are currently constructing work on an expansion -- nothing too elaborate, but necessary to meet increased demands.

$1,299 is the target price of the Matched pair run. Matched pairs come in a cherry red wooden box, 5 year warranty, test report, and identical 300B as was manufactured in 1938 & in time for their 80th Anniversary.

WE sent me their link regarding the 300B RETURN and at the bottom is a option to sign yourself up to be on their mailing list and to indicate you're interested in receiving WE 300B tubes from the September '18 run. In this link is a youtube video on the facility and also mentions some new limited edition amps they plan to build. Cool Beans.:thumbsup:

https://mailchi.mp/0f7f7ba539fb/the-return

As of this post, they are sole USA distributor.

Best Sirs,

Bob

Great info as always Bob. Thanks a lot.
I filled their form.

+1.
And I did too.

Bart....
You have a 300B amp ?

Not yet. :D

Brilliant strategy Bart! If you buy the tubes, the amp will surely follow! :thumbsup:

Thanks for the info. That 5yr warranty on a tube is quite amazing. Hopefully, some of their new amps will be in the 15wpc range, which to me, is where the "useful" power range begins.

Once tried a pair of Dennis Had's 572 amps (based on the Russian 572 tube) and could would get <1000hr before the tube(s) would implode (they ran very hot). Great sounding 20wpc SET amps, but feeding it tubes was an expensive proposition. The 5yr warranty makes the $1299 price for a pair of WE 300Bs a reasonable proposition.

For anyone comfortable around a soldering iron, some basic assembly and following directions, a 300B tube amp can be built in a few evenings. http://www.thetubestore.com/Parts-Ac...-8600-Tube-Amp

Several excellent 300B kits available. Another nice one, from Canada, are the ANK 300B monoblock amps: http://www.ankaudiokits.com/Legend-3...Amplifier.html which has the option of 18wpc.
Bottlehead: https://bottlehead.com/product/kaiju...amplifier-kit/
There are two or three other high quality kit makers, including another very nice one from Japan that is a deep red in finish and whose name escapes me at the moment.

Hello folks,

After a few days with these tubes, I am completely blown away by their sound.
There is so much finesse and intimacy. So much involvement and connection to the music. The resolution is incredible, presenting the sound in an infinite panel of colors and textures. And all this refinement get the same level of quality for impacts and dynamics.
The sense of realism is the very best I ever heard from any amp.
Maybe there is no "magic" in the WE 300B. Maybe that all the others are just "simulacres" of the 300B ?
WE are rare. They are expensive. But honestly it is a disaster to use something else in a well designed 300B amplifier.
There is a world between the WE and the other 300B's I listened to, from JJ to EH, from Gold Lion to Emission Labs...
If your speakers can be happy with only 8W, then your way to Nirvana just takes a pair of these tubes into a well designed 300B amplifier.
If you are already using 300B amps and do not have WE tubes in them, you are having a locked treasure box full of jewels and you do not have the key.
If your speakers need more than 8W, then....change them ! [emoji23]
I know that I am expressing myself in a kind of "heavy" and "Trumpy" way.
But that is the only way I know to tell you how good these tubes are.

Jérome, do I understand well: you kind of like them a little?! :-)

[emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji122]

So will you be keeping these Jerome or waiting for the WE new production?

Hello Serge,

My friend may want to buy a Koetsu so he may be willing to sell this pair. But the price will be 2500 euros. I think that I will buy a new production pair to compare with this one.

Ouch! 2500 euro for tubes that have an unknown amount of life left is pricey. The new tubes come with warranty.

Serge,
They are unused and they test like new. But I agree. 2500 euros for 2 tubes is very expensive but that is the market price for NOS WE.

I see! :thumbsup:

Jerome, this website looks interesting. I am not familiar with their amps but their tubes are quite good! http://www.sophiaelectric.com/

Slightly off topic question. Is this the same Western Electric that was rolled into AT&T many years ago. Only reason I’m asking is that my dad worked 35 years for Western Electric and when he passed away in 1990, I remember cleaning our garage and throwing away boxes of tubes and other electrical items. Hopefully, this is not the same company.

Same Same

:tears:

Best Sir,

Bob

It is... There is no bigger name in the history of tubes. Between 1913 and 1988 WE produced over 700 different tubes which are highly sought after. Besides the vacuum tubes they had quite a role in the professional sound recording and sound reproduction like the Vitaphone which brought the actual sound to movies and orthophonic phonograph.

Western Electric 300B's on loan
 

Thanks Serge,

I heard about the Sophia Electric tubes but do not know anyone using them.
At 1200 dollars a pair, I will wait for the WE reissue ! Hello

I am using 1 Sophia Electric tube. Sophia Princess 274B mesh plate rectifier. :D

http://www.sophiaelectric.com/images/se/274B-web.jpg

What is it Serge ? A headphone amp ?

Yes. Woo Audio headphone amp.

I see. What are the amplifying tubes ?