Scott 299c or 299b Update

Yeah the 299C's Ive heard had what I would consider a bass-heavy sound. Some people love it. I found it slightly puffy/muddled. What I thought was a slight rolled-off treble seemed to limit the soundstage. That, for me is a deal-breaker.


Exactly my thoughts. So I’m hoping the “b” is more balanced. Fingers crossed.
 
How does a OPT go south on your account?
Did you ever hear a 299c?
Did you repair your 299b?
I think I allowed it to play for 10 years without service and one of the 7189's redplated. But, I really don't know root cause, all I know is the primary on the OTP is open on the A side, she was good while she lasted!
never listened to a "c" so can't help ya there
 
Hi there,

I've heard a 'D' and own a 'C', which is my daily driver. I've fully rebuilt it and it sounds very, very good to my ears. Its a tricky comparison between the two, given the 'D' was in a different location, and had different peripherals. One thing to consider is, although you auditioned it on similar speakers, the room was obviously different. That in itself has a tremendous impact on the sound you hear. It has been said 'the same speakers sound entirely different in a different room', so of course, following that statement, the amp would also. Different spaces have vastly different nodes, reflections, peaks and nulls, and boundary influences creating an entirely different presentation, which is why I tend to audition in my room when possible. Anyhow, its certainly something to consider before making decision...
Best of luck though, neither would be a disappointment in my view.


John
 
0 for 2. The amp was a 299-b not a 299b, if that matters. So a late 299a if I understand the info I read. So what is the difference?
I did not get it for a couple reasons:
1) It wasn't a 299b as stated, so I didn't want to make a mistake on that part.
2) It had some static in the phono section. Wasn't horrible but it was there. I did some looking around at his connections, and discovered he did not have a the ground wire hooked up, so I did that and the static decreased but still had a nagging hint that bothered me. I did haul my Heresey's with me so I knew what to listen for.
The amp sounded good with CD's. Its crazy how one amp sounds so much different from the next. The 299c I listened to 3 weeks ago was 180 degrees from this one. The c had more bass and mids. The b had more highs and less bass, almost bright sounding. especially compared to the 299c. If there was a balance between the two, that to me would be awesome. I understand there is a power difference,7591 vs 7189 tubes. The Fisher 101b with 7591 tubes drove the Heresey speakers very well, deep, strong bass and a nice mid section. Not sure what I didn't like the 299c with the K-horn set-up I listened to 3 weeks ago. Both amps are extremely nice cosmetically, just don't sound as nice as they look! The amp had only 15-20 hours play time after restoration if that matters. (Burn-In?)
So Im still on the fence about this amp. I may ask him to send it back to his tech to confirm the phono stage is in fact Okay, and re-consider my decision.
Bottom line is this. What do you folks think about my findings? Are they spot-on with your opinions or am I missing something here?

I might also add, the 299-b sounded more SS than tubes to me, especially compared to the c model. IME/O.

One more thing, where can I ask (forum-wise) what would be a good price to pay for the 299-b? Does it have to be Dollars and sense? I don't want to over-pay.
 
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Yes Dollars and Sense.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'static' in the phono stage. Hum, hiss, crackles?
 
Yes Dollars and Sense.

I'm not sure what you mean by 'static' in the phono stage. Hum, hiss, crackles?


Yes slight crackle in the background with vinyl playing. Hooking up the ground wire, which he forgot to do helped, but was still there but very faintly and intermittent.

How does my description of “bright” sound to you? I had to cut the treble to about 1030 on a lock dial. Most definitely the opposite of the 299c.

I would have thought they would have sounded more alike than that.
 
I can't comment, as the only Scott I have heard (or even seen) is my own 222C. I wouldn't say mine is bright though.

Also, I prefer a standalone tube phono preamp. So, I wouldn't get too stuck on the sound of the internal phono stage.
 
Yes slight crackle in the background with vinyl playing. Hooking up the ground wire, which he forgot to do helped, but was still there but very faintly and intermittent.

How does my description of “bright” sound to you? I had to cut the treble to about 1030 on a lock dial. Most definitely the opposite of the 299c.

I would have thought they would have sounded more alike than that.
If they haven't been restored, cap value is all over the place. This can have a direct bearing on the amount and quality of the bass.
Was the crackle there on the phono input without the vinyl playing? That can be dirty tube sockets, oxidized solder joints or noisy resistors. Or it could just be dirty vinyl...
 
Thanks folks. The amp was fully restored.

I have learned a crap ton just lately about the history of this amp! I thought this amp was a “personal” piece the guy had acquired and was using in his own set-up. Wrong. He’s a dealer. Nothing wrong with that but he told me it was his personal amp. Had it restored 15 months ago and has a retail store and also has it posted on C/L, which is where I saw the amp. So I also found out the tech did this amp AND the 299c I auditioned 3weeks ago that I could not get a “wow” factor from. I should have realized this when he was struggling to get the TT hooked up and playing properly.

So I think I have this all figured out WTH is going on. I’ll let you fine folks read between the lines and form your own opinion.
Sucks I drove 7 hours twice to audition these amps, but at least I didn’t get stung! I don’t know a lot about tube amps, but I DO know good sound when I hear it. Having been around music all my life, and with my father still playing and singing in bands, yes he’s in his mid seventies and still going strong., I do have an ear for music the way it’s supposed to sound.
So lesson learned from the school of hard knocks once again.

Thanks to all you fine folks here and sorry to bother you with all my mis-fortunes I’ve encountered. I did learn a bunch along the way though, so not a total loss. Sorry for the vent!

I’ll find one, and when I do I’ll know it.

Loren.
 
If the price is reasonable and you are handy , you could rebuild one yourself! A lot easier than SS for sure to troubleshoot & get parts for/fix.
 
He says “all good” so I fire it up and there is a god-awful squeal from the speakers then I hear him say “whoops that’s not it”, not knowing he hooked it to a speaker terminal. I’ve never done that, maybe it works though. Oh well you win some ya lose some. I will look here on BT or for something Craig has done. That’s my next try.
 
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