Holy cow I have no idea which 300B to buy

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Paully

Active Member
So going through ebay I compile a list of 300B from Shuguang / PSVANE since they are in my price range (and I didn't care for the EH 300B too much). Researching opinions is difficult as responses on the tubes are sparse and there is just this mass of tubes each separated from another by one letter. But here is to trying one more time. I know no one has heard all of these but if you have an opinion please chime in with whatever you know good or bad. I am leaning towards the 300BA as it seems solid though the graphite in the BC seems pretty cool too. Anyway, whatever opinion you have on these (or whatever else) is welcome! Thanks!

Shuguang 300BA
Shuguang 300BC
Shuguang 300B-98
Shuguang 300B-98B
Shuguang 300BS
PSVANE 300B
PSVANE 300B-N
PSVANE 300B Hi Fi Series
 
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If I wanted to buy an inexpensive Chinese 300B ( as 300B's go ) I'd also consider the Raphaelite Sinovt. This 300B is made by the same company that makes well regarded transformers and I believe they are now sold on Amazon. There are some amps that use 300B tubes but are push pull and operate with negative feedback for greater power. I wouldn't consider those.

Another contender would be the Bowei 300B which looks like a clone of the highly regarded Japanese Uchida/Sun amp. At least one AKer has one and speaks highly of it.

If you can get by with 3.5 watts the 2a3, also a DHT, will exhibit more finesse and resolution but with a little less body. They cost less and their big bottle tubes are half the price. Since they run lower voltage they produce less heat.
 
I was also considering the JJ but I thought a long time ago I had read about reliability issues (maybe not?). I will hit the archives and read some more. They are going in a Bottlehead Bee Pre so a 2a3 won't work. When my Paramounts were configured for 2a3 I also loved the Shuguang 2a3c I had in there, thought they were within a hair's breadth of some old stock RCA 2a3 I had which has me thinking to start I wanted to something like that. But again, I am open to suggestions even if it is just someone saying "this tube is awful" so I can remove it from consideration. I had some EH 300B which I didn't like. Thanks for the input, I will keep working.
 
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I have the JJ 300B as well as the AVVT 300B. The JJs have been reliable for about 5 years and sound great. I also have the JJ 2A3-40 and think they are outstanding.
 
Over the past few years JJ has gotten a terrible reputation for their 8 pin tubes. I am open to picking up a pair of 300B, any reason to suspect their quality here?
 
well -- I cannot vouch for the 300B per se, but...given that their "2A3" is said to be their 300B with a 2.5V rather than 5V filament, I would recommend the Chinese produced 300B sold under the "Sofia Electric" brand. I am sure the same tubes are sold under other brands -- but I don't know what they are.

http://www.sophiaelectric.com/pages/se/300B5v.htm

FWIW, I use the 'globe' bulb, 'mesh' plate Sofia 2A3, after trying a bunch of current and NOS tubes -- and,to me, they sound very, very good. Look a little goofy, but sound mighty fine to me.


Amp mit Westies by mhardy6647, on Flickr


(I put globe and mesh in quotes because... well... the tubes are what they are on both counts; sorta kinda globes with mesh plates... but not really)
 
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Very pretty and outside my price range. The Shuguang et al are in the $200 range which is what I can do at the moment...
 
davidro said:
Have you had a look at some secondhand Sophia tubes?
Click to expand...

Sofia's are not any better than regular Shougang tubes. I would rather replace cheaper tubes every 500-1000 hours than get an expensive tube with unknown history. I compared distortion spectrum between Sofia Princess and Shougang 98. Shougang had lower level of high order harmonics.
 
Sophia stuff do seem to have QC issues. It may be yours were bad ones. Or maybe you just like cheaper stuff better. Many do rate the Sophia stuff over WE etc. I like mine.
 
I've had JJ300B's running since around 2001 in the same amp, which isn't always the amp I use but they do have some hours piled up on them and they still sound excellent. I am going to buy a set of replacements for when that day comes and they have worn out. I will most likely buy another set of JJ's. It is their 8 pin tubes that have a reputation of sucking like a hoover.
 
I ordered some Shuguang 300B-98. Going to order some JJ as well and then call it good because that will put me well over budget, but I really like having at least one back-up pair of tubes. So I will compare and see what I like, but thanks for the input on the JJ. I probably wouldn't have bought them otherwise. Thank you everyone for the help, it is appreciated!
 
From whom did you order (if you don't mind disclosing)? I am always curious about sources for current production tubes.
 
Sorry, it was indeed that auction site. 12 month guarantee from a seller with good feedback and I used a credit card through paypal. So I am protected, seller seems fine, and the seller doesn't have the card number and I can dispute anything if I need to with my issuer and not actually rely on paypal. Seems ok. But fear not, I am going to order the JJ, most assuredly, from a reputable American tube dealer. Probably Antique Electronic Supply as they have the best price I have found from a good dealer.
 
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