Thanks for stopping by and hearing my audiophile journey ! This one took me back in time a little when I heard my first 300 Tube Amp ! Purchase links: Willsenton R300: amzn.to/3V1lL2I OR www.china-hifi-audio.com/willsenton-tube-amplifier-c-77/willsenton-r300-singleended-integrated-300b-tube-amplifier-power-amp-p-2276 Willsenton R8: amzn.to/3i8tM7A OR www.china-hifi-audio.com/willsenton-tube-amplifier-c-77/free-tax-to-some-country-willsenton-r8-kt88-x4-tube-integrated-amplifier-p-2381 PSVANE WE 300B tubes: www.china-hifi-audio.com/psvane-vacuum-tube-electron-valve-c-32/psvane-we300b-plus-western-electric-replica-tubes-best-matched-pair-valve-300b-p-1486 Western electric re-issue 300B tubes: www.westernelectric.com/300b Related Videos: OLD video on Willsenton R8: ua-cam.com/video/5XMpKsrFXFc/v-deo.html 0:00 INTRODUCTION 1:39 Willsenton R300 Build Quality Review 2:36 Enough Power For Your Speakers? 5:16 300B tube amplifier explained 6:44 WTH is a "Sweet Sound" ??? 9:06 Willsenton R300 Sound Quality Review 13:31 Willsenton R8 VS R300 15:07 Is it Good Value? 16:32 UPGRADED TUBES !
I've had this amp about 3 weeks now and I can't stop listening. I listen 4-6 hours a day without getting fatigued. Luckily, I'm retired so it doesn't interfere with work😃 I listen to a very wide variety of music and it makes everything sound better... to my ears anyway 🙂
I don`t own one of these amplifiers , but have had a chance to listened to it ( on loan ) for over a week now , thanks to a kind friend . I agree with your findings. Highly recommended.
Some retired folk might buy a fast motorcycle to recapture or capture what they couldn't afford or didn't have time to enjoy the best of during their working years & younger family's life, & good luck to them, but it's great being primarily a music lover who's retired & has a decent hi-fi to better enjoy one's music with. (45 years of collected vinyl in my case, when CD's came along, i'd generally learnt what i liked & was buying s/h & mainly classical* vinyl (*of which most were in mint con' unlike say, Punk Rock L.P.s for 1 e.g.) ...from u.k. charity shops like there was no tomorrow & still have 2 or maybe upto 3 hundred I've mostly never heard yet, but I've plenty of time to since recently.
I have this amp. I'm driving 90 db speakers in a small room at moderate volumes. There's more than enough power. This was one of the best audio purchases I've ever made. Thanks for the review.
Ordered it from China Hi Fi. Arrived in 6 days. $1281 U.S. after shipping. $1651 after tax from Amazon and a 4-6 week wait. Easier to return with Amazon but save $375 by using China Hi Fi. Paired it with a pair of Klipsch Forte II speakers with ALK crossovers and titanium diaphragm upgrades. Sounds fantastic 👍
Another home run Jay! This was a very well done review and I have to say of all the audiophile UA-cam channels I never find myself skipping ahead or getting bogged down watching your reviews. Please keep up the great work!
This is the best iyagi explaining the sweetness, full-bodied, and relaxed sound. I've recently heard the sweetness from my vintage JBL speakers and class-A amp, and I'm very tempted to try the 300B amp. Thank you for sharing your HiFi iyagi with us, Jay!
I have had this Willsenton R300 amplifier for almost a month now and I am more and more delighted with it every day. Thanks Jay for this excellent test :) Jay suggests changing the 300B tubes, but it is an expensive change. I report here a clear improvement of the music reproduction by changing the 2 6SN7 and the 6SL7. I chose the Shuguang Black Treasure CV181-Z (very natural, deliciously pure and natural voices and timbres) which I personally prefer to the PSVANE Psvane CV181-T-MII (seems more defined and incisive, but less natural with a high end that is a bit too strong for my ears) but it's a matter of individual taste. For the 6SL7, I have on order the LINLAI Elite E-6SL7, but it is out of stock at the moment. In the meantime, I chose a TAD 6SL7 NOS premium to wait and it is very good. Finally, I suggest a very transparent and natural modulation cable, without raising the treble. I mounted a NEOTECH NEI-3001 MKIII cable with KLEI PURE22 HARMONY RCA connectors and the result is just perfect. Beautiful amplifier, no hum or hiss, musical and mesmerizing when all these little things were done. Addictive ! Friendship from France :)
I agree, I’m not gonna change the 300B either, the prices of 300B tubes these days are ridiculous. I found the biggest change is the 6sl7 when I swap it for slyvania 6sl7WGT, most noticeable change is the glares and roughness in the upper midrange is gone and now smooth yet actually brighter, very airy and nice. I bought a pair of heavily used bad boys (1952 slyvania) 6sn7, not impressed, and got thosed returned, now I’m waiting for my Linlai E6sn7 to arrive and see if I like them
Just to report the outcome of my tube rolling on this amp. I using SMSL M400--R300--Linton. The stock tube of 6SL7 and 6SN7 seem to be both Stovek. They are just well, I wouldn't say that bad, I actually quite like their tonality, dynamic wise they are not bad either, but, the resolution details are just not there, the veil is obvious, and also there's the anoiying glare in the mid-upper frequency, so in my opinion they need to be changed. For 6SL7, I tried JJ, Linlai E6sl7, slyvania 6SL7wgt, RCA 5691. Slyvania wins for me, nice airy treble yet not harsh at all, that's the most impressive quality I found in slyvania, while it's very well balanced as well, bass is tight yet not any less than the stovek stock tube. RCA 5691 is somthing else here, well, I don't like it but I think if with a different speaker (Linton is very dark and relax), it might be a good choice, it just doesn't suit my Linton. RCA 5691 is rolled off in the topend, with thick (romantic?) and kind of the tuby sound from mid all the way to the bass, but somehow the upper mid is a bit rough tho, anyway, didn't do well in my system. JJ is just too bright and harsh and glare is even worse than the Stovek stock tube, it's so bad I didn't even have the patient to burn-in and I don't think a burn in would take away that brightness anyway. Linlai E6sl7 is, well, I don't have much to say, it's not bad but nothing stands out for me either, details and everthing is there, but, it's kinf of a boring sound for me. For 6SN7, I tried Linlai E6sn7, PSvane CV181 T2, slyvania 1952 6sn7 (the "bad boys", proper 3 holes version). Again, Linlai E6sn7 is a boring sound for me, did nothing wrong but nothing right either. slyvania "bad boys", evry interesting, very strong bass!!! if it's not becacuse Linton doesn't lack bass I would actually like it, but it’s too much, a bit overwhelming for me and not balanced. my favourite is PSvane CV181T2, it's such a fun tube, everything is more pronouced and great dynamic and details, very forward sound that suits my Linton well. For 300B, I tried ````nothing, I don’t think swapping a pair of my kidneys with any decent 300B would be something to die for
@@weiliao7642 I think it's your speakers and not the tubes. The vintage RCA 5691 is very highly regarded. The Brimar 6SN7's are costly and suppose to be the best, these are the one with black glass. If I were to try another 6SN7's it would be the RCA JAN VT-231 6sn7gt grey glass, vintage before 1940 to 1950's. I will and let you know my findings. But again, I think it's the speakers, but they are your ears and not mine. Good luck!
@@weiliao7642 Hi. Read your comments on 6Sl7. Interesting. I have just bought the amplifier and is satisfied with some of the sound. Is the Sylvania 6sl7WGT available form stores in Europe? Where di you shop these valves from?
I swapped out the stock 6sn7 tubes for a pair of Sylvania VT-231 grey glass tubes I already had. This was a definite improvement. The difference I'm hearing is a smoother, more natural sound.
Thank you Jay for your recommendation. I had it sent from China to Germany and I am totally satisfied... after 20-30 hours of playing (burning in the tubes). (I took the upgrade kit) What really astounded me is how good this amps performs even with speakers which are said not to perform very good with tube amps. And it has rhythm! and colours! And you can listen to average recordings and stil enjoy them, while High End redordings stil profit! My much more expensive SET amplifiers are now sitting around unused.
I have the R8 and it’s very nice. Got mine from China HiFi direct with no issues. I’ve bought some other stuff direct from them and they are good about returning emails.
Your about to cost me THOUSANDS my friend.. i have soooo enjoyed your videos on tube amplifiers. You portrayal of them is incredible. I hope to audition some soon with my LaScallas. As much as I love my Klipsch Heritage collection I am really getting in to a few DR speakers. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR PUTTING ME IN THE ROOM ! I have followed your journey with you and have witnessed your increasing knowledge and experience with our beloved passion. I have stayed this before but you and your channel are making a very significant penetrating in the 30 and under listener . Really appreciate your time and effort in the production of these wonderful informative videos
Jay, I love your new introduction and enjoyed your review! I have the Willsenton R800i 300B 805 and really enjoy it. I may try this upgraded tube. I agree that these amps with upgraded tubes can play with the big boys.
I've put the Psvane we 300b and upgraded the 6sn7 and 6SL7. With really good tubes. This thing is fantastic sounding. I actually prefer it over my Line Magnetic 508ia also with a 1,000.00 in tube upgrades. Midrange is just amazing. Very deep base.
Great presentation. My theory, FWIW is that the sweetness is in fact micro detail that comes through with tube amps in general and perhaps SE designs in particular. Vinyl sound has issues from addition where digital has issues based on deletion. When my digital gets better and better it sounds less hard, warmer, holographic and sweet. If you are only hearing the high points, you get hard, analytic sound. Fill in the micro detail and you get more spacial clues and that airy sweetness and sparkle. I think that that is what tube amps do as long as they are not messing up the sound with crappy transformers or coupling caps.
Jay l owned an ST70 for years it was great. Closest Amp to a McIntosh 240 of the era.. Actually Mac once said Dynaco was the only mid cost cost company the considered an amp. Good presentation!
Owner of the r300 here, I pairs it with my Linton, damn, cant go back to solid state. Btw, just for thoese who use headphones as well, the headphone output on r300 is also surprisingly great, i mean I only have Topping dx3 pro+ for comparison, but it’s way better than dx3 pro+, r300 is way more smoother, bigger soundstage( yes, even just in a HD600 headphone), weightier bass, if it’s not because I need dx3 pro+ for a desktop situation I will sell it, r300 just makes dx3 pro sounds bad in comparison
Great review Jay. I agree with your assessment of 300B amps sound, though I haven’t heard this amp I’ve owned a few 300B amps. I like the single ended tube amp sound, and I’ve heard it done well, but then I like the bass punch I get from push pull tube amps, though I miss that midrange clarity and high frequency effect you speak of on single ended amps. Solid state stuff just has too much bass to the point of being a bit too wooly sound. I think the best sound I’ve heard is augmenting a tube amp with a solid state sub. Anyway, really like hearing your reviews. Keep them coming. Are you going to review the MOFI coaxial speaker?
This was an excellent and informative presentation! While watching, I thought I'm really going to have to spend some time figuring out what the other tube he was referring to was and sure enough, you presented it in the comments. That attention to detail is why I subscribed as I am definitely looking forward to seeing more videos from you.
Glad you mentioned not to touch the glass tube. YOU CANT ALWAYS SEE IT BUT the glass will pick up the oil, and then the tube get hot and you can fry them, I guess? Good review!
Hi Christian. Touching the glass of a vacuum tube does not affect the glass, other than putting a finger print on it. How do I know this.... I have a warehouse full of tubes.
I just ordered R300 this week and looking at Dec 12th delivery. Right off the bat I will replace the tubes with NOS and Films with Jupiter's Oil's or Mundorf Supreme - Silver Oil.
as far as I know, this 300b does not use coupling caps on the signal path, the two caps on the tube base are not coupling caps, so I’m curious what chasing the caps do to the SQ actually
I went and looked price point up on Amazon Geez Jay i can't believe the pricepoint of $1500 U.S. !! Thats crazy !! Bet the midrange is full - would love to see you try a Sansui AU-111 tube integrated but dam they went up to about $4k U.S. but their transformer were some of the best of the times - Sansui started out building Hi-end Audio transformers Not stereos 😆 Thanks Jay
I currently have a Fezz Lybra 300b amp, that recently had a failure. It's currently getting fixed. 300b's sound great but get ready to spend big bucks when you replace them compared to other tube types
Boy what a nice 300B amp at a reasonable price. I had plans on building one but it's hard to pass up this one. Nice review. I was going to ask how the Western Electric 300B tubes sound in it but you answered that in the video. I didn't think a 2A3 SET amp would have enough power for my application, but the 300B has more than enough power to give ample listening levels (loud listening levels) with my current speaker arsenal. Looks like the amp has a bias meter, to adjust the output tube bias point?? That's a nice feature.
The best 300B in tubes that I've tried (still in prodution) are made In Europe (not in China). From KR Audio (Czech Republic) and from Elrog (Germany). They are not cheap but they are amazing.
Single End Triode can be achieved with EL34, KT88, etc if the circuit has the Pentodes wired as Triodes. The 300B can be used in Class A or class AB Push Pull designs. There’s Mesh Plate 300B tubes more expensive than the WE. And their are other Filamentary Triode.
I also have this amp, using WE tubes, blue Sophia rectifier tubes and I can say you need a good tube preamp to make the magic happen. By it self it’s great as a an amp alone but needs a preamp!
I am wondering does the r300 pre in by passing the 6sl7 and 6sn7? I’ve heard that pre in in R8 go through all the tubes, if that’s also the case in r300, then how a preamp will help the sounds except maybe adding a flavor in the sound ?
Do the rectifier tubes actually make a difference in the sound? (I have the mark I version of this amp and upgraded all the tubes except the rectifiers.)
It also supplies more than 8W per channel since one 300B supplies 8 to 10 Watts and it has 2 per channel, that explains why it has plenty of power for relatively (>90dB) sensitive speakers.
I'm employing the 300B's in an OTL line stage pre with built in headphone amp. The reason this particular tube sounds so fine, just observe the I/V Transfer Curves. Its so inherently Linear. BTW Very enjoyable presentation.
Karmin's Hardon Citation upgrade. Those huge transformers are the signature. Btw, "sweetness"?? The citation preamp is quite a good match. Or go for a line drive and enjoy the dedicated amp all alone. I should mention that tubes can be damaged when shipped across town. Damage that is only heard not seen.
Thanks man, I really like the way you break down the way different amplifiers, are set up to play different kinds of music. House, or EDM may not sound that nice on a Tube amp.I may be wrong though, it seems like tube amps are better at reproducing natural sounds. They are the choice of most Jazz, Blues, Country, guitar players.
Hey Jay, I've been a long-time listener, from nearly the beginning, and have enjoyed watching the growth of your channel. I've been torn between purchasing the r800i and 300b for some time now and was wondering if you could kindly tell me what the sonic differences are- particularly if one is quicker or has better prat than the other. I'll be running relatively sensitive speakers, so power is not an issue. Thank you in advance and may your channel continue to flourish- cheers.
R800i is better in every way minus the sweet top freq - the R300 wins there. R800i also double the price and has more tubes that will cost you a pretty penny for tube upgrades/replacements
I must confess I unfortunately am all too familiar with the sting that comes with upgrading/replacing tubes- though a tube upgrade can mean the difference in sentiment from, "boy, why did I buy this pile of xxxx" to, "i need to hurry home to my significant other, ahemm......I mean my hifi rig, of course". Nether the less, I appreciate your putting the value proposition into context.
Thank you for this review. Even if this is not a speaker review I wish you would mention the Tribe Towers and Velas more often since they were not just any speakers of your journey shared on UA-cam
The 300b is a 1938 design by USA Western Electric: now back in US production.Amazing the Chinese can do this amp for 1500 USD. The new WE 300b amp is 15,000.
Hi Jay. Great review. Was wondering how this compares to Line Magnetic's 300B offering, the LM-217IA. Based on the pricing, it looks like the LM-217IA is being positioned against the R300. Any idea how they stack up against one another? Would be great if you could do a review of the LM-217IA as well. Cheers!
Are you equating sweetness with high micro dynamics? This system characteristic is often a contribution from both the amplifier and the speaker. So, in your opinion is it the speaker, amplifier or simply the synergy (pairing) of both.
Jay, great review and fantastic description of a 300B SET (single ended triode) amplifier. That Fluxion amp is not a PP amp, but a SE amp with one KT88 per channel though. Anyway, that was otherwise an excellent review and I’m glad you gave some good speaker pairings to go with a 300B amp. My Tekton Pendragons sound excellent with one, as you mentioned, but I personally prefer my PP monoblocks with EL34’s, which have enough of that “sweetness” you described, but just more kick, especially in the low end.
I have this amp and I have changed the 300B tubes to PSVane Cossor series. A great improvement. Question: would I get a sonic improvement by changing the 6SL7 to a 12AX7 via an adapter?
Interesting that you mention decibel efficiency, l have a Bez 300b SET amp which is rated at 9 watts my Dynaudio 10 Evoke speakers are only 84 db efficient and work just fine with the amp.
absolutely. I believe it. Those are just one of many numbers. I've seen it with TADs and other "less sensitive speakers" where impedance is relatively stable across all frequencies and thus making it easier to drive than what those specs suggest. There are many variables to consider for "drivability"
Hi, thx Jay!👍 great Review! I bought the r300b! My speakers are now the concept 50 (6Ojm). I wonder wich output impedance I should choose? 4 Ohm? Or 8Ohm?😃
Hi Jay, I am an owner of the Wharfedale Linton Heritage speakers. I know you reviewed them with the R8 and so I am curious which of these 2 amps you would recommend to pair with the Lintons? It would be my first tube amp. Thanks!
Thanks for another great video, Jay! I am thinking to buy either R300 or R8 for my Tekton Lore Reference (96db/1m, 8Ω). I have tried R8 with all stock tubes just for 20hours or so, then wanted to make the sound more natural, bold and real. Which do you think work better tube rolled R8 or R300? Also how do you locate the sweetness of Lore Ref between Lore and the Klipsch?
Thanks for this review Jay. i'm very interested in 300B SET amplifiers. I would love to see a review on the Airtight ATM-R 300B amplifier. I have heard it's a great amplifier.
Hallo Jay and everyone.. A question from me. Whats is then the sound difference between 300B and lets say the 805 and 845 tubes ? Explained to me (a newbie in the world of tubes) :) Are the 800 rds like the same midrange but more details in the top end or how whould it be described ?
That amp looks great for the price! I guess it's made in PRC but still, respect. Even the insides seem to be quite well designed (hybrid PTP/PCB construction if you can trust the images online).
For 300B tube amps 1.5 k$ is pretty darn affordable. Of course some of the classic legendary Marantz tube amps were 300B amps. Still I would probably go with Butler or Bryston and save some money and a lot of inconvenience. But then again I prefer accurate reproduction and neutrality to euphonic coloration.
I'm pretty sure that your Fluxion Audio amp is not Push-pull as there is only one output tube on each side. A push-pull amp like the Dyna uses a phase splitter stage and a pair of tubes for each channel -- one tube pushing and one tube pulling. This arrangement doubles the output power.
stumbled across your channel recently and discovered this integrated amp. I was wondering, do you think it would pair well with the Wharfedale Lintons? Thank you.
Hi Jay! I’ve invested most of my focus on digital music. If I am to try to get into a more analog sound, would you recommend to start with tubes or a turntable?
Thanks for stopping by and hearing my audiophile journey ! This one took me back in time a little when I heard my first 300 Tube Amp !
Purchase links:
Willsenton R300: amzn.to/3V1lL2I OR www.china-hifi-audio.com/willsenton-tube-amplifier-c-77/willsenton-r300-singleended-integrated-300b-tube-amplifier-power-amp-p-2276
Willsenton R8: amzn.to/3i8tM7A OR www.china-hifi-audio.com/willsenton-tube-amplifier-c-77/free-tax-to-some-country-willsenton-r8-kt88-x4-tube-integrated-amplifier-p-2381
PSVANE WE 300B tubes: www.china-hifi-audio.com/psvane-vacuum-tube-electron-valve-c-32/psvane-we300b-plus-western-electric-replica-tubes-best-matched-pair-valve-300b-p-1486
Western electric re-issue 300B tubes: www.westernelectric.com/300b
Related Videos:
OLD video on Willsenton R8: ua-cam.com/video/5XMpKsrFXFc/v-deo.html
0:00 INTRODUCTION
1:39 Willsenton R300 Build Quality Review
2:36 Enough Power For Your Speakers?
5:16 300B tube amplifier explained
6:44 WTH is a "Sweet Sound" ???
9:06 Willsenton R300 Sound Quality Review
13:31 Willsenton R8 VS R300
15:07 Is it Good Value?
16:32 UPGRADED TUBES !
Jay: thus would pair well with KLH Kendall?
Hi, I’d love to hear what you think about this amp as a headphone amp; especially powering a set like Audeze LCD 3. Does it do a good/great/poor job?
I ordered metal mesh #20 from temu, to create the nice cage. Because I have five cats at home; it's a nightmare.🥴
What is better and what is the difference between R800i and R300 Plus?
I've had this amp about 3 weeks now and I can't stop listening. I listen 4-6 hours a day without getting fatigued. Luckily, I'm retired so it doesn't interfere with work😃
I listen to a very wide variety of music and it makes everything sound better... to my ears anyway 🙂
I don`t own one of these amplifiers , but have had a chance to listened to it ( on loan ) for over a week now , thanks to a kind friend . I agree with your findings. Highly recommended.
Some retired folk might buy a fast motorcycle to recapture or capture what they couldn't afford or didn't have time to enjoy the best of during their working years & younger family's life, & good luck to them, but it's great being primarily a music lover who's retired & has a decent hi-fi to better enjoy one's music with. (45 years of collected vinyl in my case, when CD's came along, i'd generally learnt what i liked & was buying s/h & mainly classical* vinyl (*of which most were in mint con' unlike say, Punk Rock L.P.s for 1 e.g.) ...from u.k. charity shops like there was no tomorrow & still have 2 or maybe upto 3 hundred I've mostly never heard yet, but I've plenty of time to since recently.
I don’t understand is the amp 8 watts per channel? My speakers are efficient 100 watt 400 watt max. Is this amp enough for them?
You look sensibilidad of speaker
I have this amp. I'm driving 90 db speakers in a small room at moderate volumes. There's more than enough power. This was one of the best audio purchases I've ever made. Thanks for the review.
I share your opinion. Deliciously musical !
Thank you for your subjective experience. How many big (I mean heavy) amps do you have access to?
what speakers are you using with this amp?
@@DmitriNesterov Of course it's subjective. It's just an opinion. And to answer your question, several. I like this one best.
@@williamkohler7656 Jean-Marie Reynaud Offrande Supreme V.2.
Ordered it from China Hi Fi. Arrived in 6 days. $1281 U.S. after shipping. $1651 after tax from Amazon and a 4-6 week wait. Easier to return with Amazon but save $375 by using China Hi Fi.
Paired it with a pair of Klipsch Forte II speakers with ALK crossovers and titanium diaphragm upgrades. Sounds fantastic 👍
Another home run Jay! This was a very well done review and I have to say of all the audiophile UA-cam channels I never find myself skipping ahead or getting bogged down watching your reviews. Please keep up the great work!
Enjoyable channel Jay!
This is the best iyagi explaining the sweetness, full-bodied, and relaxed sound. I've recently heard the sweetness from my vintage JBL speakers and class-A amp, and I'm very tempted to try the 300B amp. Thank you for sharing your HiFi iyagi with us, Jay!
I have had this Willsenton R300 amplifier for almost a month now and I am more and more delighted with it every day. Thanks Jay for this excellent test :) Jay suggests changing the 300B tubes, but it is an expensive change. I report here a clear improvement of the music reproduction by changing the 2 6SN7 and the 6SL7. I chose the Shuguang Black Treasure CV181-Z (very natural, deliciously pure and natural voices and timbres) which I personally prefer to the PSVANE Psvane CV181-T-MII (seems more defined and incisive, but less natural with a high end that is a bit too strong for my ears) but it's a matter of individual taste.
For the 6SL7, I have on order the LINLAI Elite E-6SL7, but it is out of stock at the moment. In the meantime, I chose a TAD 6SL7 NOS premium to wait and it is very good.
Finally, I suggest a very transparent and natural modulation cable, without raising the treble. I mounted a NEOTECH NEI-3001 MKIII cable with KLEI PURE22 HARMONY RCA connectors and the result is just perfect. Beautiful amplifier, no hum or hiss, musical and mesmerizing when all these little things were done. Addictive !
Friendship from France :)
Yes, kind of expensive @ $849.32 USD Psvane WE300B PLUS Western Electric Replica tubes Best matched Pair
I agree, I’m not gonna change the 300B either, the prices of 300B tubes these days are ridiculous. I found the biggest change is the 6sl7 when I swap it for slyvania 6sl7WGT, most noticeable change is the glares and roughness in the upper midrange is gone and now smooth yet actually brighter, very airy and nice. I bought a pair of heavily used bad boys (1952 slyvania) 6sn7, not impressed, and got thosed returned, now I’m waiting for my Linlai E6sn7 to arrive and see if I like them
Just to report the outcome of my tube rolling on this amp.
I using SMSL M400--R300--Linton. The stock tube of 6SL7 and 6SN7 seem to be both Stovek. They are just well, I wouldn't say that bad, I actually quite like their tonality, dynamic wise they are not bad either, but, the resolution details are just not there, the veil is obvious, and also there's the anoiying glare in the mid-upper frequency, so in my opinion they need to be changed.
For 6SL7, I tried JJ, Linlai E6sl7, slyvania 6SL7wgt, RCA 5691. Slyvania wins for me, nice airy treble yet not harsh at all, that's the most impressive quality I found in slyvania, while it's very well balanced as well, bass is tight yet not any less than the stovek stock tube. RCA 5691 is somthing else here, well, I don't like it but I think if with a different speaker (Linton is very dark and relax), it might be a good choice, it just doesn't suit my Linton. RCA 5691 is rolled off in the topend, with thick (romantic?) and kind of the tuby sound from mid all the way to the bass, but somehow the upper mid is a bit rough tho, anyway, didn't do well in my system. JJ is just too bright and harsh and glare is even worse than the Stovek stock tube, it's so bad I didn't even have the patient to burn-in and I don't think a burn in would take away that brightness anyway. Linlai E6sl7 is, well, I don't have much to say, it's not bad but nothing stands out for me either, details and everthing is there, but, it's kinf of a boring sound for me.
For 6SN7, I tried Linlai E6sn7, PSvane CV181 T2, slyvania 1952 6sn7 (the "bad boys", proper 3 holes version). Again, Linlai E6sn7 is a boring sound for me, did nothing wrong but nothing right either. slyvania "bad boys", evry interesting, very strong bass!!! if it's not becacuse Linton doesn't lack bass I would actually like it, but it’s too much, a bit overwhelming for me and not balanced. my favourite is PSvane CV181T2, it's such a fun tube, everything is more pronouced and great dynamic and details, very forward sound that suits my Linton well.
For 300B, I tried ````nothing, I don’t think swapping a pair of my kidneys with any decent 300B would be something to die for
@@weiliao7642 I think it's your speakers and not the tubes. The vintage RCA 5691 is very highly regarded. The Brimar 6SN7's are costly and suppose to be the best, these are the one with black glass. If I were to try another 6SN7's it would be the RCA JAN VT-231 6sn7gt grey glass, vintage before 1940 to 1950's. I will and let you know my findings. But again, I think it's the speakers, but they are your ears and not mine. Good luck!
@@weiliao7642 Hi. Read your comments on 6Sl7. Interesting. I have just bought the amplifier and is satisfied with some of the sound. Is the Sylvania 6sl7WGT available form stores in Europe? Where di you shop these valves from?
Nice clear review Jay Keep doing good work.
A thousand views a hour for the first six hours, congrats on your channel!
Thx for promoting audio on UA-cam.
Happy Holidays.
Happy holidays!
I swapped out the stock 6sn7 tubes for a pair of Sylvania VT-231 grey glass tubes I already had. This was a definite improvement. The difference I'm hearing is a smoother, more natural sound.
Thank you Jay for your recommendation. I had it sent from China to Germany and I am totally satisfied... after 20-30 hours of playing (burning in the tubes). (I took the upgrade kit) What really astounded me is how good this amps performs even with speakers which are said not to perform very good with tube amps. And it has rhythm! and colours! And you can listen to average recordings and stil enjoy them, while High End redordings stil profit! My much more expensive SET amplifiers are now sitting around unused.
I have the R8 and it’s very nice. Got mine from China HiFi direct with no issues. I’ve bought some other stuff direct from them and they are good about returning emails.
One of the better explanations what audiophiles are really looking for I have heard.
Your about to cost me THOUSANDS my friend.. i have soooo enjoyed your videos on tube amplifiers. You portrayal of them is incredible. I hope to audition some soon with my LaScallas. As much as I love my Klipsch Heritage collection I am really getting in to a few DR speakers. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR PUTTING ME IN THE ROOM ! I have followed your journey with you and have witnessed your increasing knowledge and experience with our beloved passion. I have stayed this before but you and your channel are making a very significant penetrating in the 30 and under listener . Really appreciate your time and effort in the production of these wonderful informative videos
Love the comparison to the vintage Dynaco tube amp. Sweetness explanation was dead-on. I get it! Thanks Jay.
Just ordered the Willsenton R300. Can't wait to pair it with my Zu Audio DW's.
Jay, I love your new introduction and enjoyed your review! I have the Willsenton R800i 300B 805 and really enjoy it. I may try this upgraded tube. I agree that these amps with upgraded tubes can play with the big boys.
I've put the Psvane we 300b and upgraded the 6sn7 and 6SL7. With really good tubes. This thing is fantastic sounding. I actually prefer it over my Line Magnetic 508ia also with a 1,000.00 in tube upgrades. Midrange is just amazing. Very deep base.
Glad to see all these reviewers catching on to this amp. I’ve had it for a year and listen every day. Magic
What are you using for output ? I've heard if using a turntable they are awful quality ?
Awesome! Arendale speakers, been waiting for a no bs review on that like we know Jay always does
appreciated 👊
Great presentation.
My theory, FWIW is that the sweetness is in fact micro detail that comes through with tube amps in general and perhaps SE designs in particular.
Vinyl sound has issues from addition where digital has issues based on deletion. When my digital gets better and better it sounds less hard, warmer, holographic and sweet. If you are only hearing the high points, you get hard, analytic sound. Fill in the micro detail and you get more spacial clues and that airy sweetness and sparkle. I think that that is what tube amps do as long as they are not messing up the sound with crappy transformers or coupling caps.
Jay l owned an ST70 for years it was great. Closest Amp to a McIntosh 240 of the era.. Actually Mac once said Dynaco was the only mid cost cost company the considered an amp.
Good presentation!
Owner of the r300 here, I pairs it with my Linton, damn, cant go back to solid state. Btw, just for thoese who use headphones as well, the headphone output on r300 is also surprisingly great, i mean I only have Topping dx3 pro+ for comparison, but it’s way better than dx3 pro+, r300 is way more smoother, bigger soundstage( yes, even just in a HD600 headphone), weightier bass, if it’s not because I need dx3 pro+ for a desktop situation I will sell it, r300 just makes dx3 pro sounds bad in comparison
Great review Jay. I agree with your assessment of 300B amps sound, though I haven’t heard this amp I’ve owned a few 300B amps. I like the single ended tube amp sound, and I’ve heard it done well, but then I like the bass punch I get from push pull tube amps, though I miss that midrange clarity and high frequency effect you speak of on single ended amps. Solid state stuff just has too much bass to the point of being a bit too wooly sound. I think the best sound I’ve heard is augmenting a tube amp with a solid state sub. Anyway, really like hearing your reviews. Keep them coming. Are you going to review the MOFI coaxial speaker?
Excellent review once again, Happy Holidays and pass that along to Thujan as well. Peace
This was an excellent and informative presentation! While watching, I thought I'm really going to have to spend some time figuring out what the other tube he was referring to was and sure enough, you presented it in the comments. That attention to detail is why I subscribed as I am definitely looking forward to seeing more videos from you.
Was wondering about 300b tube. Your video Very informative. Ty.
Glad you mentioned not to touch the glass tube. YOU CANT ALWAYS SEE IT BUT the glass will pick up the oil, and then the tube get hot and you can fry them, I guess? Good review!
Nope. That’s a myth
Hi Christian. Touching the glass of a vacuum tube does not affect the glass, other than putting a finger print on it. How do I know this.... I have a warehouse full of tubes.
@@MrCarlsonsLab i have touched them hot and cold, and nothing happens. Wish you had a spare set of USA Tung Sol 6550s to sell, lol
I just ordered R300 this week and looking at Dec 12th delivery. Right off the bat I will replace the tubes with NOS and Films with Jupiter's Oil's or Mundorf Supreme - Silver Oil.
Hey Joe, I would love to hear how this turns out as I was looking to purchase the r300 and doing the same. Many thanks in advance.
as far as I know, this 300b does not use coupling caps on the signal path, the two caps on the tube base are not coupling caps, so I’m curious what chasing the caps do to the SQ actually
I went and looked price point up on Amazon Geez Jay i can't believe the pricepoint of $1500 U.S. !! Thats crazy !!
Bet the midrange is full - would love to see you try a Sansui AU-111 tube integrated but dam they went up to about $4k U.S. but their transformer were some of the best of the times - Sansui started out building Hi-end Audio transformers
Not stereos 😆 Thanks Jay
I still have my 1989 Infinity 8 kappa speakers. They have the sweetness.
Hey Jay, always a great effort on your reviews. I watch all of them. When will you do your review of the Arendal Tower speakers that I see?
Black ice aka Jolida Amps are phenomenal , need a whirls it around
I currently have a Fezz Lybra 300b amp, that recently had a failure. It's currently getting fixed. 300b's sound great but get ready to spend big bucks when you replace them compared to other tube types
I’ve got a Fezz silver Luna that blew a condenser 2 years and 3 months after I bought it. How old was yours when it went and what was the fault?
Boy what a nice 300B amp at a reasonable price. I had plans on building one but it's hard to pass up this one. Nice review. I was going to ask how the Western Electric 300B tubes sound in it but you answered that in the video.
I didn't think a 2A3 SET amp would have enough power for my application, but the 300B has more than enough power to give ample listening levels (loud listening levels) with my current speaker arsenal.
Looks like the amp has a bias meter, to adjust the output tube bias point?? That's a nice feature.
Any thoughts on pairing this with KLH Model 5? Not enough power?
The best 300B in tubes that I've tried (still in prodution) are made In Europe (not in China). From KR Audio (Czech Republic) and from Elrog (Germany). They are not cheap but they are amazing.
Not cheap very xpensive
Do not forget Takatsuki 300B from Japan. Best sounding 300B on the planet right now.
That's a whole lot of sweetness 😃
Single End Triode can be achieved with EL34, KT88, etc if the circuit has the Pentodes wired as Triodes. The 300B can be used in Class A or class AB Push Pull designs. There’s Mesh Plate 300B tubes more expensive than the WE. And their are other Filamentary Triode.
Did you try to roll input 6SN7 tubes? This could change also a lot...
300B tubes are great I built my my own class A 300B amp best sounding tube
you make great videos sir !
I also have this amp, using WE tubes, blue Sophia rectifier tubes and I can say you need a good tube preamp to make the magic happen. By it self it’s great as a an amp alone but needs a preamp!
I am wondering does the r300 pre in by passing the 6sl7 and 6sn7? I’ve heard that pre in in R8 go through all the tubes, if that’s also the case in r300, then how a preamp will help the sounds except maybe adding a flavor in the sound ?
Do the rectifier tubes actually make a difference in the sound? (I have the mark I version of this amp and upgraded all the tubes except the rectifiers.)
It also supplies more than 8W per channel since one 300B supplies 8 to 10 Watts and it has 2 per channel, that explains why it has plenty of power for relatively (>90dB) sensitive speakers.
I'm employing the 300B's in an OTL line stage pre with built in headphone amp. The reason this particular tube sounds so fine, just observe the I/V Transfer Curves. Its so inherently Linear. BTW Very enjoyable presentation.
Karmin's Hardon Citation upgrade. Those huge transformers are the signature. Btw, "sweetness"??
The citation preamp is quite a good match. Or go for a line drive and enjoy the dedicated amp all alone.
I should mention that tubes can be damaged when shipped across town. Damage that is only heard not seen.
Great reviews on a lot of audio gears.
Should try to talk about 6C33C-B tubes
Thanks man, I really like the way you break down the way different amplifiers, are set up to play different kinds of music. House, or EDM may not sound that nice on a Tube amp.I may be wrong though, it seems like tube amps are better at reproducing natural sounds. They are the choice of most Jazz, Blues, Country, guitar players.
Cool! Be sure to check out Decware's new 300B amplifier Sarah too! Heard it was really great!
I have one powering a pair of Klipsch LaScala AL5'S and the only future upgrade I can imagine is upgrading the tubes. Absolutely amazing sound.
Think this amp would be well paired with Forte 4s?
Hey Jay, I've been a long-time listener, from nearly the beginning, and have enjoyed watching the growth of your channel. I've been torn between purchasing the r800i and 300b for some time now and was wondering if you could kindly tell me what the sonic differences are- particularly if one is quicker or has better prat than the other. I'll be running relatively sensitive speakers, so power is not an issue. Thank you in advance and may your channel continue to flourish- cheers.
R800i is better in every way minus the sweet top freq - the R300 wins there.
R800i also double the price and has more tubes that will cost you a pretty penny for tube upgrades/replacements
I must confess I unfortunately am all too familiar with the sting that comes with upgrading/replacing tubes- though a tube upgrade can mean the difference in sentiment from, "boy, why did I buy this pile of xxxx" to, "i need to hurry home to my significant other, ahemm......I mean my hifi rig, of course". Nether the less, I appreciate your putting the value proposition into context.
Changing out the 6sn7 and 6sl7 with really good VINTAGE Tubes will also make a huge improvement.👍
Thank you for this review. Even if this is not a speaker review I wish you would mention the Tribe Towers and Velas more often since they were not just any speakers of your journey shared on UA-cam
The 300b is a 1938 design by USA Western Electric: now back in US production.Amazing the Chinese can do this amp for 1500 USD. The new WE 300b amp is 15,000.
Western Electric 300b is often imitated but never duplicated.
Hi Jay. Great review. Was wondering how this compares to Line Magnetic's 300B offering, the LM-217IA. Based on the pricing, it looks like the LM-217IA is being positioned against the R300. Any idea how they stack up against one another? Would be great if you could do a review of the LM-217IA as well. Cheers!
Sweetness is texture without hardness. It's firm and smooth, has quite a bit of topology, but isn't metallic in character.
Build pair Lowther horn speakers using PM7 drive units, 8 watts power, giving you 123dB sound level, not bad for your living room.
hmmm, build quality looks really good.
I have one, it is stunning ( not only for the Money ) !
You explained the sweetness very well, do you think it is like a real representation instead of an interpretation?
Surprised there's no mention of the willsenton 800i. Obviously a different design, but also uses the 300b.
Jay, how does this 300b tube amp compare to the Reisong A50 you reviewed last year?
This willsenton is a more full sized tube amp whereas the Reisong is smaller/cuter for more smaller room applications and such
So this R300 vs the Reisong A50 Mk III might be another useful comparison
Western electric is making 300b again. I was impressed with my pair.
Another great review. Thanks for sharing. Is this a second review of this tube amp?
nope. I have mentioned the amp in some of my speaker reviews but this is the only solo video I have done on it
Hi,do you think the Triangle Br03 would be good? always in good value for money. Thanks
Are you equating sweetness with high micro dynamics? This system characteristic is often a contribution from both the amplifier and the speaker. So, in your opinion is it the speaker, amplifier or simply the synergy (pairing) of both.
Jay, great review and fantastic description of a 300B SET (single ended triode) amplifier. That Fluxion amp is not a PP amp, but a SE amp with one KT88 per channel though. Anyway, that was otherwise an excellent review and I’m glad you gave some good speaker pairings to go with a 300B amp. My Tekton Pendragons sound excellent with one, as you mentioned, but I personally prefer my PP monoblocks with EL34’s, which have enough of that “sweetness” you described, but just more kick, especially in the low end.
Jay, please tell me you ran this amp with the 96db Kendalls!!?? For 3 grand total, it would have to a Budget combination for the ages!!!
Thanks for the great review! How would you say the R300 compares to the Boyuurange A50?
I can see NAT Audio amps in the background, hope to see a video about that?
I have this amp and I have changed the 300B tubes to PSVane Cossor series. A great improvement. Question: would I get a sonic improvement by changing the 6SL7 to a 12AX7 via an adapter?
Interesting that you mention decibel efficiency, l have a Bez 300b SET amp which is rated at 9 watts my Dynaudio 10 Evoke speakers are only 84 db efficient and work just fine with the amp.
absolutely. I believe it. Those are just one of many numbers. I've seen it with TADs and other "less sensitive speakers" where impedance is relatively stable across all frequencies and thus making it easier to drive than what those specs suggest. There are many variables to consider for "drivability"
@@Jayiyagi how do you think the 300 would drive my special 40’s?
Great review. Can you compare it with Boyuurange A50 MKIII, mainly what is the sound difference?
Great video and review! It begs the question of how it compares with the R800i?
Hi, thx Jay!👍 great Review! I bought the r300b!
My speakers are now the concept 50 (6Ojm). I wonder wich output impedance I should choose? 4 Ohm? Or 8Ohm?😃
Hi Jay, I am an owner of the Wharfedale Linton Heritage speakers. I know you reviewed them with the R8 and so I am curious which of these 2 amps you would recommend to pair with the Lintons? It would be my first tube amp. Thanks!
Love the new intro video.
Thanks for another great video, Jay! I am thinking to buy either R300 or R8 for my Tekton Lore Reference (96db/1m, 8Ω). I have tried R8 with all stock tubes just for 20hours or so, then wanted to make the sound more natural, bold and real. Which do you think work better tube rolled R8 or R300? Also how do you locate the sweetness of Lore Ref between Lore and the Klipsch?
Thanks for this review Jay. i'm very interested in 300B SET amplifiers. I would love to see a review on the Airtight ATM-R 300B amplifier. I have heard it's a great amplifier.
Hallo Jay and everyone..
A question from me.
Whats is then the sound difference between 300B and lets say the 805 and 845 tubes ?
Explained to me (a newbie in the world of tubes) :)
Are the 800 rds like the same midrange but more details in the top end or how whould it be described ?
Hi Jay
Between the Hegel H120 and the Willsenton R300
Which one would you buy
I’m looking to buy one
Many thanks
Veasna
That amp looks great for the price! I guess it's made in PRC but still, respect. Even the insides seem to be quite well designed (hybrid PTP/PCB construction if you can trust the images online).
Did you ever gave the german ELROG 300b a try?
Thanks Jay, I should have been a Private Investigator!!!
@jayiyagi, what song is playing during the switching of the tubes
For 300B tube amps 1.5 k$ is pretty darn affordable. Of course some of the classic legendary Marantz tube amps were 300B amps. Still I would probably go with Butler or Bryston and save some money and a lot of inconvenience. But then again I prefer accurate reproduction and neutrality to euphonic coloration.
I'm pretty sure that your Fluxion Audio amp is not Push-pull as there is only one output tube on each side.
A push-pull amp like the Dyna uses a phase splitter stage and a pair of tubes for each channel -- one tube pushing and one tube pulling. This arrangement doubles the output power.
In tubes we trust!
Thanks Jays, one of these days I’ll be fortunate enough to get one….
🤓
stumbled across your channel recently and discovered this integrated amp. I was wondering, do you think it would pair well with the Wharfedale Lintons? Thank you.
How would you compare it to the Billie Amp?
You should check out the new Sophia Electric Aqua II.
Read about it. This may be Sophia’s Takutsaki challenger only at $250-300.
Anybody try and change out and upgrade the capacitors in the r300??
Hi Jay! I’ve invested most of my focus on digital music. If I am to try to get into a more analog sound, would you recommend to start with tubes or a turntable?
Hi Mario I am the same as you, I was told to get an analog source for better sound quality first , like record player
Can I use with my Zu Audio "Dirty Weekends"? Is it enough power?
Woud these work well with the avantgarde acoustic g2 duo omega?
7:00 To me sweetness does mean a sense of tingle but without the fatigue.
Waiting for the GR-Research trip review 😢
It is still happening. I just have to make some time haha
Animals! Like the character from the Muppets? I would definitely use the tube cage if he was there.