For many of you, like me, tubes and tube rolling can be a whole new world. It can be rewarding when you get it right, exasperating when you get it wrong. Sometimes it is best to stay with stock factory tubes, yet one can often nudge that already decent to good unit and take it to the next level by a simple change of input/output tubes.
One of my go-to tube outfits is Brent Jessee Recording and Supplies located in Hoffman Estates, IL. Brent has been extremely helpful in matching various tubes to units I've wanted to experiment with, and I recommend him very highly. Of course there are many others out there, TubeWorld, Upscale Audio, Tube Depot, to name a few.
Call or email me on advice with brands I carry. Some, like Audio Research, I've never tube rolled, always maintaining the stock tubes are selected to match. Others, like Leben or Line Magnetic, while the stock tubes are very good, and in the case of the Leben carefully matched so be cautious of messing things up, I have achieved better sound out of rolling tubes. Always burn your units in with the factory tubes, then go from there- if one must. Just remember, it can be fun, it can be costly.
While I don't stock tubes, I do have now in stock very special tubes from Line Magnetic. They have partnered with tube manufacturer Psavne, who has been making some absolutely fantastic replica tubes. In stock now are Psvane Western Electric 300B tubes, to some the very essence of tube sound. Out of all the many integrateds I have here, and I do mean many, the only two I have that use 300B's are the LM210, an 8w 300B integrated, and the LM219, the big behemoth that uses 845's for output and 300B's for drivers. The great thing about these new replicas is they are so so close to original WE300B's in sound, which cost several thousand for an individual tube, and they are only $950 for a matched pair.
One of the joys of having a shop is getting to use different systems depending on mood or feel- going from a system that uses EL34/6L6 tubes, to an 845 SET system, to a ClassA system, and then, there's the 300B's. Now 300B's are not for everybody, mainly due to the fact it limits speaker choice. The speaker must be efficient, and usually not just a little efficient. Yet have a great matchup, and sometimes magic does occur. Harvey Rosenberg wrote about it years ago. Remember him, of NYAL fame? He wrote in the opening of his product manual, take a nice hot bath, pamper yourself, then dim the lights, pour the best cognac, light the cigar, and power up the 300B's. It was something like that, I'm paraphrasing here. He could have written for Playboy. My point being he was one of the first to laud the communicative powers of a 300B amp. And some of you have heard it here. And if it captures you, then look out, nothing else will do.
So for you, in stock, are these wonderful Psvane WE300B replica tubes.
For when nothing else will do.......
One of my go-to tube outfits is Brent Jessee Recording and Supplies located in Hoffman Estates, IL. Brent has been extremely helpful in matching various tubes to units I've wanted to experiment with, and I recommend him very highly. Of course there are many others out there, TubeWorld, Upscale Audio, Tube Depot, to name a few.
Call or email me on advice with brands I carry. Some, like Audio Research, I've never tube rolled, always maintaining the stock tubes are selected to match. Others, like Leben or Line Magnetic, while the stock tubes are very good, and in the case of the Leben carefully matched so be cautious of messing things up, I have achieved better sound out of rolling tubes. Always burn your units in with the factory tubes, then go from there- if one must. Just remember, it can be fun, it can be costly.
While I don't stock tubes, I do have now in stock very special tubes from Line Magnetic. They have partnered with tube manufacturer Psavne, who has been making some absolutely fantastic replica tubes. In stock now are Psvane Western Electric 300B tubes, to some the very essence of tube sound. Out of all the many integrateds I have here, and I do mean many, the only two I have that use 300B's are the LM210, an 8w 300B integrated, and the LM219, the big behemoth that uses 845's for output and 300B's for drivers. The great thing about these new replicas is they are so so close to original WE300B's in sound, which cost several thousand for an individual tube, and they are only $950 for a matched pair.
One of the joys of having a shop is getting to use different systems depending on mood or feel- going from a system that uses EL34/6L6 tubes, to an 845 SET system, to a ClassA system, and then, there's the 300B's. Now 300B's are not for everybody, mainly due to the fact it limits speaker choice. The speaker must be efficient, and usually not just a little efficient. Yet have a great matchup, and sometimes magic does occur. Harvey Rosenberg wrote about it years ago. Remember him, of NYAL fame? He wrote in the opening of his product manual, take a nice hot bath, pamper yourself, then dim the lights, pour the best cognac, light the cigar, and power up the 300B's. It was something like that, I'm paraphrasing here. He could have written for Playboy. My point being he was one of the first to laud the communicative powers of a 300B amp. And some of you have heard it here. And if it captures you, then look out, nothing else will do.
So for you, in stock, are these wonderful Psvane WE300B replica tubes.
For when nothing else will do.......
the Psvane WE300B's- the King of tubes
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