I read through this thread and unless I’m missing something, not a lot of talk about the don sachs 300b monos. The stereophile blurb that someone posted didn’t give me much insight either other than the room acoustics might have been off.
To anyone who listened to them any thoughts one way of the other?
I don’t get that oh wow feeling after the few comments I have read.
Yeah, you'll never know until you hook them up in your room. Nevertheless, you can draw inferences from current and previous owners of Don Sachs gear. I owned the Kootenay amp and it was ridiculously good, especially for the price. Nearly everyone who owns or owned DS gear has raved about it. Fast forward to the 300B monos and you can expect a much higher sonic satisfaction, especially since they use 300Bs, configured as monos, and based on "advanced" technology with high-quality parts. Based on its lineage, there's no question they'll sound great.
Don has jumped into the commercial realm, and that's a whole new ball game. His amps will have to look more appealing, especially since they'll retail for nearly $20K, a big leap from his most expensive component -- the Valhalla at $5K. The prototypes shown at Pacific Audio Fest are likely to get a facelift. The plain wood chassis won't inspire a lot of interest at that price point. Perhaps better badging would help.
Lately, prices for high-end audio have shot through the roof. It now costs twice as much to get the same value than it did pre-COVID. Of course, everything costs more now, but this hobby is moving beyond the grasp of the "average guy" who yearns for the highest levels of fidelity. With Don going commercial (and I applaud him for it...), the very few "affordable" options for us regular guys to touch the hi-fi tube sky have diminished. Soon, they'll be gone for good.