[Vinnie R.]

Any LIO DHT PRE owner here has a matched pair of the new Western Electric 300Bs from Rossville? Care to post your opinions on their sonic qualities in the LIO DHT PRE? 

Hi Terence T.,

Good question!  I'm not even sure if they are shipping them yet (their website says "pre order"). 

I spoke with the company owner about getting a pair to use at Axpona, but he wasn't able to make it happen.  Hopefully soon!

I do have a pair of new-in-box Western Electric WE-300B from 2006 (not the Rossville plant) that I am looking forward to listening to soon. 

Vinnie

[Terence T.]

Hi Vinnie,

It's a pity, if it is true that they are not shipping out the WE 300Bs yet! I sincerely hope that they will be able to do so from their Rossville factory soon.

I'm so glad to hear that you have a pair of WE 300Bs from 2006... Do post your views of the WE 300Bs in the L2 PRE and the LIO DHT PRE.

Anyway, where did you manage to get hold of them? Is it very expensive?

Terence

[Terence T.]

Hi Vinnie,

It's a pity, if it is true that they are not shipping out the WE 300Bs yet! I sincerely hope that they will be able to do so from their Rossville factory soon.

I'm so glad to hear that you have a pair of WE 300Bs from 2006... Do post your views of the WE 300Bs in the L2 PRE and the LIO DHT PRE.

Anyway, where did you manage to get hold of them? Is it very expensive?

Terence

[Vinnie R.]

Hi Vinnie,

It's a pity, if it is true that they are not shipping out the WE 300Bs yet! I sincerely hope that they will be able to do so from their Rossville factory soon.

I'm so glad to hear that you have a pair of WE 300Bs from 2006... Do post your views of the WE 300Bs in the L2 PRE and the LIO DHT PRE.

Anyway, where did you manage to get hold of them? Is it very expensive?

Terence

Hi Terence,

Hopefully what they are producing in Rossville will be shipping soon!

My new-in-box pair of WE300B from 2006 came from an L2 Signature Preamp customer in Europe. 
We worked out a trade.  Used ones seem to be more expensive on ebay than what they are charging
for the pre-order of new Rossville ones!

I also got a new pair of Elrog 300B.

I'll be gathering some more DHTs to add to my collection and will be testing / comparing. 

If I can take a full day off from work just to spend the entire day listening, I'm sure I can pin down
how all the tubes compare.
Hopefully I will be able to this summer.  There is so much on my plate right now...

Thanks,

Vinnie

[matthewpartrick]

Any interest in reviving the tubes round the world project, only for the L2?  I can assume the $2500 Japanese.tubes.won't be making the journey....

[Vinnie R.]

Any interest in reviving the tubes round the world project, only for the L2?  I can assume the $2500 Japanese.tubes.won't be making the journey....

Hi MP,

No, and the reason is because I'm currently loaning out tubes to L2i and L2i-SE reviewers, and this will continue to be the case for reviewers who request them (to make comparisons to the stock tubes).  I don't have enough of a stash to send out more (and I need a few for the shows and demo units to dealers, etc). 

It would be very cool if some of the companies selling these tubes offered such a program.

Vinnie

[WG]

Parts ConneXion pricing on the Takasuki,https://www.partsconnexion.com/TSUKI-81942.html, showing now at $1499.95.  I am considering but will hold off and probably explore Uptown Audio EtherRegen and/or Sonore Optical Rendu.  I have KR PX-4's now. 

[matthewpartrick]

I would be willing to pony up for some of the tubes if we as a team could spread the cost.  I'd have to take a look at the books but I bet I could donate $750 USD...

[matthewpartrick]

Just to emphasize, I'd like to fund a DHT lend-lease program with the most common DHTs that were used in the LIO, but are also used in the L2.  Vinnie, if I foot the bill for the four most common tubes we used during the LIO DHT round-about and tried to bring in one or two higher-end tubes, would you be amenable to this?  That way they would all come back to me and I'd take the financial risk.  We could insure each transit of course.  Food for thought

Thanks!

[Vinnie R.]

Hi MP,

A few things I should have added in my last post above:

1) Some of the better/best sounding tubes that I have tried are also the most expensive.  For example:

- TAK TA-300B
- Western Electric WE-300B
- ELROG 300B
- KR T-100 (and PX4)

Are they worth their cost?  I say YES!  But I'm not sure anyone who owns these would want to send them along on a lend-lease program due to their high cost.  Even with insurance, if there is damage, you still need to fight with UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc. to try and get your insurance payment.  It can be a big hassle and risk to take.

2) The results that you will get with various DHTs in the LIO DHT PRE vs the L2 Signature Preamp (or L2-SE) may not be the same.  Their circuits are different in a handful of ways, and the L2 grounding scheme takes care of any hum that certain DHTs had in LIO.  For example, some DHTs such as the Psvane 101-D replica, which had excessive hum in the LIO DHT PRE, are hum-free in the L2. 

So even with the same tubes, results are going to probably be different depending on if the tubes are used in the LIO DHT PRE circuit or the L2 Preamp / L2i-SE circuit.  Just something to keep in mind...

3) Time - I am starting to ship L2i and L2i-SE units this coming week and I have a lot of orders from dealers, and LIO customers who are ready to trade-up. I also have two trade shows in November (DC, and NY), and other projects in the works.  As a result, I unfortunately would not be able to help with running the tube loaner program. 

Vinnie, if I foot the bill for the four most common tubes we used during the LIO DHT round-about and tried to bring in one or two higher-end tubes, would you be amenable to this?  That way they would all come back to me and I'd take the financial risk.  We could insure each transit of course.

If you want to run such a program, that is very generous of you!  I'll leave that decision up to you.  I am good with whatever you decide 

Thank you,

Vinnie

[SteveKi]

3) Time - I am starting to ship L2i and L2i-SE units this coming week and I have a lot of orders from dealers, and LIO customers who are ready to trade-up.
Vinnie

Vinnie,
The LIO trade-up program is good until December 31st?
Steve

[Vinnie R.]

Vinnie,
The LIO trade-up program is good until December 31st?
Steve

Hi SteveKi,

Correct - Dec 31st, 2019 is the last day that we'll be accepting LIO trade-ups.


Due to the high demand right now, please make sure you contact me for lead-times.  Once your order is placed, you may choose to wait to ship your LIO trade-in to me until when I am getting close to shipping your L2 component (so you will not be without your system for long).

This is always the busiest time of the year for me (Sept - Jan), but this year it is a lot more so than usual.

So thank you for all of your patience with me in terms of replying to emails, phone calls, and keeping up with the VR forum.

Vinnie

[matthewpartrick]

Hi MP,

A few things I should have added in my last post above:

1) Some of the better/best sounding tubes that I have tried are also the most expensive.  For example:

- TAK TA-300B
- Western Electric WE-300B
- ELROG 300B
- KR T-100 (and PX4)

Vinnie

I'm going to save up for these tubes over the next year or so, and have read the whole thread, but if you know of good deals please everyone pass along!

[jriggy]

I'm going to save up for these tubes over the next year or so, and have read the whole thread, but if you know of good deals please everyone pass along!

Check out Srajan’s extended L2 Signature Preamplifier review (with many tube descriptions/comparisons) on 6Moons, as well as the LV 300b vs. KR T-100 review on there, and also the DHT shoot-out *I think* on HiFi Knights but not sure on that.
With all these write ups you may be able to avoid buying all of them, if you know what you’re after. 

Personally, I’m poised to purchase the T-100’s (to replace the PX4’s), to have along side the TAK’s... But wouldn’t mind hearing about a TAK vs. Living Voice if the info is out there.

[jriggy]

A new 300b replacement by Audio Note; the AN 4300E

https://www.dagogo.com/audio-note-uk-4300e-output-tube/

“In my Audio Note (U.K.) Balanced Kegon amps, the AN 4300E’s are sonically superior to the Takatsuki 300B and for that matter the wide range of other new production 300B’s that I have tried over the years.”

Sounds interesting...

[matthewpartrick]

Here's the next question:  if one were buying higher end tubes,  would it stand to reason to maybe have two different 300bs to demo and then maybe a third?  So, in a perfect world, one set of Taks, one WE variety, and maybe the T100?

[Triode Pete]

Here's the next question:  if one were buying higher end tubes,  would it stand to reason to maybe have two different 300bs to demo and then maybe a third?  So, in a perfect world, one set of Taks, one WE variety, and maybe the T100?

The Living Voice 300B's are excellent... very close to the original WE 300B sound... They are made by KR to Living Voice Kevin Scott's specifications... and built like tanks!

My $0.02,
Pete

[matthewpartrick]

Ok good deal.  Will look into them.  Thanks!  Btw the power cable came in the mail yesterday, thanks!

Hive mind: other than ebay, where are folks looking for NOS tubes?

[gene9p]

audioasylum.com

tubedepot.com


Usaudiomart.com


and right here on audiocircle.com

[matthewpartrick]

The Living Voice 300B's are excellent... very close to the original WE 300B sound... They are made by KR to Living Voice Kevin Scott's specifications... and built like tanks!

My $0.02,
Pete

one of the US KR reps has these listed around $1500, does that sound right?  Ouch.