I no longer have a 300B amp and am selling these puppies off. This pair has just a few hours in an amp to make sure they work OK. They are not date matched, but both test as new.
$150, including mailing to lower 48 and Paypal fee.
I loved the sound of these, but I subscribe to truth in advertising. Below is Thorsten Loesch's take on the tubes. He rates them second only to the TJs in sound but also raises the reliability question. I had an earlier Svet go bad on me, so I am selling them as is. *NO guarantees, NO refunds.* Please decide to buy accordingly. These sell for $250 from a dealer, so you're getting a good deal here, IMO. I will pack carefully and insure.
Loesch:
"In the past Svetlana 300B’s have suffered from quality control issues and had a tendency to develop grid/cathode shorts when the cathode/filament supports deformed after running the Valve hot. Internal structures match the WE style very closely, the glass is quite thick and heavy. Still reliability is an issue with this valve.
Tonally the Svetlana 300B is evenly balanced with a beautifully delineated midrange and gorgeous sound staging. It has been a longstanding favorite of mine for it’s sound which is classic 300B, close in fact to the reissue WE 300B. While great in the midrange the bass and Treble are only very good. The soundstage depth is very good. Microphonics of the Svetlana valve are perhaps a little above average, but not much.
All in all this Valve stands a good deal above much of the competition at the budget end and offers superb sound. The history of poor reliability however makes good backup from a reliable and reputable dealer a must, so a recommendation with some question marks is on order.
Performance (out of 100)
* Overall: 70
* Tonality: 70
* Bass: 70
* Midrange: 75
* High-frequencies: 70
* Resolution: 65
* Soundscape/imaging: 75
* Fit and Finish: 60"
I'll just add that I saw one user say he brought these up with a Variac and never had a problem, so that might be the safety ticket for ya.
