300b lovers


I have been an owner of Don Sachs gear since he began, and he modified all my HK Citation gear before he came out with his own creations.  I bought a Willsenton 300b integrated amp and was smitten with the sound of it, inexpensive as it is.  Don told me that he was designing a 300b amp with the legendary Lynn Olson and lo and behold, I got one of his early pair of pre-production mono-blocks recently, driving Spatial Audio M5 Triode Masters.  

Now with a week on the amp, I am eager to say that these 300b amps are simply sensational, creating a sound that brings the musicians right into my listening room with a palpable presence.  They create the most open vidid presentation to the music -- they are neither warm nor cool, just uncannily true to the source of the music.  They replace his excellent Kootai KT88 which I was dubious about being bettered by anything, but these amps are just outstanding.  Don is nearing production of a successor to his highly regard DS2 preamp, which also will have a  unique circuitry to mate with his 300b monos via XLR connections.  Don explained the sonic benefits of this design and it went over my head, but clearly these designs are well though out.. my ears confirm it. 

I have been an audiophile for nearly 50 years having had a boatload of electronics during that time, but I personally have never heard such a realistic presentation to my music as I am hearing with these 300b monos in my system.  300b tubes lend themselves to realistic music reproduction as my Willsenton 300b integrated amps informed me, but Don's 300b amps are in a entirely different realm.  Of course, 300b amps favor efficient speakers so carefully component matching is paramount.

Don is working out a business arrangement to have his electronics built by an American audio firm so they will soon be more widely available to the public.  Don will be attending the Seattle Audio Show in June in the Spatial Audio room where the speakers will be driven by his 300b monos and his preamp, with digital conversion with the outstanding Lampizator Pacific tube DAC.  I will be there to hear what I expect to be an outstanding sonic presentation.  

To allay any questions about the cost of Don's 300b mono, I do not have an answer. 

 

 

whitestix

Is anybody else building IT-coupled PP DHT amps these days?

Kinda' seems like these amps are going to be (justifiably) pricey when they come out.

@markusthenaimnut  I have no idea.  I think Lukasz at Lampizator was.  Yes they will be pricey because the power supply topology is something that I have not seen in any commercial amps that I haven't built, and there are custom wound transformers throughout.  So even if someone would build a similar concept, these have a lot of features that probably wouldn't be in something else.  Hence the cost.....  Again, this was essentially a cost no object (within reason) project to see what was sonically possible.  I am pleased with the outcome.  There are certainly many decent quality tube amps out there for under $5,000 including the Kootenay that I used to build.  None of them are this good though.  Doesn't mean you cannot have a really satisfying and enjoyable stereo for less.  Just that if you want this level of performance it costs this much to do correctly.

@lynn_olson

IT-coupled PP DHT’s have a power and majesty unlike anything else in audio. Bell Labs and Western Electric knew what they were doing back in 1935.

 

Western Electric is also pioneer of "Ultra Path" circuit design for SE amplifiers which removed local feedback which is evil in true audiophile amps.

 

Long tailed symmetric push pull is another WE originated design.

Only modern circuit design which enhanced WE golden edge SE DHT amps is solid state CCS which a magnitude better than tube CCS.

Link not working, no.  There are some monos on ebay with no tubes for $2-3K per pair.  SE amps.  Typical Chinese amp in that you have no idea what is inside that transformer box.  Could be ok, could be $99 transformers.  A tube amp is the sum of three things.  How good is the circuit?  How good is the power supply?  How good is the iron (transformers)?   The circuit might be a faithful reproduction, the power supply and iron are suspect.  Ali Express brings to mind two words:  caveat emptor🙄