Does it make sense to use 6k$ Nos tube with 5K$ tube amplifier?


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Yesterday I inserted original Western Electric 300B made in 1930’s to Line Magnetic 508 amplifier.

After I got LM 508 on Aug 2018 and I had done lot of tube rolling.

Now I have Psavne Acme 805, 1944 Sylvania vt231(6SN7), Mullard ECC85(6SL7) and Synergistic Blue power cable and fuse with it.

Isoacoustics Orea Bordeaux foot is also under LM 508.


I had been hesitant to try my original Western Electric 300B with LM 508 amplifier.

After paying 3k$ for pair 17 years ago, I had run 10K hours on the tube with Silbatone 300B 8W SET amplifier.

It still sound fine with 5K - 10K hours more remaining.



But it is hard to get good NOS Western Electric 300B tube anymore and it get more expensive ( more than 6K for pair now).


I had tried Sophia Carbon Plate 300B and Shuguang Treasure 300B on LM 508.

With Sophia Carbon Plate, I got slightly deeper bass with more refined treble.

With Shuguang Treasure, I got more details and tight and deeper bass with wider soundstage.


Now with original Western Electric 300B, I got much more and cleaner details and tighter bass with transparent and wider and deeper soundstage.


The most notable difference is more details and transparent soundstage.

I had not expected that much improvement with original Western Electric 300B.

After going back to Sophia Carbon Plate, it sound warm but boring with less details and less transparent sound.

Thus I had to go back to original Western Electric 300B.

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When I play " Songbird" of Eva Cassidy with original Western Electric 300B, she appears to sing in front of me with spooky presence.

Now I got into trouble.

I do not want to put valuable original Western Electric 300B into LM 508.


20 years ago, replica of Western Electric had been made and I compared it with original Western Electric 300B.

It turned out that replica was no match to original Western Electric 300B.

Replica had crude and less details and narrower soundstage.


Although they claim to make another replica of Western Electric 300B, I do not have much expectation from my previous experience.

I placed order of Psavne Acme 300B tube yesterday which cost me 900$.

Psavne Acme 805 is the best new production tube with natural details and transparent soundstage.

I do not expect Acme 300B to be better than original Western Electric 300B.

But if Acme 300B is 90% as good as original Western Electric 300B, then I will use it with LM 508.

Replica of Western Electric 300B made 20 years ago was only 70% as good as original Western Electric 300B
128x128shkong78
Yeah, $15k is off the scale, $6k is 10, bordering on crazy. But they last very long.
Yet it is true.

Good Nos 300B can last up to 20K hours.

No new production tube can last as long as that.

I had already run 10K hours on my NOS 300B tube but it sounds fine.

Thomas
Not a tube guy, but curious.

How much (and under what circumstances) do you listen to each of the amps?
The original WE300B's last a VERY long time in amps designed to run that particular tube.  I would check to make sure the LM amp is not running the tube hot like many current amps do to extract that little bit of extra power.  I agree that original, engraved base 300B's are very good tubes.  I think they run a bit more than $6,000 a pair for used tubes that still test strong.  The 300A's are now more than $15,000 a pair.  A local dealer uses engraved base 300B's in several amps that he builds and sells (in mostly pushpull amps, so this means quads of these tubes), and is currently looking for a couple of 300A's to complete a quad for a very special customer.  

I would look at the new Western Electric 300B's coming on the market that are being built using the old machinery and tooling from Western Electric.  These are probably going to be like the 1990's Western Electric tubes--decent, if not quite as good as the originals.  I have not listened to Taketsuke 300B's from Japan, but, they are reported to be good replicas of original 300B's.  I heard, and liked, the Kron version of 300B's, but, they are different in sound from typical 300B's so some may not like them (leaner, more dynamic sounding than typical 300B's).  

If these seems really crazy, it is, but not as crazy as a tube that is similar to the 300A or 300B, which is the Western Electric 252.  This same dealer has a 59B amp that runs those tubes in pushpull.  The tubes really don't have a price on them because there is no market for them, but, he turned down an offer of $30,000 for the pair.
If you need to finance the WE300B NOS purchase, then no.  If the cost is a drop in the bucket, go for it.  One man's $600 purchase is another man's $6,000.