Horning owners what amps have you used?

Trelja,
Like I said, preferences are what they are.It`s not important enough for me to debate about something as relatively trivial as the "better" DHT output tube.There`s no objective "test". Come on now, it`s just subjective, nothing more or less.Dpe can try some 2A3 amps and form his own conclusions vs his Thoress, no big deal.
Best Regards,

Charles1dad, this is a classic case of one of Bud Fried's absolute favorite topics, cognitive dissonance.

Simply put, you've proved unable to address the question I've put to you multiple times.

You may have compared (some 300B, some 2A3) different amplifiers. But as you initially maintained, there are so many other elements that go into such a beast, the picture becomes too murky to understand. Yet to simply accept that is to give up, without having obtained any actual knowledge or perspective.

Again, the answer is to return to one of the tenets of the Scientific Method, to observe the differences of two items being compared, holding ALL other variables constant. I admit it's a difficult task, and few have the ability, opportunity, or even desire to do so.

If we're going to be honest, which is the only route toward knowledge, you have no idea as which tube you prefer. The reason I say that is because it seems likely you have never directly compared the two tubes.

You have your own amps, which use one of the two tubes (in reality and objectively speaking, which of the two is meaningless) currently under discussion, and you like/love them. That's fair enough. As you said, "As long as we are both happy with our choices/results what else matters?" You "hope" that the tube your amplifiers employ sound better. If they did not, perhaps, it somehow invalidates your own purchase/judgement, and throws you out of equilibrium - the comfort zone. It's far easier to go round and round with someone like me here than to face such a possibility.

My experience is that high-end audio is all about compromises, making choices around such, and then going about living with them. In truth, my opinion is that for your application, the 300B is the far better choice. While I've maintained that the 2A3 produces the clearly superior low frequency response of the two tubes (not sure why that is so threatening a proposition), I, and I believe most people, couldn't live with just one of them. A 2A3 SET amplifier is simply not up to the task of driving all but a very few loudspeakers.

Dpe / Charles1dad,
i didn't feel the Kondo+Horning pairing to be euphoric in timbre (tube rolling would address this), but rather in presentation. it was generally a tad echoey for my tastes (i.e. many recordings sound like they were done in a large concert hall - which sounds great for certain recordings, but somewhat unrealistic on others).

Lamm+Horning sounds quicker/livelier, but does not hv the ethereal & effortless quality of the former. maybe the grass is always greener on the other side? (i've most likely not found the right balance yet).

11-14-11: Trelja
"Again, the answer is to return to one of the tenets of the Scientific Method, to observe the differences of two items being compared, holding ALL other variables constant. I admit it's a difficult task, and few have the ability, opportunity, or even desire to do so."

How is it possible to hold all other variables constant? You either have an amp designed for a 300B or an amp designed for a 2A3. Therefore there will be variables. What am I missing?

Sebrof, "You either have an amp designed for a 300B or an amp designed for a 2A3. Therefore there will be variables. What am I missing?"

Buy or build an amplifier that can run both tubes. The only difference one needs to account for is the heater filament voltage; easy enough to get around with a power transformer with multiple taps. The rest of the amplifier remains the same, and then you can directly compare the two tubes.