300B replacement

Gary,

Actually (I think) it is the Globe Mesh Plate with ceramic base. Funny I did not notice the shape of the glass but the mesh plate vs Carbon only.

I have something to look forward to: upgrading to the Carbon

Phil,

Globe Mesh it is.

Thank you all for your satisfying answers. It looks like I´ll be trying the sp carbon plates. I know I liked the regular Sophia Mesh plates, but it seems that the sp carbon is really a big improvement.

The meshplate tubes are not built to WeCo spec, their maximum plate voltage being below the standard WeCo spec max of 450 volts. A few amps, like the VAC Renaissance amps that feature a Class A circuit and constant high plate voltages (430 volts), cannot use the meshplates.

The claim to fame of the meshplates is delicacy, transparency and finesse, but they have to be used in the right amp.

Glory,

Thanks for your vote of confidence. And I appreciate you sharing your experience regarding how the Sophia Carbon Plate 300Bs stack up against the Princess Mesh Plates and Western Electrics in your system. You have satisfied my curiosity, and I plan to take your advice and forego my own A/B test with the Princess Mesh Plate 300Bs.

As for the mesh plate tubes and the maximum plate voltage specification, I agree with Raquel's post as it relates to the TJ Full Music meshies. However, I'm not so sure about the Sophia mesh plate 300Bs. The Sophia web site indicates they are manufacturing the mesh plates for both the Globe and Princess tubes with a stronger plate structure. The specifications for both tubes indicate a maximum plate voltage equal to the full 450V WECo spec max. In addition, the web page describing the Princess Mesh Plate indicates "...It is a true 300B tube. It will work with all 300B amplifiers (Western Electric 300B direct replacement)...This is a true 300B tube that is 100% interchangeable with the popular Sophia Electric globe shaped 300B mesh plate tubes and Western Electric 300B tubes, as well as current production Chinese/Russian 300B tubes (with WE 300B standard)."

I guess we need to balance all this against Glory's experience in having blown out one of his Sophia meshies early in its life.

Bottom line is, if you're interested in trying a mesh plate tube in an amp that was designed around WECo spec 300Bs, I think it's worth a call to Richard at Sophia Electric to inquire about the overall compatibility of his mesh plate tubes and whether his tubes have managed to overcome the plate voltage limitations of other popular meshies such as the TJ Full Music 300Bs.