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Rec a 300B for Wavelength Cardinal Monoblocks

I am looking for recommendations for 300B tube choices for my Wavelength Cardinal Monoblock amps. My speakers are the Auditorium-23 Solovox and the preamp is a Shindo Masseto. I know that I will eventually get a Shindo amplifier, but for now I am intrigued by the prospect of learning how much better the Cardinals can sound with other tubes. Also, there is the very real possibility that I would keep the Cardinals and alternate them with the future Shindo amp, assuming the Shindo amp does not use 300B's. Thanks in advance for all guidance!
Best Regards,
Steven
4musica44107
jrinkerptdnet
426 posts
 
best bet would be to contact Gordon Rankin of Wavelength direct ... I BELIEVE there was a version designed specifically for the WE 300B but my memory could be faulty.

In any event Gordon most likely tried them with a number of 300B tubes during the development process
4musica44107 OP
520 posts
 
Jrinkerptdnet - Thank you. I will indeed be contacting Gordon before pulling the trigger on different tubes. And I probably should have mentioned that, as I recall, the 300B tubes in my Cardinals are the ones that Gordon prefers. I just now took a look at those tubes and cannot easily make out the brand name.
Best Regards,
Steven
abill
73 posts
 
I have a Wavelength Triton Blue NCE and I use Western Electric 300B's, I bought them in 2000 and they still sound good.
I also have Treasure 330B's and they are ok for the money but not as good as WE.

If you get a recommendation from Gordon please post it , I was thinking about trying another 300b tube
analogluvr
800 posts
 
Parts connexion has a sale on shuguang black treasures. I believe those to be your best bang for the buck. Lots of folks talk about the takasuki's being all that but the ones I heard weren't so great. I would rank them
Sophia RP
Shuguang BT
Takasuki
JJ
I haven't heard the EML mesh but there is lots of positive press on those. While the Sophia's sound great I would stay away from those as they are notoriously unreliable. Ymmv
4musica44107 OP
520 posts
 
Abill - I'll bet your Trition Blue sounds wonderful with those WE 300B's. One of the options I am considering is the less costly 300B tubes made(?)/used by Line Magnetic in some of their amplifier offerings. If I understand correctly, the LM 300B tubes are designed to reproduce (as much as possible) the sound qualities of the WE 300B's. But I find myself wondering if anyone has found a 300B tube they prefer over a WE 300B!

Analogluvr - Shuguang BT and Takasuki are two other 300B tubes I have read many good things about and wondered if anyone would recommend either or both. Thanks for those suggestions as well as the heads up on the lack of reliability of the Sophia's.
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