[nwavesailor]

I've tried 6-7 different 12au7s, and they all work fine, and sound better than current production 6sn7 as well, on Envy. This will not be the case for the other 12a*7 tubes, which are all out of 6sn7 spec. Most references I've seen consider 12au7 and 6sn7 to be equivalent and compatible. I agree that the truth may be more subtle than that, but so far, all work perfectly on Envy for me.

I’m using a a pair of 1940’s HiVac 12AU7 in the Envy tonight. Obscure tube but very nice.

 

[incredulousity]

What would you say is the best sub $1000 300B?

Used Elrog ER — if you can find them.

Otherwise, the ones that come with the performance version of Envy.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Used Elrog ER — if you can find them.

Otherwise, the ones that come with the performance version of Envy.

Those are TJ Fullmusic 300B for those wondering

 

[Lickumms]

Those are TJ Fullmusic 300B for those wondering

which version of the TJ Fullmusic 300B? I see they have a lot of different variations on the 300B

 

[Lickumms]

Those are TJ Fullmusic 300B for those wondering

Looks like they have the 300B/SE, 300B/CNE, 300B/c, 300B/n, 300B/c/+ and the 300B.

The 300B/c, 300B/SE, and the 300B/CNE look identical to the Sophia Carbon Plate 300b and the Royal Prince 300B, respectively.

​

 

[ThanatosVI]

Looks like they have the 300B/SE, 300B/CNE, 300B/c, 300B/n, 300B/c/+ and the 300B.

The 300B/c, 300B/SE, and the 300B/CNE look identical to the Sophia Carbon Plate 300b and the Royal Prince 300B, respectively.

​

They don't tell on the Website. Probably best to inquire directly

 

[Lickumms]

They don't tell on the Website. Probably best to inquire directly

Looking at the pictures, the plates look like the standard TJ 300B. http://www.hifipartstore.com/?product=full-music-300b

 

[Lickumms]

Apparently Full Music does make the Sophia Electric Tubes. https://www.dagogo.com/sophia-electrics-royal-princess-300b-vacuum-tube-review/

 

[ThanatosVI]

Apparently Full Music does make the Sophia Electric Tubes. https://www.dagogo.com/sophia-electrics-royal-princess-300b-vacuum-tube-review/

Well they maybe DID make them, but fullmusic is no longer.
The owner died and the tools have been sold to Linlai and PSVane.

That means current Sophia Electric tubes are manufactured by someone else.

 

[Lickumms]

Well they maybe DID make them, but fullmusic is no longer.
The owner died and the tools have been sold to Linlai and PSVane.

That means current Sophia Electric tubes are manufactured by someone else.

Oh, thank you for the information.

 

[Galapac]

What would you say is the best sub $1000 300B?

From my experience, Emission Labs 300B

Has anyone had success with 300B tubes bought off of AliExpress?

I haven’t but a lot of risk there from what I’m told. It’s rife with second market Chinese tubes.

Your best bet is to save up and buy one of the premium set of 300B tubes like Elrog or WE as you will always be wanting.
Just rip the band-aid off now if you can take the hit financially.

 

[Somatic]

From my experience, Emission Labs 300B

I haven’t but a lot of risk there from what I’m told. It’s rife with second market Chinese tubes.

Your best bet is to save up and buy one of the premium set of 300B tubes like Elrog or WE as you will always be wanting.
Just rip the band-aid off now if you can take the hit financially.

That being said go straight to the MOs and don’t look back

 

[ColSaulTigh]

What is the expected life span of the Elrog now? I was reading older review that were saying they are really prone to failure.

Those older reviews are referring to the pre-Thomas Mayer-era Elrogs (the ones with the gold bases). They had known QC issues and were prone to frequent failures. Since TM took over at Elrog, those problems have all but disappeared. You'll see the occasional issue (just like every other tube manufacturer) but nowhere near the astronomical failure rates of old.

 

[ColSaulTigh]

300B Tubes are very much a "buy once, cry once" product. I get wanting to save money, which is why I buy a lot of my tubes from the Classifieds section from people with excellent feedback. I've found that even the best "Chi-Fi" tubes sound like utter garbage even compared to the EML or WE tubes. If you're going to invest in a 300B amplifier, why not invest in the BEST 300B tubes you can get? The whole idea of owning a 300B is for its sound signature. While some of the lower-end tubes are "good", they're not "great" or "WONDERFUL!" or "INCREDIBLE!". They're just "good" or "good enough". I'm nowhere near the end of my journey, but one thing I've learned along the way is that you have to pay for quality. The way to save on quality is to let other people that the initial "new and shiny" hit, then you can reap the rewards of "upgrade-itis" after-the-fact. Of course, this is all my opinion, and YMMV...

 

[CopperFox]

Western Electric WE300B, JJ Electronic gold pins ECC88, Philips Miniwatt metal base GZ34. My favourite tubes so far.