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https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl AUDIO FORUMS >> General Discussion and Support >> WE 300b vs CryoTone 300B-WC tubes https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1680741296 Message started by Steve08226 on 04/06/23 at 01:34:56 |
Title: WE 300b vs CryoTone 300B-WC tubes Post by Steve08226 on 04/06/23 at 01:34:56 We have a pair of WE 300b tubes in a Dennis Had tube amp while waiting for our 300b Sarah. So we know how the WE tubes sound. Does anybody have both tubes, and what is the comparison between the two? Thank you, Steve08226 |
Title: Re: WE 300b vs CryoTone 300B-WC tubes Post by Lon on 04/06/23 at 01:37:16 If you search the 300B Development thread Steve describes both in the SEWE300B and describes the differences. |
Title: Re: WE 300b vs CryoTone 300B-WC tubes Post by Steve08226 on 04/06/23 at 01:38:07 Thank you |
Title: Re: WE 300b vs CryoTone 300B-WC tubes Post by Ghostship on 04/07/23 at 10:42:57 I have the WE300Bs in my Sarah now, but the Cryotones are taking a while due to supply chain issues. Don at Wathen says I can expect the same clarity as the WE300B with added density and vividness. I'll comment on the comparison when I'm able. |
Title: Re: WE 300b vs CryoTone 300B-WC tubes Post by Alexander Fland on 05/23/23 at 05:59:28 When will the supply chain again? Tunnel Rush [smiley=icqlite19.png] |
Title: Re: WE 300b vs CryoTone 300B-WC tubes Post by CAJames on 06/04/23 at 18:51:33 Quote:
Just buy a pair already and then you can tell us if the hype is real. ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Title: Re: WE 300b vs CryoTone 300B-WC tubes Post by BlackBess on 06/04/23 at 20:38:12 Ok, thanks. We’ll see what’s up in a couple of years when I get an amp worthy of their reputation. I had a tuna sandwich today, I better double down on the pb&j. |
Title: Re: WE 300b vs CryoTone 300B-WC tubes Post by Steve08226 on 06/15/23 at 21:22:23 Ok, so while waiting for our Sarah 300b we are still using a Dennis Had 300b Amp, ZBIT, ZROCK2 set up. We put a Wathen CRYOTONE 12AU7-WCLG tube in the ZROCK2 and it's definitely an upgrade! We'll be using CRYOTONE tubes from Wathen for our Sarah 300b, Great Job Don Thomas! Thank You, Steve08226 |
Title: Re: WE 300b vs CryoTone 300B-WC tubes Post by Ghostship on 06/16/23 at 15:08:57 Ok, with ~550 hours on the amp, ~250 with the economy tubes plus WE300Bs, and ~300 with the full Cryotone Bundle with Cryotone 300Bs, I have some impressions. The Sarah 300B sounds great with the economy tubes Decware supplies for ~$600. The amp easily sounds better than amps two times the price. Swapping in the Western Electric 300Bs with the economy tubes, the amp sounds utterly amazing, now in the three to four times the price category. The Sarah 300B with the full Cryotone compliment sounds perfect, world-class, end game, easily one-and-done - it's the best I have ever heard, comparable to the Kondo Audio Note Gakuoh II 300B monoblocks I've heard, which are 20x the price. Comparing the Western Electric 300Bs with the rest Cryotone, against full Cryotone including their 300Bs: the WE300Bs are perfectly clear, transparent, detailed, etc. In short, everything you would expect, except... when you swap in the Cryotone 300Bs you realize there is more density and clearly more bass response, all the while retaining every other excellent characteristic of the WE300Bs. It's like looking at a magnificent view thinking it was perfect with the WE300Bs, then with the Cryotones having an immaculately crystal clear window pane removed and now you have the same view but you can feel the breeze on your face, too, like an added level of realism. On the older solid-state amps I had growing up, there used to be a Loudness button that would give it a boost usually designed for low-volume listening...but I would leave it on all the time because I loved the extra density. That is the best way I can describe the difference between the WE300Bs and the Cryotone 300Bs...it's the density button. Certainly, this will all come down to personal taste and system uniqueness, so your mileage may vary. I strongly recommend the Cryotone bundle for the Sarah SEWE300B. Yes, they are 3x the price of the economy tubes, and worth every penny. Be aware that these tubes are selected by Wathen to go together synergistically...you may not get the full value swapping in one or the other piecemeal...or you might, I have no clue...I don't have the time or the interest in doing a sq test like that...I am far too busy listening to this glorious sound. And, I have no real interest in buying additional tubes to roll right now, however, I am spending money on additional sets of Cryotones instead, because I want this sound to last forever. |
Title: Re: WE 300b vs CryoTone 300B-WC tubes Post by Lon on 06/16/23 at 15:21:47 Thanks for weighing in with these impressions! I marvel at how my limited experience with Wathen tubes seems so different than that of others. I will be using Sophia Electric Classic blue glass 300B tubes to begin with. After that and to have a backup pair I'll have to decide on the Wathen 300B or the WE300B. Your impressions will help me decide--I think it will boil down to bass response and needs--that is the one area of frequencies that I am always working to get the best out of. Your overall pleasure with this amp I find very encouraging. Thanks. Looking forward to mine in a few months (perhaps, I'm #67 now). |
Title: Re: WE 300b vs CryoTone 300B-WC tubes Post by Tony on 06/16/23 at 15:37:28 Ghostship, Lon said: Your overall pleasure with this amp I find very encouraging. Thanks. +1 |
Title: Re: WE 300b vs CryoTone 300B-WC tubes Post by Ghostship on 06/16/23 at 15:49:26 Additional thought: Please understand that my impressions of the Cryotones and Western Electric are based strictly on my specific system settings. That means DAC voltage out using XLR to the PreAmp pushing up to 12dbs of gain out to the Sarah, with gain-riding the controls between the Sarah and Freya+ at what I feel is the sweet spot, then swapping in the WE300B for comparison. This isn’t necessarily a fair comparison. The Cryotone tubes each have specific characteristics (voltage, etc) that work perfectly together with their 300Bs…but may not be the perfect match for the WE300Bs. Thus, also swapping in a 5U4G or 274B Rectifier instead of the 5AR4, something other than the ECC88 Input Drivers, and/or something other than the OC2 Voltage Regulators along with adjusting the gain controls may certainly make the WE300Bs sound every bit as good to me as the Cryotone 300Bs. |
Title: Re: WE 300b vs CryoTone 300B-WC tubes Post by Kamran on 06/16/23 at 15:51:13 Thanks for sharing your impressions Ghostship! Much appreciated as I also need to decide which route I am going to take over the next few months. Steve08226: Does the Had 300b have a volume pot or are you using a pre in the chain? |
Title: Re: WE 300b vs CryoTone 300B-WC tubes Post by Steve08226 on 06/16/23 at 17:40:55 Mac mini, Qobuz, Roon, BACCH4MAC, to PS Audio DirectStream MKII DAC as volume control, to Decware Zbit to ZROCK2 to 300b AMP. We have the 300b set to max, and control the volume via the MKII’s remote control . |
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