Dac ?

[Formerly YB-2]

A quad of WE300Bs ($3099) and away you go.

[decooney]

Originally Posted by Formerly YB-2

A quad of WE300Bs and away you go.

Some pretty neat tube DACs showing up out there. Just noticed this one and a few others from Limpizator. Way outside my budget but fun to look at in any case. Good fun. Tube compliment on this one, one pair of 300B one piece of 5U4G or 274B or 5C3S or GZ34 or 5Y3

https://shop.best300b.com/products/b...-by-lampizator


Noticed the TJs in this one.
...

[Formerly YB-2]

I've been reading on another forum that most 300Bs are junk and don't last much past their 90-day warranty. WE brags that theirs typically last 40,000 hours. At $1499/pair I would certainly hope so. Strange that one WE300B is $700, a pair is $1499 and a quad is $3099.

[decooney]

While researching backup non-NOS 6SN7s this year for my preamp I came across several threads on 300B and debates about sound, longevity, and rebranding.
Kinda surprising how much interest and selection exists... on Agon earlier this year... https://forum.audiogon.com/discussio...orth-the-money

[Formerly YB-2]

What I find most surprising is how many $500+ tubes are out there...........

[decooney]

Originally Posted by Formerly YB-2

What I find most surprising is how many $500+ tubes are out there...........

Speaking of high $ and mid-level cost tubes I was at a local dealer yesterday listening to an amazing Audio Note Meishu Integrated amplifier with brand-new-production 300Bs in it. It was connected to simple 2-way AN speakers. According to my 53rd-year-in business audio dealer, Peter of AN has been working with Psvane the past few years and now has some tubes in his spec now after commitment to large quantity orders (as reported). Several amps I saw there had Psvane tubes in them, and they were all AN amps. While I prefer my own TJ Full Music 6SN7s to what I've heard with comparable PSVane tubes lately, I gotta say that 300B integrated amp was stunning in sound and appearance. While I'm not set up for 300Bs, the gap is closing, and I'd be all over those tubes (and nothing higher cost) if I had to choose. It was as musical as I'd ever need.

For now, modifying cheap DACs and messing with preamp tubes is the closest I'll get to something like that, or at least not for a while as I run lower efficiency speakers

[FloridaBoy]

Originally Posted by MarkusTubesNow

FloridaBoy,
What are your thoughts now between the Orchid and the Abbas?
Thanks,
Markus

I looked at your system. For streaming consider giving Tidal a go. The SQ is much better than Spotify.

I changed the coupling caps in the Orchid. Nice improvement. Tubes for the Orchid? IMHO the WE396 is overrated and did not work for me. Are you using the stock tube?

[Weirdcuba]

Originally Posted by decooney

Some pretty neat tube DACs showing up out there. Just noticed this one and a few others from Limpizator. Way outside my budget but fun to look at in any case. Good fun. Tube compliment on this one, one pair of 300B one piece of 5U4G or 274B or 5C3S or GZ34 or 5Y3

https://shop.best300b.com/products/b...-by-lampizator


Noticed the TJs in this one.
...

For tube <> lampizator sickness, check out their pacific.

[MarkusTubesNow]

FloridaBoy -
I just received my Orchid on Friday - two days ago. Been burning it in since then. Still using stock tube. I like it. It's a nice DAC. I freely admit that I am not a connoisseur of DACs and have limited experience comparing them. It sounds better than the DAC in my Naim CD3.5 cd player and better than the Cambridge Audio DACmagic 100 I've been using. It provides a little more insight into the musical performance than the other DACs. I've been reading a lot (why oh why do I do this? I seem to obsess over reading all kinds of threads on various fora about tube rolling in the Orchid...) and am planning on purchasing an adapter that will allow me to use an ECC88/6922 in place of the 6N3/5670 stock tube. You've probably read the same thread(s) as me about tube rolling in this thing.
BTW, I'm considering picking up one of the AbbasAudio DACs so I can compare them and then selling whichever one I love less. Do you still have both DACs? Which do you prefer?

[FloridaBoy]

Originally Posted by MarkusTubesNow

FloridaBoy -
I just received my Orchid on Friday - two days ago. Been burning it in since then. Still using stock tube. I like it. It's a nice DAC. I freely admit that I am not a connoisseur of DACs and have limited experience comparing them. It sounds better than the DAC in my Naim CD3.5 cd player and better than the Cambridge Audio DACmagic 100 I've been using. It provides a little more insight into the musical performance than the other DACs. I've been reading a lot (why oh why do I do this? I seem to obsess over reading all kinds of threads on various fora about tube rolling in the Orchid...) and am planning on purchasing an adapter that will allow me to use an ECC88/6922 in place of the 6N3/5670 stock tube. You've probably read the same thread(s) as me about tube rolling in this thing.
BTW, I'm considering picking up one of the AbbasAudio DACs so I can compare them and then selling whichever one I love less. Do you still have both DACs? Which do you prefer?

Just use a 5670 or equivalent tube. Don't bother with the 6922 adapter. Finding the 'right' tube for your system will take a bit of experimenting. Let the DAC settle in with the stock tube.

More later.