Western Electric 300B Impressions and Measurements

UPDATE: I no longer recommend this product because of its reported poor quality and shady advertised warranty services. Read here: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...electric-shameless-warranty-runarounds.13321/

I went around the house trying to my bargain Electro Harmonix 300B so I could do a direct comparison. I wasn't able to find them. I figure having one reference point for direct comparison would help me more accurately triangulate with my memory of other 300B tubes I've heard on the Studio B. For now, it's all based on memory. You can call me full of shit, but I think you guys know by now that I have a pretty good memory of how stuff sounds.



The is the third coming of the Western Electric 300B. There was a second coming sometime in the 2000s. I'm not sure exactly when. Please correct me if I am wrong. I believe Craig Uthus at Eddie Current / Moth Audio may have had a pair of Western Electric 300Bs, but ended up not having them and then regretting it. Or maybe not because Craig doesn't listen to tubes. He sells the good tubes that he gets to customers.

I viewed with skepticism this third coming of the Western Electric 300B. It's supposed to be the same factory, same machining, same processes, and I would assuming as similar materials as possible to what was available in the 1940s. I was going to stay skeptical under I actually heard one. My impressions on this third coming of the Western Electric 300B is that yup, it's a 300B. I've never heard a vintage 300B before and I'm pretty sure if I did, it would probably be well used and not necessarily representative of how it's supposed to sound.** Listening to this WE 300B, it does seem to all make sense. This is the source, the ideal, of what all the other new production 300Bs strive to shoot for.

Listening was through the Eddie Current Studio B, via Grado RS1X (Gerod Earpads from Amazon), Audeze LCD-X (RD Modded), and Frugel-horn XLs with Fostex FE167NS driver. The Studio B is an output transformer coupled SET. It takes a small amount of feedback (~1.5db) from the tertiary winding of the OPT. I have early prototypes of the Studio B, but this is this first time I've heard the production version. I think that the production version ended up with just a hair less feedback than the prototype. The feedback helps tighten up the bass. Bass from SET amps without feedback always sounds rounded or even murky to some extent. The feedback also reigns in some of that 300B characteristic: bloomy lower mids (I prefer to say that this includes upper bass too, but this is a matter of semantics) and rolled highs. If you ask audiophiles, some will say that the 300B is the best thing ever. Others may say yuck. I'm kind of in the latter group because I'm a type 45 guy. The problem is that the 45 is super low power, having one-quarter the power of the 300B. Anyway, what I'm trying to get at is the EC Studio B doesn't have an overt 300B sound. It splits the difference enough for me to really like it. Besides, I think the Studio B is Craig's overall best, and probably last amp design, at least for his amps that aren't custom or don't use unobtanium parts. I am assuming because of the design, you can drop whatever 300B into the Studio B, and the amp will still sound good. This isn't true for many 300B amps I've heard. Some are very tube dependent.



Because of this, when I dropped the Western Electric 300B* into the Studio B, flipped the on switch up, and listened via whatever headphone or my speakers, the clouds did not part, rays of light did not shine upon me, angels did not sing, I was not touched by the hand of God. However... I did say to myself: ahh, so this is what it's supposed to be like.

*I had let the tubes run overnight. Manufacturer says 100 hours burn-in. While I do think burn in is necessary because tubes have mechanical parts that need to settle from heat, expansion, contraction, etc, I don't think it takes 100 hours.

**The fact is, there are so many tubes on their last legs out there that we don't really know. So when somebody claims a particular unobtanium Wolf-Penis Tube is super-awesome, I don't believe them. Oftentimes, this unobtanium is used to shit and is soft sounding and distorted, but the person actually loves the sound this way.

 

Unfortunately, I never heard the GL, the Linlai or the Acme. I know they have been recommended here on SBAF as awesome, and comparable to vintage tubes. However, I have my doubts because no new production tube has ever measured with much more above 100% emissions from the Amplitrex. In fact, I found it consistently to be the case that moderately used vintage tubes will often measure higher on emissions compared to the value Eastern European and all Chinese tubes.

I'll set the Amplitrex to fixed bias mode. (I don't recall what plate and bias are used to test the 300B, but I can find out). As you know, manufacturers of parts will specify a spec, and as long as the product meets spec, then it's fine. It gets complicated because manufacturers will usually give themselves a spec that they can beat.

This has been my past experience with the Amplitrex and it's default database of spec and fixed biased testing - for the universe of tubes which I have tested:

• Premium Eastern-European tubes: a bit over 100% for emissions, e.g. 102%, 105%
• Bargain Eastern-European tubes: 100% give for take a few percect
  
• Chinese tubes (bargain or premium): 99% (lol, it always seems to be 99%)
• Vintage tubes: anywhere from 0% (lol) to 125%. For a good "NOS" one, which is probably still used, 105-110%

However, this doesn't mean the Linlai or Acme won't hit better numbers than "expected". Call me skeptical though. If I was skeptical about this third coming of the WE 300B, then I'm allowed to be skeptical of the Chinese tubes. Generally my impression of the premium Chinese tubes is that they sound "dull" compared to vintage American and European tubes. Whether the Chinese tube tried to emulate the vintage tube richness, a modern drier cleanliness, a super-lush bloomy wetness, or a pampered royal princess butt smoothness, they all exhibited that "dull". I'll be putting these WE 300B on limited loaner after the Texas Audio Show to select SBAF members.

With respect to emissions, see below for this pair of the WE300. I'm getting 128% and 127%. I suspect the dullness of new production tubes is inherent - because the companies making new production tubes don't have the secret sauce on how to make the filaments. The stuff that emits the electrons. And maybe everything else, like the plates, how the materials may be doped.




Note transconductance (GM) is lower than "spec", but matched between both, which is more important since close enough.

 

We just don't know. However, I covered it as much as I could with whatever nebulous data that I have now. Ultimately, it's relative, but I think emissions when new (per the Amplitrex fixed bias testing parameters) may have some correlation to this "dullness" of new production tubes that I speak of. Emissions is a measure of how many electronics are flying off the filament, those glowing red wires in the first photo above.

--

The Electro-Harmonix and JJ new production tubes circa 2019 have the most similar tone to the WE 300B. The JJ may be a just touch warmer and more incisive than the EH, but they are roughly in the same league. I'd pick the JJ as the bargain ones to go with personally. I generally prefer these Eastern European tubes to most Chinese tubes because they are less "dull" sounding; although the Chinese tubes often have more flavor or something interesting going for them. It's just a preference thing. I never had Chinese tubes around unless they where specific high-bargain $99 deals.

If I were to attribute the tone of the WE 300B, it would be like the above EH or JJ tubes more or less, but with a more focused, more incisive presentation, plus higher "engagement" factor. I don't know if there is a "house" sound to Western Electric tubes, but the ones I've had, directly heated or indirectly heated, are on the warm side, which pip the rest of the other vintage with respect to engagement factor. (I have a secret stash of WE 396a). I know Mike at Schiit, who is way older than all of us and has seen and played with it all, thinks Western Electric made the best stuff. It's just that all of it is gone, or if there any left, then are mostly used to the ground.

--

The premium Eastern European 300B from KR and EML generally have a more solid state sound. Some super affordable Chinese 300B like TJ Full Music are super bloomy and wet sounding. Quite seductive, for any hour, before I want to destroy them. The cheap fake mesh stuff (only KR and EML know how to do mesh) from Sophia with the pinhole pierced solid-plates sound like ass.

I haven't heard any of the two other super-duper premium 300Bs, like the Tatami-Mat or Lichtenstein-Oligarch. (Don't remember their brand names). Supposedly they are really good. However, rich audiophiles usually have shit for ears, or are lost and fickle. It's one of those things: prove me wrong. And I'll admit I'm wrong too. Until then, I remain skeptical.

--

IN A NUTSHELL:

1. It comes down to this: do the Western Electric 300B sound like a vintage tube or what I would expect an American vintage 300B to sound like based on my fairly extensive experience with other American vintage directly heated triodes such as the 45, 2A3, etc.? The answer is an unqualified yes! Perhaps even better because all my vintage tubes are well used and at best are down to 88% or 93% emissions.
2. Is the Western Electric 300B needed if I am using a JJ 300B or <insert-reasonably-priced-300B> on my Studio B? No it's not needed. A big part of the Studio B's sound is the transformers. Craig listens to his amps with whatever he has available. Listen to music, don't listen to tubes. Pay off your debt first. However, some 300B amps sound like ass without the best tubes and best component upgrades.
3. Strong emissions. 125% of spec on the Amplitrex. Good luck seeing this on any other new production tube. This means longer life to start with and thus a higher value proposition if one intends the keep the tubes (keeping in mind that our tendencies to move on to different sounding gear in short order).

 

Pretty much this. I would use words like weaksauce, limpdick, dull, soft to describe very used tubes. The thing is that we often don't realize it until we compare to new ones and get those transient snaps and excitement back. The flip side is that most tubes will last much longer than expected. I may come back in a year or two to measure emissions, and realize, oh, it went from 88% to 83% emissions on the Amplitrex. 75% emissions (again this is per spec) is about when I don't think the tube is doing it's job anymore, at least for power tubes, small signal tubes can be worked until lower. It depends upon the amp. Some amps eat tube, run them aggressively. (Tubes on Craig's amps seem to last forever. He tends to run lower plate voltages and the high frequency heaters running at 50k seem to be more gentle on the filaments.)

P.S.

I like the fact that we start out with a very high 125% emissions on the Western Electric 300B. Assuming equate rate of emissions drop per use compared to tubes, the price of the WE can be better justified. I wouldn't be surprised if the filaments of the WE degrade slower either. That would even be more value.

 

Here are some measurements from the Studio B for future comparisons with other 300Bs. A good Bendix 2C51 was used as the driver tube.

Western Electric 300B
EC Studio B
1kHz 2Vrms into 32-ohms (BAL)
0dbR line = 2Vrms


Western Electric 300B
EC Studio B
1kHz 1Vrms into 32-ohms (BAL)
0dbR line = 2Vrms


Western Electric 300B
EC Studio B
1kHz 0.5Vrms into 32-ohms (BAL)
0dbR line = 2Vrms


Western Electric 300B
EC Studio B
1kHz 0.1Vrms into 32-ohms (BAL)
0dbR line = 2Vrms


IMPORTANT NOTE:

 

Western Electric 300B
EC Studio B
THD (no N) vs Output Level Vrms

 

Here is another one, but with the WE300B's swapped L+R, but also with a different driver tube. Note that the prior 2C51 driver tube actually measured with strong emissions and the exact same GM between the two triodes. Small signal tubes with gain* tend to be a bitch with respect to the two triodes being consistent. No one who sells you tubes will tell you this. "Matching", unless it's done on an analyzer won't necessarily tell you this. Only honest but cranky old guys who make tube amps and SBAF will tell you this.

Western Electric 300B
EC Studio B
THD (no N) vs Output Level Vrms
Measurement #2


*The good new is that power tubes don't differ all that much, so often I don't worry about "matching". Small signal tubes are another story.

 

Won't it be in real use, the amp designer would set auto-bias or provide instructions for user to set appropriate fixed bias point as to not saturate the OPT?

P.S. Amplitrex Tube Test Parameters:

"Standard" 300B: 300V 60mA 58.5V grid 5500uHMOs
EML-300B: 300V 60mA 61V grid 5200uHMOs

The Amplitrex measures EML tubes to a different spec provided by EML. They provide a separate file. In fixed bias testing, the Amplitrex applies the plate and the grid voltage per the database, and then looks at the current output. The is then compared against the database and expressed as a percentage for the "emissions" measurement. Note EML has their own weird 300B Pro Max Plus tubes: 300M, 300XLS, 320XLS, etc.

 

For what it's worth, WE did provide curves with these tubes. Kudos to them. I know these tubes are expensive, but I really like what Western Electric is doing. Made in the USA (if that matters), good sound, five year warranty (good luck with KR tubes if the break during the summer), and some rigor with testing. Feels like I'm actually getting a premium product.

BTW I can do plate curves on the Amplitrex. Anyway, the result is consistent with what WE provided:


I do wonder if Amplitrex's database was based on new production 300Bs tubes or maybe it was an error or oversight. The database has hundreds of entires. I do know I had to go in to reprogram the pin outs for 2C51 types because the database had it wrong.

@yotacowboy offered to lend me other tubes. This could be interesting to see how well other tubes meet spec as well as their tube curves. WE right now seems ahead of the game with respect to transparency.