300B's for my JBL L300'S??

[thundermud]

Hi all! Have not posted on here in a long time but I am hoping to seek some guidance on possibly moving in 300B amp direction. My current setup: JBL L300's bi-amped with MC 60 mono blocks on the top horn/tweeter and SS for the woofers, Juicy Music Blueberry Extreme w/mods preamp and TD-124 TT. It sounds really good but I think the 60's are overkill and want less wattage and sweeter sounding tubes. All my research has led me to 300B SET amps. Are my L300's sensitive enough to run 300B's? If so, does anyone recommend any killer 300B's??

I do like el34 based amps as well and was looking into a Scott 272 which I am still considering. But perhaps there is more tube magic in the 300B's? I also have my eye on some rare pCAT mono blocks made by Juicy Music Audio but not sure.

All responses are greatly appreciated!

[Wagner]

Hi all! Have not posted on here in a long time but I am hoping to seek some guidance on possibly moving in 300B amp direction. My current setup: JBL L300's bi-amped with MC 60 mono blocks on the top horn/tweeter and SS for the woofers, Juicy Music Blueberry Extreme w/mods preamp and TD-124 TT. It sounds really good but I think the 60's are overkill and want less wattage and sweeter sounding tubes. All my research has led me to 300B SET amps. Are my L300's sensitive enough to run 300B's? If so, does anyone recommend any killer 300B's??

I do like el34 based amps as well and was looking into a Scott 272 which I am still considering. But perhaps there is more tube magic in the 300B's? I also have my eye on some rare pCAT mono blocks made by Juicy Music Audio but not sure.

All responses are greatly appreciated!

Their sensitivity is rated on the tech sheet as 93dB
That may be a little close for a 300B amp but certainly not a decent possible match.
Still, with a single ended amp, as with all low powered tube amps, you don't really know until you give it a try.
I have found that lower powered tube amps seem to consistently defy what the numbers on paper would imply when paired up with vintage JBLs as I think their numbers are very conservative.
I have run some small, low powered (12 watt, running in "almost" Class A most of the time) 6BQ5 PP amps with older JBLs (L96, L112, L55 and L100 and experienced very impressive results)
Only limitation was how loud I could go before things became confused but my room is relatively small so it's never been, or was, much of an issue.
I could also sense that the speakers could do so much more but not in a way that left me feeling cheated if that makes sense.
It's just a matter of what you listen to and what your expectations are.
In other words, based on paper, I see no reason why that combination shouldn't make some very nice sounds.
But you know, there will be limitations, most notably with SPL limits.
You probably won't be able to rock the house with Hendrix or AC/DC but for most genres you should be fine.
Won't know for sure until you give it a go.

[Ducatista47]

The one complaint I have heard often about 300Bs is their lack of convincing bass. Since you are biamping, that is one thing out of the way. My friend is about to test the 2A3 waters, so you are not the only one investigating low power DHT magic. Not my thing, but I have heard worse. It seems from my experience that if DHT floats your boat, nothing else will do. I have also noticed people who like vinyl tend to like tubes.

[tinpan]

I have 3 systems running with these http://www.ankaudiokits.com/Intersta...Amplifier.html and I have no issues with bass. One is an Altec system, one is a Lowther and one is the modified L200 I bought from hjames. Admittedly, highly compressed R&R music sounds like crap but stuff that is recorded well is like enjoying your favorite steak cooked slightly rare and enjoyed with a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.

The mid range horn really is just like magic with 300b tubes and the PSET 300b tubes provide all the umpf the bass drivers need. I also have one of these but I haven't tried it on the JBL's yet http://www.ankaudiokits.com/Kit1-201...Amplifier.html I suppose I could

I am in Fredercksburg VA is you ever want to listen to a pair of these.

[NickH]

To me 300b's are just to damn expensive. Its pretty damn hard to beat triode wired el34's, either push pull or se. But that being said I don't think 300b's are junk either. I just prefer a bit more bang for my buck.

Are you buying amps or building them?



Nick