trying to decide between a 2a3 and a 300b set amp

[laurenc319]

Hi all,

I have Cornwall speakers and want to get a set amp to try out with them

for 2000 dollars or less. The short list is a Welbourn 300b or a Wright

Sound Labs 2A3 or 300b amp. All of these amps come highly

recommemnded. I listen to jazz in a 14x25 room room at moderate levels.

Comments are appreciated on the sound of a 2a3 vs a 300b and the

suitablilty of these amps for my listening situation. Where does

one tube type excell over the other if any place. Has any one listened

to both to compare them ( tube types, not necessarliy the specific amps

).

No flames please, I already have two pp tube amps and on ss power amp and like them all for what they can do.

thanks,

Larry

[Daddy Dee]

Larry,

I haven't listened to 300b SET, but have really enjoyed 2A3 SET on LaScalas and Khorns.

The Cornwalls are somewhat less efficient, but some forum members have

been delighted with the performance of 2A3 SET with Cornwalls.

Probably all will depend on the db levels you prefer for listening.

Conventional wisdom would say 300B for more power, but probably that's

just about 3db more anyway.

Hope you find what you like. To my ears, jazz sounds very good on SET and Klipsch.

One possibility for a non-SET solution would be a pair of Wright mono

10's. These are 2A3 PP monoblocks which have a VERY good rep.

[pauln]

I also have Wright 2A3 SETs on LaScalas and I've quit looking for anything better. Very good with jazz and plenty of volume.

Paul

[codhead]

Larry,

I have 2 pair of 300B amps (one is the Welborne DRD), a 2A3, and

Cornwalls. All are tube rectified. I also listen at moderate levels,

but I have to admit that I don't have very much Jazz (maybe 15-20

selections).

From my experience, it's pretty hard to pin a sound to the tube type.

Overall, I'd give the 300B a slight edge in bottom end, while the 2A3

seems to bloom a bit more on the mids.

These amps are sensitive to tube selection (both driver and output) which further complicates describing the sound.

I just added Cornwall I's (still have Chorus I's as well), and have

found that both the 2A3 and 300B seem to make the Corns sound a little

hot in the mids. My 211 SET (SS rectified), Dynaco ST-70, and Crown

D-45 SS sound a bit more balanced from top to bottom. This leaves me

scratching my head, as my Heresy I's have the same mid drivers and

don't exhibit this trait. Maybe I'll swap the K-55's, and see what

happens.

One thing I don't like about the Welborne DRD is the 6N1P driver.

You're essentially stuck with a single Russian tube - no rolling

allowed. Sure wish it used the 6SN7.

[leok]

I've used both 300Bs and 2A3s in my SET amp. The one 300B, a TJ

Meshplate, sounds very good. A Sovtek, RCA, or Kenrad 2A3 has a

slightly more natural sound. However, you may want the 8W vs 3.5W.

Also, I very highly recommend using a 4 Ohm output with any tube amp

and Klipsch speakers so the amp is less sensitive to the speaker's

impedance variation.

On the power side .. with my 2A3 amp, I listen to clasical chamber. For

louder stuff I use an 8W pp or, as of a week or so ago, the Crown. That

way I can fully enjoy the moderate volume excellence of the 2A3

and not worry about running out of power. If I need more power I uste

the other system or switch amps. Right now I'm listening to the 2A3s

through the RF-7s playing theatrical incidental music by Handel .. no

need for more power. Organ works by Durufle .. that's another matter.

Leo

[Erik Mandaville]

Hi, Larry:

Wish I could help you with regard to this question of 300B or 2A3. I think the same about this as all who have responded, but only have experience with 2A3 and 45 triodes. I'm doing some modifications to one of my 2A3 amps right now so it can be used for 300Bs, but I'm not doing this with the expectation that I will prefer the sound to the 2A3. I have never heard a 300B amp before, and am very curious about it. This amp also very much lends itself to the modification. It's an experiment, I guess, that can always be changed back if it doesn't work out.

I have also seen where Leo has mentioned on many occasions the use of the 4 0hm taps on the transformer outputs. In all these years, I have never really done that with my amplifiers. The OPTs (output transformers) I have all have the means to do this, but just need to be manually configured for the desired output. Using the 4 ohm output where possible makes good sense to me! I've got the amp upside down right now, so maybe I'll give that a try. I have used my 15ohm Lowther horn speakers with the 8 ohm settings on my 2A3 amps, and I can say the combination is really very good. I'll bet bumping this down a notch to use the 4 ohm outputs with 8 ohm speakers loads would work similarly well.

I have experience with both Welborne Labs and Wright Sound SET amps, and they are both really great. I've had DRD 2A3s and DRD 45s here, and liked them both very much, although the DRD 2A3 seems to be somewhat sensitive with preamp choices. The 300B and 45 versions are what customers really seem to like, but the 45 is even less powerful than the 2A3. The DRD is superb amp.

It would be great if you could have the chance to listen to both types, but we often don't have that luxury!

Good luck!

Erik

[laurenc319]

hi all,

Thanks for the replies. The quest goes on. I guess I'll have to try an

listen to some of these set amps. There are dealers in York and

Philadelphia areas which will be a well worth it two, two hour

drives for me. Your comments are very helpful.

Larry

[Colin]

Ive heard my modest $500 BottleHead 2A3 Paramour monoblocks (kit) on both horizontal horn, B2 crossover, walnut oiled Cornwalls and classic Klipsch corner Khorns. I also heard the Wright 2A3s on Khorns at peacherman Daddydees <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Arkansas gathering in May 2004. I cant say the 2A3 sound is distinct amongst tube amplifiers, the two amplifiers sounded more similar than different. I have not seriously auditioned, in my own home, with my own equipment, any 300B tube amplifiers on big ole horns. But I believe their sound to be more like PP EL34s configurations, except slightly more powerful, with an edge in the bass control.

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What can I add that is valuable here? First, listening to the amplifiers side-by-side has to the very best thing you can do why not buy both on your cc and send one back?

You dont say whether or not you have a subwoofer and I think this can really make a lot of difference with flea-powered tube amplifiers. Last night I was hauling in RealTrap acoustic panels, spreading them around the living room, and pulling up the carpet. As I did, I swapped back and forth between the Paramours and the Red Wine Clari T digital amplifier.

Although the little digital amplifier tightens up the low end and makes the high-end sizzle, the 2A3 amplifier clearly makes the mid-range come alive and the treble sparkles (more 3 dimensional). Yet, the 2A3 amplifier does not make the drum whacks sound real. For this, a powerful, deep - and for big ole horns, flexible - sub-woofer is required. Suddenly you are talking about 4-5 times more money (10 times more, if you use the $35 Sonic Impact 5066 integrated class-T digital amplifier). Together, the affect is noticeable. The bass is full, deep and solid, while the combination of the glorious mid-range and sparkling high-end make the music seem live, emotional and real. [H]

[Erik Mandaville]

Colin:

"why not buy both on your cc and send one back?"

I can certainly understand how this would be of assistance in trying to make a decision between two different amps. I just wanted to mention, though, that some smaller companies, such as Doc B. at Bottlehead or Welborne Labs, would likely be not so inclined toward something like this. This would be all the more true in that they would likely be custom-building the amplifier themselves. Welborne Labs spoke openly against this practice a few years ago.

Perhaps another way would be for an interested party to make contact with a given company, and ask them for recommendations, or about the availability of products reserved for auditioning before buying. I think opening lines of communcation and expressing interest could possibly appreciated over simply making a CC purchase for both, and then sending back one of the components -- unless, of course, a given company was open to something like that. There are a few that offer trial periods for the amps and preamps, but I'm not familiar with one that does for 2A3 or 300B amplifiers. Maybe that's something that could be researched...

Erik

[sunnysal]

I have heard both types of amps...I believe it is very hard to generalize about how each "tube" sounds because the results vary so much depending on circuit design, parts used, etc. The only guarantee I could give in that type of general comparison is that the 300b is more powerful, it will generate higher volumes without distress. beyond that it is kind of silly IMHO to generalize about how each tube sounds...I suppose if could hear the wright 2A3 versus the wright 300b you might get a clearer view of just the tube BUT without seeing the schematics of the two amps (they might be quite different circuit-wise) it is hard to say you would get to know the tubes better. audition baby, audition. tony