Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

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Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby audiostar » Thu Nov 10, 2011 8:23 pm

Sunday Life
The Philippine Star

Velvety
AUDIOFILE By Val A. Villanueva
Sunday,November 06, 2011

Image
PSvane 300b-T: First impression lasts

There’s no dissension among audiophiles who have re-discovered vacuum tubes as a superior tool for audio amplification: Western Electric’s (WE) 300B is the finest ever made. To them, there is simply no other output tube, and maybe not even one component in the world of tube amplification, that can outshadow its legend.

Its sonic is amazing, and my own ears confirmed this when a friend who went abroad for a brief vacation lent me an original nos (new old stock) pair for use in my Cayin 9040D monoblock as drivers for the amplifiers’’ 845 output tubes. The WE 300Bs were claimed back as expected, and I regretted the day that I agreed to try them on. I felt their removal had left a cavernous hole in my system that my Full Music 300B could not just fill. I resorted to tweaking and fine-tuning my system to make up for whatever seemed sonically lost. The tweaks worked, and my system finally sounded closer to the quality that the WE 300B brought into it.

I thought that, finally the difference was negligible and I have to be happy with it. Also, the WE 300B is something that I could not just have. The original costs more than $1,000 per piece, if you’re lucky to find one. The new production, which costs a little bit less, has not measured up to the sound quality of the original; but those who have fat wallets were nonetheless undeterred.

Gray & Barton, an electronics company before radio came to the scene, introduced the 300B tubes in the 1800s to amplify telephone signals. In 1872 the company became Western Electric Manufacturing Company. Reorganized as the Western Electric Company in 1881, it was transformed a year later into a division of Bell Telephone.

From amplifying telephone signals, the 300B tubes found their way into other military equipment, amateur radio, movie theaters and power supplies as voltage regulators and more importantly for audio amplification where they became a cult. Alas, the last of the original WE 300B tube rolled off the assembly line in 1988.

The 300B tubes, when used in single-ended triode (SET) amplifiers, give high resolution audio an entirely different meaning especially when paired with loudspeakers with high sensitivity ratings. Durability -- with an estimated life span of nearly 40,000 hours -- and low distortion easily make WE 300B the most preferred. Such excellent sonic quality was what drove other tube makers to produce their own 300B versions; but many were found lacking.

The Shuguang Electronic Group Co. Ltd of China, formerly the First Ministry of Machinery Industry, has been producing different vacuum tubes for audio amplification since 1958. Its 300B tubes are one of the few brands that audiophiles seem to have a ‘crush’ on. WE fanatics branded such preference as heresy. Despite this, Shuguang’s 300B manages to create its own disciples who profess that it is similar if not better than the WE 300B.

In August last year, with fresh funds from UK’s venture capitalists and new tube designs from Shuguang engineers, a new series called ‘Psvane’ (pronounced as ‘Pavane’) was launched. The brand name was said to have drawn its inspiration from the 17th century classic music dance.

My first taste of Psvane 300B-T happened several weeks ago. Audio Amplified, the tubes’ local exclusive distributor, delivered them straight to my music room. From the tubes’ packaging, one can glean the progress China has made in its effort to conquer the audio world. The tube itself is uniquely colored in carbon black with a gold-plated base. Beautifully crafted, the tube is definitely an eye candy.

Out of the box, I installed them in my SET amplifiers and played low volume music for an hour just to warm up my system. Tracks upon tracks of soulful, beautiful music came after. It felt like Jennifer Warnes was singing just a few meters away from where I was sitting. ‘Holographic’ is how audiophiles describe such a musical phenomenon.

Remember how I had tuned my system to come closer to the excellent sonics introduced by my borrowed WE 300B? Psvane 300B-T raised my system even notches higher, not only filling a gaping hole, as my cup runneth over. It made listening to Jennifer’s remarkable ‘The Well’ vinyl album even more pleasurable. Psvane added more musical details, harmonics, lush mids, transients, dynamics and a well-defined soundstage.

Aside from ‘The Well,’ I listened to more albums to test the Psvane’s dynamics: ‘James Newton Howard’, ‘Audio Symphony’, ‘Killer Bees’ and ‘Dafos.’ To test how it layered the instruments, I played: ‘Witches Brew’, ‘Royal Ballet’ and ‘The Titans.’ Yes, the $300 a pair made-in-China Psvane 300B-T tubes proved to be at par with the legendary WE 300B.

You may ask: Do I still miss the sonics of the WE 300B?

Let me answer it this way: Wool and velvet are both excellent fabrics that wrap you in coziness; but I love velvet more because of its soothing and comforting feel on my skin. Psvane 300B-T affords my system that velvety touch. It tucks me in endless musical bliss.

For comments or questions, please e-mail me at audioglow@yahoo.com or at vphl@hotmail.com. You can also visit http://www.wiredstate.com or you can tweet audiofiler at http://www.twitter.com for quick answers to your audio concerns.
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Re: Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby detubo » Thu Nov 10, 2011 10:22 pm

i wonder val if these are the same the shungguang treasure. always wanted here them
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Re: Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby brady » Fri Nov 11, 2011 7:28 am

yup. they certainly look like the "treasure/anniversary" editions. carbonized glass envelop.

anybody here got friends working in china? :) and maybe coming home for christmas...
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Re: Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby tony » Fri Nov 11, 2011 7:36 am

introduced the 300B tubes in the 1800s to amplify telephone signals.


ehhheemmm....could there be some typo on the date? as i remember it Lee de Forrest invented his audion tube in 1906:
Image

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_De_Forest

a couple of years before this guy made some vlaves:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleming_valve

Image
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Re: Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby hypertriode » Fri Nov 11, 2011 7:59 am

audiostar wrote:Psvane 300B-T affords my system that velvety touch. It tucks me in endless musical bliss.


Thank you for another great write Val! :clap: Now there's hope after Western Electric! :-)

Pahiram sa Hi-Fi Show ha! ;)
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Re: Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby katz_tabuney14 » Fri Nov 11, 2011 11:59 am

audiostar wrote:Sunday Life
The Philippine Star

Velvety
AUDIOFILE By Val A. Villanueva
Sunday,November 06, 2011

Image
PSvane 300b-T: First impression lasts

There’s no dissension among audiophiles who have re-discovered vacuum tubes as a superior tool for audio amplification: Western Electric’s (WE) 300B is the finest ever made. To them, there is simply no other output tube, and maybe not even one component in the world of tube amplification, that can outshadow its legend.

Its sonic is amazing, and my own ears confirmed this when a friend who went abroad for a brief vacation lent me an original nos (new old stock) pair for use in my Cayin 9040D monoblock as drivers for the amplifiers’’ 845 output tubes. The WE 300Bs were claimed back as expected, and I regretted the day that I agreed to try them on. I felt their removal had left a cavernous hole in my system that my Full Music 300B could not just fill. I resorted to tweaking and fine-tuning my system to make up for whatever seemed sonically lost. The tweaks worked, and my system finally sounded closer to the quality that the WE 300B brought into it.

I thought that, finally the difference was negligible and I have to be happy with it. Also, the WE 300B is something that I could not just have. The original costs more than $1,000 per piece, if you’re lucky to find one. The new production, which costs a little bit less, has not measured up to the sound quality of the original; but those who have fat wallets were nonetheless undeterred.

Gray & Barton, an electronics company before radio came to the scene, introduced the 300B tubes in the 1800s to amplify telephone signals. In 1872 the company became Western Electric Manufacturing Company. Reorganized as the Western Electric Company in 1881, it was transformed a year later into a division of Bell Telephone.

From amplifying telephone signals, the 300B tubes found their way into other military equipment, amateur radio, movie theaters and power supplies as voltage regulators and more importantly for audio amplification where they became a cult. Alas, the last of the original WE 300B tube rolled off the assembly line in 1988.

The 300B tubes, when used in single-ended triode (SET) amplifiers, give high resolution audio an entirely different meaning especially when paired with loudspeakers with high sensitivity ratings. Durability -- with an estimated life span of nearly 40,000 hours -- and low distortion easily make WE 300B the most preferred. Such excellent sonic quality was what drove other tube makers to produce their own 300B versions; but many were found lacking.

The Shuguang Electronic Group Co. Ltd of China, formerly the First Ministry of Machinery Industry, has been producing different vacuum tubes for audio amplification since 1958. Its 300B tubes are one of the few brands that audiophiles seem to have a ‘crush’ on. WE fanatics branded such preference as heresy. Despite this, Shuguang’s 300B manages to create its own disciples who profess that it is similar if not better than the WE 300B.

In August last year, with fresh funds from UK’s venture capitalists and new tube designs from Shuguang engineers, a new series called ‘Psvane’ (pronounced as ‘Pavane’) was launched. The brand name was said to have drawn its inspiration from the 17th century classic music dance.

My first taste of Psvane 300B-T happened several weeks ago. Audio Amplified, the tubes’ local exclusive distributor, delivered them straight to my music room. From the tubes’ packaging, one can glean the progress China has made in its effort to conquer the audio world. The tube itself is uniquely colored in carbon black with a gold-plated base. Beautifully crafted, the tube is definitely an eye candy.

Out of the box, I installed them in my SET amplifiers and played low volume music for an hour just to warm up my system. Tracks upon tracks of soulful, beautiful music came after. It felt like Jennifer Warnes was singing just a few meters away from where I was sitting. ‘Holographic’ is how audiophiles describe such a musical phenomenon.

Remember how I had tuned my system to come closer to the excellent sonics introduced by my borrowed WE 300B? Psvane 300B-T raised my system even notches higher, not only filling a gaping hole, as my cup runneth over. It made listening to Jennifer’s remarkable ‘The Well’ vinyl album even more pleasurable. Psvane added more musical details, harmonics, lush mids, transients, dynamics and a well-defined soundstage.

Aside from ‘The Well,’ I listened to more albums to test the Psvane’s dynamics: ‘James Newton Howard’, ‘Audio Symphony’, ‘Killer Bees’ and ‘Dafos.’ To test how it layered the instruments, I played: ‘Witches Brew’, ‘Royal Ballet’ and ‘The Titans.’ Yes, the $300 a pair made-in-China Psvane 300B-T tubes proved to be at par with the legendary WE 300B.

You may ask: Do I still miss the sonics of the WE 300B?

Let me answer it this way: Wool and velvet are both excellent fabrics that wrap you in coziness; but I love velvet more because of its soothing and comforting feel on my skin. Psvane 300B-T affords my system that velvety touch. It tucks me in endless musical bliss.

For comments or questions, please e-mail me at audioglow@yahoo.com or at vphl@hotmail.com. You can also visit http://www.wiredstate.com or you can tweet audiofiler at http://www.twitter.com for quick answers to your audio concerns.



Congrats! Thanks for the review sir! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
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Re: Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby audiostar » Fri Nov 11, 2011 12:53 pm

Thanks for sharing a valuable info tony, very much appreciated :-)
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Re: Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby keith » Fri Nov 11, 2011 1:55 pm

Nice one Val! :clap:

Makes me miss my old 300B amp.
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Re: Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby GR » Fri Nov 11, 2011 2:48 pm

Mga Sir,

May I ask any Local Dealer/Seller that carry Psvane Tubes/Products here?
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Re: Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby Noel_14 » Fri Nov 11, 2011 3:35 pm

Val, I almost run out of stock because of your review :devil: Minor correction on the price, its USD300/pc :D

THanks again sir :rock:
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Re: Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby Tjaderman » Fri Nov 11, 2011 3:38 pm

Hi Val, it's time to give you another visit! :) :)
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Re: Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby JoeyGS » Fri Nov 11, 2011 5:11 pm

+1..... we need to pursue our last postponed session. 8)


Tjaderman wrote:Hi Val, it's time to give you another visit! :) :)
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Re: Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby audiostar » Fri Nov 11, 2011 5:26 pm

Ayusin ko sched ko for the laguna boys :-)
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Re: Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby audiostar » Fri Nov 11, 2011 5:27 pm

GR wrote:Mga Sir,

May I ask any Local Dealer/Seller that carry Psvane Tubes/Products here?

Audioamplified. You can pm noel
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Re: Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby GR » Fri Nov 11, 2011 6:31 pm

Thank you sir Audiostar.
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Re: Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby techsheep » Sat Nov 12, 2011 12:16 am

Sir Audiostar,

If i may share, i also use the same equipment like d 9084d wd Psvane 300 bt tubes. The 300b full music. Didnt make it back to my amps :) . Got a question though, did you upgrade to d psvane 845 tube? I hope a review from you would matter. Thank you.

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Re: Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby Noel_14 » Sat Nov 12, 2011 6:18 pm

audiostar wrote:
GR wrote:Mga Sir,

May I ask any Local Dealer/Seller that carry Psvane Tubes/Products here?

Audioamplified. You can pm noel


Also on stock, Psvane 12AX7-T and 12AU7-T

thanks again, Val

Cheers
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Re: Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby audiostar » Sun Nov 13, 2011 9:19 am

techsheep wrote:Sir Audiostar,

If i may share, i also use the same equipment like d 9084d wd Psvane 300 bt tubes. The 300b full music. Didnt make it back to my amps :) . Got a question though, did you upgrade to d psvane 845 tube? I hope a review from you would matter. Thank you.

Sheepboy

That is correct. I likewise upgraded to psvane's 845 :-)
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Re: Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby tony » Sun Nov 13, 2011 10:51 am

just for comparison....1 845 tube equals 3 x 300b tube..... ;)
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Re: Psvane 300B-T slugs it out with the legends

Postby quarterback » Sun Nov 13, 2011 2:51 pm

tony wrote:just for comparison....1 845 tube equals 3 x 300b tube..... ;)


tony,

price or power comparison? i wonder what would the comparison with 1610 :-)
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