Item Condition: Used / modified / presents as near new
Shipping Options: Pickup available and you can audition.,Shipping is available at agreed cost.
Suburb or Town: West Hobart
State: TAS
Payment Method: Paypal, EFT, Cash on Pickup
Reason for selling: Pursuing another 300B amp
Further Information:
Purchased off a friend nearby in March 2023 who had it for about 3 months (purchased new in Dec 2022 but rarely used it) before lending it to me to try out. I loved the sound with my efficient speakers and bought it off him after a week. Upgraded the 300Bs and the 6SL7 / 6SN7s and happy days continued until I engaged with the R300 owners’ discussion thread here on Stereonet around July!
To summarise, the thread has identified (disclaimer – I am not technical on this subject) reports from owners of rectifier tubes red-plating (the amps run too hot), numerous versions of the R300 not acknowledged by the company, and a strangely measured ‘square wave’ which is likely linked to subpar output transformers.
In response to advice I:
· purchased a pair of NOS 5AR4 rectifier tubes because of their slow start-up only to learn later that they increase the 300B plate voltage over the stock 5U4G rectifiers, so only used for a day or two.
· had the ‘early version’ modification done ($251) by a qualified technician in Hobart (finally, took months waiting) which decreased the 300B plate voltage from 443V to 420V (but not to a more tube friendly 400V).
The amp continues to sound great (now 3 weeks after the mod). A noise is audible a couple of feet from the unit (I would describe as a whirring electrical / heat noise) and a very quiet sound is also audible at the speaker tweeters, but not from my listening position 2.1 metres away. These sounds were not there when I first bought it but had developed prior to the modification. I don’t have enough experience with tube amps to know what are acceptable noise (or heat) levels but have heard from others that it is quite normal. During this period I was able to borrow another 300B amp which I prefer and without these issues so am in the process of pursuing one of those.
The amp presents almost as new, comes with the stock Willsenton tubes (not all those in the pics), unused remote (I used the amp as a power amp), cage, manual, and all original packaging. Hoping that prospective buyers are tube amp savvy and will familiarize themselves with the R300 owners discussion thread before making a decision to purchase. Preference to local buyers. Shipping will be expensive: 55 x 50 x 34cm and 27kg.
English (US)