Shuguang Treasure 300B-Z

[Demsy]

Hi,
Has anybody used the black 300B's with the Paramounts? I've read many very good reviews about those tubes, but none in a Paramount. Now that I can get them with a very good price, am tempted to buy a pair.

[earwaxxer]

Them suckers are pricey! - What kind of deal can you get?

[Paul Birkeland]

I would strongly advise going with EML's over the Shuguangs, just my 2 cents.

[Demsy]

Any particular reason for Eml over the Treasure, maybe direct listening comparison?
Pcx has it heavily discounted, it's now USD270/matched pair, individually boxed. Those are factory matched but according to Chris it's re-tested again at the Pcx, Premium grade A MP.

[Paul Birkeland]

$270 isn't so bad, I've seen some of the higher end Chinese DHT's last a long time, and then again there are others that die relatively quickly.  EML, on the other hand, has a solid and consistent reputation for quality and outstanding sound.

The price difference is a bit more than I would have thought, if you have EH-300B's now, the Shuguangs should be a change in the right direction. 

[Demsy]

Yes, the price is okay, normally it costs USD450/MP at Pcx. I'm still using the stock EH and have been looking around for a better sounding ones. My options were the TJ, Treasure and indeed the EML. When Pcx came up with that price, I thought it's a good reason to go for the Treasures.

Life time is another issue. I read that this Treasure series is warranted against DOA (Death On Arrival) and the present tubes have been improved in terms of build quality. But I will wait awhile and see wheter other members have any experience with them. Thanks PB!

[Jim R.]

That is a good price for sure, but I still think you'll probably not be happy with the top end (unless your hearing is already attenuated at high frequencies).  It is a beautiful sounding tube otherwise.  There is also the JJ 300b to consider.

-- Jim

[Demsy]

Jim,
Did you listen to the Treasure using the Paramount or other amp? Thanks

[Jim R.]

Dempsey,

Oops, looks like my first post disappeared.  Anyway, I had a set of the premium grade A 2a3zs and listenened to them extensively on my Fi 2a3 monoblocks, the Tektron i2A3 Reference amp and a stock paramour II, and in all cases I just felt like a good bit of the top was missing -- cymbals and horns didn't sound very vibrant and so on.  I also heard a pair of paramounts with the 300bs, but the owner who lent them to me at the time said the tubes were very new and had not broken in yet -- and they do honestly take that 300 hours to fully flesh out, so I couldn't tell you definitively that the same is true of the 300bs, but in general the highs on a 2a3 are better to my ears anyway.

-- Jim

[Demsy]

Thanks for your input, Jim, appreciate it.

[Demsy]

I've received the Treasure tubes yesterday and immediately installed them replacing the stock EH. Wow! Right from the very beginning it was clearly better than the EH, easily audible. I now have about 12 hours on them, the sound is improving significantly.

Compared to the EH, the soundstage is wider and the depth and height are also better, better layering and clearly more 'air'. Jim R warned me about the highs, but I can only say the the highs are very good, more extended and surely more energy than the EH which was good already. The lows are also very good, very strong and goes deep. The mid, well, sweet. Conclusion is, very musical and very recommended for use with the Paramounts v1.1. I did some changes to my Paramounts, the 3.3uF changed to the Jantzen Audio Silver Z- cap, the 0,1uF - Jantzen Audio Silver/Gold Z-cap, NOS TungSol 2C51 and changed the cables in the signal-output route with Kimber and DH Labs. I am using the DTQWT loudspeakers at the moment. It's designed by Troels Gravesen, it has a sensitivity of 95db which is ideal for the Paramounts.

Those tubes were heavily discounted at the Pcx and within a few days they were sold out. But discounted or not, those are a very recommended replacement of the stock EH tubes!

[earwaxxer]

wow - thanks for the review!

[Jim R.]

Dempsey,

Excellent!  Glad to hear they are working out for you.  Just goes to show what happens with one person/system/room may not be applicable to anybody else's setup.

Take care,

Jim