Hi All. Anyone has tried any of these 2A3 tubes available on AliExpress? Linlai, Guiguang, PSVane, and Fire Crew all make versions of what they call 2A3B, 2A3C and 2A3D. The primary difference between the letter designations appears to be the shape of the envelope. Any experience or reviews with any of these tubes would be appreciated.
All made by shuguang , i imagine different levels of quality, construction and selection level, I don't know any more.
what i know is that shuguang is pretty good at making big triodes but until i tell you how they sound...
I have a pair of 845s which have been operating for 5 years at +/-1kV in a pair of mono blocks and I have nothing to complain about.
what i know is that shuguang is pretty good at making big triodes but until i tell you how they sound...
I have a pair of 845s which have been operating for 5 years at +/-1kV in a pair of mono blocks and I have nothing to complain about.
Thanks for your reply. I recall reading that the different companies were offshoots of Shuguang, where a few engineers and administrative people broke away and started different companies. Either way, there are a lot of tubes available, but very little if any feedback on quality, durability, etc.
Pretty sure there was a big fire at the Shuguang factory, basically ending production at that facility.
I would contact https://www.vkmusic.ca/ and see if he has any recommendations.
jeff
A bit of lateral thinking here - I've converted all but one of my amps to use 6B4G in the shape of the Russian 6S4S. Rod Coleman filament regs.
The tubes are available from Ukraine etc. and are a lot cheaper, though prices are rising. And they're Svetlana - quality.
I also posted a while back about the Chinese 2a3s and didn't get any useful user feedback so I kind of gave up. The EH are nice but getting expensive now.
The tubes are available from Ukraine etc. and are a lot cheaper, though prices are rising. And they're Svetlana - quality.
I also posted a while back about the Chinese 2a3s and didn't get any useful user feedback so I kind of gave up. The EH are nice but getting expensive now.
You can always just use them as breadboarding "mules", abuse the Chinese tubes on your breadboard trying out different operating points / circuits / pushing the wattage etc. Then use NOS tubes in the final. If the Chinese tubes wound up sounding good then you've won on both accounts, cheapo's to use on the breadboard and not so bad in the Amp! Nobody likes to abuse a premium tube on the breadboard.
I just went to see and you're right about the factory that burned down in 2019, it seems to be back in business.
On the other hand, for the dissident engineers, I found nothing even if there seems to be a rumor about those of Linlai.
Yes, no user reviews or information of any sort on the less expensive 2A3s from China. They work out to around $53 CAD for the PSVane 2A3B version. My next amp will likely be 300B and 2A3 or 6B4G. Maybe I need to bite the bullet and order a pair. I feel like this inquiry, like yours, probably won’t bear fruit if it hasn’t already.
H
HAYK
2A3C is 40w with filament type is similar to Western Electric 300B.
I use the Shuguang, it cost me $45 a decade ago.
I use it as 300B.
I use the Shuguang, it cost me $45 a decade ago.
I use it as 300B.
The JJ 2A3 is a 2.5V 2.5A filament tube, with 40 Watt plate dissipation.
The glass envelope is much bigger than a New Old Stock 2A3 (of course, you need to be able to get rid of the heat of a higher plate dissipation tube).
I have used the JJ 2A3 tube. I used it in a single ended amplifier, but I seem to remember I also used a pair in in my push pull 2A3 amplifier.
I remember enjoying those amplifiers that I designed and built.
I also designed and built a 6A3 single ended amp.
"I never heard a 2A3 amplifier that I did not like" Sorry, I can not remember who said that, but it is memorable (and true in my opinion).
Happy designing, building, and listening!
The glass envelope is much bigger than a New Old Stock 2A3 (of course, you need to be able to get rid of the heat of a higher plate dissipation tube).
I have used the JJ 2A3 tube. I used it in a single ended amplifier, but I seem to remember I also used a pair in in my push pull 2A3 amplifier.
I remember enjoying those amplifiers that I designed and built.
I also designed and built a 6A3 single ended amp.
"I never heard a 2A3 amplifier that I did not like" Sorry, I can not remember who said that, but it is memorable (and true in my opinion).
Happy designing, building, and listening!
I think Joe Roberts said that?
I’m listening to a 6A3 pre and a JJ 2A3 in the SET…it’s the Altec speakers that make it sweet.
I’m listening to a 6A3 pre and a JJ 2A3 in the SET…it’s the Altec speakers that make it sweet.
I ordered these PSVane 2A3B. For $107.17 CAD a pair and, apparently, a 12 month warranty, it seems like a good bet. According to the vendor, the pairs are also matched.
I’ll report back when I receive them. Any feedback on PSVane 2A3s?
I’ll report back when I receive them. Any feedback on PSVane 2A3s?
An acquaintance of mine is very much into SET amps, I lent him a pair of RCA 2A3's, to compare against the PSVANE 2A3's he had, after a few weeks of testing he claims they are as good as the RCA's, however he then wanted to buy the RCA's - I did sell them to him - make your own conclusions.
The problem with Chinese tubes is that the so called "factory test" says nothing. The 2 tubes might be matched but they can be still weak. That's what happened to me many years ago when I bought the first version ever of the 2A3B. It was made by Valve Art. I still have that pair, it looks nice and they work but, from memory, filament current was way less than the nominal 2.5A and gm was in 3.5 mA/V range at the standard 250V/60mA working point.
Chinese tubes can be very good but my advice is always the same: only buy them from someone that does a proper selection.
Chinese tubes can be very good but my advice is always the same: only buy them from someone that does a proper selection.