Western Electric 300B Vacuum Tube

In 1938 Western Electric manufactured the first type 300B electron tube. It was a breakthrough power triode, but at the time it hummed away from behind a curtain in early Hollywood sound systems. The same aspects that served moviegoers at the time – low noise, ultra-long life, sonic purity and warmth – made the 300B tube standout for music lovers and vintage audio collectors as the years passed by.

Deep in the age of the transistor, communities around the world are in search of true, original hi-fi sound, and as a result, the 300B and its exceptional performance are now being rediscovered. New amp designs brought the tube forward and are wildly popular, and Western Electric's usual yellow lettering is once again proudly displayed.

Characteristic 300B

The WE 300B sound is balanced, powerful and refined with high-quality bass from the lowest frequencies to the higher basses. The midrange above is particularly beautiful; soft ear-pleasing tones, seductive vocals, instruments of all kinds dimensional and present, all of which amplify the participatory elements of music.

High frequencies are simultaneously transparent, sweet, sweet, polished and beautifully seductive. The air and space between performers is extraordinary, performers appear on a calm and focused soundstage whose breadth and depth are masterfully rendered. You don't have to search to find the familiar sweet spot with a WE 300B amp, it's all around you. Find out what tube enthusiasts around the world know: the WE 300B is the most natural, elegant and emotional triode anywhere in the known universe.

Technical performance

The Western Electric 300B has an average life expectancy of 40,000 hours under normal conditions. To our knowledge, no replica 300B available today even comes close to this life expectancy.

Warranty: End users receive a standard ninety (90) day warranty on each tube. If the included warranty card is filled and returned by post to Western Electric within ten (10) days of purchase, the warranty will be extended to five (5) years.

Production

In 1997, Western Electric introduced serial number engraving to increase traceability for both manufacturer and customer and to further avoid counterfeiting. The same number is printed on the cardboard seal and on a test card containing the test results for each tube. View the engraving and basic screen printing process here  .

Western Electric 300B tubing has been and will always be manufactured in America to its original 1938 specifications, relying on historic quality standards, proven manufacturing techniques and decades of experience. In an ongoing effort to put quality first, they have taken advantage of materials and assembly processes not available in the past.

For example, current turbo molecular vacuum technology allows Western Electric to achieve at least two decades lower (2 x 10-6) Torr than previous runs, resulting in longer tube life. It's also easier than ever to maintain clean room practices for better quality control. In addition, most of the machines, such as our heat treatment furnaces and anode presses, are automated for safety and efficiency.

While taking advantage of the modern age, some things remain the same. The core material of the 300B's filamentary cathode is derived from a 1963 melt from the Western Electric Hawthorne Works in Chicago. The tooling is also original, some going back to 1943.

What makes the 300B so popular?

The Western Electric 300B is known for its sound quality. The magic is in the directly heated, oxide-coated filament. While this combination is certainly not unique to the 300B, the coating of the filament is. A strontium and barium mixture is combined with other proprietary components in the ribbon to form a coating originally developed for use in underwater marine cable applications.

Western Electric often calls it the secret sauce or secret formula. This special coating not only improves the life of each tube, but also supports the dynamics needed for superior music reproduction. While a signal is propagated through a 300B, the filament remains "hot", never completely depleted of electrons and always on standby. When we experience the pleasant, water-clear sound of a 300B, we experience the thermal inertia of a directly heated cathode.