Forums https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl AUDIO FORUMS >> Reviews >> Dennis Had 300b Amp Review https://www.decware.com/cgi-bin/yabb22/YaBB.pl?num=1666460818 Message started by Kamran on 10/22/22 at 18:46:58

Title: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 10/22/22 at 18:46:58 Dennis got his first well known YouTuber review—and that too on his 300b SET amp: https://youtu.be/l-lRvZVyZ0o

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by CAJames on 10/22/22 at 19:56:56 Cool. Looks like one is for sale on ebay for 4K$.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 10/22/22 at 20:15:06 Yea, the way it works it that you buy it and that begins the development process (it takes about 2 weeks) with pictures galore and he listens/burns it in for about 48 hours in his rig before shipping.  Once he’s done with the build/shipping, he will throw another listing on (but not necessarily the same amp type). He cycles between the 300b, the Firebottle KT-88 SEP (the one I have), and others.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kahuna Jack on 10/22/22 at 20:42:51 @Kamran do you feel your Firebottle is a keeper? even with the future addition of a Decware amplifier?

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 10/22/22 at 22:20:16 Kahuna Jack Sigh…it’s going to painful, but no.  I intend to sell it either to cover (partially) the cost of the Sarah or the acquisition of WE 300b tubes.  I rather it be someone’s main amp and get the love and attention it deserves.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by tempest62 on 10/23/22 at 21:31:05 Kamran, Thanks for sharing. Interesting amp, but extra expensive due to the unnecessary shipment of WE 300B tubes with it. I wonder if Mr. Had would ship without the 300B's? Brad

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Lon on 10/23/22 at 21:58:50 I'm not a video guy. I found this, mentions Decware. https://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2022/10/22/a-lifetime-amp-the-inspire-300b-v-by-dennis-had/

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by kulafu on 10/23/22 at 22:33:32 I bought a pair of used Cary Audio 300 SE Signature Monoblocks and they are keeper for me.  They pair very well with Randy's Caintuck Lii 15s and the Charneys.  With the Cryotone tubes  (full set) even better!  It is honestly outcompeting my UFO25th and that says a lot about them. Bob

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 10/24/22 at 02:30:36 You’re welcome Brad. It’s hard to predict with Dennis, considering the one off (and one man) nature of Dennis’ work but I will try and contact him tomorrow to gauge whether he would be amenable to selling it without the tubes. I will also message one of his par-time techs who helps him occasionally to see what the deal is.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kahuna Jack on 10/24/22 at 18:03:18 If its looked at it with that angle ( without tubes) the amp seems fairly inexpensive.... $2500 ? Inexpensive in this world of boutique electronics that is.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by lazb on 10/24/22 at 18:19:46 inexpensive yes, especially in light of Steve's projected price of $5K for Sarah. No idea which tubes he intends to be stock.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Earthbound on 10/24/22 at 20:29:29 I am on the waitlist and have been reading and following the Sarah development thread. As far as Decware products, I’ve been changing my mind between ZMA, MKv and 300b. I have also read a considerable amount on the Inspire Had amps. Doing that research turned me towards many brands and I decided to have an amp made by Aric Kimmel, the Custom 300b Set. If I enjoy this amp, it makes my Decware choice a bit easier!

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Joey on 10/24/22 at 22:21:20 I got the Aric 300b last April along with the WE tubes. I am very pleased with the sound. It's all I hoped it would be plus some. I still have a se84ufo2 in a smaller room. Love em both.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Lon on 10/24/22 at 22:29:02 That Aric has a lot of power! More than 4 times in the balanced mode than Steve shot for with the Sarah! The long wait is hard. . . but I'm going to keep waiting for the Decware 300B. I know Steve's is going to be different. . .and special.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Earthbound on 10/24/22 at 23:46:26 My buddy is going for Sarah and he has an MK3. So, between those 2, my incoming Aric 300b and an order slated for next fall, I will have been able to listen to a few nice systems. Can’t wait to compare the 2 300’s. Fun times ahead!😀

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Earthbound on 10/24/22 at 23:52:07 Initially I missed your post Joey. That’s great to hear that you’re enjoying the Aric sound 300b. I too look forward to having both an Aric Audio and a Decware in the house!

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kahuna Jack on 10/24/22 at 23:54:48 that Aric Kimmel amp.... a quad of 300b's + separate power supply ?? hard to imagine that NOT being a "game over" amp for even the pickiest listener. just a few dreams away  8-)

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Joey on 10/25/22 at 01:34:34 My bad, I have the  super 300b set. Only 9 watts although with  Cornwalls, it's more than enough for my ears.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by briand77 on 10/25/22 at 10:00:28 I've had trouble watching Steve Huff's audiophile channel ever since finding out about his main channel https://www.youtube.com/c/huffparanormal. Ouch, 1.7M subscribers ... funds his non-ethereal hobbies.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Earthbound on 10/25/22 at 11:11:29 At first I thought you were kidding. I never heard of Steve Huff. The Steve Hoffman forums I’ve read. Obviously different. Ghosts and stereos! Perhaps that explains the unexplained sounds coming through the speakers sometimes!

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by LeftyEric on 10/25/22 at 20:17:59 I had no idea about his paranormal youtube channel, and it's large following. Wow. That's a lot to take in.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Earthbound on 10/25/22 at 20:54:35 Between the tv series running for 15 years and this channel running for years with no confirmed visual recordings, you would think interest would wane. Instead, people are getting rich. Mind boggling

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kahuna Jack on 10/25/22 at 22:20:17 ill stick with watching Ghost Whisperer reruns : )  seen every episode at least 7 + times ; )

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Earthbound on 10/25/22 at 22:54:26 https://ibb.co/17shMPm Boooo

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 10/26/22 at 00:10:48 Wow, had no idea he was running a parallel paranormal YT channel.  You’d think it would pop up in my YT feed considering how regularly I watch his audio reviews. In the meantime, I’ve also reached out to one of Dennis’ techs to find out about whether he would sell the amp without the WE tubes.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kahuna Jack on 10/26/22 at 20:43:46 looking at completed items on ebay it looks like they all sell ( in fact all of them sold) without any repeated re listings of unsolds. thats usually a good sign to start with. I know he sells direct like Decware but its more evident these days how much brick n morter stores are missed where you can hear/touch/see for yourself before buying. Not that I need anymore temptation to stockpile gear lol

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 10/29/22 at 05:13:05 Mr. Kamran, let me know when you get your Sarah & want to move on from the Firebottle KT-88. I’m sure a lot of people would like to give it a safe forever home. Peace out, Ralph

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 10/30/22 at 00:40:50 BlackBess…duly noted. I’ll try and reach out when the time comes.  And Mr. is too formal…Kamran is just fine  :) Update from Dennis’ tech about whether he would consider selling the 300b amp without the tubes: “Dennis says the 300b only is available with the tubes included. Understand he still, as far as I can tell, listens to every amp he sells. They only leave when he’s satisfied with the sound. He’s very quality conscious because in this business, your reputation is everything.” There you have it…no go on that front.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 11/01/22 at 01:08:39 Hot on the heels of a favorable YT review, Dennis is experimenting with a 300b Parallel Single Ended amp with two WE 300b tubes per channel!  No pricing yet, but just the cost of tubes (without taking in to consideration the rectifier and driver tubes) is going to be $3K.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by tempest62 on 11/01/22 at 16:00:32 Mr. Had is quite presumptuous with his demand that one succumbs to force to buying a WE pair of tubes @ $2, $3k or whatever when buying his amps. Thankfully there is such thing as a secondary market. I get the point, but forcing absurdity is absurd. Steve also designed his 300B Sarah around the WE tube. But he doesn’t force one to buy them along with the amp. In fact he has been good enough to post his impressions on a variety of 300B tubes. Brad

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kahuna Jack on 11/01/22 at 18:39:35 I think in this hobby a form of mental conditioning is always active. In past I would never even consider spending $1500 for a duet of power tubes but giving it some thought.... if its the last pair of tubes I will ever need or want in my amp? It almost turns into a "bargain" and a miracle that the WE300b is even in current production at all. If for some reason current WE300b production would cease ? can you imagine how crazy the secondary market price on them would get??

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by tempest62 on 11/01/22 at 20:23:55 Kahuna, I see what you’re saying and it kinda makes my point….shouldn’t it be up to the prospective customer to decide whether he wants to buy WE tubes with the amp? I say yes…….and I say Mr. Had, while known for being nice, is being an asshole with a smile about forcing a very certain absurdly expensive tube down a buyer’s throat. Terrible. It’s almost as if he demands the WE because it’s the only tube that allows his amp to sound great. It should sound really great whether it’s $3k WE tubes or pretty damned great with $300 tubes. With him there is no choice. “My way or the highway” sucks whether it comes with a smile or not. Brad

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by GroovySauce on 11/02/22 at 12:58:02 There are trade offs to all the options. No tubes included. Some people will be upset that they need to buy tubes separately. For Dennis, If someone buys some junk tubes that are noisy or bad then they are contacting him to get it fixed and going online to say how Dennis sold a faulty amp. Sell with cheap tubes. Some people will complain that they are not going to use the supplied tubes because they want top of the line. Sell with top of the line tubes. Some people will complain that they don't want to spend the money on the top of the line. I would personally want option 1 with no tubes. I don't fault Mr. Had for how he operates, If I was in his position I most likely would go the same route.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by CAJames on 11/02/22 at 14:33:06 4000 bucks is a bargain for what would certainly be a "Stereophile Class A" amp. He could probably charge 5 times that and still have no problem selling out. JMO.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by chapsjon on 11/02/22 at 16:55:01 I have no skin in this game as with or without tubes, this amp and the Sarah are above my budget. Having said that, I agree that $4k with WE tubes sounds like a deal to me. In comparison, the Sarah with the same tubes would cost more than 1.5x as much. I am assuming there will be sonic and build differences between the two, but both will be hand built, point by point, etc…. I can certainly understand wanting to save the money on the tubes as a consumer, but I also understand DH’s priority of making sure customers are satisfied with the final product. His complete price seems in line with other manufacturers that include lesser tubes, which benefits the customer. If I were in the market for a 300b amp, this would almost certainly be the one.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Showme on 11/02/22 at 17:14:56 To buy a Dennis Had amp do you just have to keep watching eBay?

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by tempest62 on 11/02/22 at 18:22:47 Quote: buy a Dennis Had amp do you just have to keep watching eBay? Yes it looks like that’s his portal for new sales. I would keep an eye on the used market, HiFishark.com is a good tool for that purpose. Brad

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kahuna Jack on 11/02/22 at 20:05:44 if he is using ebay(curious choice) as a main sales hub that means he has also factored in a percentage loss with ebay fees into to total cost on amp build. micro analyzing of course, but if he sold direct his amplifiers would be an even greater bargain but maybe by using ebay it just frees up his time a bit so he isnt on the phone all day taking orders , talking to people about potential orders etc etc. that kind of stuff can chew up a big chunk of ones day that he could be using building amps

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Showme on 11/02/22 at 20:47:53 I haven’t used HiFiShark before but I’ll keep my eyes on it. Thanks.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by chapsjon on 11/02/22 at 22:42:43 Maybe something has changed as I haven’t looked lately, but Alan Eaton also uses EBay to sell his hand made tube amps. May be a case of maximizing publicity and ease of point of sales with a small amount of input. Artisans that take direct orders or sales have to divert time from making product, so maybe for really small scale businesses EBay makes sense.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 11/03/22 at 01:37:44 In an ideal world, there is an option to purchase that amp with or without tubes.  However, it doesn’t always work that way in reality.  Dennis, unlike Decware, is the show of a one man army, retired, and does this on his terms.  With over three decades of experience building amps (estimating here), he has his preferences and given his lack of resources, his limitations.  Bundling the amp with tubes that he loves, is his business decision.  Some people will find that compelling and their dollars will validate his call.  In case his decision is met with subdued interest, I reckon he will just decide to stick with amps that have good market acceptance and price to performance ratio.  My 2 cents. There was a question about his listing regimen.  Yes, he only sells through eBay since he doesn’t have the time or resources to manage a website. He was trying to do something on AudioAficianado, but note sure how well that was received.  His call sign on eBay is radioman731.  You can either setup an alert on eBay or use a third party site such as www.automatedsearches.com to setup an alert (the latter I hear is more useful, though I haven’t used it personally).   Hope this helps.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by johnnycopy on 11/03/22 at 05:18:23 I purchased a firebottle kt88 from Dennis in his early days with the new company. He was generous with his time to me via email. I ran a number of different output tubes but settled on the kt-150s.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 11/05/22 at 23:15:38 Ok—-Dennis and his friends had an amp shootout with this new 300B PSE.  11 of Dennis’ various amps including his regular 300b. Speakers were OB, but not using Lii Audio drivers from what I can tell. The 300b PSE was the star of the show.  Another surprise was the reveal of his most inexpensive amp (that wasn’t on my radar).  According to his tech, the PSE just blew away every other amp Dennis has built to date.  Here’s a telling quote: ——————————————————————————————————————- Dennis says this amp is the best one ever to play in the shop, and I'd have to agree with him. It literally blew everything else away. In it's current configuration it's putting out somewhere around 12 WPC. However, that number can't convey the incredible deep bass, the rich tones, and the sweet syrupy highs. The old dogma is that triodes are great for jazz, female vocals, etc, but don't have the oomph to handle rock and roll. WRONG.... The amount of bass coming out of this amp and the Inspire speakers is nothing short of amazing. Typically they have not been as dynamic as the big shop prototypes, but with the extras power and dynamic range of the 300B PSE, they really open up and come alive. What's really amazing is that all that bass is coming from an open baffle design. We will be continuing to make the Inspire speakers as a custom order, and we be able to ship them in the near future. Also spotted for the first time was the Kleen Sweep amp, 6-7 WPC of inexpensive Inspire power. This is a very...ahem...clean listenable amp with a bright upper end. Dennis is going to offer this one as his affordable, entry level offering into the Inspire line. Dennis will be asking a mere $1500 for this one ————————————————————————————————————- And yes, the price of the 300b PSE was also revealed.  Wait for it…. $8500 [url] Untitled by analog addict, on Flickr[/url]

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kahuna Jack on 11/06/22 at 00:07:27 pretty sure that amp sounds amazing and then some, lucky folks that got to hear it in person. i will add my own personal thought that at $8500.00 Id like to see some final finishing touches like Airtight, Luxman etc. You know, nice tranny covers, attention to knobs, switches etc. I do fancy the diy vibe on gear but when dropping that kind of coin......... would still love to hear it

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 11/06/22 at 03:29:30 Knowing what a Dennis Had Inspire amp sounds like. And how a 300B tube amp sounds, let alone one with 4 WE300Bs. Makes me want to see if I can get one before the estimated 3 year wait on the Sarah. Peace out, Ralph

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Joey on 11/06/22 at 04:20:25 Seems like a very fair price considering $3000 for the WE's.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 11/11/22 at 18:13:14 I have been messaging Dennis the past few days & this morning he told me he put up an add for me on eBay. I did the search for the add but was too late I guess. Did someone on here jump on it before me even though Dennis gave me a heads up? Dennis replied “Heavens I think so, I’ll do another build for you, give me a half hour to post it up. Needless to say the estimated arrival date is 1-18-22. That’s a bit different than my wait for a Sarah. When my wife asks about the Decware 300B amp, I tell her “it’s an abstract concept involving uncertainty & the future.” Anyway, in a few months I’ll post my thoughts on the Inspire 300PSE. In the meantime, give that boy a 6 string steel guitar, Ralph

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 11/11/22 at 19:38:55 Fantastic news Ralph—congrats on successfully ordering the 300 PSE!! Maybe I should give Dennis a call and ask for a finders fee…lol! We collectively look forward to your impressions once you get it in January.  Dennis’ typical build to ship time is two weeks  (or less) for the Firebottle, so I wonder how many orders he has in the pipeline ahead of you.  Even if we give him the last half of Dec off for vacay, that makes at least two builds before your promised ship date.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by tempest62 on 11/11/22 at 20:18:52 +1 here with Kamran! Really looking forward to your experiences with your new 300B  👍💥💥👍 Congratulations, Ralph! Brad

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 11/11/22 at 21:41:14 Mr. Kamran: Sir your instructions on how to contact Mr. Had is all it took. When I first talked to Dennis he told me that he would build 2 before years end. Last night he told me “ Tomorrow at mid morning I will contact you when I post up your amp. Just click buy now, & I’ll take care of the rest.” All morning I was prematurely searching Dennis Had on eBay. Finally Mr. Had contacts me & says your good to go. Yahoo, I search Dennis Had again repeatedly for a few minutes. I get pictures of horses. Did someone with a nitro burning, supercharged search engine beat me to it? “ Heavens, it seems so” was Dennis’ reply. But he had 2 chassis ready for machining prior to powder coating & assembly. So another tragedy narrowly adverted. I would think he will be building some of the new “Clean Sweeps” also along with all the other amps he produces. I got it bad, I got it bad, I got it bad, Ralph

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 11/12/22 at 01:28:57 I just checked & mine is listed as #2 according to the add. So some sniper snagged the first production model before I could respond to Mr. Had’s message. Or so I think. But as my father would say to me” If you don’t think too good, don’t think too much.”  Yaba daba do, Ralph

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 11/19/22 at 11:38:36 Received new listing alert on eBay. Didn’t get this the last two times as they went so fast: https://www.ebay.com/itm/155264361382?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=DMTFWxDlSdi&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=32OC46GYT4a&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 11/21/22 at 12:03:44 It looks like the add for the 2nd 300PSE build of 2023 is still active. With 2 more in line after this one, it seems there are amps to be “Had”.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Showme on 11/24/22 at 01:37:22 I was a click away from buying one of these before I got a grip on myself. Four 300b’s makes any tube rolling difficult. Still want it but trying to resist.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Joey on 11/24/22 at 01:49:46 With four WE 300's I would be content to just plug and play. Maybe swap an input tube or two.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 11/24/22 at 02:08:03 That’s exactly what I was going to say— with that setup, just roll the input tube.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by tempest62 on 11/24/22 at 02:16:57 $3k+ for a quad of WE 300B’s. WTF. LoL Had, big smiles or not, can kiss my lily white azz. Brad

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Showme on 12/15/22 at 23:38:53 I’m looking for suggestions on a 300b amp. It seems it’ll be unlikely to be able to buy a Dennis Had amp off eBay and I’m too old to wait 3 years for Decware’s amp. Who has glowing reviews on amps to consider? I have a builder lined up for an Elekit TU-8600S what else should I consider?

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Joey on 12/15/22 at 23:51:50 Check out Aric audio. I have his 300 and love it.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Showme on 12/16/22 at 01:18:51 Isn’t it a two piece system amp/preamp? I may not want do spend for a preamp upfront so I would need the amp to have a volume control.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 12/16/22 at 01:25:02 Showme, why do you think it’s unlikely to buy off eBay? Another Decware member placed his order a month back (though his was for the PSE vs. the regular 300b).  You just need to set notifications to get alerted when the listing goes up and or inquire through the Audio Aficianado thread, which is monitored by Dennis and his part-time technicians. Kamran

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Showme on 12/16/22 at 01:45:22 This Audio Aficionado thread is lost to me. How/what is it?

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Doug on 12/16/22 at 01:49:26 Hey Showme, First off……..do you live in the Show Me state? Secondly, I’ve owned a bunch of Had designed products over the past 30 plus years and never heard one I didn’t love. I bought a brand new custom built, fully upgraded, Cary 300SEI a year and a half ago, and it’s my favorite amp of all time.  You are probably aware that the 300SEI has been in continuous production for around 30 years and is now in it’s 6th edition.  If you buy one the way mine is set up, the Cary Direct price is $5,812.  With WE300B tubes and Cryotone 6SN7’s, that pushes the price up close to 8 grand.  BUT, Cary is running a great sale now, and you can have them build a standard 300SEI for a mere $3,800, and that includes all tubes, even a pair of Gold Lion 300B’s.  My build took less than one month.  You should check out their website and some of the recent reviews. By the way, the only reason I am so out in the open about my Cary amp on Steve’s website is the Decware wait time on new builds.  I love my Decware gear, and at some point down the road I will likely buy a Sarah 300B for comparison purposes, but that won’t happen any time soon.   Billy Wright, current owner of Cary Audio, and Had’s original business partner, seems like great guy.  He employs around 20 people, and like Steve and his Decware team, they bend over backwards to please their customers.  A look at Cary will be worth your time, even if you decide to go a different direction.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 12/16/22 at 01:56:39 Wow, at that sale price, they are actually undercutting Dennis by $100.  His goes for $3900 if I recall correctly.  That is a great deal. Showme… https://www.audioaficionado.org/ has a thread on Dennis’ Inspire amps dating back to 2013.  It’s 700 some pages now (I may or may not have read all of them).  While Dennis doesn’t respond directly, it’s widely known that he monitors the thread and answers questions through his technicians who are active on the site.  That’s his indirect way of running a forum.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Showme on 12/16/22 at 02:58:06 Great information guys. I’ll follow up on it. And yes I live in th showme state—-Missouri.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by alper_yilmaz on 12/16/22 at 23:20:23 Having read most of the posts on the 300B development thread, I decided to hear one before investing all the time into Sarah.   After reading some reviews on Fezz Audio's 300B amp (Mira Ceti 300B), I just found a floor model at a friend's shop, and just bought it (maybe at less than half of what it is priced at). Actually, I saw it on my friend's store website, and after that I did some reading. https://fezzaudio.com/en/produkt/fezz-audio-mira-ceti-300b-2/ I understand that Fezz, which is a Polish company, is well-known for its transformers, and they have a bunch of amplifiers designed around 300B, 2A3, KT88, and EL34. I will be picking the amp some time next week, and I am so excited!  I am planning to listen to it for a few months and then try to do some mods; and if I really like it, then I will be also ordering one from Steve, which I am sure is an amazing piece of gear!

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by CAJames on 12/17/22 at 01:57:47 Quote: Posted by: alper_yilmaz      Posted on: Yesterday at 23:20:23 ...After reading some reviews on Fezz Audio's 300B amp (Mira Ceti 300B), I just found a floor model at a friend's shop, and just bought it... Very nice, looking forward to how you think it compares with your UF025. Do you know what kind of tubes it comes with? From the pictures they look Russian.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by alper_yilmaz on 12/17/22 at 10:04:43 I think it is coming with Electro-Harmonix tubes.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 12/25/22 at 04:35:33 It seems to me that in Steve Huff’s review of MoFi’s Source Point 10 speakers, he felt that the Dennis Had 300B amp didn’t have the beans to drive Andrew’s new design properly. I’m hoping to hear any forum member’s thoughts on driving this speaker with only 2 power tubes. Not being driven to peak results with flea watt amps has been the only negative I’ve heard about these speakers. How about opinions on another YouTube darling, the CSS Audio 1TDx speaker?              Merry Christmas, Ralph

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by johnnycopy on 12/25/22 at 18:01:55 I don’t like to talk about other amps on Steve’s site but since we are in a dennis had thread I will share. I have had Dennis’s amps but have moved on to coincident technologies which I feel are a step up. I own the coincident Frankenstein 300b monoblocks, but they have also just come out with a more reasonably priced stereo 300b amp. Always top tier recommendations from anyone who has reviewed them, and Arthur Salvatore called the Frankenstein the best sounding amp in the world!  Like he has heard them all!  But he did have a fairly interesting way of rating them that I liked. Anyways below is the amps portion of the coincident site.  All are direct from Canadian designer Israel Blume to the public so no middleman. https://coincidentspeaker.com/mpsip_amps.html

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 12/25/22 at 19:57:04 Merry Christmas to those who are celebrating. Coincident amps are very highly rated and Israel is also highly respected though I am not sure that they are necessarily night and day better than Had’s design. I listened to a Coincident EL34 amp this past summer, and it was pretty good. Blackbess: Didn’t you order the Parallel Single Ended 300b? That should give you plenty of headroom to drive the Mofi SourcePoint 10’s. Speaking of highly rated 300b amps, Thomas really really digs this Wilsenton R300. It’s $1499. Unbelievably low price for a 300b and you can just buy it on Amazon. Normally, that might be a turn off, but I do trust Thomas’ opinions, so this seems like a compelling deal. https://youtu.be/S6L_ajh72JY

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by johnnycopy on 12/25/22 at 20:24:12 The dynamo is the cost conscious coincident version and is built to that price point. It would be comparable to the Dennis had inspire I had. everything else in the coincident line is considerably better built and the sonics show that difference plus. I picked up a dynamo from israel for a friend for $1100 Canadian. Do the conversion and you will see how cheap that is in US dollars.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Tooppy on 12/25/22 at 23:34:21 As people mention Steve Huff & the Willsenton R300, here you have both : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOcgEOecjPo&t=4s

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Carlsbad on 12/26/22 at 13:29:08 @blackbess,  the Mofi speakers are only 91dB sensitive, I would go with more power or more sensitive speakers.  ZMA would be a good choice.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 12/26/22 at 17:53:55 I mentioned the Source Point 10’s in this Huff review thread because in his latest post on the SP 10, he talked about using the Willy R300. The thing I find troubling about the Thomas & Stereo review of the Willy is he didn’t think rolling the 300B was very important. And he didn’t change the 6SL7. I’ll say the stock Willsenton branded tube’s envelopes are as thin as an incandescent light bulb, maybe thinner. I have tried current production 274B & 5AR4 rectifier tubes from Decware as well as NOS GE & Svetlana (my favorite) 5U4G’s. A Sylvania JAN-CHS-6SL7GT, a RCA 5691 & a MELZ 6N9S all NOS in the 6SL7 slot. Sylvania 6SN7GT flat plates, Marconi 6SN7GTB’s & Foton 6N8S’s as well as some new Wathen Cryo 6SN7’s (very nice) have been rolled in the past year. I’m still waiting on Wathen 300B’s ordered last month to compare with the WE’s coming with the PSE 300. In Jay’s Iyagi video he also talks about the Willy & the CSS speaker & was wondering if anyone had any insights personally on them or the SP 10’s in SE amp rigs. I have a pair of DNA2’s due sometime next year if things proceed as expected  & they’re pretty efficient. Sarah seems a distant dream. Thank you.    A prosperous New Year to all, Ralph picupload

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 01/14/23 at 16:15:22 First used DH 300b that I just noticed on Audiomart. https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649939788-dennis-had-western-electric-300b/

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Showme on 01/14/23 at 21:05:35 If I wasn’t already in the queue for one I’d snap that one up. Oh, man I’ve got to wait another month.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Steve08226 on 01/24/23 at 13:13:54 We ordered our WE 300bv Tube Amp from Dennis Had in November, and received it in December. We ordered it while waiting for a WE 300b Sarah (still about a year out we guess). We paired the amp with GoldenEar Triton Reference speakers 93.25db and listen at 60%, and crank it to 80% max. in a well treated w/ GIK Acoustics 20 x 22 room. With this amp we are getting the best sound we ever heard from our system. Dennis Had makes a really good WE 300bv tube amp, it sure makes one wonder what the Sarah WE 300 tube amp is going to sound like. We are patiently, but anxiously waiting for our Sarah to come home!

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 01/24/23 at 14:03:08 Congrats! Not surprised at all given my experience with his non-300b amp as well as the observations of other folks who have listened to his 300b amp.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 01/24/23 at 14:18:13 Uh- oh

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by michaelG on 01/24/23 at 23:49:26 that's a lot of tubes...

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Lon on 01/25/23 at 00:05:29 The Decware SEWE300B has one more than that!

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by michaelG on 01/25/23 at 01:28:10 Indeed!! I used to have a 10 tubes amp in the past and it’s a never again. tube are much more expensive than they were 20 years ago. It make tube rolling and replacement painfull. That’s a reason why I bought the ufo. A se34 could be an option too. maybe in a few years who knows..

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 01/25/23 at 23:43:53 Quote: Uh- oh BlackBess—I was intending to follow-up on your PSE 300b.  Is that a picture from Dennis’ workshop where your PSE is being assembled/tested?

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 01/26/23 at 14:16:51 That might be the first production model. I think mine is next in line. [smiley=icqlite20.png]

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Showme on 02/18/23 at 18:10:17 Have you received your DH 300PSE? I’d I’ve to hear your review.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 02/18/23 at 23:17:55 I’m “patiently” waiting as Dennis puts it. When I ask if it’s “soup” yet, he texts that he will be starting on it next week, repeatedly. Because it’s built on a larger chassis than his usual he had to use a different supplier. Problems resulted from the small order. His regular guy does I think 20 or 30 at a time. This is as far as mine has progressed as of the 15th. russian image host

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Showme on 02/19/23 at 00:02:17 Well at least the chassis is done. I just rec’d his LP-2030 preamp and have it hooked up to a SE84UFO2 and it sounds marvelous. Waiting for my DH 300B-v to be built.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 02/22/23 at 04:00:44 Potentially my unfinished “long” chassis in a video about the new 14”x 11”x 9” Inspire speaker. It won’t be long until I find out for sure. If I’m lucky maybe I’ll be able to compare it to a Sarah (ooh, ooh, with the shining bell covers) by the end of 2024. That’s pretty cool but personally I prefer count Blaa. Cape Cod ships ain’t got no sails, Ralph

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 02/22/23 at 05:19:43 Exciting! Looking forward to multiple reviews. Showme: The LP-2030 is probably the most well loved out of all his preamps. Looking forward to your thoughts on that as well.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 02/28/23 at 02:49:51 Btw, somebody posted the KT-88 model I have for sale on Facebook. It’s a great deal. ma seekers hurdle crossword

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 02/28/23 at 04:35:23 host images post a pic

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by JBzen on 02/28/23 at 10:45:21 I found this on the Facebook group "Audiophile Swap and Shop" page this morning: John

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 03/02/23 at 14:41:48

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 03/04/23 at 04:01:12 This picture was recently posted by a character that goes by “Blackcat” of his PSE300B shortly after delivery. Here’s mine Thursday, And my latest update, Friday evening, sounding good, looking cool. crowd pictures Shipping Monday if all goes to plan. :D

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Showme on 03/04/23 at 18:59:07 Congrats on your amp being finished. I’ll be anxiously awaiting your impressions. Hopefully Dennis will now be caught up and can start on my 300B-v. He shipped my LP-2030 preamp about 10 days after I ordered it. Luckily I had a SE84UFO2 that wasn’t being used that I pressed into service and it’s sounded glorious ever since. I haven’t even fired up my system with the SE84UFO25, CSP325 and ZP3 since I got it. Sure glad I didn’t sell the SE84UFO2. It’s been at my cabin without a preamp and it’s really come alive since I brought it home. It’s driving a pair of DNA’s. Keep us posted.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by johnnycopy on 03/05/23 at 06:34:59 I owned 1 of Dennis’s first produced inspire amps with kt88’s Did a lot of tube rolling, rectifiers, input tubes, different kt88’s as well as power tubes with more and less power. That was one of the things I appreciated about the amp was its ability to have so many faces, voices and characteristics. My best results were with kt-150’s. It became a ballsy beast and Dennis is a great person to work with. Congrats on the new 300b blackbess and looking forward to your impressions. 300b’s are the power tubes I settled on a year ago and haven’t looked back. Funny enuf, in the first picture just above that Blackbess posted from blackcat, the 2 big chrome polished monoblocks shown behind the Dennis had 300b are my coincident technology Frankenstein monos.   You can tell by their size and mass, They are not toys, and have taken SET to a whole new level for me.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 03/05/23 at 14:11:38 Supposedly, it seems that good ol’ “Blackcat” is thinking of shifting his Coincident monoblocks after listening to his new PSE300B. He apparently  tried to surpass their sound previously, but was unable until he discovered the awesomeness of a quad of WE300B’s from Mr. Had. Your results may differ. Narhwals, Narhwals, swimming in the ocean, causing a commotion ‘cause they are so awesome.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by johnnycopy on 03/05/23 at 14:22:45 Thanks so much Blackbess. I am going to reach out directly to learn more and perhaps connect with black cat.  I have found after 40 years (as has my wife!!), it’s not a destination, it’s a journey, so love to learn about new stuff! They must be truly something as I have never heard them, 4 of the 300b tubes would be glorious to hear. and then of course, each person has to choose based on their overall system requirements, and the overall tonal direction they are searching for. I have a friend in the high fi audio business so have been lucky enuf to audition and own a lot more audio equipment than I otherwise would have been able to, and have come to roost on a well implemented SET 300b. Dennis’s amps, with 4 of them certainly fit that bill in spades and I hope I get a chance to hear them soon, or at least talk to others, who have direct experience with them and my coincident frankensteins. Also interested to know what version of frankensteins he has as there are 4 of different versions with ascending parts, wires, transformers, etc. PS, writing the above reminded me of listening to a pair of CR research 300b’s in my friends basement so many years ago with a pair or Ruark Excaliburs.  It was truly glorious, and the best I had heard at the time, but so much more than I could afford! No internet back in those days, we had a monthly catalogue subscription for “used high end audio equipment listings and phone numbers from across North America” that we could buy privately! Communication speed has certainly changed, I sold two decware products and a pair of Grover cables in a couple days on this fine site this last week!

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 03/10/23 at 05:29:13 With all due respect to Mr. Deckert, this new 300 PSE is the Bee’s knees. I hope I don’t get bumped down the waitlist for saying that but I can’t wait to hear this amp driving the DNA 2 speakers. After that “Sarah” will have to arm wrestle the Fire-Bottle for the honor of holding the bananas.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Mike_L on 03/10/23 at 16:39:24 Wow! Beautiful amp! Dennis makes some fine stuff, no doubt about it. My first tube preamp/amp was the firebottle with KT-88s. I still use it but with an old Conrad Johnson PV-1 preamp instead of the Had preamp. It's just a magical combination for some reason. Anyway, keep us informed on the comparison when you receive your Sarah 300B. I'm waiting on one as well. Mike

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by bramar on 03/10/23 at 18:08:43 So if one buys a Had 300B amp with 4 rectifiers and he forces one to also buy only WE tubes which is another $3,000 just for the 300B's. I’d say one was definitely “had” by Had, indeed. Brad

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by jec3504 on 03/11/23 at 22:17:37 That amp has 4 rectifiers? Available in any other colors?

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kahuna Jack on 03/11/23 at 23:55:31 "$3,000 just for the 300B's" no worries, they wont be that cheap forever lol , I smell $1,750 - $2k a duet right around the corner.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kamran on 03/14/23 at 03:11:47 Congrats BlackBess—didn’t realize the thread had moved.  She’s a beauty!

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 03/17/23 at 14:08:47 This is Mr. Had’s daughter’s interpretation of her dog doing a “Nipper” impression.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by bramar on 03/17/23 at 17:19:00 Quote: “$3,000 just for the 300B's” no worries, they wont be that cheap forever lol , I smell $1,750 - $2k a duet right around the corner. This is going to sound harsh: If one is dumb enough to buy an amp with 4 300B’s and the mfr absolutely requires WE then that person deserves the absurd unnecessary cost of ownership. What is Had hiding that he won’t allow a different 300B other than WE???? I’d say you’ve been “Had”. Brad

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Showme on 03/17/23 at 18:54:28 I seriously doubt if Mr. Had cares about your opinion. He’s retired. He builds what he wants when he wants. The amps sound and look great. I would have bought WE300b’s anyway. I’m sure our forum member that owns the 300b PSE knows what he’s doing. By the way the 300b’s aren’t rectifiers as you earlier referred to them.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by jec3504 on 03/17/23 at 19:12:08 Amp looks cool, just curious if it came in other colors. Red is good.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Showme on 03/17/23 at 19:53:27 I haven’t seen other colors on the 300B-v. He has them powder coated so I’m sure he has a run of chassis made. Doesn’t seem like a one off in a special color would be cost effective. Don’t know though. I love the deep red myself.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 03/17/23 at 22:48:55 Blue, black & mocha white are available.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by bramar on 03/18/23 at 19:34:26 Quote: I seriously doubt if Mr. Had cares about your opinion. He’s retired. He builds what he wants when he wants. The amps sound and look great. I would have bought WE300b’s anyway. I’m sure our forum member that owns the 300b PSE knows what he’s doing. By the way the 300b’s aren’t rectifiers as you earlier referred to them.       My apology to BlackBess who has shown more class than I. Coming across too strongly, I was really taken aback by Had’s requirement that $6000 worth of power tubes must be purchased with the amp. What is Had hiding? Why not offer the amp without tubes? I guess I find Had kind of cowardly on this one. I don’t doubt at all that Hads internal designs are very good. Certainly starting with nice construction and apparent build quality on the outside. Again my apology which is owed to BlackBess. Brad

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 03/18/23 at 20:13:02 Yesterday after listening to a live acoustic Rory Gallagher tune with the month old Wathen 300B’s, my wife commented that Rory sounded like he was right in front of us. This is something that we have both been fortunate enough to have experienced for ourselves. But memories are fleeting. This was after giving the 4 WE’s some exercise. Then she says “what about those Takatsuki tubes?” Whoa, maybe when the Sarah arrives. Now they’re going for $2500 a pair, wonder what the future holds in store.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Showme on 03/18/23 at 20:34:32 Just to keep people from fainting I'll attempt to correct Brad's statement that the WE300b's are $3K a pair. I believe unless they have gone up over night they are readily available at $1,500 a pair and the amp requires two pair.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by CAJames on 03/18/23 at 20:42:08 Quote: Posted by: BlackBess      Posted on: Today at 12:13:02 ...“what about those Takatsuki tubes?”... FWIW I have Takatsukies in my 300B amp and they are phenomenal. Not as warm as WE, but liquid, transparent, and more dynamic with plenty of bass and treble extension. Get them for $1700 here: https://www.partsconnexion.com/takatsuki-new-vacuum-tubes.html I highly recommend them.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Showme on 03/18/23 at 21:42:38 Thanks for that link. I've mostly been seeing them around $2.000. Also appreciate the review.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kahuna Jack on 03/18/23 at 22:51:29 " What is Had hiding? Why not offer the amp without tubes?" is it in print someplace that only WE300b's can be used ? or just the fact that he builds and ships his amps with WE's .  I just tried researching but came up empty looking for a website. Could be multiple reasons for the WE's . A) he's madly in love with the sound of that tube in his amp B) he's being supportive of a made in USA vacuum tube C) he's supporting the fact that a legendary classic tube is still being created today D) Its kind of like a proud stamp of excellence ... like THX was used E) He'd rather not see customers toss just any junk tube in his builds the list could go on and on........ 1 thing 100% positive is that the 300b world requires deep pockets , $500 pair , $3k pair , heck even $300 a pair is a lot of $$$ just to keep an amplifier running especially if you're replacing tubes frequently. think about the cats popping hard coin for original vintage WE300b's ?? ouch

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kahuna Jack on 03/18/23 at 23:00:09 I was " eye balling " the 300b Inspire , Ive also had my finger on the trigger for a Sun Valley SV-1616d 300b amp kit , point 2 point , tube rectified , Hashimoto tranny's . That amplifier on paper sounds like my jam. The cost of 300b maintenance has me in pause mode. Im not sure I want that smoke.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 03/18/23 at 23:07:48 How about reason “f”. Someone has a whole mess of matched pairs & quads to go through.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Kahuna Jack on 03/18/23 at 23:22:18 that little stack of glass would buy you a home in Friendship , WI lol

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Same Old DD on 03/18/23 at 23:32:28 Holy and wholy SHIT, dude. Nice haul! Yeah, ya wanna be friends? Nope, just kidding. I have no friends. I keep it that way. ;D Kind of sparking a jealous nerve, though. Wow!

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Tony on 03/19/23 at 00:03:37 BlackBess, I just had to ask...what will you do with all those tubes? That is an impressive stack!

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Doug on 03/19/23 at 03:52:51 Wait a minute!  You bought that stack of WE tubes, BlackBess? I figure that would keep my amp supplied for around 400 to 500 years! I’m as curious as Tony.  What’s your plan for all those tubes?

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by BlackBess on 03/19/23 at 04:04:49 Come on guys, that’s part of the Had stash. Any time you see a picture of his shop look in the background for a bunch o’tubes. I want to buy a couple of tubes, not a palette. This is Mr. Had at his shop maybe 10 years ago.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Mike_L on 03/20/23 at 00:10:41 That's a good pic of Mr. Had in his shop. He's a long time ham radio operator as well but I can't recall his call off hand.

Title: Re: Dennis Had 300b Amp Review Post by Mike_L on 03/20/23 at 00:16:00 W4USR

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