So it’s starting. The preorder of the Western Electric 300b tubes starts in January. Matched Pair $1499 • Single Tube $699 • Matched Quad $3099… “What if the best sound was achieved decades ago? In 1938, Western Electric manufactured the first type 300-B electron tube. It was a breakthrough power triode, but in those days it hummed away from behind a curtain in early Hollywood sound systems. “
“The same things that served moviegoers back then—low noise, ultra-long life, sonic purity and warmth—made it a standout tube for music lovers and vintage audio collectors as the years passed. Deep into the age of the transistor, communities around the world in search of true, original, high-fidelity sound rediscovered the 300-B and its exceptional performance. New amplifier designs brought the tube front and center, its customary yellow lettering on proud display.
Sometimes, the old ways are the best
Today, the 300-B is re-entering production at the Rossville Works. Our new manufacturing home was custom-built to master the dozens of individual demands of tube making, from sealing the iconic glass bulb to the complex metallurgic processes within. We’ve modernized the production line here and there to establish forward momentum at a company with 150 years of history. Western Electric believes twenty-first century listeners deserve twenty-first century manufacturing standards.
For the 300-B’s 80th birthday, we’re announcing pre-orders will begin in the US on January 11 and in select countries February 15.”