OK... Maybe you guys can help... Baltic 4 & 274B. I had a RCA JAN 5R4U GY. I replaced that with a Sophia 274B mesh. It was better in most ways. Since then I settled on a pair of Mullard ECC32s even though I still like my other Sylv 52 BBs, and Sylv 12BH7 oval plates. Integrated amp with XF2 EL34s and mazda/tele/Mullard signal tubes.
Well, with the B4, I want all the realism and holography I can get... But my system is rather mid forward. I wouldn't mind it a bit more recessed. My 274B mesh is part of that I think. I know a lot of people like EL 274B. "IF" I got one, that would be top of price range. I know a lot of people like the SE Aqua 274B. I went with mesh for more air and resolution. But now they have the Aqua 2 274B... Which has my curiosity....
So... What experience do you have with EL & SE 274Bs and the difference between the different ones they offer? I like warmish, but not at the expense of resolution, definition, and top end... I just want it all.
I don’t have apples to apples insight to offer, but I’ve tinkered with some variants mentioned above.
I had a Baltic 3 (balanced, volume control, Engine 53) that I initially purchased an EML 274B for. I pretty quickly settled into some KenRad VT231 smoked glass and Brimar CV4003 tubes as well, and had several hundred hours on everything. In my system it produced an articulate, warm, open soundstage. I was content with it, but kept hearing about the Sophia line. So I purchased the “standard” Sophia Princess mesh 274B, not the Aqua.
There wasn’t any mind blowing transformation when I first swapped the Princess in, but over the next week(s) the sound really opened up. It was the most holographic I’ve heard to date, with a fantastic top end, plenty of air, great separation of instruments, and beautiful, lush midrange. Bass seemed to be more detailed, and I had to turn down the REL sub a notch as well as turn the crossover dial down a click. Overall a very coherent resolving enjoyable sound. When source music was laid back, so was the presentation. On more aggressive rock and in your face material, the presentation changed accordingly. I definitely preferred the Sophia to the EML in my system.
I noticed the new Sophia Aqua II 274B about 2 months ago and ordered one immediately. I inserted it in the B3 as soon as I received it. Upon initial power up and music playing it sounded similar to the Princess - not a step forward or backward, more a net zero change. So I left music playing while I worked on other stuff, intending to do a more intentional first listen later that evening, BUT… about 45 min later I was in the other room and realized the music had stopped. As soon as I walked out I smelled burnt plastic, and knew it wasn’t good. The Sophia had somehow burned one of the boards (I assume) and finally popped the fuse. It wouldn’t power up even with the old EML 274B and new fuse. So it went back to Poland, and the Sophia Aqua II went back to Sophia - both for warranty repair.
I have since traded in the B3 for an Atlantic 3 TRP with VC, Balanced, and several cherry picked upgrades from the Golden Atlantic config. It is being built now. My warranty replaced Sophia Aqua II has already arrived. As soon as the A3 gets here and I get familiar with its sound via the stock tubes, I have a pair of Siemens F2A tubes and a couple other rectifiers to swap in.
I’d love to see how good the Aqua II is. There really aren’t any reviews, comments, or pro/cons on it yet, so it’s actually refreshing to NOT know what an audio component is SUPPOSED to sound like yet. Clean slate, other than it harming the B3 (again my assumption).
I know that doesn’t help other than that I think the regular Sophia is definitely better than the EML, and that the Aqua II sounded at least as good as the Princess when it was first inserted. I’ll update once I’ve had a chance to try it out.