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Finally! They are used - approx 200 hrs so well broken in. I’ve had them for about a week. They were a matched quad ordered from LampiNA. Using Tak 274b Recti.
I have been using new issue WE 300bs and prefer erring towards warm presentation and avoiding etchy/hardness at all costs, so to be honest I was prepared for these not to work for me. However, I just had to hear them based on passionate reccs (mostly positive, some not so) here in this thread over these last years.
The RK242 gain is around 7-8db higher than the WE300b reissue by my measurement. I arrive at this by comparing relative levels on the Lampi VC when measuring bass decade test tones as well as during rebalancing for my HT passthru analog input. My 200-20 hz bass decade response was unaltered compared to all DHT tube types I have -45, 245, 112a, 01a, 300b, 101FA- so presumably I have adequate matching with regards to in/out impedance with the RK 242 in my system.
Noise measured- at an analog input at max volume without signal- was the lowest I have measured yet. This is in spite of around 7-8 db extra gain. Pretty impressive. I hear almost nothing at my listening position, almost pure white noise with my ear to the speaker, and the SPL measurement at the speaker is around 1-2 db above ambient. I didn’t expect this. It could be due to tight (or lucky) quad matching or maybe the 242 is inherently quieter by design. Maybe that’s why the higher gain can work for this tube? I’d say almost certainly this is what accounts for user reports of lowered noise floor which is easy to appreciate for me as well.
Sound-no issues with hardness, etchiness or fatigue. One caveat is that the warm up took awhile. After a few hours it sounded HiFi, like a club sound. It took a few days (even with used tubes) to really open up. At that point, pretty much what others have said: They jump more (more dynamic) and bass seems more articulate. I can listen at lower volumes (corrected for gain difference) and yet still hear deep within the recording. They seem to just take the presentation to another level - slightly wider and deeper staging, more detail, depth, ambience, decay, while still maintain the emotional involvement and tone.
One of my major concerns was losing the emotion, that harmonious, visceral, even visual effect that I love and crave, and associate with tubes in general. Well it is still there and in spades. I would NOT say these are “non-tubey“ sounding at all. For me the opposite is true- it’s all still there, just bigger and more robust while being able to hear even the smallest details at the same time.
So do I prefer the RK242 over the new issue WE300b? At this point, I do. However , I could easily be happy with either and I could see switching a few times over the next several mos just for fun. It’s great to have options of different flavors to match the mood!
I would use the small signal tube analogy and say the RK242 is more like a good Telefunken sound while the new issue WE 300b is like a good Siemens or Amperex.
Enjoy.
Charles
