Fred Crane

Industry Expert
Apr 23, 2020
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takatsuki 2a3.jpg
Hi All,

It's always exciting when a new company decides to dive into the foray of vacuum tube production.
Takatsuki is the newest player that I'm aware of in what we can call the luxury tube market.
So, any thoughts on these new beauties? The 274B is getting a lot of play on the Lampizator Horizon Dac.
I haven't heard anything about their 2a3, and not much more about their 300B.

How about a rating on a scale of 1 to 10. with 10 being the original WE300B? Our pairs are slated for arrival in July
when we'll toss in our 2 cents.

Feel free to put in your favorites. In my world, I traditionally prefer the 45, 2a3, GM70, the 250TL and the 450TL where output
tubes are concerned...the new KT170, I've found to be an advance in that type of tube, traditionally found in pp output stages.
The number of tubes that are over-looked is staggering, but these 3 new players from Takatsuki might be an indicator of things to come
given what appears to be a well established and capitalized company.
 

Golum

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Jun 7, 2018
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I would not say Taka is a new kid on the block as they've been doing their 300b for more than a decade now.
Regarding their tubes and comparison vs WE I personally heard them in Tobian power amps (MA100 and MA200) compared to legendary 300b from golden era and current WE300b. Current WE300b is closest to old WE while Taka is close second I would say so if old WE is 10, new WE is 9 while Taka is 8/8.5 with a bit different flavor to it vs WE.
In my system I compared WE274b engraved base with Taka 274b in my Tobian SC12 pre which uses 274b rectifier and in this application again WE is pure 10 while Taka is by far best 274b and closest to WE from current production ones (EML, ACME which I have as well).
Quality, packaging, attention to detail is...well just pure Japanese - insane.
2a3 they just introduced to the market so lets see - but as they are meticulous in what and how they do, I would expect top notch stuff.
 

Fred Crane

Industry Expert
Apr 23, 2020
271
442
135
I would not say Taka is a new kid on the block as they've been doing their 300b for more than a decade now.
Regarding their tubes and comparison vs WE I personally heard them in Tobian power amps (MA100 and MA200) compared to legendary 300b from golden era and current WE300b. Current WE300b is closest to old WE while Taka is close second I would say so if old WE is 10, new WE is 9 while Taka is 8/8.5 with a bit different flavor to it vs WE.
In my system I compared WE274b engraved base with Taka 274b in my Tobian SC12 pre which uses 274b rectifier and in this application again WE is pure 10 while Taka is by far best 274b and closest to WE from current production ones (EML, ACME which I have as well).
Quality, packaging, attention to detail is...well just pure Japanese - insane.
2a3 they just introduced to the market so lets see - but as they are meticulous in what and how they do, I would expect top notch stuff.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Good point regarding the Takatsuki 300B. It has been on the scene for a while. I visited Tobian 5 or 6 years ago. At the time, Gunther was running KT-88s as output tubes. Glad to see he's single ended now. Beautiful gear.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
I would not say Taka is a new kid on the block as they've been doing their 300b for more than a decade now.
Regarding their tubes and comparison vs WE I personally heard them in Tobian power amps (MA100 and MA200) compared to legendary 300b from golden era and current WE300b. Current WE300b is closest to old WE while Taka is close second I would say so if old WE is 10, new WE is 9 while Taka is 8/8.5 with a bit different flavor to it vs WE.
In my system I compared WE274b engraved base with Taka 274b in my Tobian SC12 pre which uses 274b rectifier and in this application again WE is pure 10 while Taka is by far best 274b and closest to WE from current production ones (EML, ACME which I have as well).
Quality, packaging, attention to detail is...well just pure Japanese - insane.
2a3 they just introduced to the market so lets see - but as they are meticulous in what and how they do, I would expect top notch stuff.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Good point regarding the Takatsuki 300B. It has been on the scene for a while. I visited Tobian 5 or 6 years ago. At the time, Gunther was running KT-88s as output tubes. Glad to see he's single ended now. Beautiful gear.
I've sourced all generations of WE 274B and they typically sell for $2500 and up. Plus every one I have seen advertised gives measurements that the tube is NOS however they all have a "no return policy". For me the Tak was a most splendid option. If you're saying the WE 274B is a 10 and the Tak 274B is a close second, I would rather spend less than half that of the WE 274B and get a brand new current era Tak 274B. I love the Tak and yes the packaging is beyond anything that I have ever seen
 

caesar

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May 30, 2010
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For 300B, Takatsuki sound gorgeous. However, according to tube experts, if tube longevity is a factor of consideration, WE is a 10 while Takatsuki is a 1. they say it's made like dreck
 

caesar

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May 30, 2010
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How long do you think they will last, vs. WE? According to guys who know how they are made and have lived with them, for 300B it's 40,000 hours vs. 2,500 hours
 

Golum

Well-Known Member
Jun 7, 2018
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How long do you think they will last, vs. WE? According to guys who know how they are made and have lived with them, for 300B it's 40,000 hours vs. 2,500 hours
WE longevity I agree, Taka longevity pure BS as stated above and as well i know them many running those...
 

Audiocrack

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Aug 10, 2012
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Never heard before that the Takatsuki tubes can be used for a (very) short period in comparison to other brands (such as WE 300b). I played with the Tak 274B in my GG dac for quite a while without any (quality or duration) issue. @Golum/Goran: an audio insider with an awful lot of 300b experience preferred the Tak 300b to the (new) WE 300b in his Kondo Gakuoh pp amps.
 
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bonzo75

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Never heard before that the Takatsuki tubes can be used for a (very) short period in comparison to other brands (such as WE 300b). I played with the Tak 274B in my GG dac for quite a while without any (quality or duration) issue. @Golum/Goran: an audio insider with an awful lot of 300b experience preferred the Tak 300b to the (new) WE 300b in his Kondo Gakuoh pp amps.

I don't know about the new WE 300b, but the reissues in the 90s were very poor. As far as the Tak goes, it has a beefed up midrange, and drives the stage forward and keeps it consistent. The instruments sound fuller but that is a valve colour, and stays constant across recordings. The Elrog is much more transparent, followed by the KR, to recordings. There is also an improved Elrog 300b now that I haven't heard. We did these compares in Alienos in two different systems. It might vary if an amp is designed for a particular tube
 
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Audiocrack

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Aug 10, 2012
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I don't know about the new WE 300b, but the reissues in the 90s were very poor. As far as the Tak goes, it has a beefed up midrange, and drives the stage forward and keeps it consistent. The instruments sound fuller but that is a valve colour, and stays constant across recordings. The Elrog is much more transparent, followed by the KR, to recordings. There is also an improved Elrog 300b now that I haven't heard. We did these compares in Alienos in two different systems. It might vary if an amp is designed for a particular tube
Thanks Ked. I am still have an unused quod of 300b valves available. That said I am inclined to try out the new WE 300b tubes in my Gakuoh amps. The Tak 300b valves are more expensive and I used an older pair of them as well as a pair of older Elrog 300b in my GG dac. However, the 300b / GG combination was not very good and I have sold both the GG and the (older) Takatsuki and Elrog 300b valves.
 

bonzo75

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Thanks Ked. I am still have an unused quod of 300b valves available. That said I am inclined to try out the new WE 300b tubes in my Gakuoh amps. The Tak 300b valves are more expensive and I used an older pair of them as well as a pair of older Elrog 300b in my GG dac. However, the 300b / GG combination was not very good and I have sold both the GG and the (older) Takatsuki and Elrog 300b valves.

The 300b never sounded good in GG, but in amps it is completely different.
 

morricab

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Apr 25, 2014
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The 300b never sounded good in GG, but in amps it is completely different.
This is likely due to the GG circuit not being optimal for 300B rather than the tube itself.
 
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bonzo75

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This is likely due to the GG circuit not being optimal for 300B rather than the tube itself

Yes of course - it allowed a variety of tubes and we had the choice to get it tailored for a specific one, so most got it for 242, PX25, or special 45s.
 

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