274B choices?

[Willgolf]

I have read recently that a few members have purchased the Takatsuki 274B rectifier tubes with rave reviews. There seem to be many choices. The price point of the Tak 274 is well over a thousand dollars. Others like PSVane are around $250. What makes them so different in price? Does anyone have any experience with multiple 274B's that you could share your views on?

 

[Golum]

I have quite a few of them including top new production ones (Taka) and NOS ones. I guess price delta comes from the quality of materials used in production, qty. produced, P&L sheet,...normal stuff.
Performance wise Taka is the top of the crop from current production and then you have EML, PSvane, Linlai Elite and some cheaper Chinese versions. Each of them has its own presentation and I believe all those three top ones have been described in details in the forum here except maybe LinLai as its the new kid on the block (Ex Psvane engineers I would say working on the ACME series)...

 

[Steve Williams]

Plus there is some evidence that WE is considering getting back into tube production and likely will produce a current version of their fabled WE 274B which will definitely interest me. However having said that the Takatsuki 274B was like nothing I have ever heard as good in my system and if you go that route I can promise you that adding TungSol KT 170 will be even hugely better

 

[Steve Williams]

I have read recently that a few members have purchased the Takatsuki 274B rectifier tubes with rave reviews. There seem to be many choices. The price point of the Tak 274 is well over a thousand dollars. Others like PSVane are around $250. What makes them so different in price? Does anyone have any experience with multiple 274B's that you could share your views on?

FWIW I have a brand NIB EML 274B for sale for $250 in our classified section

EML 274B, New In Box, Vacuum Tube, Rectifier/Price Reduction

I have for sale a brand new in box EML 274B mesh rectifier that I almost certainly will never use as I see to have so many rectifiers rotating in and out of my system This is a beautiful tube to behold. with mesh plates and is in need of a good...

whatsbestforum.com

 

[Willgolf]

FWIW I have a brand NIB EML 274B for sale for $250 in our classified section

EML 274B, New In Box, Vacuum Tube, Rectifier/Price Reduction

I have for sale a brand new in box EML 274B mesh rectifier that I almost certainly will never use as I see to have so many rectifiers rotating in and out of my system This is a beautiful tube to behold. with mesh plates and is in need of a good...

whatsbestforum.com

Thanks, Steve...but given that I only need one, I am going to buy the Tak 274b and I have a connection. I have also settled on a Tung-Sol NOS 6550 from the 1950's and a Phillips 6550 from the 1950's that I will use ilo of a KT170.

 

[KeithR]

I’d pass if they sonically are like the Tak 300bs, which are overly warm and smooth.

tubestore used to have a nice inexpensive 274b.

 

[Steve Williams]

I’d pass if they sonically are like the Tak 300bs, which are overly warm and smooth.

tubestore used to have a nice inexpensive 274b.

in the absence of a WE 274B, IMHO the Takatsuki is the king of the hill and worth every penny

 

[Cellcbern]

FYI:

Sophia Electric 45 Mesh Plate Triodes and Aqua 274B Rectifier - Positive Feedback

The Art of Vacuum Tubes: Sophia Electric 45 Mesh Plate Triodes and Aqua 274B Rectifier

positive-feedback.com

".....The Sophia Electric 45 mesh plates ($425 USD per pair) and the Sophia Electric Aqua 274B rectifier ($170 USD each), outperformed the more costly Emission Labs 45 mesh plates ($600 USD per pair) and the Psvane Acme 274B rectifier ($290 USD each) in my listening sessions, making them a very good value....".

Sophia Electric EL34-ST tubes

Sophia Electric EL34-ST tubes

positive-feedback.com

I use the blue Sophia 274B in my Modwright PS 9.0 power supply where it is unmatched by anything else I've tried except an NOS 1950's GEC/Marconi/Osram U52.

 

[Steve Williams]

FYI:

Sophia Electric 45 Mesh Plate Triodes and Aqua 274B Rectifier - Positive Feedback

The Art of Vacuum Tubes: Sophia Electric 45 Mesh Plate Triodes and Aqua 274B Rectifier

positive-feedback.com

".....The Sophia Electric 45 mesh plates ($425 USD per pair) and the Sophia Electric Aqua 274B rectifier ($170 USD each), outperformed the more costly Emission Labs 45 mesh plates ($600 USD per pair) and the Psvane Acme 274B rectifier ($290 USD each) in my listening sessions, making them a very good value....".

Sophia Electric EL34-ST tubes

Sophia Electric EL34-ST tubes

positive-feedback.com

I use the blue Sophia 274B in my Modwright PS 9.0 power supply where it is unmatched by anything else I've tried except an NOS 1950's GEC/Marconi/Osram U52.

Have you heard or tried the Takatsuki 274B in your system. I was truly stunned as to how much of an improvement in SQ a rectifier could produce. I have used 6 different rectifiers in my system. Prior to the Takatsuki I used the Shuguang gz480 with my Pacific and it was terrific. In the Horizon the gz480 was just OK whereas the Tak was sheer magic. It has become a permanent fixture in my system

 

[Alrainbow]

I’m thinking of buying a pair of the Sophia recti
i own a pair of princess mesh 274b tubes
if I do it will be the solid plates
having owned two pairs of mesh recti tubes
I think I like solid plates better. having said this the Sophia princess mesh are pretty tubes when glowing

 

[Cellcbern]

Have you heard or tried the Takatsuki 274B in your system. I was truly stunned as to how much of an improvement in SQ a rectifier could produce. I have used 6 different rectifiers in my system. Prior to the Takatsuki I used the Shuguang gz480 with my Pacific and it was terrific. In the Horizon the gz480 was just OK whereas the Tak was sheer magic. It has become a permanent fixture in my system

No, and won't if I have to buy one given the price and the stunning performance of the Sophia blue 274B. In the Modwright PS 9.0 the Sophia blue 274B is a "drop-in" replacement for a 5AR4 or 5U4G variant, so my comparison tests have been with those families of tubes. The Sophia blue 274B has bested all of them (including the Phillips metal base 5AR4) except the rare, legendary, and expensive GEC/Marconi/Osram U52 5U4G (which I have several examples of). Is the Takatsuki like the Sophia blue 274B in terms of working safely with the higher value first capacitor typically used for a 5AR4 or 5U4G tube?

 

[Steve Williams]

Great feedback. Thanks for the input. I was using a KR 5u4g prior to the Takatsuki. Beautiful sound, open and airy. The tax is full of top to bottom information and has meat on th bone that the 5u4g lacked

 

[Alrainbow]

May I ask if yours are mesh or solid ?

 

[Steve Williams]

 

[Steve Williams]

AFAIK there is only one Tak 274B

 

[Willgolf]

FYI:

Sophia Electric 45 Mesh Plate Triodes and Aqua 274B Rectifier - Positive Feedback

The Art of Vacuum Tubes: Sophia Electric 45 Mesh Plate Triodes and Aqua 274B Rectifier

positive-feedback.com

".....The Sophia Electric 45 mesh plates ($425 USD per pair) and the Sophia Electric Aqua 274B rectifier ($170 USD each), outperformed the more costly Emission Labs 45 mesh plates ($600 USD per pair) and the Psvane Acme 274B rectifier ($290 USD each) in my listening sessions, making them a very good value....".

Sophia Electric EL34-ST tubes

Sophia Electric EL34-ST tubes

positive-feedback.com

I use the blue Sophia 274B in my Modwright PS 9.0 power supply where it is unmatched by anything else I've tried except an NOS 1950's GEC/Marconi/Osram U52.

Great article and appreciate your insight. I just got off the phone with Sophia and they provided me with more information to make my decision. They said either will work in the Horizon. The Mesh plate will provide more detail and the Aqua more natural sounding.

 

[Alex Sound Technology]

Hi All,

To all those interested in Takatsuki tubes (TA-300B and TA-274B) I want to say that now they are always available from us, an authorized Takatsuki distributor in US.

Price and contacts are always on our website:
https://alexsoundtech.com/takatsuki/products

Anyone who comes to us from this forum will receive an additional $50 discount on a pair of 300B or 274B!

Alex.

 

[Willgolf]

An update. I purchased the Sophia Electric Aqua 274B tube with the intent of trying it in my Lampi Horizon whenever I get it. I tried it this week in my Pacific ilo of the RK 5U4G. Well, I can say that this simple $199 tube definitely improved my overall SQ. It will be interesting to see what happens when I install it in the Horizon. I still could buy the take 274B down the road but for now I am very happy with the Sophia Aqua.

 

[Sampajanna]

The 596 ”Freddy” with Woo adapter is reeeaal nice!

 

[christoph]

The 596 ”Freddy” with Woo adapter is reeeaal nice!

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