Audion Silver Night 300B

[Frankyc2003]

Good evening all,

I recently acquired a vintage Audion Silver Night 300B single ended power amplifier.
Being from 1996 or thereabouts, the unit has the old style design and fascia and was manufactured in the UK, not in France as they are nowadays as I believe the ownership of Audion has changed hands circa 2002...
It has some lovely looking wood cheeks and a brass top plate. I personally think it looks quite gorgeous although the 300B don't glow as impressively as the mighty 845!...

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/zz275/frankyc2003/8ab2ed8f-148f-41c4-bd6e-b26c7520128e_zps63058e96.jpg (http://s835.photobucket.com/user/frankyc2003/media/8ab2ed8f-148f-41c4-bd6e-b26c7520128e_zps63058e96.jpg.html)

But how did it sound?
Well, at first switch on, a problem became very quickly apparent.
A nasty crackling noise was heard coming out of all speakers, regardless of volume... ouch!

After a quick inspection, the culprit was found. A couple of resistors in the PSU were on their way out.

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/zz275/frankyc2003/88708150-6b78-4a12-a92e-3999234352a6_zpsbe2bc017.jpg (http://s835.photobucket.com/user/frankyc2003/media/88708150-6b78-4a12-a92e-3999234352a6_zpsbe2bc017.jpg.html)

Not to worry, a quick phone call to Peter at Deco Audio in Aylesbury, and the poor thing was on it's way to a proper fix.
Speedy recovery, and today, I took the amplifier back home with a brand new couple of resistors. Great service form the James and Peter, big thumbs up! In case anyone needs their equipment fixed around West London. I highly recommend them.

So, it was high time to see what the deal was about 300B valves. I have lived very happily with an integrated 845 Single Ended for nearly 3 years now. And I have never looked back in the world of Solid state. Apart maybe from Rob's (Puffin from this parish) rather quite special Nelson Pass First Watt DIY power amplifier (if I remember correctly).

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/zz275/frankyc2003/ced83309-7950-4e4f-af47-e0ef139b934e_zps21b794c8.jpg (http://s835.photobucket.com/user/frankyc2003/media/ced83309-7950-4e4f-af47-e0ef139b934e_zps21b794c8.jpg.html)

I have a new set of Golden Lion 300B in place, and after a proper warming up, It's time to start listening.
Here I have to make a confession because when I picked up the Silver Night, was very surprised at the lightness of the unit. And we all know that good output transformers play a critical role in the sound quality of an amplifier. I was worried. The whole thing felt too flimsy. In comparison the 845 is a nearly 40 kilos affair... Ouch!:stalks:

Well, I couldn't be more happily surprised once the music starting coming out of the speakers. At 8 o'clock on the volume, the bass was floor shaking like I have never hard before. The instruments were floating in a eerie way between and above the speakers. Voices had a presence and a realism that the 845 was very rarely providing. I understand that the fact that there is no Preamplification circuit in between source and output does contribute to the immediacy and naturalness of the sound. But again, I am not an expert...;)

All in all, I am very happy, and it proves one thing, that the simplicity and quality of a circuit design is really to key to great sound quality. It looks like the Audion will be a keeper!

Onto more music!;)

[Ninanina]

Yes Francois I think the 300b does have a certain 'something', their mid-range is a thing of beauty and your Fostex 206's are probably absolutely perfect for them too...

I've had 300b amps in my possession and loved them and I also had a pair of 6' voigt pipes (homemade) with Fostex 206's as well

Ultimately I sent the 300b Meishu back to Audio Note as I 'just' preferred the Oto (using EL84's drivers) to be a bit better balanced across the whole range.. don't get me wrong I miss the 300b's for a 'certain' sound but I found I couldn't pass up the Oto

Have fun... I know you will :D:D

[walpurgis]

2A3 amps also tend to sound superb (I've actually preferred them to the 300B amps I've heard).

The 6V6 sounds lovely too. I've got 6V6 and EL34 amps and both sound gorgeous (as well as my Class A solid state).

[Ninanina]

2A3 amps also tend to sound superb (I've actually preferred them to the 300B amps I've heard).

The 6V6 sounds lovely too. I've got 6V6 and EL34 amps and both sound gorgeous (as well as my Class A solid state).

The 2A3 is the one valve that I'd like hear at some point, I believe it isn't quite so 'rose-tinted' as a 300b can be, is that right ? Geoff you obviously have far too many amps.. :doh:

I ONLY have one amp these days... :(

[walpurgis]

The 2A3 is the one valve that I'd like hear at some point, I believe it isn't quite so 'rose-tinted' as a 300b can be, is that right ?

Hard to say really Bev. Not all 300B amps are 'soft and sweet' as is popularly perceived. My 6V6 amp is 'rosier' sounding than any other amp I've ever heard. Not necessarily accurate, but it sounds gorgeous (even if does have only 4 watts per channel).

[YNWaN]

The Audion Silver Night is a terrific sounding amp - but they do have a reputation for stressing their internal components.

[Ninanina]

By the way Francois I happen to think that 'Max Headroom' was one of the funniest things I've ever seen on tv... loved him to b..b..be.. bits ! :D

[southall-1998]

I'm not ashamed to say this. But I do love tube amps, that has a soft, smooth and rounded sound.

S.

[Frankyc2003]

Yes Francois I think the 300b does have a certain 'something', their mid-range is a thing of beauty and your Fostex 206's are probably absolutely perfect for them too...

I've had 300b amps in my possession and loved them and I also had a pair of 6' voigt pipes (homemade) with Fostex 206's as well

Ultimately I sent the 300b Meishu back to Audio Note as I 'just' preferred the Oto (using EL84's drivers) to be a bit better balanced across the whole range.. don't get me wrong I miss the 300b's for a 'certain' sound but I found I couldn't pass up the Oto

Have fun... I know you will :D:D

Thanks Nina! its funny you mention the Meishu because I have been in touch with Audio Note regarding cartridges and tonearms, and they asked me about the rest of the system. When I said I was using a Silver Night, they actually very kindly offer to demo the Meishu in my system. What superb customer service! Quite rare in those days.
More to the point, I do completely see your point between EL84 and 300B, a while ago I had one of those early Icon Audio 40 driving some Triangle Antals, and that was Fun! It did things that the 845 never succeeded at achieving, like solid bass...
The funny thing with valves is that I have never found them too soft or woolly, quite the opposite. They are dynamic, vivid without ever becoming fatiguing. They seem to do it right for my old ears! But it obviously depends so much on personal taste.
For me jumping from SS amps to valve was a turning point. I never looked back!

[Frankyc2003]

The Audion Silver Night is a terrific sounding amp - but they do have a reputation for stressing their internal components.

Well, yes quite right. This guy did burn 2 resistors in the course of 18 years career. I wonder if there is anything that could be done to remedy this?
Is is the design? or the original choice of components?

[Puffin]

Hi Franky, good to hear that the Fostex are still doing sterling service in your system......Sterling......did you see what I did there......Audion.......Sterling......yea.....ok:D

I did indeed have a very nice Pass F1 which I sold after the Fostex went as it only really worked with high efficiency full rangers, it having been developed to drive lowthers etc.

[Frankyc2003]

Hi Franky, good to hear that the Fostex are still doing sterling service in your system......Sterling......did you see what I did there......Audion.......Sterling......yea.....ok:D

I did indeed have a very nice Pass F1 which I sold after the Fostex went as it only really worked with high efficiency full rangers, it having been developed to drive lowthers etc.

Hi Rob, Aha! Yes Sterling! The guy I bought the Silver Night from is a 92 years old audiophile. He had a Silver Night and a Sterling. He kept the Sterling because it is more efficient.
Your Pass amplifier was lovely I remember. So crisp and clean.
Was it a hard build?

[YNWaN]

Well, yes quite right. This guy did burn 2 resistors in the course of 18 years career. I wonder if there is anything that could be done to remedy this?
Is is the design? or the original choice of components?

In your case two resistors isn't much but I have heard a number of stories of Silver Nights going pop and have been told that this is because some of the components are run rather near the edge of their operating envelope. One thing I would check is that those overheating resistors haven't cooked any other components that were close to them (like that yellow capacitor in your picture).

[Ali Tait]

Surprised that you'd find a 300b amp with better bass than an 845.I used to have a Mr Liang 845, and the bass was one of the best things about it. Better ouput transformers required perhaps.

[Haselsh1]

I had an Audion 300B SEL back in 1997 whilst they were still being built in Brighton and was using it with a pair of Klipsch KG3.5's. The sound on Eddie Reader's song 'Dear John' was truly awesome with the vocals being the best I have ever heard to date. Even now, so many years later, I have not moved forward from that sound. The midrange was just so open and natural, it was literally the best I have ever heard. OK, so the treble and the bass were not up to the same standard but back then I didn't care. I would dearly love such an amplifier again but I very much doubt that 8 Watts are enough.

[Haselsh1]

Reading further into this thread I see that the Sterling ETSE gets a mention too. I had one of those around 2003 and would certainly have kept it were it not for my speakers which were really not getting the best out of it. Once again, the midrange was to die for. Acoustic Alchemy sounded so wonderful using this amplifier. So it wasn't quite as soft as the 300B however the midrange and vocals were stunning and very typical of an EL34 amplifier run in single ended mode and triode configuration. Truly lovely device.

[Puffin]

Hi Rob, Aha! Yes Sterling! The guy I bought the Silver Night from is a 92 years old audiophile. He had a Silver Night and a Sterling. He kept the Sterling because it is more efficient.
Your Pass amplifier was lovely I remember. So crisp and clean.
Was it a hard build?

No it was a very simple build which is why it appealed to me.....being....well..... Simple!

I had a very helpful chap on here who lived fairly near who was building an F5 and he sourced all the top notch components for the build (Dale resistors, M Cap caps, Panasonics for the power supply etc etc) The boards (the cheapest part of the build by far!) were sourced from Peter Daniels on Diyaudio. The massive transformer was from Canterbury Windings.

I bought some F4 boards at the same time (which is not really an amplifier at all) which I keep meaning to get around to building sometime. They are supposed to be very valve like.

[walpurgis]

For me jumping from SS amps to valve was a turning point. I never looked back!

I've done the opposite. Going from exclusively using valves for many years, back to mainly using Class A solid state (though I still own valve amps). I've experienced no deterioration in sound. Far from it.

[Frankyc2003]

Surprised that you'd find a 300b amp with better bass than an 845.I used to have a Mr Liang 845, and the bass was one of the best things about it. Better ouput transformers required perhaps.

yes very surprising indeed. your mr liang is probably very similar to my yarland. another case of synergy?

[Ali Tait]

The Liang was a bit different to the norm, the transformers being wound in-house. Weighed over 50 kilos!

I had the opportunity to try a pair of James and a pair of AE output transformers against the stock trannies, was very little in it. The AE's were slightly better, but only slightly. The James were not really any better from memory. Which made the stock trannies rather good IMHO.

Walked all over 4k's worth of Unison Research 845 amp at an Owston.

[Frankyc2003]

I've done the opposite. Going from exclusively using valves for many years, back to mainly using Class A solid state (though I still own valve amps). I've experienced no deterioration in sound. Far from it.

you see, I am now almost tempted to try building some Class A solid state amplifier as discussed with Rob above...
This hobby is a disease, i am telling you!;);):scratch::eyebrows:

[Ali Tait]

Having a go myself, with these boards from ebay-

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/371161583932?_trksid=p2059210.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT