[nfandi]

Feliks Audio obviously ordered Tubes in a quantity that's enough for All AE Envys and some supply for later warranty cases.

I wouldn't be worried here for years to come.
And of the Feliks branded tubes are gone at some point after warranty, you can still order regular ER300B. They sound the same only the Logo is different and turned 90 degrees

I was only thinking that if ever I have to sell the sell the Envy AE or my better half does once I’ve permanently departed this existence what difference it would make to a potential buyer if the 25th Anniversary Envy was not equipped with Feliks branded tubes i.e. it is no longer correct to the AE specification.

 

[ThanatosVI]

I was only thinking that if ever I have to sell the sell the Envy AE or my better half does once I’ve permanently departed this existence what difference it would make to a potential buyer if the 25th Anniversary Envy was not equipped with Feliks branded tubes i.e. it is no longer correct to the AE specification.

I'd say new Elrog ER300B with Elrog logo can't be worse for the resale value than used ER300B with Feliks branding.

On the other hand there are 25 of us, maybe the Feliks branded ER300B stock will outlast us all...

 

[ThanatosVI]

Feliks branded? What does that mean, are you not able to put any 300b tube in an envy? 0_o

Don't worry you are able to use every regular 300B tube in the Envy.

Feliks branded means only that the Elrog ER300B tubes for the 25th Anniversary Edition Envy, have the print changed to show the Feliks Audio brand Name on it instead of the regular Elrog Logo.
It's also changed by 90degrees so that the print shows towards the front, since the Envy for some reason had its sockets turned sideways

 

[nwavesailor]

Yes, the TM are expensive, but enough of a step up in SQ for me to sell the MO and never regret the decision.

 

[trollbearpig]

Yes, the TM are expensive, but enough of a step up in SQ for me to sell the MO and never regret the decision.

13 months later: “I regret this decision”

Unless your comfortable floating that money every 12 months it doesn't make sense as a purchase. Not only is it as expensive as a TOTL amp but its lifetime is a fraction of the amp as well. If they came with a 5 year warranty thats another discussion, but they don’t and thats because of the high failure rate.

Imo we should not be rewarding these tube manufacturers with our hard earned dollars unless they have appropriate warranties attached. This will force them to focus on build quality as well as sonic qualities.

 

[105tc]

I come with excellent news guys.

Thomas Mayer finished his new tube production for the Munich High End and next up are the production runs for the 300B Variants, starting with TM-300B !

He accepts direct orders for the TM-300B in April and will only produce as much as ordered, plus a little for potential warranty cases.
Price within EU is 4000,- € for the matched pair including shipping and VAT.
Price international is 3500,- € excl. VAT but including insured shipping. Declared price will be the true value so consider TAX/Customs on top.

Since he made bad experience with waiting lists this time around he only accepts orders with payments up front.

Design has been slightly altered and they are now named Thomas Mayer TM-300B instead of ELROG TM-300B.

I asked him him wether it's possible to turn the print 90 degrees for Envy users and will report back with the answer.
Update: It is not possible to turn the print unless ordering a huge amount of tubes, he didn't mention an exact quantity but it apparent that he meant full production runs like the Feliks Audio branded ones.

Sidenote: It might potentially be the last TM-300B run depending on how his new tubes will be received. TMs have always been meant for his own amplifiers and if customers of those prefer the new custom tubes then there might be no need for TM-300B anymore.

After TM-300B will come a ER300B production run followed by ER300B-MO.

Orders can be placed via: info@elrog.com

Thanks. I have just placed my order.

If/when I upgrade my envy - I will have the right tubes already .

I totally get peoples views of tube cost vs amp cost. So, defo not an easy decision. I assume the next decent level up from the Envy is likely to be £25k plus in cost?

Hopefully if I do decide to sell them on -mat some point - they will retain most of their value.

Of course a 5yr warranty would be much appreciated, but I assume Thomas would stand behind the tubes and look after his customers?

Anyway lots of man maths - now wait for the tubes to arrive and ignore their cost.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Of course a 5yr warranty would be much appreciated, but I assume Thomas would stand behind the tubes and look after his customers?

For use in 3rd Party amplifiers he grants 1 year warranty. Anything beyond that is not guaranteed.

In is own amplifiers he might give 5 years of warranty. At least for his new tube type "The One" he does. However that type is only sold for his amps and there he can control the specs, how hard the tubes are run even during startup etc.

Some manufacturers drive tubes really hard, like Woo Audio, which severely lowers tube lifespan. And since he can't control that he only offers 1 year of warranty. (And in case of use in the Wa33 there will be no warranty at all, the startup in that amp fries the tubes)

 

[105tc]

For use in 3rd Party amplifiers he grants 1 year warranty. Anything beyond that is not guaranteed.

In is own amplifiers he might give 5 years of warranty. At least for his new tube type "The One" he does. However that type is only sold for his amps and there he can control the specs, how hard the tubes are run even during startup etc.

Some manufacturers drive tubes really hard, like Woo Audio, which severely lowers tube lifespan. And since he can't control that he only offers 1 year of warranty. (And in case of use in the Wa33 there will be no warranty at all, the startup in that amp fries the tubes)

Thank you this info

 

[mfgillia]

13 months later: “I regret this decision”

Unless your comfortable floating that money every 12 months it doesn't make sense as a purchase. Not only is it as expensive as a TOTL amp but its lifetime is a fraction of the amp as well. If they came with a 5 year warranty thats another discussion, but they don’t and thats because of the high failure rate.

Imo we should not be rewarding these tube manufacturers with our hard earned dollars unless they have appropriate warranties attached. This will force them to focus on build quality as well as sonic qualities.

For me it was 15 months post-purchase when my Elrog's died a premature death. In hindsight, I wished I more fully appreciated companies like EML and WE that truly stand behind their products with five year warranties. Oh well, live and learn...

 

[ThanatosVI]

For me it was 15 months post-purchase when my Elrog's died a premature death. In hindsight, I wished I more fully appreciated companies like EML and WE that truly stand behind their products with five year warranties. Oh well, live and learn...

Well the 5 year warranties for those aren't as reliable as most users would expect them to be.

Lots of horror stories for both, regarding how they uphold their warranty

 

[Leto Dal]

As long as WE accepts your 5 year registration I havent heard of them declining your warranty claim.

1 year of Elrog warranty is not something that speaks of confindence in the product by the company. I am usually using my amp around 5- 10 hours a day - personally I am not feeling good about going for a 1.5k + tube knowing I might need to rebuy it after a year of use.

 

[mfgillia]

Well the 5 year warranties for those aren't as reliable as most users would expect them to be.

Lots of horror stories for both, regarding how they uphold their warranty

Actually, I've heard pretty good things lately from both of those two companies honoring their warranties. Had heard WE had some issues early on but apparently they have put in considerable effort to significantly improve their customer service over time.

Regardless, it's clearly better than Elrog's one year warranty with an increasing number of their products dying soon after the one year mark.

 

[dynamic headphones]

For use in 3rd Party amplifiers he grants 1 year warranty. Anything beyond that is not guaranteed.

In is own amplifiers he might give 5 years of warranty. At least for his new tube type "The One" he does. However that type is only sold for his amps and there he can control the specs, how hard the tubes are run even during startup etc.

Some manufacturers drive tubes really hard, like Woo Audio, which severely lowers tube lifespan. And since he can't control that he only offers 1 year of warranty. (And in case of use in the Wa33 there will be no warranty at all, the startup in that amp fries the tubes)

so what you're saying is you could buy tubes from elrog for your wa33, and if it dies within a year you have no chance of a warranty claim? i don't think this rule is stated on the elrog site so i'd be interested to know more about how this works.

 

[RONJA MESCO]

Is there a chase going on already? I guess no one has hunted down one of those...

what is this beauty right here?? Wowza!

 

[105tc]

Well the 5 year warranties for those aren't as reliable as most users would expect them to be.

Lots of horror stories for both, regarding how they uphold their warranty

Oh gosh … sounds a mare…