JE Labs 300B classic
Monoblocks
9
watts per block
JE Labs 300B Classic Schematic
1x 300B, 1x 6SN7, and WZ34 SS Rectifer
50W James OPTs
Built for Steve Chu
This is one project that I 'd dare
not undertake for myself unless someone else funded for it. Steve is a professional cabinet maker, so he had all the tools
in the world to make those chasses. So he did. In fact, he had a lot to do with how the layout was thought out. He cared a
great deal about the looks of these amps. As for me, I like to keep things simple and focus more on what's most important
- the sound.


I got a plenty of workout flipping and moving these monoblocks around. They each weigh around 40 lbs, thanks to those irons.
Each iron weighed aroud 12 or more lbs each, and there are three on each block. Those chasses are pretty big and heavy. I
took pictures of these blocks next to a Dynaco MKIII. They make the MKIII look so tiny in comparison.


Wiring was quite simple with everything big mounted on top. The majority of time for this project was spent on communicating
with Steve as to how he wanted the amps looked. They look great, but how did they sound? Pretty good overall, but not great.
I just felt like the amps had way too much bass and felt a little slow and lacking in detail. They sounded awesome with music
that had strings and solo voice, but didn't peform so hot when it came to handling more complex music. All in all they
are ok sounding amps, but one could do heaps better with all that $$$$ pumped into the project. In fact, if I were to build
a pair for myself I'd use the JEL 300B deluxe version. Live and learn!