Upgraded! Willsenton R8 Amplifier Review
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- Опубликовано: 31 июл 2024
- I explore tube upgrades with the Willsenston R8. Could this be the best amplifier on the market for under £2,000?
Link to my Patreon
/ abritishaudiophile
Link to global distributor, China Hifi webpage
www.china-hifi-audio.com/en/w...
Time stamps
Intro 0:00
Tube upgrade options 1:08
Technical insights 2:30
Careful but not fearful 3:58
Sound quality 4:46
Conclusion 12:23
Thank you for the great review. I've had my Willsenton R8 for about nine months now and I love it. I am very much looking forward to trying out some new tubes soon and this review and the helpful comments of your subscribers are a great source on information.
Many thanks and hello from Mobile, Alabama USA.
Thank you Ben 👍😊👍
Very interesting findings for everyone interesting in the R8 especially those who prefer and are looking for a more overall balanced more neutral sounding amp to pair with their system. Thanks and well done! 🤩. Great to hear that you and the family have recovered nicely👍🏻
Thank you Zack. That is very kind and much appreciated 👍😊👍
Happy New Year to You and your successfully recovered family as well.
Nicely done again Tarun...never the less serious dificulties with recent covid illness.
My personal experience with the tube rolling is that influence in the pre amp. stage is more significant than in the output stage.
Wishing You all full recovery.
Best regards !
@@hrvojekant9415 thank you my friend. Much appreciated 😊👍👍
I’ve got the same tubes on my R8 but I also changed 6sl7 with a pair of vintage Melz tubes, and that made a dramatic change in clarity and instrument separation!! I also got a set of Tung Sol el34b for the power section and while they don’t have the same bass weight, dynamic and top sparkle compared to the psvane kt88 Tii, they put voices right where they need to be!!
R8 really is an incredible amp for the money!!
Very interesting. Thank you for sharing 😊👍
Great review. I had seen many review on R8 but yours is the first one to cover the upgrades which is what I would be interested in.
Thank you L Lee. I appreciate you watching 😊👍
Terrific review--yet again. When I bought my Rogue Audio Sphinx V.3, the dealer made it clear that at some stage I would have to replace the four tubes that drive the output. Your review has taken a good deal of the potential anxiety out of the prospect of ordering new tubes, opening the chassis, rolling the new valves in. Thank you.
PS: I love the Sphinx. So much more musical information gets transferred to my loudspeakers without hype.
Thank you Mike. Very much appreciated. Great to learn about your experiences 👍😊👍
Glad to hear you’re all much better. Very interesting review.
Thank you 😊
WOW! I do not think anyone else does as fine of a job reviewing gear,....very thorough. It is so very refreshing to NOT hear the same 6 -10 core words used over and over to describe sound and performance.
Thank you my friend. That is very kind 👍😊👍
Happy New Year Tarun! Glad to hear you and your family are doing better. Excited for all the content to come this year!🙌🏾
Thank you my friend. Much appreciated 👍😊👍
I had a lot of fun tube rolling on a budget with a Little Dot mk 3 head phone amplifier and my DT1990's. Very satisfying experience switching out the tubes and hearing the effect on the sound; shifting between warmer and more neutral tones and accentuating different aspects of the music. I highly recommend it for anyone nervous about tube amps/tube rolling to see how rewarding it can be to tailor your hardware to your listening preference.
Thank you for sharing your experiences Ted 😊
Many thanks for the great review of your upgrades to the R8 - always good to hear the detail behind your choices. I ended up purchasing an R8 with the 3 x PS-Vane upgraded preamp valves. It sounded ace with the KT88 power tube set it came with. I then replaced the remaining 2 6SL7 with 6SL7GT-SYLVANIA CHS (Sylvania)s. That was a great match and set the amp off well. After a couple of tube rolls with EL-34s and KT88 types - I ended up settling on 4 x KT77 Genalex Gold Lions. That, for me at least ,gave the best of both worlds when it came to the KT88 and EL34s strengths and weaknesses.
Thank you for sharing your experiences 😊👍
I have to confess that I’m ancient enough to recall hearing tube based amps in client listening rooms in audio recording and mastering facilities in the late 70’s and early 80’s, and I can very clearly recall a mate’s audiophile dad who had big electrostatic speakers and a Macintosh valve Pre and power amp set up, the memory of which has stayed with me for 40 years as a gold standard for what no expense spared can get to. In all honesty, with next to no serious hearing left in my right ear, I’m spared the rabbit hole of ever trying to replicate that experience, but it still makes me smile when I think of those afternoons in a corbu C1 chair, with imported Deutsche Gramophon pressings and a turntable requiring a pilot’s license to operate. Ahhh! Oh, and before I forget, I’m very, very glad to hear that you and yours have recovered so well from the ‘Rona, as my American daughter refers to it. It’s a bugger of a thing, so I hope you’re all exempted from any of the longer elements, too. Wishing you and your family all the best of things for ‘22 and beyond.
Thank you for the well wishes Luke. I really enjoyed learning about your experiences 👍😊👍
Happy New Year and welcome back. I hope every one over there is feeling better, I enjoyed your review and am looking forward to your next one.
Thank you Sean. Much appreciated. Happy new year to you too 👍😊👍
Great review. I've had this amp for over a year and still love hearing it everyday. The variety of tubes that it allows is ridiculously fun (and expensive). Changing out the 6SL7's makes the biggest change in sound. Also, this amp in el34 needs to be run in a high bias, much higher than the the little meter suggests. 6550's are ok right around the high end of the meter. Lots of threads on the internet on the bias being a little off. I recommend Melz 6SL7's, Tung Sol 6SU7GTY, and RCA VT 229 grey glass. Tube AMP Doctor (TAD) 6550's sound fantastic as do NOS Svetlana Winged C 6550c. The best sounding 6SN7's are really any NOS American or Russian or high end Psvane tubes.
That is very interesting. Thank you for sharing your experiences Shawn 😊👍
I have put the in Tungsram GT 6sl7 ,Psvayne 6sn7- those that have the round tennis ball looking shape and E.H. 6ca7s in place of the KT88s. Not even broke in, but the sound is detailed and balanced with Klipsch RP-8000f speakers. Tubes get costly. The KT 88 seems to have more control at high volume levels. I've got more rolling to do
I really like your reviews. I think it's because you provide a lot of good information in a straightforward and relatable way. I can't afford any of the gear you're reviewing and even if I could, living in a flat with thin walls and next to a busy road means I'd rarely get the chance to appreciate it. All that aside there's a lot to learn in hi-fi and I keep telling myself one day...
Thank you Ian. There is some fabulous hifi that is more accessible these days. Check out my review of the Cambridge Audio AXA35. Pair that with something like the Acoustic Energy AE100 mk2 speakers and an iFi Zen Dac and you have a great system that will play extremely well at low to mid volumes 😊👍
Link attached ruclips.net/video/milPXGgpoJ4/видео.html
Thanks for another great review Taron, Happy New Year and good to hear you are back on top form.
Thank you Rob. Much appreciated. Happy new year to you too 👍😊👍
Happy New Year Tarun, and thanks for the update on R8 , very explanatory as always. I am glad to hear that you and your family are fine.
Thank you Cesar. Much appreciated 😊👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314 My pleasure Tarun
Glad you got over Covid without drama. Also good to see your chat with Randy! I have a pair of ProAc Tablette 10's coming soon for my bedroom system - if you fancy a listen or review, I'll let you borrow them 🙂
Thank you Billy. That is very kind. I am always bit reluctant to review gear from viewers. Courier companies don’t always treat them with respect and I have to regularly move equipment around. Even though I am very careful, there is always the Rick of something getting damaged. I very much appreciate the offer though. I may just borrow one from a dealer 😊👍
Great video. I Enjoy the flow and depth of info. Thank you
Thank you. Much appreciated 😊👍
I find that each time I've come to the end of one of Tarun's reviews I think "now that's how a review should be done". Whether I agree or not doesn't matter, although I typically do. This one is an excellent example of that. It goes right to the point without wasting time. As regards tube rolling, I've done it many times. What I've discovered for myself is that changing tubes out of nothing more than curiosity is a black hole. It can be expensive and not particularly helpful. I've a box full of tubes that's a testament to that approach. Rather, I think that having a specific sense of what I'm trying to accomplish works better. Knowing what I want to change and having a clear sense of what that change should sound like helps me to clear the fog. Tarun, thanks for another brilliant review.
Thank you Gary. I appreciate your support. Great to learn about your experiences 👍😊👍
The latest review on the Triangle 40th Anniversary speakers had me thinking the same thing Gary. I'm not in the market for new speakers but I was drawn into the review as it was so well constructed.
@@paultaylor2388 thank you Paul. That is very kind 👍😊👍
For the budget of 1600 pounds , that’s the price of the R800i 48W class A in China. That wld be my next upgrade in March. It’s a great time for chi fi with great companies like Denafrips , Willsenton , SMSL, Matrix Audio , Hifiman , Kinki Studio, Doge , PSVane etc producing audiophile gear at very affordable prices which 10 years ago was non existent. Great review , looking forward to more insightful reviews.
Thank you for watching and sharing Robert 😊👍
thank you for taking the time to do ths!! and happy new year :)
You are most welcome. Happy new year to you too 😊👍
Happy 2022 to you too!
…and to you too 👍😊👍
I've rolled pre and power tubes on three different integrated tube amps and have found that upgrading the tubes in the line stage w/ tubes purchased from reputable sources have had as much of an effect as upgrading the power tubes. The most consistent effect of upgrading the tubes in the line stage is a reduction in grain/harshness leading to a smoother, less fatiguing experience without suffering a drop in detail, as well as improvements to detail retrieval and separation within the soundstage. Upgrades to the power tubes have consistently resulted in tighter, more articulate bass and more compelling dynamics. As you indicated in your video and my personal experience has confirmed the tube type changes the tonal characteristics more than rolling the same type of tube. An EL34 and a KT70 are going to sound more different than a better EL34 compared to a lesser EL34 etc. at least in my experience.
Very interesting. Thank you for watching and sharing your experiences Caleb 😊👍
power tubes makes the least impact
glad you and the family are on the mend Tarun .never owned a valve product but very interesting video as always .very best .🙂🙂🙂
Thank you Archie. Very much appreciated 👍😊👍
I did similar upgrades with psvane tubes, but I also changed 2 remaining willsenton tubes to tungsols, running with denafrips ares 2 and bluesound node 2, and old Zu Essence mk1 speakers. The sound has opened up so much that now I am selling my Zu speakers and looking for something more refined, since the rest of the chain can pull it off. Very much fun indeed.
Great. Thank you for sharing 😊👍
Happy New Year Tarun. Great video. Glad to see you are getting over the covid.
I have been a tube enthusiast for nearly 25 years and happy to add my own observations. As an aside, when it comes to power amplifiers, the greatest upgrades are to be made by those of us wielding soldering irons. The general consensus in the self-build tube community is that half the sound of your power amplifiers is dictated by the output transformers. Having spent the recent Christmas break replacing my output transformers with Lundahl amorphous metal C-cored types, I wholeheartedly concur.
For the rest, its down to tube-rolling. I confess I have never indulged in the ultra-exotic four-figure tube types. I have tried types up to five times the price of the original equipment ones though. In my view, this topic is a classic case of the HiFi law of diminishing returns. My sweet spot is in the 2-3 times the price of the OE tubes. Even within that budget, always do your research first, particularly failure rates (read the forums, not the manufacturer's data). I myself have been "bitten" by costly tubes which sound great but fail after a few months.
Finally, always remember that tubes are *consumable* items. Power tubes seem to have the shortest life span, particularly directly heated triodes (e.g. 1-2 years for a set of 300Bs). Pre-amp and driver tubes can easily manage 5 years. Even decent quality tubes gradually age and change with use though. Those with deep enough pockets for the high quality types seldom experience outright failures but will tell you that re-tubing every few years yields a noticeable improvement in sound quality. Te re-iterate the experience of others, adjustable bias amplifiers (like the Willsenton reviewed) usually benefit from re-biasing every few months, depending on amount of use and particularly after the first few months with brand new tubes.
As ever with HiFi, your mileage may vary... 🙂
Thank you for your insights John. Much appreciated. Happy new year to you too 😊👍
As a current and happy owner of a stock R8 I was pleased to watch this video, Tarun. Thank you. Unfortunately, everything I've been seeing says that rolling the 6SL7 tubes make the most difference sonically. We R8 owners would live a follow up.
Thank you DB. I may well do that 😊👍
Glad you are feeling well now, and back with new videos. Thanks for answering the question on what you think of the current ProAc range. Hope you get the DB1 for comparison soon. On tube rolling, I have the Cayin A88T Mk2, which is a very similar design amp - does not have the tube rectifier, but has the 6SL7s pre, 6SN7 drivers and the KT88/EL34 changeable power stages. Like many others have commented, I found that the 6SL7 pre tubes make the biggest difference in the clarity and musicality of the setup. I recently put in NOS RCA 5691s in there and the difference has been amazing. The next biggest difference was the power tubes. I originally had SED Winged C KT88s that I love - very dynamic and bold. I then tried new TungSol EL34s and that totally changed the tonality of the music - a warmth and liveliness that I enjoy a lot. I can't say which one is better - both are very good and very different. It's like having 2 amps in one - just change the power tubes, and you get dramatically different performance. The driver tubes made the least difference - a bad set can make it sound grainy, but I could not discern between decent mid-range new ones and highly regarded NOS ones. Loving my amp, and given how similar the R8 and the A88 are, I think this also settles the question in my mind if I should consider your Amp of the year 🙂
Thank you AM. We are feeling much better. Very interesting to learn about your experiences with the Cayin A88T Mk2. Thank you for sharing 😊👍
Great vid even 7 months later. I received my R8 ten days ago. I finally have a power amp with 4-ohm taps to drive my 1984 KEF 104/2 floor standers. I’m using a mid-70s Luxman CL-35 MkIII preamp (six 12ax7 & one 12au7 tubes). My R8 came with the stock KT88 tubes but I ordered/received two matched sets of new Mullard EL34 tubes. I will swap power tubes in a few weeks. The price/tube was pretty reasonable. Now seven months later, tube prices have gone through the roof, so I plan to take my time tube rolling. I love the sound of the R8 over my SS power amps. VPI Scout TT, Bluesound Node 2021, Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ and a Audiolab 6000cdt CD transport.
That is great. Thank you for sharing Virgil 😊
Good to have you back Tarun… I’m thinking of pairing a tube pre-amp, perhaps from Icon Audio with a solid state power amp. Any views gratefully received. Many thanks.
Thank you Dean. The integration between tube pre and solid state power can be tricky? Impedance and gain matching for starters. I would get a good dealer to advise 😊👍
Glad to hear that you and your family are well now. Take care. I am now listening to the music and not the system - bless you and the 2510! I’ve been hesitant about tubes generally and now have no reason to try and overcome that hesitancy. I think it started with the high price of tube amplifiers and the further cost if tubes had to be replaced. Now I think my system reveals all I’m capable of hearing so no reason to try tubes.
Thank you Jeremy. The 2510 is a fabulous amplifier 😊👍
Thank you for your diligence. Love your show. Tube rolling. I went from stock ElectroHarmonics 12AX7 to rebranded Telefunken for my Pro-ject Tube Box II turntable preamp. It was an epiphany moment. I drank the Kool-aid and it was great. I am hooked. No going back.
Thank you 😊
Thanks for sharing your experience in such a eloquent way. I have comparable experience with replacing 6N2 with 12AT7 (with socket adapter) and 5Z4 with decent 5AR4, and a cheap EL34 with golden lion KT77.
Remarkable : Changing the rectifier tube made the biggest difference.
Done on a Reisong A10 (along with other modifications)
Very interesting Ed. Thank you for sharing 😊👍
Happy new year to all. I have been watching/reading up on the VK-80i Integrated Amplifier.
Happy new year to you too 😊👍
I picked up a tube package from Valves-N-More matched for the R-8.
Front end are vintage RCA and the KT-88 replaced with Electra Harmonics 6550. Everything about the R-8 has improved. It’s amazing.
Thank you for watching and sharing your experiences Philip 😊👍
Hi Tarun Happy New Year great review glad you and your family are feeling better.
Thank you Russell. Very kind. Happy new year to you too 😊👍👍
As a happy Willsenton R8 owner this was a fun and informative watch.
Thank you Doug 😊👍
One of my favorite reviewers, I lived in Swaffham when I was stationed at Raf Lakenheath, miss the UK..
Thank you Greg. Much appreciated 😊👍
I'm down with Covid myself as I watch this. Glad you are well!
Thank you for watching. I hope you recover quickly 😊🙏
Down with the sickness
Being a Yorkshireman I'm not rushing out to swop the stock KT88's. Sounds great as it is. When I first switched mine on I wondered where all the bass had gone compared to my Rega Elex R and I really want convinced. It seemed a lightweight sound and like hearing it thro a small hole into a room. Now it's like being in the room, bass is great and it's a keeper.
Thank you Simon 😊👍
Keep on keepin' on dude.
Happy year:D
Thank you Mr. J 😊👍
Lovely review. I would like to see you do a review on the R 800i. Glad to hear you’re well and back at it.
Thank you Jack. I hope to review the R800i this year 😊👍
Great review tarun, I tube roll on my xduoo dac amp headphone amplifiers, I use Wilson valves in the UK to obtain new and vintage valves , I have definitely found a difference in sound quality replacing the stock tubes, and a great way to change the sound signature of said equipment.
Thank you for watching and sharing your experiences Paul 😊👍
When I worked as a repair tech years ago, tube rolling was something else. It was rolling the pins on a bench so the tube could never be used again. Too many techs would test a tube thinking it was good, but was actually bad and put it back in a box on the shelf. Rolling the pins made sure those fellas didn't grab it out of the garbage can to set up another tech for failure. This was with industrial test equipment, not audio tube amps. Thanks for the video
Thank you Fredrick 😊
Hi Tarun, great to see you in the new year.
I have no experience with tube amplifier and I am not consider tube amplifier for the following reasons:
1. The amplifier is too heavy usually above 25kg.
2. The amplifier is getting very hot , a potential of danger.
3. The tubes have limited life time.
4. Solid state amplifiers are more hassle free and can last for a long time.
Great to hear you and your family recover quickly. May God bless you and your family. Always looking forward to your next video.
Thank you James. We all seem to have come through with little lingering effects. You reasons are perfectly valid as to why not to consider a tube amp. I have traditionally been a solid state guy for similar reasons 👍😊👍
Tube rolling is one of the best reasons to get a tube Amp but, at the same time it is one of its downfalls as tubes can go bad a need replacement. Also, tubes can take a while to break in.
For years I only used tube amps Bob Latino ST70 "modified" later I used the Rogue Audio Atlas Magnum "also upgraded" and while I love those amps very much and couldn't let them go, I decided to give one more chance to solid state amps after owning in the past Adcom GFA 5500, Cambridge Audio 851W and a few others and gave a chance to the Yamaha A-S1200. Well that Amp impressed me very much right from the first time I powered it, and it has been my main Amp for about a year now. As of now I have a pretty good tube collection that I spent quite a bit of money on just seatting around.
Tube rolling can make a big difference and also, one thing most people don't ever mention is the biasing settings. After being a tube guy for a number of years I realized that Amp manufacturers want you to under bias the tubes so they last longer and there is less stress in the Amp "less warranty issues" but that also undermines how good the Amp can really sound. Go online and learn how to really bias a tube Amp you might be surprised how much better they can sound when properly biased.
Thank you for watching and sharing your experiences Juan 😊👍
Hello Tarun, Happy new year to you too. Tube amps are lovely and tube rolling makes much more sense than "cable rolling", so it could be actually more economic than a solid state amp for some audiophiles in that sense ;)
I am currently stuck in the 70s / 80's with my HiFi gear and I am happy with it. My first HiFi I owned was tube based an old Philips tube amp and an old Philips HiFi tuner (I have never come across any solid state tuner that sounds better than that one, great for short wave as well but I am digressing) and to top it off an old Philips speaker based on the so called poor mans Lowther, 9710 full range driver. The problem was that it was a mono set up so eventually I wanted to upgrade from that. Needless to say that it took quite some effort to get back to a comparable standard with respect to tonality. I am thinking of returning to a tube amp but if so I will build one my self.
Th am you Hugo. Great to know that the old system faired so well 😊👍
I love my R8. I use it with Azure 851n streamer , Chord Qutest dac, and Tannoy Revolution XT 8f speakers. I have not upgraded the tubes as yet because I am enjoying the sound so much. I previously used Roksan Kandy K2 integrated and power amps in bi amped mode which were also outstanding for the money but craved that tube sound. It is difficult to pick between the 2 setups as both are excellent . The R8 is incredible with the streamer giving lashings of tubey sound without loss of detail and dynamics. The kt88s are far better than I ever expected them to be. When I use my turntable, a highly modified unit with bespoke srm tech plinth, delrin platter, rega rb330 arm with origin live upgraded weight and connection rod, rega motor and power supply and audio technica MC cartridge, I think the roksans have the edge but only slightly. Upgraded tubes may change this. Overall I could not be happier with my R8 but still cannot bring myself to sell the Roksans. I am hoping that upgraded tubes will allow me to say goodbye to the solid state amps as the money will go towards the Willsenton r800i that I have be eying for some time now. Tubes are great fun for those with time on their hands and or people who love tinkering with their gear. Buy the r8 without hesitation as it is a no brainer purchase for almost any hifi enthusiast whether you have experience with tubes or not. You will not be dissapointed!
Thank you my friend. I hope to review the R800i at some point 😊👍
If you're enjoying your amp at present, don't change to Psvane ones, stick with Shuguang KT88's or their more expensive KT88-Z's Also 6550's might be for you, I've just changed from basic Shuguang KT88's which came with the amp for Sovtek 6550WE's and loving them after only 10hrs, nearly went for the Tung-Sol 6550's but I got a great price on the Sovteks They give a bigger, fuller sound than the stock tubes which could just sound a little hard at the top end.
@@davidnewboult6887 kt88-z?
That is a discontinued one.
The kt88-t is the replacement one and a better tube.
Happy New Year Tarun. Glad the COVID didn’t bite. Another great explanation. Cheers
Thank you my friend. Much appreciated 👍😊👍
Great review. I had some tube amplifiers over the years from PP integrated to small single ended and big monoblocks. Got tired of expensive tube rolling and have only kept a small Elekit-tu-8200r. My experience with octal preamp tubes is very limited but i have found that both pre/power tubes make a difference in sound. I had good luck with KT90 that i preferred over KT88 but that was a time before premium Psvane tubes came in to the market. I would still give them a try with this amp but perhaps with a higher bias than KT88.
Thank you for sharing buddy 😊👍
Glad to hear you and family are recovering from 'that virus', Tarun. It was worth watching the video just to hear how one British audiophile pronounces "pee, ess, vain". I used to call it "Swain", but I know better now.
As for tube rolling experience, I regularly switch between several makes of vintage 6DJ8 tubes in the hybrid amplifier I use and, yes, there are noticeable differences, though nothing earth shaking.
Thank you Tim. We are all feeling much better. I wouldn’t rely on my pronunciation 😂👍
First, happy to hear that you (and presumably your family) have recovered from your COVID 19.
It's interesting listening to you talk about the differences between tubes and comparing that to IMO the modern digital equivalent of choosing different eq options on the amplifier, such as the EQ options available on my SMSL VMV A2 that I own. In my case, I was initially drawn to the SMSL's SBD option, but then realized that although initially I thought it was modifying the treble in a positive "more in your face" sort of presentation, I don't really like what it is doing. OTOH, I chose "Super Bass" and that really works well with my original B&W 805s which need a little help with the bass but nothing more. It's nice to have options. In my case they don't cost more money though, just a selection on the remote...
And yes I know my comments are digital vs. analog, let's not get into that debate, I like both...
Th am you my friend. We are all feeling better. Thank you for sharing your experiences. I like both too 😊👍
Nice re review, as you have found out the type and make of tubes you roll do make a difference on the sound quality.
I use SED C wing Svetlana KT88 and EL34, and swap over for various listening sessions. 34's are great for Jazz and acoustic music. 88's superb on blues, electronic and rock music.
Tung sol 6SN7 and RCA 6SL7 are the best I have got to in the pre amp section they work together extremely well. Yes, totally agree the Willsenton R8 is a superb tube amp .
Thank you Phil 😊👍
I have done a heap of tube rolling with this amp ,what i have been running for the last 6 months is NOS Mullard EL34 XF1 dual getters ,NOS Melz 6SL7 metal base and NOS Sylvamia JAN-CHS-6SN7GT and the sound is very good to me .
Thank you for watching and sharing your experiences Mark 😊👍
happy new yr brother , sorry bout that stupid covid glad u good !!!
Thank you my friend. Happy new year to you too 😊👍
Hi Tarun,
Glad you're feeling better.
UPS delivered my R8 today. Spent all evening listening to my first tube amplifier, very impressed. Like you, have been living with a solid state amplifier for the last 12 months (Musical Fidelity M5si) and the hype surrounding this Willsenton is justified. Musical Fidelity brand is known for delivering a muscular, dynamic sound and the R8 is its Equal for a third of the price. Only using stock tubes for the moment, what a bargain this £600 amplifier is, truly remarkable for the price. Nearly £1200 cheaper than the M5si and misses nothing in performance. Bought some Sylvania 6SL7GT / 6SN7GTB (NOS) and Svetlana winged-c 6550c tubes couple of days ago, ready to replace Willsenton stock tubes.
Thank you Geoff. I expect you are going to have a lot of fun tube rolling with the R8 and discovering more performance 😊👍
Happy new year Tarun.
Another very interesting video. I have no experience of tube amplifiers, which is a good thing for me, as I would worry about tube life and is the bias correct. I would much prefer plug-in and play.
I found the comparison between the amplifiers very interesting.
KEEP UP THE GREAT WOORK ! !
Thank you Richard. Much appreciated. Tubes can be a hassle 😊👍
I have had my R8 for about 3 years now and with the current tubes only had to adjust the bias slightly once in about a year, the built in meter on the R8 also makes this a doddle to check and adjust.
Fantastic narration, terrific mic, lovely to listen too. Concise and knowledgable - Well done. Can you do a video about wattage between valve and solid state. I hear that a 40w valve amp is more powerful than a 40w solid state, that not all watts are equal and a not often talked about word ‘current’ is sometimes more important when considering how well an amp will drive ‘hard to drive speakers’.
Thank you. Wattage is only part of the picture when it comes to driving a pair of loudspeakers 😊👍
Hi Tarun. First of all, Great to hear that you and the family are on the mend. Thank you very much for your awesome reviews. As a "newbie" I am learning so much! Please keep it going! FYI, it may be cool to review/do a roundup of a few more of these more "value" oriented integrated tube amps e.g. Cayin, Black Ice Fusion series, etc. potentially nipping at the heels of the more expensive Primalunas, Ravens, etc. An Audiogoner has an interesting post going on this currently. I believe that there are a lot of people interested in quality tube amps but just cannot afford to spend the big money and would benefit from being educated on quality options in this "tube value" market segment. For me it was down to the Willsenton and the Black Ice Fusion series. I went with the Fusion F22 and I am very happy with it. No tube rolling... yet (-:
Thank you Bryan. Much appreciated. We are all feeling much better. I appreciate the suggestion and will look into it 👍😊👍
great idea bryan!! for example.... an 845-211 valve....... or, tube amp!!!, in usa!!!! p.s. , superb work as always tarun m8!!!.
Outstanding Work... Much Appreciated!!!!!!!
Thank you John. Very kind of you 👍😊👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Thank You....
Just received my R8 today and tested it out with a Bluetooth adapter. It seems to be performing well. It is new and not burned in yet. I am waiting for the CD player to arrive tomorrow and see how it goes. But I am loving it already.
Great. Please let me know how you get on 😊
I think I'm one of like two people who selected upgraded EL34's when purchased. I was familiar with the shear power of these tubes when used in British guitar amps. Connected to a pair of Heresy's, they give me plenty of warmth. I found that unloading the lowest frequency's (Under 50 HZ) to a 15 sub before hitting the R8 was very beneficial for my system. I would love to try some new tubes, but I need a DAC upgrade first. Great video, thanks.
It all comes down to system matching. The EL34s might be the better option for the Heresy. Thank you for sharing 😊👍
Marshall Amps, brah.
@@dane4453
Many guitar amps have/had them and I could nor resist getting them in my system. Most audiophiles go with the KT88's.
Hi Tarun. Happy New Year from Chicago. I am beginning my experience with tube rolling. I have a PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium HP integrated amp. I recently swapped out the stock EL34 power tubes for a set of Tung Sol KT150 tubes. It has changed the character of the amp significantly and for the better. I need more time to assess it so I can articulate the differences in detail. But so far, so good.
Thank you for watching and sharing your experiences RJ 😊👍
I have tube rolled my Eastern Electric Minimax pre, removing the stock output valve for a Mullard, given that this tube does both right and left channels - this was a very cost effective way of improving the sound, less glass like in the top end. It’s worth having a dabble for sure.
Thank you for watching and sharing your experiences Graham 😊👍
I have a Muzishare X7, which is another high quality, Chinese KT88 amplifier around the 1k mark and I've been having fun recently rolling older, second hand valves. The English made Brimar and Mullard valves from the 50's, 60's & 70's have an excellent sound and can be picked up cheaply from eBay. Every manufacturer has a different sound signature, so it's fun mixing and matching to find the right sound.
Thank you for watching and sharing your experiences 😊👍
Happy New Yer Tarun. Glad to hear that you and your family had the "light" version of COVID! Thank you for all your great reviews - thorough, honest, no-nonsense point of view. Your videos are the ones I look forward to view the most every week.
I belive that in your "Best-of" the year, you mentioned that you are reviewing the Denafrips Thallo. Just want to say that I am really looking forward to it as I am itching to order one, which I won't do until I hear you out! Thanks in advance!!
Marc
Thank you Marc. Very kind of you. We got away lightly with Covid. So counting our blessings. I am looking forward to getting stuck into the Hades/Thallo combo. Happy new year to you too 👍😊👍
The ProAc history talk was great
Thank you Frederick 😊👍
My only recent experience with tube systems was via a friend’s brand new primaluna pre-amp & amp. With some Magnepans, it had a sweet and mildly shimmering sound with super fine imaging and separation. I had not heard anything quite like it before and all of a sudden, I easily understood why so many connect to and adopt this sound preference. I really liked the aesthetic as well. (Unfortunately the power needed to drive those inefficient speakers well was not to be had and so a hybrid tube set up was the best solution). I might try a tube headphone amp down the road but with no desire to engage in tube rolling, I’m all about solid state for now.
Thank you for sharing your experiences Wolf 😊👍
Very interesting review. Very well explained. One other benefits to the willenton over the is that the willenton is a much more attractive amp than the exposure 2510. I have an audio research classic 60 amp with 6650 tubes. Have wanted to try KT88's as the top end with the 6650's can seam a little constrained. But rebiasing the tubes required opening up the amp exposing the high voltage. As such it is not a user friendly proposition. So the simple rebiasing system of the willenton is very appealing.
Thank you buddy 😊👍
Hi Tarun. Happy new year. Sorry to hear you had covid. I got it this time last year. It wasn't nice. Took a while to get over it. My willsenton r8 arrived last March. Since then I have changed all tubes to used vintage and new old stock tubes with Jim from ValvesNmore in Canada. Sound guy to deal with. The sound is fantastic. But you are right. It can be very expensive. I have spent over €1000 so far. But I think the amplifier is much improved. If its now worth over €2000 I'm not sure. As I could of got the willsenton r800 for that. 45 Watts class a. But you are correct. Tube rolling if you get it right improves the sound.
Thank you Sean. Very kind. I really enjoyed learning about your experiences 👍😊👍
Interesting indeed!! I too have the VMV hooked up to the R8, currently changed the dacs profile to Rich 3 and I'll be leaving it on this for a while. I feel this has opened the sound stage and softened the highs just a tad. Worth a try if you still have the dac. Going to have to listen to the Amphions! Ok, it’s also worth checking out an online store called Watford Valves (here in England).Great range of tubes there which aren’t too expensive, I had to replace the 6SL7’s and managed to pick up the Sylvania’s (American made, I think they are New Old Stock). They did change the sound slightly, felt there more bass in the mid to lower range, it felt a little more forward! I haven’t tube rolled the others but will use this video as a reference point moving forward. Thank you Tarun, glad you and your family are recovered. Quite a few people I know where I'll over the new years, myself included! 👍🏽
Very interesting Hardeep. Thank you sharing your experiences with the R8 and VMV D1. I hope you have recovered and wishing you a happy new year 😊👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314 your welcome !
As always a very interesting video.
I've been trying to get as much information on the R8 as possible as it would be my first tube amp.
I was thinking of pairing the R8 with the Fyne F15s.
After watching the video and hearing that the upgrade tubes flatten out the "smile" I think it would suit the "frown" of the Fyne's.
Thanks for the video
Tarun and I'll offer my Fyne's for review if you'd like.
We can't be that far away from each other as we use the same shop.
Thanks for all the hard work. It keeps it very interesting.
Thank you Wayne. I appreciate your support. The F15 are beautiful. I am always a bit reluctant to get items from viewers . I have to move things around a lot and there is always a risk that something could get damaged. The good news is that I have a good relationship with the PR agent for Fyne in the U.K. I looking forward to reviewing more of their speakers 😊👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314 thanks for the reply, Tarun.
The offer is always there if needed, I'm sure you'd look after them.
maybe we'll bump into each other in Nelson some time.
Thanks for all the vids.
@@Swamper666 thank you that would be great. I am sure Wilkinson’s will have some event where we can meet up 😊👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314 let's do that.👍
Hi Tarun
Another great objective review. I have to date only ever owned solid state amplifiers from the likes of pioneer, Yamaha and musical fidelity. Tubes have always fascinated me and indeed I feel myself being drawn to them for some reason.
They have always seemed unattainable very high end and expensive but this Willsenton has really got my attention for the asking price, to be honest I am tempted. Watch this space!!
Thank you Phil. Please let me know how you get on 😊👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Will do Tarun many thanks
Thank you for revisiting this amplifier, Tarun. I have one myself, and I'm enjoying it immensely. I too did some tube rolling with it. I originally bought the stock KT88's and thought they were a little sharp at the top end ... a touch sibilant and fatiguing. I found a guy in Canada (ValvesNMore) who sells tubes of all varities and bought a "matched" pair of NOS EL34's. My understanding is that this amplifier utilizes Push/Pull current distribution and having a truly matched quad of power tubes can significantly improve the performance over ones that haven't (perhaps) been measured. Was this something you looked into at all? I'm loving the NOS EL34's for their warmth and body, but now think I need to try some NOS 6550's to get closer to the sound you're describing here. Thank you again for following up on this. I'm really enjoying your channel.
Bought a new set of NOS tubes from Jim @ Valvesnmore couple of days ago Sylvania 6SL7GT / 6SN7GTB / Svetlana Winged-c 6550c. Looking forward to hearing how they compare to the stock tubes.
@@MrShaggy789 I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. The difference for me was remarkable. I did the front end tubes as well.
Thank you David. The R8 is a push/pull design. The KT88s come in matched pairs, for each channel. I agree the standard KT88s can be a little hot on the top end. Thank you for sharing your experiences 😊👍
Happy New Year!!!
…and to you too 😊👍
Thanks! It was interesting 👍
Thank you 😊👍
Thanks Taryn always appreciate your reviews I'm new to the audiophile world just starting out I have the audio Labs 6000a really enjoy it but would like to try the wilsonton R8 to get the tube experience that everybody talks about not quite sold yet thanks again and have a great New Year
Just wondering what your full opinion is on the 6000a I just ordered one!
Thank you David. Much appreciated and happy new year to you too 😊👍
I replaced 4 of the pre tubes on my R8 with new Tung Sols and the sound improved exponentially. I then replaced the stock KT88s with new Sovtek 6550s and was disappointed. The sound became more compressed; less articulate. I put the stock KT88s back and am extremely happy. For now. A great match with my Heresy 4s.
Thank you for sharing Michael. You may enjoy the PS Vane KT88s 😊👍
Fabulous reviews, Tarun. Even with the upgraded tubes, it seems like a bargain. I’d be curious as to what percentage of gain the tubes are set for. On guitar amps, which I’ve done tons of tube rolling over the years to, it’s usually around 70% to hit the sweet spot. I used to run a Parasound solid state amp with a tube pre and tube phono pre, but prefer my Quicksilver mid mono monoblocks. They came with a set of EL34’s, but I prefer KT88’s. The driver and input tubes are a 12AX7 and a 6922. I’ve got a pair of those Psvane CV-181’s mixed with a pair of NOS Sylvania 6SN7’s in my preamp. I did a lot of tube rolling before finding that combo to work best in my system at least. Again, fantastic review, Tarun. Many thanks!
Thank you Nick. Great to learn about your experiences 😊👍
Hi Tarun... Great review. You helped me decide to pull the trigger on my r8 with psvane 6sl7 stock kt88. Tried using my rega elex r a pre for better bass slam playing psychedelic /house music, so bass definition improved but the holographic imaging shrunk sharply eg noticed girl from ipanema snap sounds stopped imaging to 2 feet from my left shoulder. Too much of a compromise i reverted back to just the r8. Sorry to ramble on, Just sharing my experience....i ll try rolling the stock kt88 next. Fingers cross ;) thanks for the reviews, keep em coming.
Thank you for sharing your experiences Tim 👍
Hi Tarun. Regarding tube rolling I have a Cayin headphone amp and I changed the stock tubes , 12AU7’s and EL84’s with Gold Lions on both ends and the sound improved dramatically. Not to say that stock tubes are bad in general but replacing them in time will have a significant effect and you don’t have to go too exotic to achieve an audible improvement.
Thank you Mark 😊👍
Of course there are many options for 6SL7s, especially in NOS market. Besides tube rolling there are generic resistors that can be upgraded especially in the feedback loop. Plus the coupling caps between each stage can be upgraded.
Thank you buddy 😊👍
FYI- Excellent video. As usual.
Much appreciated my friend 👍😊👍
I retubed my Prima Luna prologue 5 with Gold Lions.4 KT88 2 12ax7 , 2 12au7@ around $500 with platinum grade from Upscale.Big improvement over stock Chinese.Smooth liquid sound. GL has arguably the best new production tubes if further screened by the retailer.
That is great. Thank you for sharing Todd 😊👍
Very much appreciate the added content concerning tube rolling the PSVANE tubes, but a bit mystified about the segway into your vintage speakers. The segway just didn't seem to support the title. ;-) Thum bs up. I'm currently waiting on my R8. Supposed to be here mid-month. I went for the EL34 tubes. And HAPPY NEW YEAR! Very glad you and family are good to go after being ill.
Thank you Dale. Much appreciated. I just wanted to state publicly the state of play with my ProAcs and reviewing their new speakers. If wasn’t anything to do with the review itself 😊👍
Happy New Year!😄
…and to you too 🥳👍
Yessir... He said 'all good in the hood'. From the states and that's what's up my hifi brotha from another mother!!
Thank you buddy 😊👍
Hi Tarun. Luna tube amplifiers were suggested to me by salespeople to pair with my speakers, but I have a friend who already had one and when one of the tubes broke, he was waiting several weeks for the part, which was very unpleasant. The fact that after a few years it is necessary to replace the valves, as well as the space they occupy in height and the time they take to reach the ideal sound, for me, are factors that make me prefer class AB amplifiers, despite recognizing the qualities sound from valve amplifiers.
Totally understandable 😊
Cheers and Happy New Years Tarun+family,, 🍻🥰👍
Thank you Irene. Happy new year to you and your’s too 😊👍👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314 ,, and yes, Im super curious how my Triangle Signature Theta would sound with the Wilsenton R8.
I think it was Thomas and Stereo who said that the less expensive Triangle "Theta look alikes" and the R8 sounds like a match made in heaven.
Im saving up to an EV, so my curiosity have to wait.
@@IrenESorius my review of the Triangle 40th Anniversary Cométe should be out soon 😊
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Cool 👍👍❣️.
The tweeters on the Come´te and Signature are similair. The same form/shape on the horn. If its the same driver,, I dont know, and the filters are possible different? The 40th Ani Come´te are beeeeaaaauuuuutifuuuuul, in my own extremely subjective mind. 😋
Looking forward to the review Tarun. Thanks friend.
First of all I hope you and your family are doing well after contracting C.19. Wishing you the very best...
Now, on to the fabulous R8. If you wish to get the absolute best from the R8, these tubes come as a must have when tube rolling.
6SL7 - Either circa early 1950s MELZ 6H9C mil-spec metal-base or circa mid-1970s Sylvania 6SL7WGT JAN (Joint Army Navy).
6SN7 - Late 1950s Sylvania 6SN7GTA T-plate (also called straight-plates as the next series were called the angle-plates, and while excellent, are not quite as good as the T-plates).
6SN7 rectifier slot - Any well-balanced 6SN7 or equivalent, although I am using the NEVZ 6N8S, but not the stock tube as it was not balanced. Of course, you may use another Sylvania 6SN7 T-plate, or the PSVane CV181-T Mk II which you already have.
EL34/KT88 - The best (arguably) EL34 ever made was the early 1960s Mullard xf2 6CA7/EL34 made in the Blackburn factory in the U.K., while one of the best KT88 tubes was the late 1900s/early 2000s Svetlana 6550C.
Personally, I like the EL34 sound, although the R8 should only be used in triode mode. Ultralinear mode causes the midrange to come forward in the soundstage and sound a little artificial. Still, each to their own.
So, how does the R8 sound with the above tubes installed. Absolutely amazing! In fact, for some people it could be their endgame amplifier!
If you want a step up in performance then buy the Willsenton R800i (805 version) SET amplifier.
Throw the stock tubes away and fit Mullard M8162 (12AT7 equivalent - yes, I know it's a 12AX7 slot, but the 12AT7 can be used in this slot). Next is the Sylvania 6SN7GTA T-plate mentioned above. Best 300B tube that I've found so far is the Takatsuki TA-300B, while the best 805 tube is the PSVane Acme series A805. The best rectifier tube is the Svetlana 5U3C made in St Petersburg.
So, could the R800i be an endgame amplifier - absolutely! In fact, it very well may be for me.
Hopefully you will review the R800i - I believe you will be very surprised at just how good this amplifier is. Mind you, the R8 is excellent too, but the R800i is next level good!
Hi Rachael, we are all doing well. Thank you for your well wishes. I extremely grateful that you took the time to post this. It takes many years to build up the knowledge of tube rolling that you have and very few people have it. I am sure myself and owners of the R8 will have a lot of fun and satisfaction in exploring your suggestions. I am down to review the R800i (805 version) this year. Many thanks again 👍😊👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314 - Thank you Tarun. I must admit not that long ago I was totally a solid state girl, but then I purchased the R8 and my music world changed forever. Tubes (although called valves here in Australia) makes individual instruments sound like the real thing, whereas the majority of solid state amplification sounds like a mere facsimile of the particular instrument. BTW, my solid state amplifiers are a mixture of Hegel H390, Naim Supernait 3 and I even own the little Naim Uniti Atom and the Cambridge Audio CXA60. All very nice sounding amps, even the little Atom, while the CA is a very good entry level amp, but a properly designed tube amp with the right tubes sounds so much more lifelike. The performance in the room, to coin the phrase. The point is, I'm totally hooked on tubes and totally addicted to tube rolling and the "magical" sound of tubes, while well recorded material can send chills up and down my spine. Solid state cannot achieve this euphoria in my view. Of course, the R800i is my main amp now, but I still listen and enjoy the R8 in my other listening room. The R800i powers a pair of the fabulous Q Acoustics Concept 500 floorstanders with (surprise, surprise) 2 x REL T7x subwoofers, while the R8 powers a pair of Focal Aria 906s with an REL T5x subwoofer, to be joined by a second REL in the near future. My digital front end is a Naim ND5 XS 2 streamer/DAC, while the analogue side is a Rega Planar 6 with Nagaoka MP500 cartridge and a Rega Fono MM Mk3. I include the rest of my systems just for context.
@@tbear2327 you have some great components in your various systems Rachael. It must be nice to just go into another room when you fancy a different flavour of sound. Thank you for sharing 😊👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314 - The only reason I have a second listening space is that our house used to have what I called "the junk room", but when I purchased the R800i, I realized that I still wished to listen to the R8, so I cleared out the junk room and made it into a "video room". I've not finished treating the room as yet, but once it is, the R800i will be moved into that room. This raises a really important issue - that of room treatment - after hearing the difference, I believe anyone who is interested in sound should include the room as part of their audio system. A bad room, after all, can reduce whatever money one has thrown at their audio components into pieces of junk - maybe a slight overstatement, but it's fair to say that all rooms have a sound of their own which people need to tame and mould. One thing I have found out is that a dead room is bad, but then a live room is also bad. The ideal is somewhere in the middle, although I have only achieved this by trial and error.
I have rolled between 6550c, KT-88, EL-34 and KT-150, as well various 12AU7, 12T7 AND 6922 tubes in my preamps. I have found this to be a lot of fun since there are subtle differences on how these changes affect the sound. Like you, I favored the sound of the KT-88 over the EL-34 for the same reasons. I felt they opened up the sound stage more and had faster, tighter, low end. Right now my favorite power tube in my system been the Kt_150. Just love the punchiness they have,. However if you want something akin to the richness a 300b has, these are not the tube for you.
Thank you RF. There is something magical about the sound of SET, zero feedback, 300B amps too 😊👍
Hi Tarun, You have to forgive me, but I had given up on You
and I thought I never see the Day .... meaning this Review on the R8
with upgraded Valves, but it is nice to see that I was wrong ;-)
As others already pointed out, it is a pity that You left the 6SL7 untouched,
but maybe You can come back later to them ?
Because this might make all the Difference to give the Crown to the R8
for Best Amplifier of 2021 !
And this is the Beauty of Valve/Tube Amps, you can tweak or upgrade
them step by step in a way that is not possible with Transistor Amps and
you get free Eye Candy and a Winter Heating.
Thanks for that excellent and long awaited Review, Ralf
Thank you Ralf. I needed to allow the tubes to run in and take my time listening and swapping tubes. I had the time over the holidays to do just that 😊👍
I recently discovered your RUclips channel. I really love the way you present the products! I'd like anyone on here to comment about their experience with the pairing of a ClearAudio Concept TT (or any other TT) with the R8. I have been researching tube integrated amplifiers (i.e. PrimaLuna 300/400 IA) and the R8 - after reading the product info and seeing the price - is now on my radar. Outside of my years of playing through guitar amps (Vox, Fender etc.) this will be my first experience with Tube HiFi audio. Thanks!
Thank you Johnny. Very much appreciated 👍😊👍
Another great review. As an analog audiophile the R8 at its price is very tempting. Very curious to know what coupling caps are used as they could be another upgrade opportunity once out of warranty. Don’t recall you popping the bonnet in previous review either.
I’m also on the hunt for a pair of Proac reponce 1SC. Very interested see what components are used in stock crossover in lieu of upgrading
Thank you Anthony. Please let me know how you get on 😊👍
Tarun, Happy and Healthy New Year ! Congratulations on your speedy recovery from Corona ! I'm brand new to tube amps and my stock R8 arrived on New Year's Eve. Even half-cooked it sounds terrific. Just wonder how long it takes to properly break it in !
Thank you buddy. Very kind. I suspect you will need at least 50 hrs of use for those tubes to bed in 😊👍
@@abritishaudiophile7314 Thanks for your expert advice. 👍
Hi Tarun, I’m a couple of days late. First off, I’m very glad you did not have a serious case of CoVid! In 2020, I acquired a Reisong A-10. It came with EL-34 output tubes. That amp only outputs around 6 watts. The speakers I have were not efficient enough for it to sound good. It was totally flat and dead. None of the sweet mids it supposedly produced. I had a pair of cheaper Klipsch bookies and they didn’t sound robust either. So, I was a bit put off and traded it for other gear.
I understand. Those amps work well with speakers with a sensitivity of 93dB+. Thank you for sharing your experiences 😊👍
Hi! Tarun, as you know I have the R8 bought stock with the el34's. I wanted to go the upgrade path regarding the tubes and found the US company Valvesandmore ( tube lab on youtube ) He bought the R8 and worked on tube rolling and offered tube packages for the R8. I did so in buying his top sounding selection quad matching 6550C SED Winged C Svetlana tubes. ( $399us )
I dare say without going into details that it upgraded the R8 in every direction, certainly worth the money spent. To note I initually had the Triangle Genese Trio hooked up but now have the Triangle 40th Anni Comete EZ set up and sound wonderfull together.
I have now proceeded to buy Sylvania 6sn7 GTB and Sylvania 6SL7 GT to replace the others hopefully for even more improvements😀Note the 6550C tubes are similar to the KT88's....Regards Alain
Purchased the same brand and type of tubes as you the other day from Jim at Valvesnmore. Can't wait to hear the difference to the Willsenton stock tubes. Tube rolling is fun yet expensive.
That is great. Th am you for sharing Alain 😊👍
I swapped out the stock EL-34 tubes from my Reisong A10 with Mullard EL-34s. I think I got some improvement at both ends, while keeping the lovely mids. Haven't tried Tung-Sols yet, but I hear good things about them, too.
Thank you for sharing 😊👍
Happy New Year. This will be my first tube amp so really looking forward to getting it soon. Would you recommend getting the standard version first before upgrading? My speakers are Harbeth P3ESR 40th Anniversary Edition. Keep up the great work Tarun.
Happy new year to you too. With those speakers I would get the upgraded tubes but they don’t cost that much extra, retrospectively, if you are curious you could always keep the stock pair as a backup 😊👍
Greeting Sir Taran,, hope you and your family are much better > Love your channel: your friend in Florida ( system is all British (except custom Marantz 7 preamp)
Thank you my friend. We are all feeling much better 👍😊👍