Hi - has anyone had any experience with this amp? It's getting rave reviews and seems to represent good value.

Cheers,

Steve

About $2500 landed?

$2500 ?

Not bad !

I like the built-in biasing system,

No burnt fingers unlike my old Quicksilvers.

Price dependent on options selected + postage +GST+ Biosecurity fee

www.china-hifi-audio.com/en/willsenton-tube-amplifier-c-77/willsenton-r8-kt88-el34-x4-tube-integrated-amp-power-amplifier-headphone-p-2268?zenid=c89b7bcc87a2cd986cb923dfebaa738d

This guy likes it:

www.stevehuffphoto.com/2020/12/23/hifi-the-willsenton-r8-integrated-tube-amplifier-is-a-no-brainer-buy/

(but anyone can do a search on it:)

I have ordered it from China Hifi, and replacement tubes from Valvesnmore.com. I will post my impressions when they arrive

Cost ?

So many circuit boards under the hood...

Give me old school point-to-point wiring

$1,143.08 AUD (for base unit with Willsenton branded EL34 power tubes) + $542.37 AUD shipping = $1685.45 AUD. GST remains to be seen, but I expect to pay full GST. Prices are in AUD because that's how I was invoiced, and I'm too lazy to check what I paid in $NZ ;-)

Might end up around $2000 then

Still not bad if it's a good amp

Yes - I'll be interested to hear it with the stock tubes, and then with the (hopefully) superior tubes I've ordered

Jul 7, 2021 16:24:49 GMT 12 michaelw said:

Cost ?

So many circuit boards under the hood...

Give me old school point-to-point wiring

Not that many circuit boards, a bit of point to point.

What is that, anyway a Jadis? What model number? I like their heavy copper bus bars.

Here's another one of theirs:

But later ones also used some PCBs:

See the second pic at

www.jadisitalia.it/i88.htm

www.jadisitalia.it/INTEGRATI/I88/I88%20%20%20FOTO/I-88%20jadis%20%20(10).jpg

Cheers!

(I hadn't realised it'd be such a large image. Anyway, the site wouldn't let me paste it here directly.)

Here's the second pic (in smaller file size) RdM

Mid 90s DA60 integrated with KT90 tubes

The bees knees at the time, ask Harry Pearson !

The R8 was delivered today, no GST payable, very well packaged, and I have started the burn-in process with the stock Willsenton EL34's while I wait for delivery of the upgrade tubes. It's driving the Maggie 1.7's surprisingly well (mostly in ultra-linear mode - I've listened in triode mode but the stock EL34's at this early stage are too laid back in triode mode for my old ears )

I don't know if it's burn-in or acclimitisation but I'm not perceiving the EL34's in triode mode as 'laid-back' anymore. I prefer triode to ultra-linear mode, which sounds a little more forward and slightly less 3-dimensional at the moment. No doubt there are more changes of perception to come, as these tubes age, and the new ones get swapped in eventually.

How are they sounding now steviewunda?

To me, ultra-linear sounds impressive initially and can have better dynamics, but I soon start craving the depth and more resolved dimension of triode. Loss of dynamics is usually a driver stage problem as it has to deal with driving extra capacitance when the output stage is in triode.

AMR-iFi R&D

Jul 26, 2021 16:02:25 GMT 12 Citroen said:

How are they sounding now steviewunda ?

Have just returned from a week in Wellington/Wairarapa so I haven't been listening since my last post. It's early days, but I suspect the tube amp is going to struggle to match the sheer clean volume levels that the Hegel H190 could evoke from the Maggies - I may have to try some box speakers a la Tekton/Buchardt/KLH/ or similar  - something easier to drive. I'm still waiting for the alternative tube set to arrive from Canada, so I've got a lot of listening to do yet

An old school-friend decided to have his 70th birthday in Queenstown so that was a good excuse to spend a couple of weeks down south - just sneaked back before the lockdown trapped me there. So I haven't done heaps of listening but I have made a few decisions. I like the sound of the R8 with the Maggies enough to sell my Hegel 190 amp (it's on Trademe as I speak). I have some alternative tubes on order and I may try some capacitor mods that have been recommended on stereonet - still researching that one.

The R8 sounds great with well recorded sources (like most reasonable hifi gear) and in combo with the Maggies is very revealing and often 'holographic'. I'm hoping the ordered EL34 tubes will tame hot, sometimes edgy mids/upper mids that I hear on less well-recorded sources. I'm bypassing the DEQX DSP for now (other than for time alignment of the subs) because I want to get the R8 sounding as good as I can before any DSP correction.

I tried some Triangle Borea Bro3's to compare a small, cheaper but well-reviewed box speaker with the Maggies - thinking I might be able to trade down to an easier-to-drive speaker with a smaller footprint. I knew immediately that wasn't going to happen, and the experience gave me new appreciation for the Maggies. The Bro3's were very good for what they were, but they made me realize how addicted to the spacious and airy sound of the Maggies I have become. And the R8 complements that characteristic. So the Bro3's are also on trademe ;-)

Where to next? I've still got a bit of tube-rolling and possible modding to do with the R8, and I've been enjoying reading about open-baffle and zero baffle DIY speaker projects................. ;-) So who knows? It's all bloody good fun, and I just feel really lucky and privileged to be able to indulge in such frivolous pursuits ;-)

Nice work steviewunda … Sounds like you’re having fun with those Maggies!

Have you moved to completely digital sources, or are you still maintaining your dalliance with vinyl?
Did you ever get the Troika back from Soundsmith?
Seems like SS hit a rough patch last year, with covid going through their place of work. 😔

Hi Dave - no I still have my vinyl and the refurbed Troika. Soundsmith did a good job with it...it took about 3 months if I remember correctly. I do listen to much more digital than vinyl these days, and I've only bought 2 LP's in the last year - I think its time to sell my record cleaner ;-)
What are you into these days?

Not much change to the main rig. Just moved on (down?) from a Garrard 301 to a Technics SP15.
I have just received a medium compliance 501M arm-wand from Japan, which should be a better match for the Hana SL cartridge.
Will probably update my SP15 thread once I’ve got it up and running with the new wand. We’ll see…

Glad to hear the trusty LP12 is still treating you well, I remember it with fondness. 😍

Nice purchase!

There is a FB group on Willsenton which i joined as i was interested in this brand. I don't have a Willsenton amp though, as i have too many.
Hope its working out well. Very interesting amp. Loads of 6sn7!

Thanks for the info chilli - I'll check it out

Jul 4, 2021 21:31:23 GMT 12 RdM said:

This guy likes it:

www.stevehuffphoto.com/2020/12/23/hifi-the-willsenton-r8-integrated-tube-amplifier-is-a-no-brainer-buy/

(but anyone can do a search on it:)

I just ran into this review while doing a bit of “lockdown research” on getting a Chord Qutest Dac to use with a Bluesound Node 2i streamer.

I like Steve Huff reviews, we seem to have similar tastes… I used to follow his Leica camera write ups as well, before he renounced the faith ( ie. left the cult). 🙄

Good work on getting the willsenton amp. Sounds like an audio bargain!

Aug 30, 2021 18:16:21 GMT 12 raveydave said:

Jul 4, 2021 21:31:23 GMT 12 RdM said:

This guy likes it:

www.stevehuffphoto.com/2020/12/23/hifi-the-willsenton-r8-integrated-tube-amplifier-is-a-no-brainer-buy/

(but anyone can do a search on it:)

I just ran into this review while doing a bit of “lockdown research” on getting a Chord Qutest Dac to use with a Bluesound Node 2i streamer.

That's got to work!

Rather than drag steviewunda ‘s discussion off topic again, I’ll try to find a relevant / previous thread. 😇

Coincidentally, this afternoon while browsing diyaudio or audiokarma, I cam across references to this (which I've only glanced at) from a year or so ago:

www.stereonet.com/forums/topic/322734-willsenton-r8-owners-thread/

Yes that thread is a beast - there's some good info in it, if you have the patience ;-)