FYI Chmaiwald, Linlai sells an intro 805 for $165 a matched pair (see that link above).
So I bought the Willsenton R-800i
After I bought the Klipsch Cornwall IVs recently it became apparent quite quickly that to make it really shine it needs a tube amp to drive it. (For me at least.) After doing some (=endless) research, considering the options (budget, shops nearby carrying models I´m interested in, etc.) and also asking around on this very forum I decided to go for the Willsenton R-800i. None of my friends here shares my excitement for audio stuff or even has a comparable system, so what´s now in my living room is the one tube amp I know. And I´m delighted. Together with the speakers it gives the music the presence and glow that I so desired.
Of course I can tell that there´s more potential in this amp and I already exchanged some of the stock tubes. There are more on the way and I can´t wait to test them. For now my financial means are a bit limited so I´m not ordering Western Electric and Takatsuki 300Bs just for the sake of comparing them. In fact I´m waiting with those a bit and go for the others first.
Searching online I find a lot of information on English language forums. Somehow tube rolling is not discussed as much on the German forums I checked though – and out of curiosity (and because they were pretty cheap) I went for both West- and East-German ECC83s and a fairly random mix of other tubes from the US and the Soviet Union. I´m waiting for them to arrive and not being able to read about some of them it raises my curiosity how they will sound. Maybe crappy, maybe not so bad, maybe even very good. I´ll see. Tube rolling will take some time and I don´t mind. The amp is there to stay for quite a while.
There´s an exhaustive thread on the Willsenton amps and fitting tubes here but since I found people´s comments on this forum so helpful I´m looking forward to hear from you. I´m open for tube recommendations and would like to hear anyone´s experience with the Willsenton R-800i. Or maybe someone has questions?
As for the tubes:
805 – stock replaced for Cossor
300B – stock
6SN7 – stock replaced for Sylvania GTBs, waiting for Fonon NOS (Soviet, 1979, a bargain for 10€)
12AX7 – stock replaced with current Mullard model, waiting for West German ones from AEG and Telefunken, East German ones from RSD and Funkwerk Erfurt (both used) and also Sylvania JAN 5751 NOS (a military model)
5U4G – stock, waiting for RCA NOS black plate and Svetlana NOS „Coke Bottle“
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Thanks for pointing that out. For whatever reason on the website you link to I´m onlyn shown three Linlai 805s, while it even says there are 4 results. Strange.
Here I found the 805 I think you are talking about: |
Interesting! I'm still getting familiar with the amp. I've been listening to gear for decades so I'm pretty humble--I know that I need to really know the gear before I can truly say what's going on with real confidence. I think the tubes they ship this thing with are very, very good. The Russian 6sn7 are pretty great. They have big, deep and well defined bass. The cost of 300Bs and 805s is making me think it might be better to upgrade the capacitors in key locations. That said, you cannot tell what make they are due to the wrapping Willsenton puts on them. Many manufacturers do this. And, it's not always a sign they totally cheaped out. I'm thinking that dumping $200-$500 on the two caps linked to the gain stage/6sn7s will make the most difference. That's a reasonable figure compared to upgrading the driver 300bs. For now, I'm still running this guy in and enjoying every minute. This is a special amp indeed. I have an audiophile buddy coming over tomorrow to let him have at it. I respect his opinion. My ears are telling me this is a near reference level amp. Even with reduced labor costs, I don't know how Willsenton's margins can be that high given the parts quality. |
Status Update - I'm 3 weeks into owning this amplifier. It's a problem; on the days I'm not in the office or on the road (which has only been 2 during the holiday period), I'm getting little work done because I'm constantly listening to music! I'm going to estimate that I'm 150-175 hours into this amplifier and things should be fairly run in by now. Please note that I'm in a fairly good size room (23' long x 16.5' wide x 10' tall). I use efficient speakers (Klipsch Cornwalls--modified crossovers (only upgraded). I've had a few amazing late night vinyl sessions (Technics 1200GAE, Benz Micro LPS/Kiseki Purpleheart/Dynavector X20 or something, Manley Chinook). But, most of my listening has been using a Roon endpoint (Intel NUC) feeding a Marantz Ruby DAC/SACD player voiced by Ken Ishiwata. The amp reveals details that I haven't had in my room with other tube amps. Even my Elekit 300B (with Lundhaul transformers and VCaps) doesn't do what this guy can do. One of the particular characteristics of the sound with this pairing is the size of the sound image. It is downright massive. I've never complained I needed more holography or a bigger picture. Sure, who wouldn't want more? With the Willsenton 800/805 the height of the sound seems to reach up towards the ceiling. With certain production, the sound can start to wrap around me a bit from the side walls. It's quite something to experience. The low end is so nicely defined and plump that I can easily tune my two REL subs right into where the Cornwalls start to drop off (probably upper 30hz if I had to guess). As a hobbyist musician, I have developed a decent ear figuring out songs and tones. This amp allows me to walk right up to the RELs and dial in the crossover and volume so easily and the resulting sound sounds seamless to me. Seamless. So I should qualify, if you believe the above is possible and can sound great (the subs do NOT sound like separate instruments), my opinions of the amp are probably bolstered in the favorable direction because I've never been able to tweak the subs this well and I'm confident they were dialed in pretty nicely before. The midrange clarity can make my head turn like my dog's when she hears something unexpected. It's caused me to listen more and more and more again. I honestly could not be happier with this amplifier. I'd pay twice the price for it. It's taken a bit of the Cornwall's watercolor-level of detail and tightened it up --yet not to a level that sounds like boring hifi. It still sounds like live or the real thing...just more so. The power of the amp is a really sweet match for my room and setup. I've never been happiest with low power SET amps and these speakers because even though I don't usually listen all that loud, I have had trouble getting an 8 watt 300B amp to make them open up. I had a Primaluna Dialogue HP integrated that sounded best with KT150s and these speakers but it never romanced me (great amp though). A Carver Crimoson 275 did a better job of adding some harmonic magic. I adore a Ken Ishiwata voiced Marantz Ruby (shocked me as it is Marantz's own Class D topology), which sounds lovely and brawny with the CW IVs. But alas, the Willsenton R800 has been the ticket for me. I don't know if I could otherwise afford to get to this place without it. Would I be looking a Shindo, Jadis, Triode Labs? Soooo pricey--maybe someday. I really thought that I'd be itching to upgrade the power supply filtering film caps and the coupling caps. I doubt the Willsenton re-badged caps are junk and I'd bet they are something fairly decent. Whomever voiced this amp did a wonderful job. I cannot recommend trying this amp out enough for yourself. I wish I had more speakers around right now to play with so I could report differences. I only have a pile of electronics right now in what my wife calls "the museum." Nonetheless, I'm content to just keep listening. I want to shake the hand of the engineers and people who made this amp. I have just one nit to pick-- the remote, while I love it's feel and simplicity, makes too big of jumps in volume attenuation or increase with the motorized pot. Oh well. If anyone is in the Chicagoland area and doesn't have Craigslist-Killer sensibilities, you're welcome to PM me to swing by for a listen. |
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