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“
That is strange indeed. I hope it’s not the amp. Did you swap the other tubes? Today I exchanged the beautiful Svetlana 5U4G for a RCA. Whenever I started the amp recently there was a little blue flash in the Svetlana. Maybe that’s ok but I took the opportunity to swap. Do I hear a difference? I liked the coke bottle look better than this puny tube now, so the Svetlana felt better. That’s all I can say. |
Thanks for your replies! @2psyop I have no thermometer at hand here, at least none I could use for measuring the amp´s heat. All I can say is yes, it does produce warmth or heat, but even after running for an hour you can touch the cage (above the tubes) without getting burned immediately. @unison77 You are right there, but I´m impatient. I can always go back to the stock tubes once I hear how it sounds with others. Maybe some of the outlier tubes I bought will sound crappy and the stock ones turn out to be great in comparison, who knows. Unfortunately without any reference point it will be hard for me to describe the sound of the amp accurately. I mean, that´s always the problem when people describe their impressions: Some of the terminology is so vague and perception to a good part individual, you always have to read what people say. Then factors like sound sources, the room, age of the listener, etc come on top. One thing I have to point out that I found not expressed anywhere else: There is music, that will not work well with this amp and I guess tube amps in general. I tried Alva Noto´s latest record „Hybr:ID 1“: It´s super clean, almost surgical electronic music from Germany (he made great records with Ryuichi Sakamoto), there are high buzzes and beeping sounds paired with nice rolling bass. It feels like my stereo tries to put a human warmth in there but it struggles, it can´t. Which means it´s not designed to reproduce this kind of music the way the music asks for. And that will extend to other kinds of music too. Some brickwalled/LUFS-optimized pop and electronic music. Oh yes, I tried some current Drum´n´Bass – nah. Here´s some music I know quite well that gained a new level of sonic expressiveness with the amp, ie: gave me much pleasure: |
@2psyop Probably some would argue that „organic“ and „pure“ may be a contradiction, but I think I know what you say. And what @sns says goes for me in the same direction: Event though tube amps have their particular characteristics such as the warmth it doesn´t mean that it can´t handle all kinds of music that have very different sonic signatures. Maybe my comment on tube amps not being able to handle super clean style (such as Alva Noto) or something else was uninformed. And I´d be happy about that. Thanks for the correction! This changes the position of my goal posts. I´d be happy to achieve a warm but still linear sound that doesn´t let its qualities clash with music that may not need them. Because the setup will not play vocal jazz only. My taste is also pretty broad, from Renaissance Choir Music to Chaotic Hardcore, from Ambient to Classic Rock and so on. So it has to retain some kind of neutrality while being tubey. This tube rolling adventure is about finding out to exactly what extend this can achieved. @philgo01 All I can say is that whatever question I had was answered within half a day or a day via email. They also asked after I bought if everything arrived safely and if I was satisfied. The amp came double boxed with heavy foamy plastic inbetween. An info sheet inside said that with improved packaging they pushed the return rates because of transport damages to (as far as I remember) about 1%. Returning would definitely be a hassle but somewhere I read they were very helpful once it happened to someone. But yeah, China is not downtown. @noromance I´m not exactly sure what you are referring to here. As I said my reference is the old Rotel I own, which it easily outperforms. Comparing to other tube amps was impossible. Going to other cities, numerous shops with different setups and rooms, probably even on different days to check out other amps that fit my criteria seemed not a desireable way to compare amps as neutrally as possible. Maybe you see that differently, fair enough. Sure, I could start with a smaller tube amp to get a feel for it. But as I mentioned before, I´m impatient, if this is the right word here. Why not go for the real deal right away. The Willsenton is cheap. Of the models I narrowed my choice down to it was still the cheapest while getting the best reviews. And cheap in this case means no dealer round the corner. It´s something, a gamble you might say, I have agreed on by buying straight from China. And that´s not something I´d recommend to everyone. It´s just what I did. And do I know that it is the best tube amp? I don´t. Does it make me happy and feel like I made a good choice? Definitely. @ibmjunkman Thanks for the hint. Being able to speak german, english and polish already gives me quick access to far too many offers. I saw that hifishark.com automatically scours some Italian websites. So I may even buy a tube or so from there in the future. That gives me the idea to set up a tube website list. I came across so many websites ever since I started getting into the topic, I definitley have no overview. I forgot the url of a dealer that just put up NOS tubes on his blog once s/he got new stock in. Let´s see. @poke33 Thanks for pointing to this, but it´s about the R8, not the R-800i model. They come with a considerably different choice of tubes so there´s only so much info I can take from this. Like what he says about 6SN7s. |
A short update here: I have tested a few tubes and maybe you´d like to hear. 805 – stock replaced for Cossor 6SN7 – stock replaced for Sylvania GTBs, waiting for Fonon NOS 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“ A few things I learned in the last weeks: So many people write about audio with a presumed authority but considering their experience, their ears and taste on one side and ones own system, room, taste, ears and financial means on the other there is only so much you can take from it. You have to go your own way. And it´s ok not to end up with a system filled with Telefunkens with diamond bases, other NOS-tubes from that one specific year and whatnot. (By saying this I´m also reminding myself of it.) It´s also the structure of forums like this with people exchanging views about what´s better or not that implies you always have to hunt for the best. Also, having a system now with much better resolution I also get to hear some mistakes or imperfections that were not so prominent before. Take „Roads“ by Portishead for example, a devastatingly beautiful song. It starts with a great organ intro that immediately pulls you in (down, some would say). Unlike before I now hear that on CD there´s some overdrive on the right chanel there. A few times the sound distorts. It´s bugging me like hell! I checked on spotify – the same. So maybe it´s everywhere and no mastering error. Still, it´s the first time I feel the strong bite of the sudiophile bug that wants to divert my attention from the song (which is still amazing) to the recording. Luckily he doesnt bite that often and I can still focus more on the overall improvement of the playback and a deeper connection to the music I listen to. Lastly, for now, a question: |
A quick update: After testing quite a few 12AX7s I must say: Believe the hype. The Telefunken (ECC83) is the best. Not by far, but overall it does its job extremely well. Second would be the Mullard (current production). At the moment I´m running old soviet 6SN7 NOSs and really, between them and Sylvania GTB NOSs I´d find it hard to decide. I bought them here for a mere 15€ and I´d be happy to hear what others think about them. I didn´t try too many others, just the stock ones and RCA GTA NOSs, which both just didn´t compare. I heard good things about the bass performance of the PSVane Treasure MkII, if I ever spot a bargain I may be tempted to try these. 5U4G – Svetlana. 805 & 300B – I´m saving for replacments. I didn´t find much info about different 805s so I may go for PSVane Acmes. As for 300Bs the one thing most people seem to agree on is that between cheaper/mid-priced and the more costly tubes it makes most sense to just go for the expensive ones. No secrets here it seems. So the question is which exact model and I´m still not sure. WE (new production), Takatsuki or Elrog? Well, well... I´m favouring the Elrog, maybe just because I tend to support the underdogs. And after some production hiccups some years ago the current tubes seem to be reliable and they give a 1 year warranty too. (When it comes to this the 5 year warranty given by WE is a very good argument as well.) Did anyone have a chance to compare Elrogs with other 300Bs? Aside from all the tube talk I must say that I´m still very happy with the amp and the prospect of improving the sound even further is thrilling to say the least. I listend to records by Matthew Halsall and 700 bliss today and was very pleased with how well they both sounded even though they are sonically pretty different. Overall I still could do with a wee bit less treble but that´s nitpicking, really. |
That sounds very interesting. I know of one other person who has asked Skunkie to have a look at the R800i, but she also refused that offer. Yes, the amp is really heavy. Please keep us updated once you hear back from Scott Frankland. I´m curious if there are any design flaws like in the R8. I´ve been following discussions on a number of forums and never heard of anything pointing in a specific direction. But still, maybe there is something in there that asks to be fixed. Also how you will upgrade components will be interesting to know. And the effects on the sound of course. It´s a great amp for its price and if you can make it even better by exchanging a few inside parts – why not. |
@mlsstl Even considering that 1970s $2.70 is about $20.70 in today's money, that´s quite an increase. I guess I´m far from alone wishing I had started getting into this a long while ago. @jbhiller Congratulations! It´s a nice piece of gear, that is inviting you to get the most out of it. I´m curious what your experience will be, rolling tubes and changing caps. |
@jbhiller Good to hear that the amp arrived and is leaving a good first impression. As I said before, I have nothing much to compare it with and it´s good to hear already that the sound it produces is nice right from the start. Also: You also own Cornwall IVs, so that´s even better for me when you talk about all the sound details. Some of the tubes it comes with are really good. I have to roll back so to speak to really compare, I started exchanging very early. But from what I hear the JJ in the 12AX7 slot is really good, and from my own experience I can say that russian produced NOS 6SN7s can produce sound equally pleasing to the Sylvania GTBs I also own. But the quality varies and I hope yours came with a good pair. Both pairs of 300B and 805 should PSVane Hifi, so not bad either. The sloppily translated manual says: „805 adjust bias data refers to: 120mA“, I took it as a recommendation to have the 805s running at 120mA. It´s not been a problem to turn the screw to get them there. Apart from that there are also no other problems or signs that tell me I shouldn´t.
ps: Only yesterday I learned (= read online) that JJ is using the old machinery used for producing Telefunken ECC83s. So that´s a good sign. |
I must admit that I still have to find the time to put the stock tubes back in. I started rolling more or less right away when I got the amp so I can´t say for sure if the Cossor is better than the factory 805 (now I´m using PSVane Acme 805s). It´s really on my list to check again how the stock tubes and some others I used for a while hold up against the combination I´m using at the moment. It´s been giving me great pleasure for months now so anything that may be a step back takes time I prefer to spend otherwise. I´ll get to that at some point. But here´s two things I did do recently: Before I realized that the stock tubes are 6H8C too I bought two pairs of the same for cheap online and put them in. One was really good and I during the past couple of weeks I double checked: It´s difficult (for me) to tell them apart from the Sylvania GTBs I also own. Both very sweet. The other russian pair seemed bland in comparison. But that´s what I heard about old russian NOS: Sometimes the quality is really good, sometimes not so much. For $10-15 a pair it´s definitely woth taking a shot. Now I have to put the stock tubes back in to see how they hold up. Only today I received a JJ EC803S which I´ve been listening to for a while now. I´m curious because I heard praise for the ECC803S and that JJ is using the old Telefunken production machines. Sure it´s not broken in properly yet, but it sounds very nice already, less linear or analytical than the Telefunken it replaced. Let´s see how it will perform in the long run. As you can tell, I´ve been tube rolling rather impulsively. I should sit down and take notes like I did in the beginning when I tried the first few 6SN7s and 12AX7/ECC83s. Now that the 300Bs and 805s are properly broken in it´s high time to roll back and compare. I can be more helpful for the discussion then. |
Finally I found the time to do some tube rolling. It really started bugging me when I wrote recently that I didn´t properly compare the new ones I´m using with the stock tubes for example. To cut a long story short: The tube combination I was running before still sounds best to my ears. Still some things I heard surprised me.
Bob Marley & The Wailers – „Natural Mystic“ Lee Morgan – „The Sidewinder“ Bastarda & Sutari – „Tam nad puszczaj“ Zbigniew Wodecki with Mitch & Mitch – „Wieczór już“ Phoenix – „Tonight“ (feat. Ezra Koenig) I left out rock music because I wasn´t in the mood today. Also Guided by Voices, which I was tempted to include just to see how well a decidedly badly recorded piece of music is handled.
The source was my old Rotel RCD02 CD-player, I took the EQ out of the chain. Speakers as always Cornwall IVs. 805 Cossor – instruments more seperated than with others, sound a bit sharper (quicker transients it seems) 300B stock Willsenton (I think PSVane Hifi) – slightly boomy and muddy compared to Elrog 6SN7 PSVane CV–181 T2 – very good, but sounds maybe a bit too thick, less laid back, nice highs and lows Next up will be another round with the 12AX7/ECC83s, maybe the rectifier too, but I´m done for today. Further observations: |
@jbhiller Yes, I think you are saving money not buying the Cossors. And the PSVane Acme really shine but they do cost a lot. Luckily we won a court case this year about a faulty installation. It dragged on for years but in the end the decision was in our favour and the other side paid in time. Otherwise I would´ve had to save much longer for these and the even more expensive 300Bs. My limited experience now is in line with what I read elsewhere: The expensive ones do stand out. So far I have not read about a cheaper secret contender. That´s different from the 6SN7 and 12AX7 positions, where even I could name some that can make you very happy for cheap compared to the expensive holy grails of (usually) NOS tubes. Thank you for passing on the info on biasing. That´s really helpful and I will try it out as soon as possible. I never bothered to try other values since I thought that 120ma is the only one I should aim for. Improving tube life and (possibly) the sound at the same time – irresistable. |
@jbhiller I´m not at home at the moment, so I can´t say with a 110% certainty, but I´m pretty sure they´re not Linlai. I haven´t noticed the star shaped thing at the top and as far as I remember the socket is golden – just like the PSVane Hifi. I´d also be surprised if they put in a 450$ pair instead of a 140$ pair. Retail prices of course, but still. Maybe they couldn´t get hold of the PSVane and to fulfill the order took Linlai for yours? If so, congratulations! |
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: |
@jbhiller First of all: Thank you so much for your elaborate description of the characteristics of the amp and its pairing with the Cornwalls. I´m lacking both language skills and ways to put into words in my own to properly describe what I´m hearing. What you write very much reflects my impressions. And I´m very happy to hear that the R-800i holds up well compared to other amps. Most importantly though it´s good to hear that you are having a great time with it and that you find your money was well spent. Right now I´m away from home for almost two weeks and can confirm that this amp makes you want to come back and enjoy it. I can´t wait to listen to it again playing music I like. Personally I find the volume jumps when using the remote totally ok, but that may be because with the Rotel I had before the jumps were even bigger. As an obect it feels a bit too clunky (metal, heavy, just three buttons), but then again I stopped counting how many times I lost the tiny remote for the Apple TV – something that never happened with this one. I assume you have not started tube rolling yet, right? This can add yet another level of sound quality. And another question: To me the sound becomes a bit (for lack of better words:) crowded once the music gets dense and more wild. Like when I play some rock music with crashing drums and lots of distorted guitars. Sure, it may be because of the recording, but the difference is striking. Maybe the amp is just too good at reproducing material where there is not too much going on soundwise (ambient, jazz, folk, etc.), I don´t know. Do you have the same experience? Or is that normal? If you know a rock record that also sounds nice when the action is on please let me know so I can compare. (But please no 1971 dutch first pressing or anything like that, when it comes to music buying I´m not that audiophile.) |
@jbhiller I´m not using a subwoofer yet but I´m waiting for a reply from a dealer who is willing to send me two to compare (Rel T/7x and SVS PB 1000 Pro). The EQ I´m using is basically only to push the lows a bit. It also shows that the Cornwalls lack in that area (for my taste) but first and foremost it so much helps to give depth, just as you say. I´m hoping a sub will do that to an even bigger extent and that it will give the recordings I find (for lack of better words) crowded more room to breathe. I like Albini´s productions for capturing a live feeling and directness which does not automatically translate into pure sonics as can be found on recordings considered good by audiophiles. You said muddy... Maybe I myself have to listen to it with open ears again, I´m such a fan. As for Nirvana: I find it hard to tell which mixes I like better, the re-mixed versions of „Heart Shaped Box“ and „All Apologies“ are just so familiar, those are the version I came to like. Albini´s are also great, the roughness and all. As far as I know it´s just these two that were fiddled with, the rest is all Albini. |
@charles1dad It´s available in two versions: One running 805s and one running 845s. Either amp is not compatible with the other tubes. |
Latest update: One of the 805s blew and the power fuse as well. I put all stock tubes back in (just to be on the safe side) and replaced the power fuse, which was well hidden for the amateur that I am in the socket of the power cable. When I turned the amp back on the new fuse blew immerdiately. I have no clue what may have happened inside and will call a local electrician specialized on AV equipment tomorrow. I also mailed China Hifi, let´s see what they say. One thing´s for sure: I do miss the Willsenton´s sound already. |
@jbhiller I may ask the local repair guy, but I´m facing two obstacles there: First one is that I wouldn´t know exactly what I´m talking about in the first place. I kind of get a sense what this missing resistor is about but could I explain it? Not really. Second one is that I´m in Poland and while I do have a certain grasp of the language that lets me get through day-to-day interactions I´m pretty sure it won´t be sufficient talking to an expert. It´s like a double foreign language situation. Let´s see how I get along with that person. If he´s into the gear we may go in-depth with me pretending to know what I´m talking about. Maybe even internal upgrades may be possible with him. Or I see that it´ll be best to focus on the problem at hand and just get the amp working again. Either way, wish me luck not breaking my back lifting it. |
The amp is back and working well. To be honest, I didn´t really get what was wrong with it – the language barrier. It seems that there was something with the electrical wiring. Which didn´t even affect the tube: I asumed it was broken since there was something rattling in it, but all is fine and the rattling a production flaw that I can live with. The amp is back and working well. To be honest, I didn´t really get what was wrong with it. Remember that I´m living in a foreig country and am not 100% fluent in the language. It seems that there was something with the electrical wiring. Which didn´t even affect the tube: I asumed it was broken since there was something rattling in it, but all is fine and the rattling a production flaw that I can live with.
The first record I put on now was „The Isaac Hayes Movement“ and even with the stock tubes still in place it was such a dramatic difference to the Rotel I used for the last few days. So smooth!
The amp is back and working well. To be honest, I didn´t really get what was wrong with it. Remember that I´m living in a foreig country and am not 100% fluent in the language. It seems that there was something with the electrical wiring. Which didn´t even affect the tube: I asumed it was broken since there was something rattling in it, but all is fine and the rattling a production flaw that I can live with.
The first record I put on now was „The Isaac Hayes Movement“ and even with the stock tubes still in place it was such a dramatic difference to the Rotel I used for the last few days. So smooth!
The amp is back and working well. To be honest, I didn´t really get what was wrong with it. Remember that I´m living in a foreig country and am not 100% fluent in the language. It seems that there was something with the electrical wiring. Which didn´t even affect the tube: I asumed it was broken since there was something rattling in it, but all is fine and the rattling a production flaw that I can live with.
The first record I put on now was „The Isaac Hayes Movement“ and even with the stock tubes still in place it was such a dramatic difference to the Rotel I used for the last few days. So smooth!
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And now: Subwoofers. I have received two subs to thouroughly test at home. SVS PB-1000 Pro and Rel T/7x. Both add exactly the depth and oomph that I was missing. As some may know I´m running the R-800i (805) with Klipsch Cornwalls IV, which are really good speakers but in spite of their size lack a bit in the bottom end. For a while I´ve been using an equalizer that helped to push some lower frequencies. To me the sound improved tremendously with it, the stage getting so much more spacious. But below 40Hz there really isn´t much happening with the Cornwalls. This is where the subs come in: To make a long story short, I guess I won´t need the equalizer anymore. It not only does what the EQ did before, it also adds an extra level of depth that just wasn´t there before. Sub bass, organ sounds etc greatly benefit from it. The same with voices: I put on last year´s record from Bastarda & Sutari (kind of a modern interpretation of eastern european folk music) and wow, did the voices in the opener „Ty pójdziesz górą“ glow and get that presence that make you believe you´re in the same room. Stunning, really. |
@musiclover1 And I´m saying that the Cornwalls need subs even though they are fairly big speakers. Those are huge! |
Thanks for sharing your experience! As you say, music can stir the soul and I feel the amp helps to do it. Now that you mentioned it, I have to listen to Anouar Brahem again. The three ECM records I own are all great, the standout for me being „The Astounding Eyes of Rita“ – what a gem and great evening listening. I find myself drawn more and more to this kind of music, which conveys a sense of relaxedness, soulfulness, experience. The style is not that important, it can be this, it can be rock music (I adore Yo La Tengo), ambient, classical or other. I guess it´s a good sign this speaks to me and I don´t need cathartic relief as often as I used to. But a well recorded wall of sound is also no problem for the R800i. This tube rolling sure is a black hole thing. I´m far from having that many tubes and I´m very happy with the tubes I own but I keep my eyes and ears open to what people say sounds nice and every now and then get something new (or new old). For now I´m really happy with the Teles but some local audioguy came across a box of unused RFT ECC83s, I´m curious how they perform. And there´s still Brimar, Valvo and Mullard to check out. But I´m not in a hurry with that. I did try the Mullard 12AX7 (CV4024) but I didn´t find it to be very engaging so I´m not following that route for now. (I always have to say „for now“ when it comes to these things, I know myself...) In the 6SN7 slot I´ve lately been using Sylvania VT-231s and wow, they are really good. They are military GTs (I think) and are supposed to sound a lot like the regular GTs or the well-regarded GTAs. So, yes, I agree, they´re really, really good. Also there´s a variety of Fotons with a squareish getter that extends in a right angle that is supposed to be a tad better than the regular ones. I own these and tried them, they sound nice, but I have to find the time to do another direct comparison. With the prices for NOS these days the Fotons are a high quality bargain and the right angle-getter ones also don´t cost a fortune (I paid about 30€ for a pair). The Svetlana 5U4Cs with black paltes have become a kind of sensation and I´m also very happy with the ones I own. They just don´t seem to last very long, I read about quite a few giving up after just a few hundred hours. One question: Does yours light up a bit when you start up the amp? I read contradictory things about that: Some say it´s a sign they are on their way out and you should replace it soon while others say it´s part of the show. My current one does does show something like a tiny blue flame for a brief moment, but it´s done this almost from the beginning and it´s running fine. Maybe I´m playing with fire, who knows. All the best!
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I do experience the hum issue as well and I don´t know if it´s been there from the beginning or not, at least I noticed only after quite a while. After checking all possible component, cables, tubes etc. I also blame it on the tranformer. When I listen closely that´s also the place where it seems to come from. Unfortunately it´s louder with the Elrog 300Bs I´ve been using. Great tubes, but the hum is, well, it´s there. And it´s bothering me to the point where I found it difficult to listen to music. Well, having said that it´s still in the range where my girlfriend just shrugs, it´s basically not noticeable when music place (except for very quiet parts). There was some other issue with them and I´m waiting for a replacement pair, maybe that will change something. The RFTs would be really cheap, like under 10€ a piece, so I´d be ok with them not being a revelation. Thanks for the info on the blue light in the 5U4C, that´s very helpful! |
There´s youtuber skunkie who did mods on another Willsenton amp. Some parts she improved, some issues needed to be fixed to make the whole thing more secure. Right now someone´s in talks with her to do the same with have a look at the R800i. Let´s see if she´ll accept. The instruction says that 120 is the best bias point but I´ve heard of people going down to as low as 100. To be honest I forgot the background why they did it, if it was to drive the tubes less or if t (also) gave a sonic advantage. |
@gregoriomtb16 I still use the Willsenton with Cornwalls. It´s a very good combination I´d say. The speakers are about 8ft. apart and just a few inches from the wall, maybe 8. They are in our combined kitchen/living room and the best listening position is actually behind the family sofa the middle of which is also about 8ft from each speaker, maybe even less. The best listening position is a few more feet to the back, there´s our kitchen table we spend a lot of time at. Sure, the furniture interferes probably but the sound there is still great in my book. Realities of having a family... When they were still new I built platforms with tiny weels to easily move them. While in the beginning I toed them in from time to time and found the more direct sound more pleasing I stopped doing so after a while. And when I toed them in again recently, pointing straight at me on the sofa, I found that the stage and depth suffered. So now they are pointing into the room again. |
