@chmaiwald , thank you!! I should note (for whatever it might be worth) that I "upgraded" the crossover networks in the Cornwall IVs, damped the horn mid and horn tweeter, and installed proper binding posts. Some may hear a difference some may not. I used high quality Cardas solder, VCap ODOM caps throughout, Path Audio resistors, and some decent binding posts from Partsconnexion. I did not change any values/tolerances with the swapped parts.
Also chmaiwald, I think you are spot on about the bias setting. Strangely, biasing it at ~90ma, as opposed to 120ma, did not result in things sounding sluggish, slow, or out of place.
@charles1dad, you are wise. I have always enjoyed your feedback and guidance. There are folks on here that seem to want to litigate everything--you seem to be the opposite and are always helping and sharing knowledge! Thank you!
@djspinner , you are correct! I hate to admit it. I'm guilty of making too many lateral moves. Maybe I just sell all these amps and buy a Jadis or Japanese tube amp! But my goal is not to have a big collection but rather find different pieces to allow different "sonic meals" if you will. No piece of gear is really ever perfect so I like to experiment and have different presentations.
Last night's listening session went way too late! 2:30 am.
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@jbhiller
Thanks for your thoughtful comments, I appreciate them.
Charles
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@djspinner, you're welcome to pop by if you are in the Chicago area!
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I swapped the 300Bs for a broken in pair of Electro Harmonix 300Bs. I can still only get the 300Bs to bias to about 105ma. Hmmmm...
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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.
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I didn't swap the 805s or 6SN7s yet. I threw the 300Bs in just to see. Quite frankly, it sounds great biased at just over 100ma. I'll reach out to China Hifi next week.
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Quite frankly, it sounds great biased at just over 100ma
It will be interesting to see what they say. The good news is that the amplifier is sounding great! I’ll take that result every time.😊
Charles
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I just rolled in a pair of Philco- Sylvania 6SN7GTBs and noticed that Willsenton put silkscreening of its name on the stock tubes. On closer inspection they are 6H8C Russian tubes--pretty similar to what Schitt was shipping with its Freya preamp. Good tube!
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@chmaiwald , Do you think the Cossor 805 is better than the factory 805 ?
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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.
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Hey @chmaiwald , I've been there! I had a Primaluna that could take a host of power tubes. I rolled, and rolled, and.... I got so lost but in the end I did figure out the takeaways.
One thing that I learned was to listen to each tube swap and give them a fair chance. It's easy to like something because it cost more or is highly reviewed. But everything is system, room, and listener dependent. I have a lot of 6 Cifte 12au7s (French military) that were very pricey--~$120 a tube. They are amazing, yet in my system at that time I didn't need more air on top and things got to be too much. Great tube to waken an overly warm or too thick tube system.
I learned this again with my Manley Chinook phono stage. There's nothing wrong (and soooo much right) with Electro Harmonix 6922s, which Manley uses in the stock units. For several years I neglected those tubes and created a stock pile of NOS stuff. When I went back to the EHs a couple years later, I realized why Manley selected them--very quiet, full spectrum equality, and so on.
As to the Willsenton, my early opinion is the 300Bs are of great quality. They are drivers too so they aren't going to be as noticeable to most of us. The 805s--I'm not sure on these. The Russian version of 6sn7 are good but pretty bright and highlight the midrange focus of the amp. In my system, they are a touch too much.
So, the only current "roll" I have going on is Philco- Sylvania 6SN7GTBs. They sound great!
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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.
I listened to five tracks:
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.
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)
stock Willsenton (I think PSVane Hifi) – fuller sound, more bass boom (low end), overall nicer than Cossor
PSVane Acme – lush, general pleasant, round bass, coherent, voices glow
300B
stock Willsenton (I think PSVane Hifi) – slightly boomy and muddy compared to Elrog
Elrog – more presence and glow, overall just nicer
6SN7
PSVane CV–181 T2 – very good, but sounds maybe a bit too thick, less laid back, nice highs and lows
GE GTA (NOS) – deep low end, overall really good, not 100% clear, good presence in lower highs
6H8S (NOS) – relaxed, defined, maybe a bit generous with highs, beautiful but not very 3D
stock Willsenton (6H8S NOS) – coherent, lots of low end, very similar to other 6H8S
Sylvania GTB – relaxed but forward, sweet, I´m sticking with this for now, but GE and the 6H8S come close
Next up will be another round with the 12AX7/ECC83s, maybe the rectifier too, but I´m done for today.
Further observations:
– Replacing any tube makes a difference (rectifier the least). The overall sound did not change dramatically when changing the 805s and 300B, but enough to go from really good to great.
– Only the combination of the PSVane Acme 805s and Elrog 300Bs made the overall sound just sweet and glowing.
– I was surprised to find the Cossor least appealing of the three pairs I own. Surprised because I paid about $200 for them and they turned out to be less pleasant than the stock ones.
– No surprise concerning the 300Bs though. It would be really interesting to compare them with Western Electric and Takatsuki. Feel free to get in touch with me if you have a spare pair.
– The stock 6SN7s are also really convincing, better to my ears than the GE GTAs and the also pricey CV-191 T2 from PSVane. My first choice remain the Sylvania GTBs though, they do their job better overall. But just a bit so if they start failing at some point I won´t be desperate.
– I guess it´s because the Cornwall IVs lack a bit on the low end while overemphasizing the highs for my taste, but the sound is most pleasing when I put the EQ back in the chain and push the lows just a tiny bit. The other bands stay untouched, except for when I sometimes bring even the highs up a tiny bit. I know it sounds like a contradiction to what I wrote about before, but both help to make the sound fullest along the whole spectrum. The stage widens as well, it´s always a surprising effect, when I turn the EQ off and back on again.
– I still have to try other 6SN7 NOSs, if only they weren´t all so expensive.
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@chmaiwald , GREAT write up. Thank you very much. I know everything is system dependent and subjective but I'm going to pause on buying Cossair 300Bs based on what you say--may not be worth it.
Also, fyi, I run two subs with CW IVs. You are correct in that CWIVs are not bass monsters despite their size. I love the sound of two subs tailored into the lower octave only.
Finally, I heard back from China Hifi today. They said that 120ma is the maximum you should bias the amp. They have no recommendations on what's ideal. They said that 100 ma (where mine maxes out with full bias) is fine and you can go lower.
As such, 120 ma is the limit. Your mileage may vary, but you may want to turn your bias down from 120 to (a) see how it sounds) and (b) avoid running the power tubes so hot to save life.
My Carver Crimson has a recommended top end bias of about 100 ma, but Bob Carver says he likes the sound best at around 80ma. Interesting.
At any rate, the manual uses ambiguous language and I have now confirmed that 120ma is not the recommended bias setting but the maximum bias setting a user should use.
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@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.
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Chmaiwald, I'm wondering if the stock 805s in the Willsenton R800i 805 are actually Linlai tubes. The reason I think that is some Linlai tubes, and their 805s, have a star shape at the top of the tube structure.
Take a look at the photos here of Linlai 805 offerings and there's a star at the top:
https://premiumvacuumtubes.com/product-category/shop_by_tube_model/805/
Do yours look this way?
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@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!
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FYI Chmaiwald, Linlai sells an intro 805 for $165 a matched pair (see that link above).
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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.
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For now, I'm still running this guy in and enjoying every minute. This is a special amp indeed
That is very encouraging and high praise for such an accessible 300b SET.
Charles
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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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@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.)
Two examples that left me a bit underhelmed: Neurosis – „Times of Grace“ (not expecting too much hi-fi here, but usually engineer Steve Albini does a good job at capturing this kind of music) and Die Nerven – s/t.
On my Sony wh-1000xm4 headphones both sound punchy and allowing for dynamics even when the wall of guitars set in, on the stereo much less so.
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@chmaiwald , Wow, I went back and listened to that Neurosis album. I wouldn't blame the amp for how this album sounds. The production seems intentionally nasty heavy. I don't listen to much metal or heavy punk though. Also, I'm in the minority camp on Steve Albini. I don't enjoy his production as much as others. I always found it interesting that Nirvana held back their two radio hits on In Utero from Albini. I think (sometimes) his engineering and production sound muddy and confused but that's just me.
I understand, I think, what you are saying about stuff sounding better when music is simpler (less going on). That's kind of a truism for all systems on some level.
Do you use a subwoofer system? The reason I ask is it can provide depth of soundstage and allow the highs to sounds more delineated and less harsh--just by filling out the lowest octave. The CW IVs are not really a big bass speaker despite their size.
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correction--it may have been more than just two radio songs. I think Bob Ludwig may have remixed most of the album.
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@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.
Two years or so ago he recorded the newest album by SUNNO))), the drone-doom duo that basically plays guitar-generated soundwaves*. Compared to their other albums the resulting „Life Metal“ manages to leave room to breathe in the overall oppressing wall of sound. He´s done a stellar job there.
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.
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@chmaiwald , I highly recommend REL's T line. Very persuasive, musical subs.
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Great to read your post @chmaiwald, I recently bought the Wellsenton R800i 805 as I needed a larger wattage than the 300B I have, I also thought the tube was 805 (A have a few pairs of GE and RCA NoS 805), only after I got the amp did I realise that the output tube was not the same.
But everything else is top notch and the sound is at the desirable level. Lots of tube rolling also.
Enjoying Tube Rolling again, after 10 years of remission....
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Is the Willsenton R800i an 805 or an 845 output tube based?
I have seen both descriptions. A very nice looking amplifier. The 805 in SET provides about 50 watts of pure class A power. An 845 SET usually about 25-30 watt range pure class A.
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Zerung, glad to hear you picked one of these up and like it. It does sound like you bought the 845 version, is that right?
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@charles1dad It´s available in two versions: One running 805s and one running 845s. Either amp is not compatible with the other tubes.
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Yes, I know that the 805 and the 845 are completely different power output tubes. I did not know that Willsenton uses the same amplifier model number for 2 different amplifiers. Utilizing the 300b as the driver tube is very nice. That’s a lot of amplifier for that cost.
Charles
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Charles1dad, you are correct--it's a lot of amp for the money. Good to see you around these parts. You have a keen appreciation for our hobby and I always like hearing what you have to say.
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The 805 version of the 800 is now out of stock-no longer available at China HiFi and the wait on Amazon ticked up to 4-5 weeks. I'm not surprised.
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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.
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Make sure if your going to try your ears at finicky listening, ,ale sure all components are warmed up, and it may take you a hundred hours to get used to the new sound
after buying the “Sanders - the preamp” it took me over a month to accept the new sound, at first I was skeptical of the new sound,…
after a while, leaving on for 2 months, she really came around, bass became tighter, etc etc.
I love getting new gear, like a 10 year old on Christmas morning.
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@chmaiwald
One thing´s for sure: I do miss the Willsenton´s sound already
That is understood. A good tech should be able to evaluate and solve the problem for you.Charles
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@chmaiwald , I wonder if the 800 has the same design issue as the R8--Skunkie Designs found that it was missing a resistor on the bias pots. If the pot wiper gets sticky or otherwise malfunctions, it could let full bias hit the tube and blow it.
This is giving me incentive to flip my 100lb beast over and open her up to have a look. I have been lazy. I don't want to lift it and I'm not motivated to find my little tool I use to bleed volts off of the capacitors before poking around.
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@jbhiller
wonder if the 800 has the same design issue as the R8--Skunkie Designs found that it was missing a resistor on the bias pots. If the pot wiper gets sticky or otherwise malfunctions, it could let full bias hit the tube and blow it.
A very plausible explanation.
Charles
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@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.
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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 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!
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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@chmaiwald
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
I have no doubt that the contrast between these two amplifiers is significant.
I am glad you were able to get the problem corrected.
Charles
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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.
Out of the box the Rel left a better impression: Better built quality, better design, nice and practical details like a perfectly prepared connection cable justify the higher price. It played also smoother, more gentlemanly and more musically than the SVS. I found that with the plenty adjustments to the sound the SVS lets you make you can get very close to that. All in all it´s a bit more muscular but I´m not against that. What really bugged me about the Rel was the design with the company logo printed and etched all over it, three times on the front alone. Together with the piano varnish it made it even appear a bit tacky. So the SVS stays. The R-800i, the Cornwalls and the PB-1000 Pro are great partners I think.
I can´t wait to listen to some music with the added bass extension.
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The SVS Pro 1000 is an excellent sub, especially at it’s price. Great flexibility.....running 4 of them in one of my systems.
Cheers....
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Four! That is a lot. What speakers do they support?
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For those of us 800i 805 owners with high efficiency speakers, have you tried running a lower gain 12 volt tube in the 12ax7 slot? I found the 805 wattage to keep my volume limited to about 9:30 o'clock or lower. I switched down to a 12au7 (substantially less gain) and things opened up a bit. Very cool. I've done this before with varied results. Here, I like what I hear!
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chmaiwald
QUINTESSENCE ACOUSTICS QLS RIBBON LINE SOURCE.
CHEERS....
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www.quintessenceacoustics.com
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@musiclover1 And I´m saying that the Cornwalls need subs even though they are fairly big speakers. Those are huge!
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@jbhiller wrote:
"I wonder if the 800 has the same design issue as the R8--Skunkie Designs found that it was missing a resistor on the bias pots. If the pot wiper gets sticky or otherwise malfunctions, it could let full bias hit the tube and blow it.
This is giving me incentive to flip my 100lb beast over and open her up to have a look. I have been lazy. I don't want to lift it and I'm not motivated to find my little tool I use to bleed volts off of the capacitors before poking around."
So, I have an R800i in my office system and I just realized a channel was out. One of the Gold Lion 300B's (right channel) went bad. Put the Willsenton stock 300B's in and went to adjust the bias and...wow...both channels are super high. In fact, the left channel won't go below where the Dolby symbol is. I am assuming that's above 120ma. (I used to be able to adjust them to where the "0" is).
Could this be that pesky resistor/bias pot issue? I've reached out to China HiFi for advice.
Also, has anyone opened one of these up to look at cap upgrades, etc? I'm the kinda person who wants to do everything as long as someone is in there.
Also, I live in a mid-sized city and have no idea if the techs are any good here. Anyone have a reco? Willing to ship the amp.
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I'm going to open mine up soon. It has to be done.
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