Got the RCA clear top 12AU7 in yesterday and have logged about 8ish hours with them. They're for me a meaningful improvement over the stock tubes, as were the RCA 6AS7 tubes I rolled. The clear tops bring a wetter, warmer tuning vs the stock tubes, and give the V8 a sweetness that was slightly lacking with the stock set. The stock tubes are not bad, but I would strongly suggest tube rolling if you get a V8, it is very responsive to it. That's my next point, how pleased I am at the responsiveness of the V8 to tube rolling. I snagged some Sylvania branded 6AS7 tubes (no clue if they're made by Sylvania or rebrands, the ebay seller was vague), and again the V8 responded to those tubes noticeably differently than the RCA or stock tubes. The Sylvania's were very bright, too bright for me, so the seller thankfully let me exchange them for another set of RCA for backup, as I love how those sound. But point is the V8 can be tuned nicely via tube rolling. I've had other tube amps that barely change flavors with tube rolls, but not so here.
With the RCA tubes all around the V8 has a nice lushness and wetness that's a stark alternative to the stock tube's more dry and neutral signature. The RCA's have pushed the V8 more towards my beloved Stratus tonally, which is a good thing for me as I love a warmer tonal balance. The V8 is an impressive sounding amp stock, but even more so with better tubes (for me).
After a few days living with the V8 it continues to impress. With all the tube rolling I'm not sure I'd be confident commenting on break in, so I'll refrain. I will give it a week with the RCAs in and see if anything changes sonically. I'll also try the stock tubes again in a week to see if I still find them as neutral as I did before. Oh! The RCA 12AU7 must have less gain than the stock TAD tubes, as I'm able to use more of the volume knob before things get loud. Better sonics and better volume control, win win!
I did bring my Kenzie to work today to give it a run against the V8 for fun. The V8 is bigger sounding, in a way I'm struggling to explain. Notes just sound bigger, like they're closer, but they're not. If I were to put it into visual terms, the V8 is like a 70" tv and the Kenzie a 55". I'm sitting at the same distance, so everything is just smaller on the Kenzie. That's the best way I can describe it. But when I mentally visualize the instruments I'm hearing, they are just bigger, as they sound bigger, without being closer. I have a similar response with the Stratus/Kenzie comparison, the Stratus is the bigger sounding amp. Sorry, I lack the ability to describe what I'm hearing, but I hear it clearly and it's significant. The V8 is more neutral still, but wetter sounding. Transients have a more rounded smacking quality to them vs the dryer sounding Kenzie. But detail levels are similar between them, so this is not a rounding/softening/loss of detail on the V8. The V8 is faster overall, but the bass on the Kenzie is tighter and more nuanced. The V8's bass is still tight, but just slightly more resonant and decays slower. They're both incredible listens, but I lean towards the V8's sonics a bit more. Also, the Kenzie is very sensitive to RFI noise. When I grab my cell phone (which must be about 6 feet away from the Kenzie) the Kenzie starts making static and crackling noises. If I bring it real close it also whines. But once I move it back out, the noise goes back to zero. But the V8 is pretty quiet no matter where the phone is. The stock tubes have a blacker background, but I don't mind the slightly more grey sounding background of the RCA tubes because once music starts, they're just sonically more pleasing to me. If I had to pick an amp to keep and sell, the V8 stays and Kenzie goes. Actually the Kenzie will be going once I get some free time to list it. It's redundant in my lineup now, so I can use those funds for more tubes for the amps that are staying
. This amp has a smooth increase in volume across my headphones. I'm going to plug my Gruv DAC but currently using Woo Audio WDS-1.
