[mudnut]

Has anyone tried this amp to power up susvara?

R8 with KT88 in UL mode and Raphaelite B25 box, I am not well-versed in audiophile parlance so I'll just say it is absolutely incredible!

 

[iFi audio]

R8 with KT88 in UL mode and Raphaelite B25 box, I am not well-versed in audiophile parlance so I'll just say it is absolutely incredible!

Susvara there... I see that you're a man of culture

 

[lycos]

I'll just say it is absolutely incredible!

Thanks. Do you mind to explain what is Raphaelite B25 for? Can you just run directly from speaker tap?

 

[mudnut]

Thanks. Do you mind to explain what is Raphaelite B25 for? Can you just run directly from speaker tap?

Running tap out of solid state speaker amps is ok but doing so with tube speaker amps will end up damaging them. I don't know the technical stuff but I remember reading about it online.

The B25 is an impedance matching box that allows you to use tube speaker amps with headphones without the fear of damaging them and, to my ears, without any sound degradation. How this is achieved I have very little clue but I am sure there are lots of neat stuff going on inside since this things weighs a hefty 10lbs! The caveat is tube speaker amps are typically very noisy. My Susvara, HE6se are dead quiet, and even my HEKse is pretty much noise free, but any headphones more sensitive will probably not be suitable.

If I may just add, that the Susvara on the R8 and B25 provides an extremely visceral listening experience. It takes the best qualities of both HE6se and HEKse and make them even better; the bass is deeper, weightier, and more resonant, details superbly resolved, soundstage is expansive yet intimidate thanks to added warmth by the tubes and a mid-forwardness, treble extension that are never sibilant or fatiguing. I often find myself listening for an entire day on weekends minus meal and br breaks. Female vocals are exceptionally gripping and alluring that I completely lose track of time in them.

While I do like variety and still use my other setups occasionally, the R8+B25+Susvara is the pinnacle and most enjoyable among my modest collection of audio gear.

 

[lycos]

Running tap out of solid state speaker amps is ok but doing so with tube speaker amps will end up damaging them.

Thanks for detailed response.
Why would the tube speaker amp damage susvara? Is it because tube may cause spike?

Also, what other amps have you tried to pair with susv?

 

[mudnut]

Thanks for detailed response.
Why would the tube speaker amp damage susvara? Is it because tube may cause spike?

Also, what other amps have you tried to pair with susv?

The concern is actually (potential) damage to the headphones and (inevitable) damage to the tube amp. Again, sorry I am not technically inclined but there are lots of resources on the internet on this topic. Or perhaps a fellow head-fier who's knowledgeable can help chime in.

I've only tried the Susvara on two other amps, both solid state (Gustard H10 and Liquid Platinum) and the results were unsurprisingly lackluster. The rest of my amps are either OTL or unequivocally lacking power so I didn't even bother. I'd love to hear the Susvara on a proper solid state amp to compare someday.

 

[lycos]

Thank you @mudnut !

 

[iFi audio]

The B25 is an impedance matching box that allows you to use tube speaker amps with headphones without the fear of damaging them and, to my ears, without any sound degradation. How this is achieved I have very little clue but I am sure there are lots of neat stuff going on inside since this things weighs a hefty 10lbs! The caveat is tube speaker amps are typically very noisy. My Susvara, HE6se are dead quiet, and even my HEKse is pretty much noise free, but any headphones more sensitive will probably not be suitable.

As far as functionalities go our iESL is somewhat similar, but it was designed for electrostatic headphones as well

 

[mudnut]

As far as functionalities go our iESL is somewhat similar, but it was designed for electrostatic headphones as well

I have yet to dabble in estats but would love to get my hands on a PRO iCAN Signature in the near future. It looks very capable and the design is so elegant. I also love how it has tube options for extra fun factor.

 

[iFi audio]

I have yet to dabble in estats but would love to get my hands on a PRO iCAN Signature in the near future. It looks very capable and the design is so elegant. I also love how it has tube options for extra fun factor.

iESL handles e-stats as much as regular cans, but interestingly it can bond with Pro iCAN instead of a regular speaker amp. As for tubes inside our headphone amp, well, tubes are a part of our company's roots and we happily include them in every product we can

 

[Loftprojection]

Too bad this amp is not a real headphone amp. To me it is the best looking amp I’ve ever seen and I’m sure it sounds great. I’d love to get one but having to add a bulky Raphaelite box to transform it to headphone, hiiiiii, not for me!

 

[iFi audio]

Too bad this amp is not a real headphone amp. To me it is the best looking amp I’ve ever seen and I’m sure it sounds great. I’d love to get one but having to add a bulky Raphaelite box to transform it to headphone, hiiiiii, not for me!

Not all transformer boxes are bulky, just saying

 

[Dave01236]

Hello fellow head-fiers,

I have a speaker amp that's being built right now for my Susvara, it is a custom design made by space tech lab. It will have a balanced headphone connection added in the circuit with the tubes 300Bx2, 6sn7x2, el34x2, 5u4gx2, 6922x2. The thing is, I won't have it before approximately 2 months. And 2 months is a long waiting time when you are waiting for your dream amp!

I am currently using a Topping A90 solid state amp for the time being. I previously had the cayin ha300 but my left channel started distorting. After numerous tests I concluded that this was an amp issue. I truly miss the sound I was getting with the cayin ha300/susvara and honestly the waiting time is even more painful now! Obviously the topping amp is in a different league than the cayin ha300 so my sound has severely downgraded.

The Willsenton r8 seems to be a solid choice for me until I get my new amp. Especially considering that I can receive it as early as this week. I know I probably won't get the most out of the Susvara on the headphone jack, but will it be good enough? Or do I absolutely need to run the headphones via the speaker taps, via a box or anything else? The Willsenton amp is appealing especially for its price. But the fact that it was made to power speakers is kinda pushing me back on my purchase here. In the long term I want it to be my spare amp (only if it's capable to deliver enough Justice to the susvara via headphone jack though)

Please take in consideration that I will only be using the Willsenton regularly for only two months, so I don't need the Susvara to work at their 100% potential. Thanks a lot for reading!

 

[mudnut]

Hello fellow head-fiers,

I have a speaker amp that's being built right now for my Susvara, it is a custom design made by space tech lab. It will have a balanced headphone connection added in the circuit with the tubes 300Bx2, 6sn7x2, el34x2, 5u4gx2, 6922x2. The thing is, I won't have it before approximately 2 months. And 2 months is a long waiting time when you are waiting for your dream amp!

I am currently using a Topping A90 solid state amp for the time being. I previously had the cayin ha300 but my left channel started distorting. After numerous tests I concluded that this was an amp issue. I truly miss the sound I was getting with the cayin ha300/susvara and honestly the waiting time is even more painful now! Obviously the topping amp is in a different league than the cayin ha300 so my sound has severely downgraded.

The Willsenton r8 seems to be a solid choice for me until I get my new amp. Especially considering that I can receive it as early as this week. I know I probably won't get the most out of the Susvara on the headphone jack, but will it be good enough? Or do I absolutely need to run the headphones via the speaker taps, via a box or anything else? The Willsenton amp is appealing especially for its price. But the fact that it was made to power speakers is kinda pushing me back on my purchase here. In the long term I want it to be my spare amp (only if it's capable to deliver enough Justice to the susvara via headphone jack though)

Please take in consideration that I will only be using the Willsenton regularly for only two months, so I don't need the Susvara to work at their 100% potential. Thanks a lot for reading!

Ouch, as good as the A90 is at what it does, going from a HA300 is undoubtedly a painful downgrade. Had that happen to me in the past when my favorite gear went out of service and I had to dust off my backup and the downgrade was unbearable enough I went back to reading my backlog of books for a good while until something better came along. I would love to try a 300b amp.

I wouldn't recommend using headphone out on the R8 unless you have no other options. It doesn't go through the tubes AFAIK and I am pretty sure your A90 would fare far better with the Susvara. You could try ordering a Raphaelite B25 from China or perhaps a comparable offering from a U.S. company if there's one since shipping from China will probably take a good 3 weeks right now.

 

[airil]

Yeah, so i installed the Mullard EL34, mid a bit muffled, i guess need to let it burn in, will update when it starts reaching its nirvana.

Roll in the 6SN7EH gold pins over willsenton's stock, its quickly showing improvements. Soundstage is a lot better, a bit forward. The details are phenomenal. That is new, and from my not so much experience, it will only be better after burn in. I may be wrong I dont know. But it does put a smile on my face.