[Odezra]

LOL, same here (Willsenton R8 + Buchardt S400mk2). The Buchardts have a few hundred hours on them, the Willsenton probably 100h or so. Sounds amazing, and I was surprised how well the R8 handles these lowish-impedance (mostly 4 ohms) speakers.

One warning though: I bought the R8 with upgraded Psvane tubes. It took me a while to figure out that the CV181-TII's were responsible for the upper-mid harshness I was hearing. Only when I replaced these with new production Tung-Sol 6SN7GTB, the frequency response was completely to my liking.

This is interesting to hear. I just upgraded the stock tubes that came with mine (el34 and 6snls) with the psvane kt-88 Tii and the psvane cv181-tii. Mine need time to settle in but out of the box, I can say the Buchardts, to my preferences, play better with the kt-88’s. The bass has more precision and slam, and overall there is a greater sense of separation and soundstage. It’s closer to a solid state sound presentation though with good tubey-ness still.

I’ll watch out for the harshness in the upper mids.

 

[pdvm]

I also like the Buchardts better with KT88s. I started with the upgraded KT88 and CV181-TII in place, but as I said there was a bit of harshness. First I upgraded the 6SL7 to tame the upper mids (no effect), then tried JJ E34L instead of KT88 (quite a bit warmer than kt88, but still too much energy in upper mids), then finally changed CV181 to new production TungSol 6SN7GTB and THERE IT WAS. Much more linear frequency response, upper mid hardness gone. Then went back to KT88-TII to add bass dynamics and a bit more treble extension (the Buchardts are not so airy by nature). So now my favorite configuration is: Psvane KT88-Tii, TungSol 6SN7GTB, Ken-Rad 6SL7

All this of course parallel to brain burn in and general/capacitor burn in... So preferences might change again. I will definitely give the CV181s some more time in the future.

 

[Odezra]

I also like the Buchardts better with KT88s. I started with the upgraded KT88 and CV181-TII in place, but as I said there was a bit of harshness. First I upgraded the 6SL7 to tame the upper mids (no effect), then tried JJ E34L instead of KT88 (quite a bit warmer than kt88, but still too much energy in upper mids), then finally changed CV181 to new production TungSol 6SN7GTB and THERE IT WAS. Much more linear frequency response, upper mid hardness gone. Then went back to KT88-TII to add bass dynamics and a bit more treble extension (the Buchardts are not so airy by nature). So now my favorite configuration is: Psvane KT88-Tii, TungSol 6SN7GTB, Ken-Rad 6SL7

All this of course parallel to brain burn in and general/capacitor burn in... So preferences might change again. I will definitely give the CV181s some more time in the future.

Just to confirm - how many hours burn in have the R8 and separately the CV181 Tii’s by now? I have noticed that harshness / glare initially when swapping in both the kt-88’s and cv181’s but after 25 hrs burn in, i perceive that is has dialled down somewhat already.

 

[pdvm]

The CV181's have been in there for at least the first 60 hours, after that I changed to the Tung Sols. Just to check, I put them back yesterday... they still sound a bit too hot to my ears. I have to say, a lot of clarity though! Online folklore says they need a very long (300h+) burn in time to sound their best, but I'm afraid I'm too impatient to wait for that

 

[Odezra]

The CV181's have been in there for at least the first 60 hours, after that I changed to the Tung Sols. Just to check, I put them back yesterday... they still sound a bit too hot to my ears. I have to say, a lot of clarity though! Online folklore says they need a very long (300h+) burn in time to sound their best, but I'm afraid I'm too impatient to wait for that

So I have my CV181s in now a few days with ~50 hours on them. I have no glare or perceived harshness in the upper frequencies. The glare I was perceiving initially was a rogue eq setting which I removed from my DAC.

So with my PS Vane KT-88 II’s, CV181 Mk II’s and some Tung Sol 6sl7 GT Gold, I have a really nice presentation (subjectively, to my ears). The bass is clean, with good slam, with lots of clarity and good detail through the mids and treble. In my view, it’s much closer to a solid state amp set up when paired with the Buchardts.

While I like it, and it suits a lot of the music i listen to (eg EDM). It loses a bit of the magic I think the stock willsenton el-34’s brought (which I understand are not necessarily the best el-34 tube that can be sought). I’ll give this set-up a few more weeks but will likely consider some upgrade el-34s.

It’s fantastic really that the R8 has this kind of range, with different tube set ups, to suit all tastes.

 

[pdvm]

Yep, I really like the Buchardt/Willsenton combo. So much detail in the midrange and treble, and so dynamic! Somewhere in the near future, I will ask my local amp technician to install a lower value resistor in the headphone circuit; that would increase the R8's driving capabilities for lower impedance headphones...

 

[Slade01]

You did go back for that R8 right?

 

[mindhead1]

LOL, same here (Willsenton R8 + Buchardt S400mk2). The Buchardts have a few hundred hours on them, the Willsenton probably 100h or so. Sounds amazing, and I was surprised how well the R8 handles these lowish-impedance (mostly 4 ohms) speakers.

One warning though: I bought the R8 with upgraded Psvane tubes. It took me a while to figure out that the CV181-TII's were responsible for the upper-mid harshness I was hearing. Only when I replaced these with new production Tung-Sol 6SN7GTB, the frequency response was completely to my liking.

The R8's headphone out seems very fine to me; my Arya V2's sound wonderful through it. I do have to turn up the volume a bit; this is probably because they used a fairly high resistor in series with the headphone out. In contrast, I have the iFi Stereo 50 tube amp, which also couples the output stage (4x EL84) to the headphone out but with a lower resistor in between, giving 7W of power into a 32 Ohms load (=Arya). The Stereo 50 makes the Arya play louder and tighter (and remains my favourite with it).

The R8's headphone out should be a very good match with high impedance headphones, though.

I’m just joining the party. Picked up the R8 and a set of Triangle Comete Ez. Running stock tubes on the R8. The Comete are sound stage monsters. I’m getting that holographic sound. I’m feeding the R8 with a Cambridge Audio CXNV2 and a Pro-Ject Evo TT w/ a Pro-ject Phon Box S2. After a week I’m very happy with the setup.

The R8 also pairs well with my RSL CG25 speakers. Great soundstage and bass response. Comete wins for soundstage and top end energy but this is expected with the horn tweeter. The CG25 win on bass response and warmth. In either case the R8 is killing it. My CXA81 is feeling neglected. I’ll do some amp comparisons in a few weeks.

I’ll also give the headphone out a go with my 6xx, DT990 600, and LCD-X.

 

[JKDJedi]

You did go back for that R8 right?

lol .. I did cancel the Decware.

 

[mindhead1]

lol .. I did cancel the Decware.

Ha. I kept
My Decware order I figure when it’s ready in a year or 2 I’ll be itching for an upgrade/change.

 

[JKDJedi]

Ha. I kept
My Decware order I figure when it’s ready in a year or 2 I’ll be itching for an upgrade/change.

Is there ever a time we don't want to upgrade? You always want what you don't have.

 

[Odezra]

So just a quick update on my tubes experience

Have the PS Vane kt-88 mk ii’s, psvane cv181-tii’s, tungsol 6sl7gt’s with over 400 hours burned in. It’s v much like a solid state presentation with a hint of warmth. It works excellently with electronic / rock genres. Bass clarity, separation with no glare or harshness to my ears in the treble.

What really suprised me was the headphone output. My hifiman Aryas were, to my ears, really good with this set up. I find the hp jack is warmer compared to the presentation out of my Buchardts (regardless of the HP choice), and the Aryas were really good - the best they have ever sounded to me. Better than my previous favourite combo - ZMF Atriums and a burson conductor 3x gt which I use for bedside listening.

I missed the sound of the el-34s though. With the el-34s, there were just some tunes which made the hair of my neck stand up, so am just burning in some new stock tungsol el34b’s. Immediately, they sound great. If I miss any bass, I’ll consider adding a subwoofer. It will be interesting to see how the Aryas go on this set up (on the stock tubes and the extra warmth out of the HP jack - I found it too much).

Am also trialling in a new R2R DAC (Gustard R26) which has nice synergy with this tube amp.

 

[JKDJedi]

So just a quick update on my tubes experience

Have the PS Vane kt-88 mk ii’s, psvane cv181-tii’s, tungsol 6sl7gt’s with over 400 hours burned in. It’s v much like a solid state presentation with a hint of warmth. It works excellently with electronic / rock genres. Bass clarity, separation with no glare or harshness to my ears in the treble.

What really suprised me was the headphone output. My hifiman Aryas were, to my ears, really good with this set up. I find the hp jack is warmer compared to the presentation out of my Buchardts (regardless of the HP choice), and the Aryas were really good - the best they have ever sounded to me. Better than my previous favourite combo - ZMF Atriums and a burson conductor 3x gt which I use for bedside listening.

I missed the sound of the el-34s though. With the el-34s, there were just some tunes which made the hair of my neck stand up, so am just burning in some new stock tungsol el34b’s. Immediately, they sound great. If I miss any bass, I’ll consider adding a subwoofer. It will be interesting to see how the Aryas go on this set up (on the stock tubes and the extra warmth out of the HP jack - I found it too much).

Am also trialling in a new R2R DAC (Gustard R26) which has nice synergy with this tube amp.

R2r with El34's ..... check. Thanks! Congratulations on the new amp.

 

[Carusoracer1]

Anyone else working with the EL34/6CA7 in lieu of the KT88? Success tube rolling results? This unit, to me begs for the EL34’s.

 

[luishi5000]

I tried the Mullard EL34's and it felt like it took the guts out of the music. If you want something much more mids focused that may be your preference. The stock KT88's have so much force and dynamism to them while still being smooth and sweet (especially so on triode mode), it seems like a waste of the potential of the amp to take that away.