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63 About this deal
Thank you for your response. I’m pretty sure that’s the case with the R300 as well. Looks like I’ll need to upgrade my phono preamp as well. I had read that on another forum but it seems that Willsenton makes its amplifiers in the same factory as Cayin. There are many similarities. But there are also differences. We see clearly more components at Cayin and perhaps, some components more high-end. The Cayin also has a weight of 6 pounds more, probably transformers a little more imposing.
If I want more to make it even better I could thrown in some better tubes. Western Electric 300B anyone? Yes, I have some on the way to test with it. NOS 6SN7? Yes Sir! For its price it is unheard of to find something like this, something this special. It’s hand wired, it’s hand made, it has a glossy paint finish, a beautiful silver metal faceplate, it is easy to bias, it uses the 300B tube which is known for its midrange reproduction of the human voice. It comes with a metal remote and even a painted tube cage, and the paint job is automotive quality. It is silent as a mouse and has no hum, buzzing or hiss. Beautiful music emerged from the Devilles but at first I was concerned as the sound was much too warm. I was missing that treble energy. The bass and mids were big, full and expansive but the treble was rolled off. Hmmm. I realized I had my Cardas Clear Reflection and RCA Cables in. I removed those and replaced them with some (less expensive) Nordost Blue Heaven speaker cables and RCA cables. Yes, the Spatial audio speakers should be a better match and exploit what your Willsenton R300 is capable of providing sonically.
the Chinese CV181 (Shuguang / Psvane) is a 6SN7 with a CV181 look ... Same heating current, same gain and oval plates." I wanted to buy the new LM 609iA, but with doubts about the 300B I preferred to jump on the Willsenton, more than anything to avoid ruining myself if I didn’t like the 300B sound. The 300B tube does indeed have a special characteristic. The sound usually has a plump mid and upper midrange and a big wooly bass on the bottom end. Not loose bass, but big wide open bass. Sometimes the top end is slightly rolled off as well. Slightly. The frontend is Lumin U1 and Denafrips Venus II. I also have Matrix Audio for other smaller systems. You can pretty much know what will be the best sounding from one value: dialectic absorption. A Poly type is typically something like 100X to 1000X better than a "lytic.
Steve. Great review. I have a man cave/shop that’s 30×40. It has a 42” wall that petitions a 10×12 man cave area. Would the 300b driving 92db speakers reasonably fill up the 10×12 area? I mostly listen to jazz. Thanks for your help! I appreciate your kind words, thanks. I’m been a participant on this forum since 2008 and still enjoy posting and reading the experiences of others here. Acquiring the Willsenton 300b SET was a very good decision on your part. Yes, probably. This was a strong point of my old Elekit TU-8200DX whose headphone output was well connected to the tubes. Power-on high-voltage delay and mute delay function (about 30 seconds),Use Japanese ALPS high-end potentiometer Once the unit settles in and I pair it with a more appropriate speaker, I will get a feel for areas that I might like to make some changes (caps, resistors, tubes). And truth be told, my gut has me feeling that any of those changes will only yield slight potential increases in sound. All too often people overstate the effects of changing parts. I’ve heard positive differences in swapping parts and I’ve heard negative differences in changing parts to boutique parts. It’s a recipe, season to taste but it’s not as easy as you would hope.Next most important are the materials: polypropylene, styrene, teflon (insulators); aluminum, tin, copper, silver (conductors). Willsenton R300B is an integrated Amplifier, it is a Power Amplifier too (there is a group Power amp input), it is a Headphones amp, too. The 300B tube brings the artist in the room with you in a more haunting ethereal way than any solid state amp can muster. Along with this we usually hear a very wide soundstage that is three dimensional with a gentle treble that has just enough sparkle to make it all realistic. Also recapped a Marantz 7T and because of space restrictions, used Audionote electrolytics with Myflex bypass capacitors on each one. Also sounds fantastic. I'd get to hear what people are talking about with SET amps and 300b tubes and at a price that wouldn't kill me if I don't like that kind of sound.
I can definitely hear a difference in the clarity of vocals and the separation of instruments between the X7 vs the X9 and X10. So let’s see how this upgrade works out once I get the parts. The Deville’s are 94 DB efficient and 8 ohms so an easy peasy drive for this amp. The sound of the Devilles in general lean a touch warm. They have a very easy treble energy and are in no way bright or forward. They are more relaxed up top than most horn speakers but they also do not have the “horn wonkiness” in the mids. None that I notice anyway while listening. Factory add an Inductance transformer and Bipolar filter circuit to get the nicer sound for the MKIII.Come with a Tube Cage and VU meters. Well, I will not extend anything more, just thank you again for your intervention in my hours of enjoyment. By the way, I would tell those who really love tube rolling to give those who wear Willsenton an option. It’s worth waiting a bit before getting involved with new ones. But as always that is a matter of taste.QUOTE="Couchman, post: 28000280, member: 134810" Has anybody bought their Willsenston direct from China, who from, and what was your experience like? I have no doubt that your 300b amplifier will be a fantastic product. Best wishes to you. The 300b properly implemented is superb sounding.
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