Willsenton R8 KT88 Tube Amplifier

So let me start out by saying that this purchase was years in the making. I had seen several tube amplifiers that could use both EL34 and KT88 tubes and one in particular that also had triode and ultralinear operating modes. My end goal was to replace several tube amplifiers including my ancient yet beloved Dynaco Stereo 70 (ST70). It should be noted that several years ago I purchased a Yaqin MC-100 amplifier but my ST70 was simply better sounding so I sold it and started my search anew. For better or worse, I'm not a wealthy audiophile but I am a very good technician so I've been able to buy most of my audio equipment broken for pennies on the dollar and then over months or years, repair it as I acquire parts. This time however, I wanted something new so this was like buying a new major appliance since it cost the same as my washer and dryer. That notwithstanding, let me tell you about this amp. When the Willsenton R8 (R8) arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to find it was triple boxed. Given the weight of this amp is over 70 pounds it needed to be well protected for shipping and it's clear from the weight this is not cheap amp. My ST70 is light as a feather in comparison. One thing I found interesting is that it shipped with the tubes already installed but there was sufficient styrofoam and tape to keep the tubes in place. Nothing was broken and my poor body survived lifting it onto the audio stand (I still got it!). On the features front, the amp comes with a high quality machined aluminum remote. The remote has no power button but does have an oddly large mute button (huh?). The amplifier itself does not have a VU meter but features a large easy to use bias meter. Keeping with the quality theme, the power and volume buttons are machined aluminum with LED illumination (red for power and green for volume) as are the selector and TR/UL buttons. A tube cage is included and the vacuum tubes are Willsenton branded so clearly a lot of care was taken to continue the quality theme. Even without having heard a single note from this amplifier, I knew I had a beautiful piece of audio jewelry for my listening room. My first impression of the amplifier was positive when I turned it on and heard nothing after hearing the startup relay click on. No hiss, no hum, just silence. The amplifier defaults to triode mode when powered on and my first listen was Introit from Faure Requiem (Naxos). Playing through my Infinity Primus 363 towers, the opening pipe organ chord filled the room with power and authority rivaling some of the best tube amps I've heard and certainly better than any I've owned. About three weeks in, I had used the amplifier enough for the tubes to settle in and now there is a greater smoothness to the sound (it was never harsh) and I can easily hear a stark contrast between triode and ultralinear modes. It should be noted that I had a Yaqin MC-100 amp and the difference in the modes was barely audible. In comparison to my ST70, the R8 is a very different sound which is to be expected since they use both different types and brands of tubes and the ST70 uses tube rectification while the R8's rectifier is solid state. I cannot say that one is better than the other as I enjoy them equally. In conclusion, I must say that the Willsenton R8 is a fine amplifier. While it is by no means inexpensive, it is certainly a value leader as it is less than half the price of competitive "brand name" equipment while yielding uncompromising build and sound quality. While sound quality can certainly be improved (or diminished) by changing vacuum tubes, the buyer of the R8 can rest assured that the branded tubes that come with the unit are by no means a cheap add-on. I'm pleased to say that the engineering and care that went into the build and parts selection of this amplifier are worthy of the best brand names. Thanks for reading!

Warning: Long Review Unboxed it yesterday. On delivery, it’s very well packed; box inside a box and foam all around. This is a heavy amp, easily 70 lbs, and that’s a testament to its 3 transformers- they’re potted and probably make up 3/4 of the weight. This is important because the quality of an amp’s sound has a lot to do with the quality of the output transformer. In this case, heavier is better. This amp is replacing a solid state NuForce STA 200, no slouch, and very well reviewed here (and everywhere). After reading many reviews of the R8, I decided to change the tubes right away. The “ Wilsenton” tubes are ok, but this amp really lends itself to tube rolling, so I purchased 4 Gold Lion KT88’s, 2 Tung Sol 6NS7’s (replaces the two on the ends of the amp; the one in the center doesn’t impact sound quality) and two New Old Stock (NOS) Sylvania 6SL’7’s. Granted, this is an investment, but the KT88’s will last 3000 hrs or so. Set up is pretty straight forward: input terminals for CD, Aux, and Pre-In, and 4 and 8 ohm 5-way speaker terminals. Everything’s rock solid- quarter inch steel plate, well-machined knobs, really quality throughout. On off on the left, and on the right, volume control, which glows red while the amp is soft-starting- this is a good feature. In 30 seconds it goes green and the amp is ready. There is also a selector for triode mode and ultra linear mode. Triode mode is less power, but better detail. Ultra linear gives you weight and bass. The KT88’s are serious tubes-you can certainly use the amp, once the light goes green, but it takes those tubes about an hour to come into their own. And furthermore, probably another 24 to 50 hours to really burn in. Initial impressions about 7 hours in: there’s definite weight and slam in UL mode. As things warm up, the soundstage is getting more and more 3D, and on some tracks, the speakers disappear altogether, and it feels like you’re just a few feet from a live stage. This will only get better as everything burns in. Bass sounds tight and solid—no bloom typical of some lesser quality amps. Highs are rolled off a bit but crystal clear. The midrange, that part of the sound spectrum we think of when we talk about that “tube sound” is really good this early on in its burn in. Try Nils Lofgren’s “Keith Don’t Go”, or Dire Strait’s “Private Investigations”— pretty amazing stuff. One thing to consider: this amp will very clearly reflect the quality of the material it’s playing. I have Tidal and Qobuz streaming, and the quality from track to track is obvious with this amp. I can heartily recommend this amp for its solid construction and its ability to draw you into the music. Consider upgrading the tubes, as they make this amp really shine. Associated equipment: Bluesound Node with LHY power supply, Jolida DSD tube DAC and assorted upgraded cables.

I have the pleasure of owning the R8 for about a month now. So, consider this an initial review Order/delivery process: I ordered it directly from Amazon as the Chinese supplier was out of stock on their website. The R8 showed up within 10 days from ordering it. I was quoted a 4-6 week window - so it got here a lot quicker. The item showed up in a secure double carton that withstood a minor puncture while shipping. Very well packed and secure. Great when you are buying a $$$$ item and want peace of mind. Unboxing/install: Very easy to do as the tubes come pre-installed. It is very heavy though - bend with knees when lifting. I checked the bias after connecting l it to my speakers - it was set up just right. Bias testing is very easy - there is need look for an auto-biasing amplifier instead. Sound Quality: It sounded great out of the box with the stock Willsenton branded tubes. While these tubes are not as nice sounding as vintage NOS tubes, they are good enough to enjoy music. It didn’t sound very tubey though - not a bad thing. It is sort of like solid state with the KT88s. Basically, it sounds fabulous. I substituted the stock tubes with Sylvania 6SL7s and 6SN7 NOS tubes and the sound quality blossomed - more bass, more clarity, basically more everything. There is also a noticeable difference between the ultra linear and triode mode - I like that this amp gives you a choice. (E.g. The Primaluna base models doesn’t provide this feature - you need to buy a $4k Evo 300 for this feature). Build quality: It feels very well built with heavy duty construction. The switches are all metal and the connections look expensive. Speaker pairing: The ~45 watt per channel output means that it easily drove my 104dB sensitive Klipsch La Scalas with very little power. I would recommend a 90dB+ sensitivity speakers if you have a large room and like loud volumes. Also it doesn’t support less than 4 ohms speakers. There is no subwoofer output of that matters to you - again the base Primalunas amp don’t have it either. Expandability: There are a lot of possibilities for tube rolling on the pre-amp, driver and output side. Only caution is that it isn’t wired for KT120s or KT150s. It tops out at 6550s/KT88s. That is more than enough for me. Remote: It comes with a metal bodied remote which feels nice to hold but is a real pain to insert or change batteries. Also the volume control feature is poorly executed on the remote - the jumps in volume are too big for each button press. I don’t use the remote as a result. Bad design. Overall: I love it. It has great build quality, expandability, power output, decent sound of the box at an affordable price. I was evaluating the R8 against the PrimaLuna Evo 100 and the Decware SE341.5. These were in the $1-2.5k bracket. I picked the R8 for its value. I had auditioned the Primaluna - it sounded decent but is not better sounding than the R8. I would rate the R8 as a better sounding amplifier. I haven’t heard the Decware amps (they have a great reputation) but as they had a real long waiting period and as I needed an amp now my decision was made. I will update this review later when I have more experience with it.

11-MONTH UPDATE: I've driven the R8 hard for the 11 months I've owned it. A month ago, the remote control stopped working, then it started randomly switching inputs. I emailed Willsenton in China. They were very responsive. They said it's probably the control board and likely the remote. I told them I could replace the board if they'd send one. They did and I replaced it and the amp is back. I've used my Peachtree Nova300 in it's place, but alas, there really isn't a comparison. The R8 is a serious amplifier and Willsenton stands behind their gear. The Willsenton R8 lives up to the hype. It replaced a Peachtree Nova300. I love the Nova300 like a favorite child, but the R8 provides a VERY satisfying musical experience that the Nova can't quite reach. I run it through 4-ohm Tekton Pendragons which have a sensitivity of 95dB 1W@1m. It's a luscious presentation. I use a Cambridge Audio DacMagic 200M between my computer and the amp. It sounds great on Bluetooth or USB. The Nova300 produces 450W at 4 ohms. For my purposes, the 25W R8 is louder than I'd likely ever need and is capable at playing beautifully at >100dB. It does everything well. Bass is solid, defined and hefty. Highs are light and pretty. In triode mode, there is a lot of space and a 3D soundstage. I did not believe that the difference between the Nova and R8 would be this great. And I'm still burning in the KT88 tubes the amp shipped with. I have purchased some JJ EL34s to test the differences and do some "Tube Rolling". I am relearning my music collection. PROS Heavy (weights 65 lbs, high quality) Extra-simple bias adjustment Stunning sound quality and soundstage CONS Heavy (lift with your legs) I haven't been this impressed with a piece of audio gear since I bought the Tekton Pendragons. 5 Stars.

I had been itching to buy this amp for a couple years now, based on the glowing reviews from here and around the web. But in doing my research, I developed this anxiety that the product did not appear to be reliably built. I even discussed on Reddit the question of whether this amplifier could be reliably serviced here in the States, without reassuring results. Nonetheless, I heard that they had recently updated the design and may have addressed some of the weaker points in their design. So with cautious optimism, I pulled the trigger. Well, the good news is it did sound really good for the first few days, even with the stock tubes. But then I started to get sound in the right channel. It sounded like static or like a record skipping. Then it got much louder. I thought, hey, maybe I have a bad tube. I followed some advice and reseated each tube. Then I checked the bias. The moment I did so, the needle buried on the meter and a large amount of smoke and smell came out of the amp, much more than you would expect from a bad tube. Based on some of the earlier complaints, I suspect -- with no real expertise -- that one of the resistors on the cathode fried (as this was a problem a youtuber pointed out on the early model, it makes me think that I didn't actually get the updated model...despite how it was advertised). So back it goes. I kind of knew I shouldn't get involved with a (relatively) cheap Chinese amplifier, no matter how good it supposedly sounded. Lesson learned. (final note. My previous amplifier was a Schiit Aegir with a Schiit Saga preamplifier -- total cost at the time, about $1100. I will say, with the stock tubes, the Willsenton just barely sounded better. I am confident that better tubes would have widened the gap. But with power tubes costing $150-$300/quad, I'm not sure the Willsenton would have been worth the extra money, even if it had worked perfectly).

This is my first tube amp, and it sounds so much better than most of my solid state amps. What I mean by that is it sounds more real, the soundstage is better, it is more airy, more detail, especially in ultra liner mode. Most of my solid state amps, including some made in the USA amps, just sound less real, dead in comparison. The 43 watts also gets very loud with my 86db sensitive speakers. 43 watts of tube amp is like a much higher wattage solid state amp. Tube amps have output transformers that block dc , so when the amp clips it clips softly as the output transformer prevents dc from being sent to the speakers, where as a solid state amp when it clips puts full dc rail voltage on the speaker, and boom, there goes your tweeter. My point, don’t listen to the hifi salesman that say…ohh you need 200 watts of headroom for those speakers. That might be true for solid state as if you clip, you blow speakers, but not for tube gear, at least once you get up to these power levels. My amp puts out a solid 43 watts before it starts to clip, it puts out a little more power at the THD levels they speciy. It is an amp the performs as advertised. I say most, as this sounds as good,as a $3500 solid state setup I have. They made some improvements recently and this is a good buy. It is tube gear so you may still want to upgrade tubes or buy a spare set in case something happens, you can troubleshoot., but if you have a problem, contact the factory first, they are eager to help. The input selector will make a little pop in the speakers when changing inputs, it will make a little pop, when switching between ultra linear and triode mode, it will make a little pop when turning off. But it is not substantial enough to damage anything, just a little annoying. Tube gear is just going to be like this, it is nearly 100 year old tech, but sounds great. Just beware, tubes do not last forever, but they should last 1000 to 2000 hours before they start to degrade and decent tubes these days cost at minimum $400 these days for a whole set. Tube amps are a bit different that way. The spec on Amazon when I bought mine said it was for 115 volts +/- 5%. That is roughly 109 to 121 volts. If the voltage at your house is outside of that range, like mine is, you probably should find a variant with a transformer better matched to your normal household voltage, but most of the US should be well serviced by this unit. The manufacturer does make them with 110v +/- 5% and 120v +/-% versions. Tube gear is more sensitive to input voltage variation and this really can not be helped. It is just inherent to tube gear, all tube gear. This is a great sounding, good looking, solidly built unit. Is it as good as competing amps costing two to three time as much? Probably not, but I suspect it sounds just as good. It does sound great. I bought this because I always heard of the tube sound, and at this price it is finally seemed within reach. If that sounds like you, then go ahead and buy this thing, it sounds great.

This is my second tube amp and I am highly impressed. I did a lot of research on it before hand and knew about the issues, but this is the revised version as per Skunkie Designs recommendations. It is built like a tank but in a very classy and refined way. When turned on it defaults to Triode mode which puts out less power than the Ultra Linear mode. Both ways sound fine but I leave it in Triode since my Zu Audio DW6 speakers are very efficient. When received the power tubes bias checked just slightly to the right which was very easy to adjust with the included little screw driver. When first turned on I was rather shocked as it sounded very dull and dead, nothing like my Cayin 10 wpc tube amp. But running it with streaming music for about three hours was like flipping a switch and the audio quality really blossomed. I am very pleased with the sound of the stock KT88 tubes, but I have purchased a matched quad of Mullard EL34 tubes to try some time in the future. The volume control is silky smooth, and works very well with the included remote control. The remote is all metal and rather heavy, with edges that are a bit sharp, so be careful not to drop it on anything. It controls volume, mute, source selection and tube mode. The battery access is a pain as you have to remove six small screws to remove the back plate. This amp can be ordered straight from China, but I preferred to pay the extra cost and have the excellent backing of Amazon in case of a problem. Even at that this thing is a real bargain in my mind, and I have no regrets so far. As I am typing this I am enjoying it streaming in the background, and now I think I will spin a few LPs to get an even better musical experience. Highly recommended.

So i got hooked on the audiophile bug about 7 years ago, give or take. Auditioned some Magnapan MMGs with a Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum Amp. I wanted that sound in my den. Well a few months later I got the speakers with goal of getting the Rogue. I even printed a picture of it and put it in my desk drawer for motivation. Life happens, time goes on. So now the Rogue is the 3rd iteration and at $3500 its just not feasible. So looking at the China-HiFi units I was intrigued at the Willsenton R8. Could all the reviews be that good and factual? Well needless to say i took the plunge. Ordered it Friday night and it arrived Tuesday morning. The sound I have been dreaming of for 8 years has finally come to pass. This mother is a beast and oh so beautiful. It has opened up my ears to quality Hi-Fidelity. I have been listening to it almost non-stop for 2 days now. Norah Jones, Adele, Dinah Washington, Ella.... OMG. Smooth like butta!!! Buble, Sinatra, Knofler..... WHAT!!! And i'm still in the break-in period. Have not tried Maynard, Doc or Pops yet,,, but it's gonna happen. Smooth Jazz, Jazz guitar, Shweet sax... It fills my den with audio heaven. Driving Klipsch RP-160Ms. Waiting for a week of burn-in till i hook up my maggies. I'm a bit apprehensive on those but we will see and I'll post an update. If you are on the fence about buying this amp... JUMP OFF!!! This is by far the most exciting purchase I've made in years and I am over the moon. Great decision. No regrets. Day 4 update: My only apprehension on this receiver was whether it could drive my Magnapan MMG speakers. I couldn't wait any longer. Been listening to them all day. A resounding YES!!! The Willsenton R8 will drive Magnapan MMG sensitivity86db speakers. Not a problem at all. I even think I heard it say " hee hee... I got these Bro!" The room just opens up I've got a ton to do before Christmas but I just can't get out of my recliner. I've got maybe 20hrs on the amp right now and it does just keep getting sweeter and sweeter. For the price... Dude! Amazon gets 5/5 for delivery. Willsenton na 10/5 for the R8. Thinking about getting more for the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom... 1 week update: This amp is at it's premium after about 3 hrs of play time. i've been listening to mostly Amazon music and Radio Swiss Jazz on Tunein. Amazing!!!

Amazing product. After using this tube amp for 15 months now. I'm now in a position to give a informative review. My opinions on this amp. Build quality is very good. Looks great, both knobs are made from aluminum. The body of the unit is also metal. All internals are point to point wiring. It feels like a solid piece of gear. I think it weighs 65 pounds or so. Has two modes, triode and ultra-linear mode 25 (triode) and (ultra-linear) 45 watts respectively. You can use El34 or Kt88 power tubes or variants with a flick of the switch on the back. Get some Svetlana 6550 Winged Cs and I promise you you will be amazed. Also get some older RCA 5692 & 5693 for the 6SL7 & 6SN7 positions and then talk to me about it. Connectivity- cd in, aux in, pre in. You can connect it to a preamplifier and use it as an amplifier if you want too. Very easy to bias with the top set screws. Remote works good but the volume potentiometer jumps by increments of a few clicks for both up and down on the control. Probably my only con about this amp, this remote should be better, for sure. The stock tubes are not to my liking even after a few months of use. Very harsh to my ears. I did replace all the original tubes to vintage good quality ones and the sound changed dramatically. Believe me change the stock tubes. There's a bunch of information on YouTube for modifying or upgrading the internal components if you're interested. @Skunkie Designs. Also there is a forum on Stereonet.com with over 544 pages of talk about this amp. Let's put it this way, I sold both my Solid state systems to keep this tube amp. For the money this amplifier is a great buy!!

After looking at many reviews and doing a lot of research into the Willsenton R8, I decided to pull the trigger on my first integrated tube amplifier. I have a dedicated home theatre setup and was looking for a 2.1 channel audio only system for CD's, Vinyl, Tape, and Digital audio files. Below are my opinions: PROS: - Build quality - At almost 70lbs. This integrated amp just screams quality. The heavy duty transformer casings are wrapped with gloss finish metal and capped with 1/4" ish thick aluminum plate. The deck is the same aluminum plate with etched markings displaying the valve types and biasing switch functions. The tube cage is again a sturdy gloss finish sheet metal. The switches and knobs are all metal and seem very well built. Most of the internals are hand soldered, point to point wiring, and seem well laid out using decent quality components. "All good". - Connectivity - CD In, Aux In, Aux In, Pre In. (Can use as a power amp with a pre-amp if you want.) - Sound - Amazing! Tubes can be "rolled" or swapped out to change the overall sound. Different sound modes at the touch of a button. Triode / Ultralinear. And it's dead quiet! (No audible hum, hiss, or buzz.) - Biasing - Flick the switch and turn the screws. The bias display shows the value. Super easy to adjust. - Remote - All metal basic function remote. - Appearance - It is an attractive piece. CONS: - Remote - The battery compartment is poorly executed. It is a PITA to install and change batteries. - The volume stepping could be better via the remote. (It jumps too much, no fine control.) CONCLUSION: An amazing tube amplifier. Crystal clear highs, well defined mids, and decent bass punch with the pre installed KT-88's. At 45W in Ultralinear and 25W in Triode mode..........It will drive any decently efficient speaker with ease. If you are thinking about a tube option, I can totally say..........YUP! This is a fine piece of audio gear!

My first tube amplifier. This lives up to the hype. There are a number of Chinese amplifier manufacturers at the present time like Willsenton making very good high quality equipment at hard to believe low prices. I love this amp. Update 2026 Feb 4: I still love the R8 but have since purchased 2 more Willsenton amplifiers, the R300 and an R800i 245. I have replaced all the tubes in all 3 amplifiers with PSVANE Horizon series tubes. The R8 has a well balanced sound across the frequency spectrum, but the R300 has a bit more texture in the bass. The R300 doesn't match the clarity of the R8 in the mids and high frequencies. The R800i has it all, the textured bass of the R300 with the full detail and clarity of the R8, plus a bit more impressive soundstage than the other 2 Willsenton amplifiers. It's nice to be able to compare them back-to-back but I don't recommend that you buy all 3 as I have, all of these amplifiers offer slightly different but a universally excellent musical experience.

The exterior build quality and sound are excellent! easily comparable to my older PrimaLuna. The R8 with my KLH 5's have great synergy, much better than with my Yamaha AS1100 or NAD separates. Unfortunately, after four days the input switching board on the R8 failed. I returned the unit to Amazon and ordered another one. The new unit arrived with shipping damage; I was also disappointed to find the interior box that contained the R8 had been opened. Clearly this unit had been dropped at some point. Despite this, I'll order another one when Amazon gets caught up with my return's and credits my account. Update! Finally received my refund from Amazon and decided to order yet another amp! Unfortunately the volume control had an issue. When I turned the volume up with the remote the knob wouldn’t turn past the eleven o’clock position. I could manually override it but it felt rough and appeared to be binding. The V/C is supposed to be an alps , highly doubtful imho. Amp’s been returned and I’ve given up on the R8! To bad because it’s great sounding unit.

I have never lifted such a heavy sterio in my life, i bet u it weighs 80 lbs. That being said, It has amazing quality. Verry happy with this product. best sound ive ever heard. ------------------------------------------ EDIT: 3 days later. This is the cleanest sounding sterio I have ever in my life listened to, 25 years of listening to hifi. It has an extremely clean and clear midrange, the vocals really shine, yet not overdone in the mid/treble area. and this sucker has raw power! its super loud at not even 50%. And it can make basically any speaker sound amazing no matter what it is.