Have to add one more color to this stripe and clear a few rounds , then I’m done for a while. The red one was my buddies R8 and he’s good. I’m still trying things out.
Very interesting! I suppose my bias meter could be not performing up to spec, but I've never had a problem with it before. Maybe I'll buy one of those nobsound units to compare. It's interesting you say that the needle was on the S because that is exactly where mine was previously as well. My meter was reading 70+ mA and v3 was redplating. V3 is actually still glowing brighter than the other 3 which makes me suspect that it might be on its way out. One other thing I noticed was the plate voltage on the left channel was about 15-20V lower than the right channel. Thinking the 6SN7 acting as a voltage regulator might be faulty so I ordered a NOS RCA unit to replace that with. I also ordered a matched quad of new production Tung Sol EL34. Again I'm holding my judgment of this amp until I get the new tubes and chase out some of the demons I'm finding. Right now I have to say I am unimpressed. Sounds decent, but certainly nothing special to my ears at this point.
I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with the amp necessarily, I just think it can sound way better with a little effort (and cash) which I'm okay with for the price I paid.
When the R8 is used as a power amp in conjunction with an external preamp, is the R8 preamp disabled?
Really awesome work. BTW, I bought the ifi Zen phono stage based on your posts in prep for not having an integrated with a phono stage. What a fantastic piece of gear! Sounds better than any of the integrated or receivers phono stages that I currently own. A true bargain even at the new higher price of $189.
@DancingSea & @rockin_since_58 Funny you should mention pre-amps. A couple of weeks ago, I took delivery of a Quad Artera Pre and am running it through the R8's dedicated pre-in. When there are more listening hours on the clock with the latest setup / config, I'll post some thoughts. That said, one immediate observation is the R8 + Artera Pre produces a cleaner overall sound than the R8 on its own. However, because of a cable change, it's not a true A-B so more listening needed with like-for-like cabling before any firm conclusions. PS: In case you're wondering, the Quad was purchased mainly for headphones use but, as we know, it would have been very remiss not to try it with the R8...
Man I would consult Magnepan on that. Give them wattage numbers and see what they say. Peace I would think efficiency is the word of the day on tubes
I run my R8 with 87dB 6 ohm nominal speakers and it handles them just fine. The LRS specs are pretty close. My speakers dip down as low as 3.7 ohms.
I was running 87db Polk LSi15s (but with an impedance curve that went down to just over 2ohms) with my Line Magnetic LM-218ia (24 SET watts) when I first got it. I thought it sounded the bees knees. I upgraded to a pair of 94db 80hm Omegas and the sun broke through the clouds in a stunning opening of clarity, openness, and resolution. It was literally night and day (and yes, in part because the Omegas are a superior speaker, IMO, to the Polks -- but the Polks don't *suck*) High efficiency speakers are a tube amps best friend.
My R8 really sings with these low cost Bic America speakers which are rated at 8 ohm 95dB efficient. These are what I am currently listening to while taking a break from the Elac's.
You are on the right track I'm sure the Elac's sound great but high efficiency means a lot to a tube amp.
Magnepan is cagey about this sort of thing. And with Maggies, it’s about current rather than about watts. The only way to know if the R8 drives the LRS well, is for someone knowledgeable to have tried the combo. Thomas & Stereo said the Doge 10 goes well with his LRS. The Doge 10 is quite a piece of gear, but I’m not sure its tubey enough for me.
In the spirit of answering my own questions, I'll share what I've found regarding the R8 and the LRS - from YouTube. For what it's worth. Thomas & Stereo has tried the combo and said the LRS were the only speakers, of many, that the R8 struggled to drive. Both Thomas, and the Audio Excellence guys in Toronto spoke glowingly about about the Cayin CS-55A pairing with the LRS. There must be something about the Cayin's current that better suits the LRS as the CS-55A is no more powerful than the R8 and weighs 30 lbs less. Thomas also said the Doge 10 can drive the LRS. Audio Excellence made a few more interesting points. They said that Cayin is the OEM manufacturer for PrimaLuna. While PL has their own Dutch design, that Cayin actually manufacturers the entire PL line in China. Thought that was interesting as PrimaLuna is known for quality manufacturing and provides some context for the relatively unknown Cayin's worth in the market. They also thought that Cayin offered a better value to performance ratio than Primaluna or Rogue which they thought were ok, but not great when they auditioned their lines for the store. The Willsenton R8 looks amazing, and if I didn't have the notoriously fussy LRS, I'd buy it. Thus I'm going to focus on the Cayin and Doge for now. Yes, the LRS may cost only $650, but the extra money I've spent so far on electronics to satisfy them easily makes the LRS the most expensive speaker I've owned
