10 reviews for Willsenton R8 Tube Packages
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
Willsenton R8 Tube Packages
$125.00 – $1,799.00 US
$125.00 – $1,799.00 US
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
Chad Thrawl (verified owner) –
Throw the stock tubes in the trash. Go for gold you won’t be disappointed! Wow what a difference.
[email protected] (verified owner) –
Thank you for transforming my Willsenton R-8 from an unlistenable boat anchor to a sweet sounding stereo that I love turning on.
Love watching your very informative videos as well.
Must have site for Willsenton R8 owner.
Thomas Kirkland
dhanames (verified owner) –
This is my first tube amp and I was looking for someone knowledgeable to help me get started.
I bought the Russian Gold package with 6550C power tubes. Jim answered all my questions, without any guarantee that I would even make a purchase, and he has a great YouTube series that I found very helpful.
My Willsenton R8 came with the basic EL34 tubes which are good but a significant step down from the package Jim has put together. With his Russian Gold package, I immediately noticed a more natural and balanced sound. Vocals are amazingly clear and instruments sound very natural. The soundstage is wide and the vocalist is centered with instruments playing all around. I am very pleased with this purchase and the support/advice Jim has provided me.
Thank-you
Graham moore (verified owner) –
Hi Jim. I ordered the German Gold El34 Tube Set from you for my R8. I had the updated Psvane tube set installed when I purchased the amp and I was very pleased with the sound. After watching your YouTube channel I decided to take the plunge, the upgrade to the German Gold (RFT EL34) is totally unbelievable.
I would like to thank you!
Regards Graham
Blakew (verified owner) –
Ordered Russian package.stock tubes on r8 were pretty good,first tube amp, was really blown away by r8.started hearing about tube rolling,found these r8 tutorials on utube with Jim, so passionate about tubes,how to take your r8 to next level by rolling with these tubes.well it’s been a week now.I hear music I hadn’t heard before.sound stage is like being there live.kudos to Jim and staff,
Blakew (verified owner) –
Chose Russian gold.Willsenton r8 is first tube amp I’ve owned.Stock tubes sounded good,had nothing to compare to.Found YouTube tutorials on tube rolling and r8 hosted by Jim.Liked his passion about tubes,so pulled the trigger.It’s been one week now.r8 performing at another level.sound stage is like being at live concert.Happiness!! Thanks Jim!
Charlie Dixson (verified owner) –
Im 71 years old and have tube systems all my life. I currently have 4 systems, including the Willsenton R8 that I purchased a year ago. The stock tubes sounded ok, the bass was good, the highs a little brittle, but the mids for the vocalists I listen to were not very clear, so after a year, I decided to roll some new ones in.
I got online to order from the retailer I usually order from and came upon Jim’s website by accident. I noticed that h specializes in NOS tubes and that he had several packages specifically for the R8. I looked at the packages offered and decided on the Russian Gold set. I did email him a couple of times with questions and he got back to me in about 10-15 minutes of me sending them. That’s unheard of. Most places will take 3-4 days before they answer. Not Jim. He’s right there to help.
I received the tubes well packaged and protected, installed them, and set the bias. I then waited about 30 minutes before I did my critical listening. To be honest, i I wasn’t expecting much of an improvement right away. I know tubes need to be broken in to sound their best. OMG!!! Was I ever wrong. Right off the bat the bass was much deeper, there was absolutely no brittleness or harshness with the highs, and the mids opened up and were so clean and clear that it seemed like Frank Sinatra was in my living room singing “My Way” to me personally. I have nothing but great things to say about Jim and the tubes he sells. He is an honest person to do business with and his products are exceptional!!! Keep up the good work Jim. I will be ordering tubes from you again. A+++++++++
ilyes (verified owner) –
I ordered the Sylvania gold preamp set along with 4 matched EL34 Millard XF2 to replace my newly purchased Willsenton R8 stock tube (I didn’t make use of the stock tube)
I was surprised at the beginning that my speakers did not deliver the soundstage image as expected (or at least as before), so I reworked their placement and it blew me away.
I really enjoyed my new sound (let’s say music) and specially with Song of Our Homeland (Izzy), Sorry seems to be the hardest word (Terez Montcalm) and Tin pan alley (Stevie Ray). it is just magic:
– Izzy: in my old system her voice was just typing on my head. In my new setup, her voice is wrapping me and it sounds right and gorgeous.
– Montcalm: her voice was so shining, so solid, so beautiful (compared to my old system) she was singing right there in front of me.
– Stevie Ray: the guitar sounds so real it was bluffing. When the string is attacked in the middle of the track it is breathtaking. The drums sound absolutely beautiful travelling from the half left to the half right, it is just exquisite.
PS: all my hearing were done via Apple music and in TR mode.
I was afraid of the bass response, but it is excellent (solid, clear and not booming) on my speakers, and it is quite surprising. it is slightly lower in some frequencies than my old setup with the subwoofer running.
I was considering replacing my subwoofer to be able to pair it with the Willsenton, I changed my mind I will stick with my current setup.
My old setup
– Sherwood R863 AV receiver (10 years old)
– speakers : Jean Marie Reynaud Euterpe (10 years old)
– subwoofer Mosscade Titan 03.5 (10 years old)
– Cables : Offenbach 4mm
My new setup
– Willsenton R8 re-tubed
– speakers : Jean-Marie Reynaud Euterpe (10 years old) 4 ohms 90db.
– Chord Rumour X cables
and I added yesterday a DAC : Chord Mojo 2.
I would like to thank Jim for all his valuable advices, support and of course for the tubes quality and the cristal clear user manual included in the box.
So thanks Jim you are a valuable person.
Roman Mandzij (verified owner) –
I purchased a Willsenton R8, after reading all the glowing reviews, for my basement man cave to drive some Klipsch Heresy HBRs. Found the Heresy’s at an estate sale for $100. Recapped them and then iT was time to dive into the tube world. The Willsenton R8 is my first “true” all tube amp. As an aside, I have a PS Audio BHK Signature preamp and PS Audio BHK 250 stereo amp in the my main listening room that are driving Wilson Watt/Puppy 7’s. The PS Audio is a hybrid design, tube input and SS output. Love the sound of my main rig, a real end game system. After turning on the Willsenton R8 for the first time, I was amazed at how good it sounded with the stock KT88s and my Heresy’s. All this for less than $1500??? No way! How much better can it get with some NOS tubes??? Well, I found my way here and after doing a little homework and talking with Jim, I purchased the Russian Gold package with Svetlana 6550C power tubes. With his Russian Gold package, I immediately noticed more focus and clarity to the music and a much bigger midrange presence. As Jim states in his notes “a nice warm rich midrange.” Listening to Kenny Burnell’s Chitlins Con Carne from his Midnight Blue album made the hair on my arms stand up. The soundstage was bigger and more holographic, I felt like I was there watching him live. These observations continued with my playlist I’ve assembled for critical listening. I am so pleased with my Russian Gold package. Thanks to Jim for doing all the hard work in finding such a lovely compliment of tubes!
Randall Smith (verified owner) –
Blown Away, I could not be happier with the sound of my Willsenton R8 now. After suffering with the stock tubes for about a year, I decided to research new tubes. I came across Jim’s videos on tube rolling the R8, And then his store. I reached out with a few questions and with Jim’s advice I went with the Svet Gold 6550c package.
The Tubes arrived securely, protectively wrapped and numbered for placement.
Jim had it all labeled and laid out for me as to which tube went into what slot, he also tested each tube to ensure matched sets.
It has made all my music come alive and transformed the R8 from Meh!,
To: Out Of This World!
Thank you Jim for what you do.