New Willsenton R8 MkII: Unboxing and initial impressions.
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- First of all, Kudos to Wilsenton for listening and being responsive to their customers. A huge thumbs up on this latest updated R8.
This is the first video on the latest updated version of the popular R8 amplifier. I was in contact with Wilsenton about the reliability issues I found with the earlier version of this amp and they agreed these issues needed some attention. They updated their product and sent me this newest version to review. While they haven't officially designated this a "MkII", I'm calling it that because they fixed all of the "must do" repairs I was suggesting viewers do to their amps, including much higher quality resistors throughout.
This is a video series about the popular Willsenton R8 KT88 EL34 Push Pull tube audio amplifier. We will go through testing and reviews of the amp as delivered, and then work on some minor modifications to improve the sound quality.
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I really appreciate companies that listen to reviewers' constructive criticism to make their products better. Congratulations to both of you on this.
You have contributed to the hifi world and kudos to Wilsenton for responding so well
I, for one, have to thank you for all the hard work and knowledge you impart to all the diy'ers like myself out there that enjoy the inner details of this fascinating hobby of ours. there simply is not a large number of people out there for this niche of complexity of tube electronics.
You are very welcome
Wow, amazing that a manufacturer seemingly applied the suggestions you made. You must feel proud!!
I am!
I felt it was almost a dream for them to do the same thing that you’ve done. I am so happy they followed your lead on this they should use you in consulting next time they want to manufacture a new unit.👍👌👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Strange i can't find any MK2 version of that amp for sale... 🤷♂
@@beslemeto Exactly. I suspect a one-off to _imply_ to buyers they did it...and that buying it now will give the buyer the Skunkie mod...while continuing the lower-cost junk construction all along.
@@beslemeto - The site notes the changes in the detail area. No they did not change the model designation.
Well done Willsenton! If every audio company was this responsive to customers and critique, we would all benefit as customers.
Massive respect to you Stephe, the fact you managed to enable them to fix it is really an achievement.🙂 Hopefully all those that trash talked you on the forums will respect and thank you for your efforts as ultimately you have just made things all the better for the consumer.
And well done Willsenton, the fact they listened and actually worked with you to improve is impressive, although they certainly owe you some serious gratitude.👍
Thanks so much! 😊
Been waiting for this review on the Mkll.
Thanks for all the work and time you devoted to helping this manufacturer actually take into consideration these modifications. It shows the manufacturer to be willing to accept and adjust for the better.
In the end… it’s the consumer that wins.
Outstanding job and thanks. Bruce Anderson.
Wow, I love this story! How cool that you get to work with them. Kudo's for you for figuring this out and them for listening and contacted you.
Congratulations for you and Willsenton to have worked together to improve a product. Make me more interested to amp! Look forward to you future reviews!
I really appreciate any company that is willing to improve and responds to there community
Congratulations Stephe. You made a difference! Your efforts did not go to waste. Nice work.
❤❤❤👍👍👍 love it cannot wait for your listening review you’re the best and I’m so happy that the manufacturer watched your videos, listened and then communicated to you kudos to them
Thanks for waking me up with your professional review of the tube amp!
It's not just Willsenton that seems to be working in this way, putting not completely finished products onto the market and then watching customers' reactions and acting on the feedback. All these YT videos have just made it easier for them. I've been following (and buying and selling) Chinese hifi products for several years now and it's happening all the time. Minor improvements are made continuously without an indication of it in product designation but a wholesale change like this R8 would definitely warrant a Mk2 label. They are doing the same in bicycle frames and components manufacturing. Any industry I guess where enthusiasts are willing to try new things, take risks in order to avoid the overpricing of western brands and their sales channels.
Great video, I loved the repair series you did on the R8.I have the original version and the 180ma choke coil burnt out so I have found someone local who will do your upgrade for me whilst he replaces the coil. It was in EL34 mode when it burnt with a quad of cheap Shunguan Gold Dragon's. Just waiting to hear if it was a faulty valve or something else.
Absolutely love the amp.
Had it paired with some Borea BR03's but recently acquired a pair of vintage Monitor Audio MA3 Mkii's in great condition. And it was making the hairs stand up all over again. 😁
Till the coil burnt out that is 🙄.
Keep the videos coming!
Great channel!
Every time I watch a video you put out…
I learn! Watching the content you provide helps people like me. I take on too much in the world of learning HI Fi. I spread myself to thin in the reviews of ALL components available. Watching your channel helps me to understand the singularity of each component you review. With complete honesty. I don’t understand a fraction of what you discuss. But with what you discuss turns me more towards the internal understanding of a component.
This is a free education!!!
I watch endless reviews of components from reviewers using the same “audiophile” wording. What you do is different.
You educate about the system and electronics. To put it into some kind of semblance, you provide the meaning for these words from a language no one speaks.
Just a big fan. And thanks for your channel.
Working together for a better product. You ROCK Stephanie! Time for you to break out a good bottle of wine, kick back and enjoy your tremendous accomplishment. We’re all proud of you🎉🎉🍷👍👍
Thank you! I hope the folks at Willsenton feel the same way.
I was initially going to buy an r8 but ended up purchasing an x7 based on your reviews. Very happy with the Muzishare as my first tube amp purchase. Thanks for the valuable information you supply.
This new improved R8 might swing my opinion, but that Muzishare is a nice amp too.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Does it change your opinion? And if so, by how much? With the issue of not being able to tell which version of the R8 one might get, I'm leaning x7, but I'd consider waiting.
I received mine in June of 2023 and it had 500volt caps, so that change has been around for a while. My choke was labeled 4h and was a 1.5 like your earlier videos, as well as no bias safety resistor.
My voltage goes up to 530 volt on startup and hovers around 490 to 495 at steady state on the first cap, so I think 500v cap still is not enough.
My low voltage 12v ps cap blew on the input board. It is a 25v 2000uf cap, but the steady state voltage is 22.5 volt. That should be a bit higher voltage too in my opinion.
Does yours have the 110/220V switch inside?
Loveliness! I wouldn't really expect Willsenton to improve their products with your input, but they did it and it's so reassuring :). I'm very happy to see factory-installed Skunkie mods. You're going places and making a good contribution.
Thank you for doing this. Hopefully Willsenton can fix the R300 too.
This is amazing. Well done, Stephanie!
kudos to you Steph - you're a legend!!
very good news , very nice to her that they listen to you.. i wait for another video after you test it, very good job , love this series , and love you keep update us on information of r8 amp.. keep update us , many thanks!
Rolling tubes already :)
Awesome! Kudos to you Stephe! Your channel is growing nicely! Keep up the good work!
It is great they did pay so much attention to your thoughts on this amplifier. Also, great you are getting close to10K subscribers!
What a result! All credit to you and credit to Willsenton, not 9nly for listening but also for acting on it.
Think you made up my mind getting the r8 over a 300b and sticking to the wellinston vs the boyuurange..
While it is good for a manufacturer to listen to customers like they are supposed to, I also think they should be very grateful for the free engineering.
Well done!! I still have the older version that I did a few of your mods on!! Glad to see Willsenton receptive to feedback and actually making changes. Great work on both your parts.
Hello. Of course, first of all I would like to note that this amplifier is incredibly beautiful. For me this has always been a very important factor. Thanks for the very interesting video.
I don't think anyone mentioned it, but in the MkII version the remote control has also been changed. It looks more premium. Now it is made entirely of metal, a whole solid body. It does not have plastic, removable elements at the top and bottom. It has a metal flap on the back that is attached with 6 screws. In the mkI, the batteries are replaced by unscrewing 2 screws from the plastic element from the bottom. In mkI, the Mute button was larger, while the others were slightly smaller. In the mkII they are all large. In the MkII version, the buttons are easier and more gentle to press. In the MkI, pressing is harder. It is strange that both remote controls have the same model designation, despite differences in construction.
I'll never understand why they didn't call this new version a MKII, a "plus" or something.
Thanks for sharing the update! It is great that they took a lot of your advise to bring it up to a much better spec! I'm always excited to see what you are working on!
Excellent bit of work, I can tell you are faithful to your high level of interest. 😎🖖 As a Dr of Electronics & Telecoms Engineering I appreciate this.
You're making a difference. Thank you!
WoW, a very impressive technical analysis of the Willsenton R8 👍. I want see more 🤓!
More to come!
You are incredible. Thank you.
So far, even though I bought all the parts in your BOM, I've only installed the safety mods in my "mark I". I plan to do the grounding fixes next because I do hear some low-level hum. I was not going to remove the headphone jack and am wondering if I just replace their wires with shielded cable, would that resolve any issues that their wire routing for the headphone jack poses? Resistor replacement is going to be last. I would be interested to know if you think the stock "mark II" sounds as good or better than your modified "mark I". Thanks for your update. It's nice to see that Willsenton obviously respects your expertise!
I would do something more along the lines of a rear mounted switch to switch between speaker outputs and headphones, similar to the headphone box I made maybe.
Been holding back on the 1st version , maybe this is it .
Really Nice.... What you have done is vastly improved the product where someone like me is considering buying one.... Just keep it simple ! :-)
So, a concern for someone like myself wanting to get into a tube amp on your advice: is this unit still inferior to the Musicshare X7? I'd note for other prospective buyers that the China Audio HiFi notes that the changes are accomplished, but without changing the model designation to MkII. For the record many people review the R8 on UA-cam, nobody I've seen as of yet is 25% as thorough as you, every criticism you offer is unique and beautifully spoken in plain language, so I am subscribing.
The new version of the R8 is nice, it really boils down to if you want to use the smaller 9 pin or the larger 8 pin tubes.
Thank You 😊
I wonder if they’re going to step up for us customers who purchased the original unsafe unreliable version
They have never returned my calls
I could see sending DIY owners these updated bias boards possibly? But then it's easy enough to add the safety resistor to the old board if you are a DIYer. The huge thing to me is the resistors!
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics I’m not to optimistic that they’ll do anything for the consumers that have these first generation amps. I’m keeping the amp, but not using it, hoping that the year warranty they gave will cover these issues that you found and they resolved in their new version. After contacting you last time I went out and purchased a Mac MC275 and am enjoying that.
Honestly I feel you’ve done a valuable public service. I personally thank you for your time and sharing your knowledge and experience.
... I am guessing they will have a R300 mk2 on the way with all your suggestions and fixes hopefully then? I hope so, as a very happy R300 owner that so far loving the amp and taking your suggestion to swap in some 5ar4s, would love to see an upgrade...
We shall see
Call me a cynic, but I wonder if they just changed the labels on the capacitor and choke.....not something you could check....The mains voltage selector omission probably saved them a little expense too....Just a bit wary of Chinese business practice ftrom experience....
It's possible, but I can measure the spec on that choke to see if it's just a label change and will be doing that.
Great review and thanks for your information! A pleasant surprise in the world of audio.
So now this improvement in design improves the sound too....your recommendation????please ....im about to buy this one....
If you get the newest version with the "safety resistor" bias boards like this one I got, yeah go for it.
Congrats and hoping Willsenton will make a R8 Mk2 soon.
Terrific videos! I just discovered your channel and subscribed. Keep up the excellent work. I'm now considering getting this Willsenton.
Hi Skunky, is it possible to purchase the upgraded parts from Wilsenton, in order to upgrade mine?
Or is it possible for you to make a kit for us to purchase so we can make the upgrade.
I don't plan on making kits, sorry.
It shows that they must be a very committed company....who wants to develop and refine great products!
Nice one! Do the new caps and choke look physically larger or different in some way?
For now I put the cover back on and am letting the amp burn in. In a few weeks I plan to dive in deeper.
Hi, great content . Kudos that Willsenton trusts you to help them design performance mods. good job. Anything else coming on the R300?
Yes, I've got two of them here now.
I found replacing the 6SL7 and outer 6SN7 tubes made the greatest sound improvements in my R8 mk1 by removing top end harshness. The stock tubes were also noisy and made a lot of scratching and crackling noises during playback. I am wondering if they changed the choke or just the label?
I can compare both.
Congratulations, I have been putting off buying the R8 and after watching your videos on inproving it. I am now ready. One question how will I know if I am getting your inproved R8? Thanks.
Sadly you don't, other than buying one from a place you can return it if they try to pawn off old stock on you.
I purchased this amp in October 2023 through Amazon. Bound for Canada. July 2024 I have not opened the box yet. I'm concerned about it having the 120/230V switch in it. The listing says the following: Currently sold in the United States is the Latest Model updated in December 2023. Currently sold (Willsenton R8 Silver) in Canada comes with a 115/230V power switch selector. Willsenton R8 Black Model is the Latest Model. Due to storage capacity limitations, we are temporarily unable to send the Latest Model to Canada warehouse. I guess its high time to open it up...........& see what I got...!
Hope you have the latest version!
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics I previously owned a Yaqin MC100b KT88 dual Mono amp and for the price, it was a pretty good..but had low quality parts in it, so I sold it after a few years. Insofar as the R8, so many positive reviews on it,... I thought I would grab one. Well damn... It has the voltage switch.. Further inspection will be needed to see if those large caps are 450V or not. I'm guessing some work will be required on this R8 for longevity of use... Interestingly, the Choke is the 180ma... but the large 330uf Caps are 500V. Tough to figure....We know not what the Chinese are thinking.....
The main failure point is A) the lack of safety resistors on the bias pots and B) low quality bias pots that fail. It's a one/two punch, an output tube red plates, takes a few parts with it.
It's great that they watched your video, made some changes and reached out... a "mk II" designation would be nice, my concern would be getting an earlier version....
I would delete the headphone jack also, when i listen to music, everyone needs to listen too!
I'll be looking for a future video followup.
Dear Willsenton, don't take it too personally, the point of the channel IS to mod things and go to the next level.... no matter how good something is, it can always be improved by a crazy, motivated person :)
Absolutely! Especially if cost is no option!
You did an awesome job in this video. I don't know if have any video upgrade of Willsenton R300 and if you didn't can you upgrade it? Thanks
That is next on the bench!
Now I am concerned, I was going to order an R8 from amazon and wonder if they would be selling old stock and not this amazingly improved amp (kudos to you)
I don't think I mentioned this but what an amazing video
Sadly the decided to NOT mark these improved ones, I can only imagine so they could sell their old stock. They also cut off all communication with me after this "collaboration" to improve this amp, which really seems odd but hey, it's their business to run as they see best.
I would order, then look inside to see if the bias board has the extra resistors (and if I recall the label of the choke is different), if it doesn't, send it back.
Greetings from Jakarta, Indonesia. Keep it up! 👍
Hi Skunkie! Love your videos. I'm a newbie lost in the forest and hope you can answer my question. I have a R8 Wilsenton, but now I can't adjust the V3 Bias. It just flatlines. It sounds really great, but don't know what I could be missing. Simple bulb replacement? Using it with a Rotel 1572MK as pre amp with Klipsch Forte 4. Thanks!
PM me at www.skunkiedesigns.com/contact
Keep them on their toes...
I am trying. Just dishing out "kind reviews" on everything doesn't move the needle.
Hi, I just received an R8 a week ago ( June 28, 2024). There is a sticker on the back with a date of January 24, 2023. I have only 8 hours on the unit. I'm wondering if my amp is this Mark 2 version. I suppose that I could remove the cover, and look. Do you think mine is an updated version? Thank you. Greetings from Boxford, MA
Only way to be sure is to open it up and look. Just make sure it's been off and unplugged form a few hours to be safe!
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Hi thank you, Stephe I looked inside, and yes indeed, I did receive an upgraded amplifier. It's immaculate in there.
Great channel ❤
Glad you enjoy it!
Wow. I kind of thought my R8 was a long term investment. Now I’m learning it’s a time bomb. What can the average consumer expect in terms of reliability with the older units? Is it a dice roll or just a matter of time?
Matter of time, especially with the cheap bias pots and the design of that circuit. At some point it WILL red plate an output tube.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Well, that’s disheartening. Kind of thought this might last me a lifetime…and pass along to a kid, it seemed to be built that well and simple…which is the only reason to have spent so much.
Any idea what the cost would be to do all the upgrades at a local shop these days? Probably the cost of the amp!
Finally, if only the critical failure you mention were to happen…would that be costly to fix?
Or does that simply mean a tube will need to be replaced?
It usually roasts the cathode resistor in the process. Not many repair shops will touch these made in China tube amps. There is a reason it's 1/3 of the price of other KT88 amps in this power range.
Hope they don't send old stock to Canada.
LOL.. The Fragile sticker is in Chinglish... 🙂
You should read some of the instruction sheets lol
A bit of tough love at 4:17
Bill them for consultation.
Thanks for your great videos. I just received my R8 and wondered if I can tell if it’s a MkII from the S/N? Then I don’t need to open it up to see. What was the S/N of the one in your video that showed the improvements to main cap voltage rating to 500 etc.?
R831234947 Hope this helps
Thank you so much. Mine is a higher number at R850224565, so I think it must be the newer MkII series. Eventually I will take the bottom off to check.
Also, I was told the manual with the newer ones mention the "safety" resistors.
I could not see anything in my manual.
I've been running my R8 for about a month and it has developed a slight crackle noise. I know it might be due to many things but wondered if you had any suggestions as to what I should do? I am an electrical engineer and have built many electronics projects in the past. I have not yet opened the bottom plate. My guess is I have run it for about 25 hours total. The crackle noise did not start until maybe after 15 hours of use. It only comes on after about 10 minutes of use and then goes away again. It is in the left channel only and is beyond the volume control. So is not affected by the volume setting. I found the bias levels of V1 and V2 are slightly changed by the crackles. The bias settings are still "factory". I have not adjusted them. As received they are slightly to the right (high) of the marked zone, maybe 1 mm. All were the same, but V1 is now slightly lower and at the right edge of the zone. Maybe it is a noisy bias pot??? If I hear back from you, I will then adjust the bias pots.
Likely is a bad tube. Try swapping the two tubes from the left channel to the right channel and see if the noise moves with the tubes.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics I should’ve thought of that! The crackle remained in the left channel. Then I swapped the 6SN7s and the crackle was gone. But it came back when I swapped them back. Eventually I found I could make it happen by lightly tapping on the left 6SN7. It was like tube microphonic pickup. I could start it and stop it and it was more erratic. The supplier said they would send me a replacement tube.
Update with good news. The supplier sent me two new 6S*7 tubes within about 10 days of reporting the noise problem to them. Unfortunately it was their mistake to send me two 6SL7's instead of 6SN7's ! When I got back to them, they sent me the correct tubes within another about 10 days. So all is positive now. Thanks for your advice and help. I still need to flip the amp upside down to look inside and see if I have the Mk II mods related to my S/N. I'll let you know when I do.
If you can choose a R8 with different voltage input then probably you have the Mark2 version.
Yes, this newest version has the voltage hardwired but I believe because the switch was on the inside, they still marked the voltage it was preset to.
Clear, thanks.@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics
Who can we order this with these improvements
Not sure right now, I wish they had labeled these "MkII" so people would know.
What is the updated R8 - Does it have a different model number, how is it identified?
They decided not to mark the old bad design from the new good ones... I guess they wanted to flush their stock of the early versions?
R8 SE ?? May b
That would require a TOTAL rewire and new output transformers.
Where do you purchase the updated version? China Hi-Fi, Amazon, or another vendor?
Willsenton sent me this one. I would not buy one direct from China yet as it's impossible to return them. At least when Amazon, if you are sent an old version, you can return it.
Thank you for your videos? Will the R8 run Magnepan LRS that demand power?
Tube amps are not well suited to drive current hungry speakers.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Thank you. Is this with any tube amp?
Tubes don't like high current. Those speakers were designed for high power/current SS amps.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Thank you! I also have a pair of SVS Prime towers. Will they work?
Should work fine. You can always try the Magnepan and let us know? I do know those are hard to drive speakers.
Hi Where can I get the plans for your KT 120 monoblocks? Thank you,
Later this week I will publish everything
Would you still choose the muzishare X7 over this latest model?
I think at this point they are pretty equal and it comes down to do you want 9 pin or 8 pin driver tubes. I think the Willsenton looks better and I like the bias meter method they use better. I do think a 12AX7 probably sounds better than a 6SL7 (and there are more options), but a 6SN7 is a better tube than a 12AU7. But you can always use tube adapters!
I'll put it this way, before I was on the lookout for a good Muzishare, I no longer am.
Thank you so much your knowledge and expertise are beyond helpful. I'm a total novice when it comes to tube amps/ preamps. I run yamaha Mx 1000 amps with matching yamaha preamp. I just acquired a nice pair of dynaco mark IV mono blocks. My speakers are Jbl S3100, Tannoy Dmt 215 and klipsch klf 30. Thank you for helping all of us gain a better understanding 🙏
how do you know if you are buying a Mk II? I don't see how to tell on Amazon or China HIFI.
At this time there is no way to tell without looking inside. I would pay a few bucks more and buy off amazon as they would be more likely to have these newer production versions.
Has anyone else found that using the cd input for pre-amp duty with the volume turned all the way up on the willsenton amp. That there is virtually no hiss coming through the speakers vs. using the pre amp input on the willsenton? Also, is this going to hurt anything?
absolutely won't hurt anything. I never understood that "pre-in", it was always noisy for me.
@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Thank you so much for answering my question!
Way better than arc i50
Подскажите, что в нём используется в качестве Выпрямителя? Кенотрона нет. А это ведь не по "аудиофильски"). Мне интересен данный усилитель, но из-за отсутствия кенотрона я сомневаюсь, что этот усилитель является правильным выбором. Проблема в том, что в Китае я вижу с кенотроном на EL-34 только "SE". а я в них не слышу "драйва", вялые они. Нужен Push-Pul.
It has a solid state bridge rectifier. Take a look at the Muzishare X7.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Спасибо.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics если Вы их слушали , то можете сказать какой Вам больше понравился? и предусмотрена ли у них возможность замены на KT88 (на некоторых есть специальный переключатель)?
I did and the Muzishare X7 sounded better to my ears.
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics понял, спасибо!
п.с. наш обозреватель Михаил Борзенков очень высокого мнения о качестве звука SE усилителя (с кентороном!) Willsenton R800i 300B 805. Он считает его безусловным Hi End. Поэтому я и обратил внимание на этот бренд и модель Willsenton R8 (хотя мы говорим о EL/KT88 и PP).
Однако, теперь я учту Ваше мнение и буду смотреть Muzishare X7.
👍👍
anybody tried R8 with KT120 tubes?
I don't think the power transformer can handle the heater current KT120 tubes have. Plus, from my experience, they need to be biased hotter than a KT88 to really shine, again the power transformer is the limitation.
You have some clout ,wow !
A Panasonic rep emailed me after I reviewed their turntable. Maybe they will fix that janky auto lift function :)
New amp?
New updated version of the R8.
I wonder how it sounds from the original 🤔
If you need to still "fix" the new amp-why not just buy a better product?
Mr. Pete---------->
aging hippie
Cost most likely is the reason people buy these in the first place. I will do a video soon on how well this new version performs out of the box. Spoiler: I might not need to do much!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
What a load of lies - we are willsenton R8 distributers for our country
Please can you show me any area , packing , manual , amplifier where MK2 is mentioned , any self respecting company would be sure to print that if truly something has changed - the truth is there is only been a brand change of 2 components . China hifi and willsenton has confirmed that there is no such Mk2 model - can you share and email from willsenton even pointing to the above . -
Did you WATCH the video where I show all the changes? You guys can pretend nothing was changed but this version finally resolves ALL the problems I pointed out with the previous versions.
I honestly don't get why y'all don't want people to know this new version fixed the problems, unless you are trying to sell off some old stock you have of the earlier bad ones. Comical you use the phrase "Self respecting company" when you guys behave like you do...
@garysmith8455
0 seconds ago
Thank you for the unboxing and review thus far. I have the earlier design, suffers NONE of the issues you have described. I live down the street from VIVA tubes, and they have been my go to. I rolled into a COMPLETE SET of JJ. Electronics tubes, including the EL34 finals. I could not be happier with how the amp powers my Klipsch Forte' 4's 🙂
Sorry but the early versions have no safety resistors on the bias boards, under rated caps as well as the smaller choke etc. That's simply the facts, I've worked on both versions. And a 3W amp will power a set of those speakers :)
@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics I watched your entire presentation before commenting, so I learned of all these 'short comings'. However, I am not expecting my R8 to self destruct anytime soon (O: Like you said, with the Forte 4's, this amp is coasting along without much effort. EL-34's run cooler then the 88's and may last a lifetime 😉. Please add your thoughts on this? Thanks.