1 hour ago, Zed Zed said:

Happy New Year to all Willsenton owners. Just checking in to say that my totally unmodified R8 is now 5 years old, still working perfectly with my vintage tube set and still making great music. Still one of the best buys I ever made. Happy listening!

Zed,

So nice to see you again!

Wish you a wonderful 2026!

All the best,

Thomas

9 hours ago, Zed Zed said:

Happy New Year to all Willsenton owners. Just checking in to say that my totally unmodified R8 is now 5 years old, still working perfectly with my vintage tube set and still making great music. Still one of the best buys I ever made. Happy listening!

Happy new year mate, my situation is like yours - I'm sure many others globally are also.

Happy listening in 2026.

8 minutes ago, 08Boss302 said:

Happy new year mate, my situation is like yours - I'm sure many others globally are also.

Happy listening in 2026.

1 year and best amp I ever had 😁

I have become a turncoat, and reverted to a transistor based amp from Sugden.

If you know anyone interested in an original R8, in excellent condition, with new old stock tubes from Jim, let me know.

I'll list it for sale shortly.

Yesterday, while listening, I noticed that one of the EL34 tubes (second from the left) was somehow brighter than the rest. Especially its lower part. The upper part seems fine. I checked the bias and it's fine. The sound is also fine, no strange distortions or crackling, total silence. This type is just like that, or is it a sign of something wrong with it? It's also the only tube with a getter angled differently than the others. I haven't checked yet if it shines the same in a different socket.

Edited January 4Jan 4 by xinvisiblex

10 minutes ago, xinvisiblex said:

Yesterday, while listening, I noticed that one of the EL34 tubes (second from the left) was somehow brighter than the rest. Especially its lower part. The upper part seems fine. I checked the bias and it's fine. The sound is also fine, no strange distortions or crackling, total silence. This type is just like that, or is it a sign of something wrong with it? It's also the only tube with a getter angled differently than the others. I haven't checked yet if it shines the same in a different socket.

Likely just a slight difference in the tubes internal construction that just exposes more than the other three tubes do.

1 minute ago, muon* said:

Likely just a slight difference in the tubes internal construction that just exposes more than the other three tubes do.

Thanks for the reply. That crossed my mind too, but I wanted to ask just to be sure.

6 minutes ago, xinvisiblex said:

Thanks for the reply. That crossed my mind too, but I wanted to ask just to be sure.

What you are seeing is the level of glow changing as a function of the heater voltage being applied which may be either coming from the tube's filament itself or the circuit separately. It's highly unlikely to be the circuit as the PT shares the same secondary 6.3v rail which is common for all four power tubes. However, just to be sure and on the safe side, and as you've already suggested, it might be best to move the suspect tube to another socket and verify the same level of glow is present.

Edited January 4Jan 4 by xlr8or

On 04/01/2026 at 1:14 PM, xlr8or said:

What you are seeing is the level of glow changing as a function of the heater voltage being applied which may be either coming from the tube's filament itself or the circuit separately. It's highly unlikely to be the circuit as the PT shares the same secondary 6.3v rail which is common for all four power tubes. However, just to be sure and on the safe side, and as you've already suggested, it might be best to move the suspect tube to another socket and verify the same level of glow is present.

I swapped the tubes around and still only this one shines a little brighter. That's its charm, I guess :7

@xinvisiblex since you're still running stock el34 and in case you want to try some new tubes, check out the Russian NOS 6P3S-E. I'm sure you will be in for a nice surprise in comparison to stock EL34. just make sure your bias is set at 29mA for 6P3S-E. I'm exclusively running 6P3S-E nowadays and I have in stock 10 set of quads before the audiophile tax kicks in. 😄

6 hours ago, lulucas said:

@xinvisiblex since you're still running stock el34 and in case you want to try some new tubes, check out the Russian NOS 6P3S-E. I'm sure you will be in for a nice surprise in comparison to stock EL34. just make sure your bias is set at 29mA for 6P3S-E. I'm exclusively running 6P3S-E nowadays and I have in stock 10 set of quads before the audiophile tax kicks in. 😄

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll keep it in mind. Yes, I still play with stock EL34s. I also bought PSVANE EL34PHs, which jon96789 recommended, and I was about to change them, but in the end I decided to try some of Stephe's mods. To be safe, I stuck with the stock EL34s so I wouldn't damage the new tubes if something went wrong during the modification. I don't want to mess with too much at once, because I like to know what changes a given modification/tube makes to the sound. Currently, out of curiosity, I've only done the mod involving replacing the 0.22uf capacitors on the bias boards. I'm happy with the changes, so I'll wait a bit longer for the capacitors to settle in, and then I'll probably do another mod involving replacing the 0.33uF coupling capacitors, modifying the 6SN7 voltage regulator, and finally (assuming the amplifier still works) the PSVANE tubes. So, 2026 promises to be an active year for me, and I'll have a few months of fun 😃

Edited January 6Jan 6 by xinvisiblex

6P3S-E (6П3С-E) should be easy to find in Poland, or from neighboring Ukraine.

Also, I think if memory serves me right the 0.33uf caps are going to ground so likely won't have as much of a change as the 0.22uf inter-stage (coupling) caps you recently replaced.

Edited January 6Jan 6 by muon*

Hello so i bought a willsenton R8 and enjoying it was wondering if I could use kt120s

2 hours ago, muon* said:

6P3S-E (6П3С-E) should be easy to find in Poland, or from neighboring Ukraine.

Also, I think if memory serves me right the 0.33uf caps are going to ground so likely won't have as much of a change as the 0.22uf inter-stage (coupling) caps you recently replaced.

Yep, I see that 6P3S-E tubes are normally available in two stores in my country. Are they really that good? 😏

From what I remember, the 0.33 capacitors are used to clean the signal for the 0.22 capacitors. Better 0.33 capacitors should handle this cleaning better than the stock ones, but I don't expect the same improvement in sound quality as replacing the 0.22 capacitors on the bias boards. I'm more interested in the changes that splitting the signal to dual mono with a 6SN7 tube will make.

10 hours ago, Sullivan said:

Hello so i bought a willsenton R8 and enjoying it was wondering if I could use kt120s

No... The KT120 requires more current than what the power supply can deliver.

On 02/01/2026 at 1:22 PM, ThoFi said:

Zed,

So nice to see you again!

Wish you a wonderful 2026!

All the best,

Thomas

Thanks Thomas. Long time since we spoke! Good to see all is well. I don't have too much to contribute these days, but I check in now and again to see how you are all doing. I am so happy with my amp - still performing brilliantly. My Svetlana EL34s are still going strong too - amazing since they are older than I am! I guess that one day I will need to replace them, but not yet.

On 03/01/2026 at 9:20 PM, Gelert said:

I have become a turncoat, and reverted to a transistor based amp from Sugden.

If you know anyone interested in an original R8, in excellent condition, with new old stock tubes from Jim, let me know.

I'll list it for sale shortly.

I had a Sugden years ago. Wonderful amp. What made you decide to swap back to solid state?

I saw a revue by Harley Lovegrove from Pearl Acoustics, who I consider a good independent source, and he recommended the A21 SE Signature edition for his own speakers, which I have a high regard for.

I have Harbeth HL5+XD speakers, and it has been a very good combination, which suits my preference in music-and my wife loves the sound. So, no regrets on my part.

The Wilsenton is a good amp, but I know the family won't use it when I'm gone, as it terrifies them with all those glowing tubes; and the thought that they have to be replaced and biased at some stage is not something they are comfortable doing.

On 9/1/2026 at 9:10 PM, Gelert said:

I saw a revue by Harley Lovegrove from Pearl Acoustics, who I consider a good independent source, and he recommended the A21 SE Signature edition for his own speakers, which I have a high regard for.

I have Harbeth HL5+XD speakers, and it has been a very good combination, which suits my preference in music-and my wife loves the sound. So, no regrets on my part.

The Wilsenton is a good amp, but I know the family won't use it when I'm gone, as it terrifies them with all those glowing tubes; and the thought that they have to be replaced and biased at some stage is not something they are comfortable doing.

I also own Harbeth SHL5+ but the 40th Anniversary (I think they are the same as the XD) and I would love to hear this Sugden.

Congrats!

On 9/1/2026 at 12:12 PM, Zed Zed said:

I had a Sugden years ago. Wonderful amp. What made you decide to swap back to solid state?

Which Sugden did you go for ?

The A21SE Signature. For a 30 watt amp, it is more than capable for the Harbeths.

I'm on a limited budget, so both are a big leap in outlay for me; but at 77 I wanted to have something nice before I go. The dealer threw in the Ton Trager stands for the speakers.

The rest of the system is a vintage Micro Seiki BL10 turntable, Ortofon Q Black, Cambridge Alva Duo phono preamp, Cambridge CXN Streamer, Audiolab 6000 CD Transport, Chord Qtest DAC.

Following Harley's recent review on phono preamps, I just bought a Fosi Audio Box X5 phono preamp, and replaced its op amp with a Sparkos ss3602. It is amazing for the price, and will replace my Cambridge Audio pre.

Got some more NOS 6P3S-E goodies for stockpile, these are from JSC Voskhod plant instead of Reflektor. I bought them right away as soon as I saw them from JSC Voskhod

Edited January 21Jan 21 by lulucas

Hello,

1st time posting. I have had my stock R8 since March 2033, hard to believe.

Question for EL34 owners. Any issues switching from KT88? I tend to think I prefer the warmth of the EL34, however I’m leary of changing over. I lost 2 of the 4 Shuguang Treasure Z series from China HiFi. late last year.

I’m back to the stock KT 88 and it’s just not my cup of tea.

I have several sets of EL34’s in the main system and hate to lose a quad.

2nd, what have others done to improve the performance with the upper end glare. If I could just get that under control I would luv the amp.more. It has been a solid performer other than losing 2 tubes.

Appreciate the feedback, thanks!

3 hours ago, carusoracer said:

Hello,

1st time posting. I have had my stock R8 since March 2033, hard to believe.

Question for EL34 owners. Any issues switching from KT88? I tend to think I prefer the warmth of the EL34, however I’m leary of changing over. I lost 2 of the 4 Shuguang Treasure Z series from China HiFi. late last year.

I’m back to the stock KT 88 and it’s just not my cup of tea.

I have several sets of EL34’s in the main system and hate to lose a quad.

2nd, what have others done to improve the performance with the upper end glare. If I could just get that under control I would luv the amp.more. It has been a solid performer other than losing 2 tubes.

Appreciate the feedback, thanks!

What type of music do you listen to and what valves are in the 6SL7 and 6SN7 positions ?

6 hours ago, carusoracer said:

Hello,

1st time posting. I have had my stock R8 since March 2033, hard to believe.

Question for EL34 owners. Any issues switching from KT88? I tend to think I prefer the warmth of the EL34, however I’m leary of changing over. I lost 2 of the 4 Shuguang Treasure Z series from China HiFi. late last year.

I’m back to the stock KT 88 and it’s just not my cup of tea.

I have several sets of EL34’s in the main system and hate to lose a quad.

2nd, what have others done to improve the performance with the upper end glare. If I could just get that under control I would luv the amp.more. It has been a solid performer other than losing 2 tubes.

Appreciate the feedback, thanks!

Not sure how many hours you put on the amp but power tubes do not last long. If you get over 1,000 hours on a set you are doing well. Vintage EL34 tubes can last a couple thousand hours but it is impossible to find NOS vintage tubes at a reasonable price. A quad of Mullard EL34 XF2 British-made tubes can easily fetch way over $1,000. But generally vintage tubes do sound better than what is currently being sold.

Chinese tubes are not known for their reliability. I have read users who say the tubes fail after about 600 hours. The Russian-made New Sensor EL34-type tubes usually last two-three times longer. The New Sensor tubes are the Electro Harmonix (EL34 and 6CA7EH), Mullards, Sovtek, Svetlana, Telefunken, Tung-Sol and the Gold Lion KT77s. They vary in price from about $130-300/quad. Buy tubes from a vendor that matches the tubes before shipping, such as VivaTubes, The Tube Store and TubeDepot.

IMHO, the only decent Chinese EL34-type tube is the Psvane Legend EL34PH tubes, but they are pricey, ~$400/quad. The problem is that I find that Psvane do not match their tubes that well as they do not measure what they claim that they are labeled. I bought a quad of "measured" 45mA tubes and they really measured between 34-40mA. Be aware that these tubes are very picky on the front tubes. Some pairings sound really flat and dull. Newer Psvane tubes such as the ART or Summit series have a clean detailed sound (but IMHO lack warmth) but are priced quite high. On a side note, don't buy the Psvane Horizon tubes from Amazon. Buyers report issues with these tubes, some being DOA, noisy or what is boxed is not what is labeled (my guess is some buyers may be swapping out tubes after purchase and returning them although I hope I am wrong).

If you are still using the OEM stock 6SN7/6SL7 tubes, that is the cause of the high end glare. Replace them with RCA smoked glass 5SN7/6SL7 tubes to get a warmer sound... You can find them on eBay for about $25-100 tube. Just be careful when buying them. Look for matched pairs/triplets. Sylvanias will reduce the glare but not as much as the RCAs.

Sylvania prices are all over the map. You can find good values on eBay as well. Look for the earlier

tubes with the silver getters near the bottom and manufactured in the 1950s. They are usually

labeled as VT231s and VT229s which are the military grade tubes. Avoid tubes that show scorching

on the very top as as it shows as a well used tube.

The tube on the right shows heavy scorching, indicating possible high usage.

Luckily, the front end tubes last a long time because of their lower voltage demands. They can last

from 4,000 to 10,000 hours, unlike power tubes which can fail in about 1,000 to 2,000 hours.