Review on 🎧 Willsenton R8 KT88/EL34 x4 Tube Integrated AMP Power Amplifier Headphone (Black): Experience Pure Audio Excellence by Francisco Russell

I have had the pleasure of owning the R8 for about a month now. So consider this as a first check. Ordering/Shipping Process: I ordered it directly from Revain as the Chinese supplier didn't have the item on their website. R8 arrived within 10 days of order. I was given a window of 4-6 weeks so it came much quicker. Item was packaged in a secure double box which survived minor damage in transit. Very well packaged and safe. Great if you want to buy a $$$$ item and stay calm. Unpacking/Installation: Very easy to do as the tubes are already installed. However, it is very difficult - bend your knees when lifting. I checked the offset after connecting it to my speakers - it was set correctly. Testing bias is very easy - look for an auto-bias amp instead. Sound Quality: With stock Willsenton branded tubes, it sounded great out of the box. Although these lamps don't sound as good as vintage NOS lamps, they are good enough for enjoying music. Although it didn't sound very trumpet-like - not bad. It's something of a solid state with KT88s. In fact, it sounds amazing. I replaced the standard tubes with Sylvania 6SL7 and 6SN7 NOS and the sound quality has improved - more bass, more clarity, in general, above all. There is also a noticeable difference between the ultra linear and triode modes - I love that this amp gives you the choice. (Basic Primaluna models don't have this feature, for example - you have to buy a $4,000 Evo 300 for this feature). Build Quality: It looks very well built with reinforced construction. The switches are all metal and the connectors look expensive. Speaker Pairing: A power output of 45W per channel means it could easily drive my sensitive Klipsch La Scala 104dB with very little power. I would recommend speakers with a sensitivity of 90dB+ if you have a large room and like loud sound. In addition, speakers with less than 4 ohms are not supported. There's no subwoofer output, which is important to you - again, the basic Primalunas amp doesn't have one. Expandable: There are many tube rotation possibilities on the preamp, driver and output side. Only caveat: It is not designed for KT120 or KT150. It peaks at 6550s/KT88s. That's more than enough for me. Remote Control: It comes with a remote control in a metal case that is nice to hold but very difficult to insert or change the batteries. The volume control on the remote control is also poorly implemented - the volume jumps too much with every keystroke. So I don't use the remote control. Bad design. Overall: I like it. It has great build quality, expandability, power delivery, and decent box sound at an affordable price. I compared the R8 to PrimaLuna Evo 100 and Decware SE341.5. They cost from 1 to 2.5 thousand dollars. I chose the R8 because of the price. I listened to Primaluna - it sounded decent but no better than R8. I would rank the R8 as the best sounding amp. I hadn't heard of the Decware amps (they have a great reputation), but since they had been waiting a long time and I needed an amp, my decision was made. I will update this review later when I have more experience with it.