Willsenton R300: New issues found.

Рет қаралды 3,994

Күн бұрын

In this video I go over a new problem I found related to this amp being hyper sensitive to the specific tube used, and we aren't talking about "tube rolling". I've seen this before and this issue could likely account for various reports on this amp. With a cherry picked set of tubes, it performs vastly different than it does with another identical set of tubes of the same brand/vintage.
You can see the similarity in what is going on with this amp and my own 300B amp design in this video. In mine it was more extreme because it has no negative feedback to control distortion.
• 300B DIY Budget Tube A...
The 300B is a classic direct heated triode that some say is the best sounding audio tube ever made. This amplifier has gotten a lot of positive reviews from YT influencers in the audiophile world and I'm excited to see if this amp lives up to all the hype that has been created around it.
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Пікірлер: 55

@CP-qe2ym Жыл бұрын

I'm not being funny but anyone watching your channel can see that you are a far better amplifier designer than any of the Chinese designers working for Willsenton etc. Your reviews carry more weight than any of the other so-called experts giving their skewed reviews too. Your honesty and integrity is refreshing to see, please keep doing what you do.

@mddawson1 Жыл бұрын

Stuff the critics, particularly the manufacturer who appears to have acknowledged your expertise by implementing your fixes into the R8 yet is hostile to your objective criticisms of the R300.

@marklabee2545 Жыл бұрын

Nevermind the critics Stephe. You're doing a very thorough and excellent analysis on the 300B. Really looking forward to your next modifications! 👌

@danielbal5272 Жыл бұрын

I wish I could give you more than one thumbs up!

@AudioheavenDenmark Жыл бұрын

Ignore the hater's.

@scottwolf8633 Жыл бұрын

Your analytical empiricism yielding results that the strictly subjective, "Reviewers", with egos the size of galactic superclusters is bound to ruffle feathers. Keep up the superb effort as it is very much appreciated by those that want the straight gouge.

@OTO_45 Жыл бұрын

You are experienced and objective. Please do not stop with your valid and meaningful analysis. Seems the manufacturer knows that you are right . . . And people who bought it and now get a profund analysis that the schematic is garbage may not like to hear that. Gurus the same . . . Cheers Stefan

@zefrog7482 Жыл бұрын

If I owned this amp, I'd be very greatful for you finding these issues and going to the effort of finding a fix, especially as you share this information with people to allow them to get the best performance possible.🙂 I can't quite understand why people get pissed off with it. If you have a car and someone has a way to make it faster, nobody kicks off and starts name calling.🤦 This is why I quit various audio forums, really is full of very strange and toxic people who buy or build stuff and are extremely defensive of such because they have to convince themselves that their set-up is perfect. It's an 'audiophile' affliction, a lot of these people are genuinely mentally ill and so caught up in cult like culture around that part of the scene, it's quite ridiculous. Might be worth quitting some of the forums and stick to your own, at least then you can remove people who are genuinely trolling as you wish. It's kind of funny, yet tragic how you only have 8k subscribers, but sadly people wanting facts and gain knowledge is a bit of a niche thing these days it seems. One day, hopefully common sense and facts will be fashionable again.🙏

@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Жыл бұрын

I could likely triple my subs if I just made videos about how wonderful everything is...

@zefrog7482 Жыл бұрын

@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics more than that I'd bet.😂 At least you have dignity, I genuinely don't get how a lot of these so called reviewer's do what they do. Honesty and integrity are dying traits it would seem, everyone has a price or just easily manipulated.🤦 We live in strange times.

@sethjohnson1590 Жыл бұрын

Thats awesome! So using this method on matched tubes to see how close they perform takes any doubt out. Maybe even do some fine tube tuning. As for the other issue don't give it any power your energy is much more deserved with the ones here that truly appreciate the effort and meticulous detail you put into your work.

@dtg474 Жыл бұрын

Greatly improved and its looking great step by step.

@stevemd8947 Жыл бұрын

Reviewers rarely state anything negative - Why? - So they can keep reviewing other products. Nice video. I remember a company named Solo Electronics that made tube amps which received great reviews. Their amps were breaking after a few months of use.. Within 2 years the company quietly closed their doors with no support.

@cobar5342 Жыл бұрын

Great video Stephe. The analysis and solutions found thus far has been really great to observe, Keep it up!

@thomasfi1275 Жыл бұрын

It turns out that the R300 has many design issues. And on top there are different versions around. Unbelievable! I hope you are able to determine all these faults for this version and the others. Amazing work. Many thanks for that!

@andrewp9725 Жыл бұрын

Keep up these great videos they are hugely informative to owners out there don’t let the minority detract your passion and will to share your knowledge and experience with us

@mfr58 Жыл бұрын

Yet more proof that when you get a cheap deal the reason is that the product hasn't had sufficient time and effort put into getting the best performance and reliability out of it. Also there is a temptation to just put whatever components in that are the cheapest and available at a given moment in production. Reliability, performance and consistency are what costs money....

@ririeiman Жыл бұрын

try conrad johnson than

@kingarthur1953 Жыл бұрын

You keep doing you!

@Expedition18 Жыл бұрын

Pretty amazing how you were able to get the channels to match up nearly identical. Frustrating but also interesting in analytical way and what person doesn't like solving puzzles. You are doing a great job.👍

@Nihil1st1347 Жыл бұрын

Thank You for your job! 300B amps remain something I never heard but believe to be audio heaven. I'd be disappointed a lot with these flaws, if I bought one. So I remember the words of an early dealer 30 years ago. They pointed into that direction, that things may not come out as I expected them, if buy this sort of amps.

@wtcwtc9861 Жыл бұрын

I was considering buying a Willsenton amp until I watched your vids. Thanks for your honest feedback on all the design flaws.

@yellow_noise3 Жыл бұрын

You doing great. Please dont stop, no need to be frustrated. I LOVE your channel!

@WinSchutten Жыл бұрын

I got swept up in the KZfaq praise for the Wilsenton praise. I'm really appreciating your criticism here. I wouldn't have known otherwise. Also I'm finally able to differentiate between the R300 and the r800i... Much appreciate this series.

@rkrnddl5 Жыл бұрын

So helpful video

@roncochran4979 Жыл бұрын

Thanks for all you do. Following along.

@larryclark6977 Жыл бұрын

Maybe the electronic parts have been calibrated around these chineses tubes or there sommething whit the preamp section. Anyway I've listened to some demo of this amp on youtube and do not like it at all; no precition on the sound in general. Hope you have better luck with you're one. Thank to you're video, I found theme instrutive.

@paulpaulzadeh6172 Жыл бұрын

transconductance in vacuum is not the same in one batch , this is true even for transistor. BUT with right biasing circuit you can decrease these variation. As I see it you don't have feedback too. So this is even get worse with THD . I usually match my transistor in my amplifier to get lowest feedback . You can build circuits to match these tubes for highest transconductance for vacuum tube too.

@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Жыл бұрын

It does have GNFB but what I am finding is not typical of normal tube amps. This issue isn't related to transconductance directly, that in itself is not going to double the THD.

@paulpaulzadeh6172 Жыл бұрын

It could be output transformer , what if you disconnect output transformer and just load bias it with resistor then make THD measurement. It would give you some idea if it is output transformer .

@lattugatartaruga Жыл бұрын

😢 thank you so much for all you do!

@michalryszawy Жыл бұрын

Thank You for the truth !

@1mctous Жыл бұрын

Back to the driver stage. You shouldn't have more work to do, Willsenton should!

@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Жыл бұрын

Yup, I honestly just don't understand how nobody caught any of this. The issues with the R8 weren't anything like this one.

@AudioheavenDenmark Жыл бұрын

It's horrible made. Had one in for service. Horrible unstable design. Bit with power supply and the driver stage is a complete mess.

@boborman5537 Жыл бұрын

As usual great info and out standing detective work

@paulgood2218 Жыл бұрын

Great video thank you

@Photoboy1948 Жыл бұрын

Ms. Stephe, the hell with the critics. My unit came with the 5U4G so “maybe” I don’t have the issues you described but I’m wondering if I should replace those with the 5AR4’s as a precaution. I’ve already replaced the preamp tubes with high quality Psvane-UK models.

@johnjackson7162 Жыл бұрын

Why does a power amp need a cascade at the front end? Seems superfluous to me. I would think that a 6SL7 has sufficient gain.

@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Жыл бұрын

It likely is. Part of this may be their desire to design an amp with insanely high input sensitivity, as this makes many users believe it has more power than it actually does. "I never turn it up past 1/4 volume it has so much output power!" I see this in most made in China amps.

@ThePerkri Жыл бұрын

Very interesting. Question, how long are you letting the tubes warm up before you’re running the tests? I’ve found tubes sound very different after 30 mins of being powered up. I would think if they sound different after 30 mins, they would measure differently after 30 mins?

@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Жыл бұрын

That's why there are jump cuts in the video, there is at least 20 minutes of warm up time. And I have tested that, I haven't measured any major difference between a 5 minute warmup and a 30 minute one. We are talking 10ths of a % and this is seem mostly in the frequency response, not power vs THD.

@ThePerkri Жыл бұрын

@@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Thanks! Tubes are not “fast audio” :) Swapping out tubes and listening is a slow process. I would have thought the differences in distortion from cold to hot would have been greater, thanks for sharing your findings!

@Nihil1st1347 Жыл бұрын

I may have asked You that before. But then I forgot: Can You please build a Bottlehead 300B power amp kit? They advertise with a special circuitry and I want to know Your opinion about it. Thx.

@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Жыл бұрын

Happy to build one for someone if they wanna send me the kit!

@gillanland Жыл бұрын

What did you find out about that ugly deep on frequency response after 10khz?

@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Жыл бұрын

Nothing yet, I'm pretty sure it's in the front end. Or else REALLY bad output transformers

@paulconteyoutubesucks2931 Жыл бұрын

Skunkie I just love when I see you and your show great info beautiful host

@el_arte Жыл бұрын

The plate load or cathode resistor is significantly different on 1 channel versus the other?

@SkunkieDesignsElectronics Жыл бұрын

They are exact same.

@el_arte Жыл бұрын

@@SkunkieDesignsElectronicsOK. Filament voltage identical on both sides? Tube sockets have no cold joints? Sorry, just throwing up ideas as this is quite weird.

@sethjohnson1590 Жыл бұрын

@@el_arte Electricity in and of itself is weird. 😕

@flyingmattyboy Жыл бұрын

Steph I love that most of the mods you do are easily done and require cheap parts only. Gives people a chance to buy these China amps and get them working better.

@flyingmattyboy Жыл бұрын

@@lysippus agree these amps should leave the factory in a functional state, but I think it is great that she tries to get the most out of these amps by avoiding more expensive mods like OPT swaps etc. Great news for anyone that has already bought one and has the oppotunity to get it up to scratch for as little as possible. I get the feel that steph would be fine dling these videos for us if it wasn't for the unfortunate abuse.