Astonishing! This amp is it. I struggle mightily to describe just how impressed I am with this machine. I chose it because I have a pair of B&W Nautilus 802s which aren't very efficient and I really like to listen loud to a wide range of music. Right from the very first instant of listening I could tell I made the right choice. The sound-stage, the tone, the clarity, the quietness, the power, the bloom, the chime, the bass, the sparkle, airiness, they were all immediately obvious. I could go on ad nauseam with every superlative in the book. So I just chose astonished as the descriptor of choice. I was so impressed with my R800i 805 that I ordered three other lesser Willsenton amps that I don't really need as gifts from family and friends and am about to order an 845 model just because I am so damn impressed with the 805 that I want to find out if there is something even better. I mention this because if you see other reviews by me, it's not because I'm a shill, but a full-on geeked-out fanboy.
Random thoughts pertaining to the R800i 805:
It will drive your fucking Magnepans! I have never been beyond half volume on my Nautilus 802s because that would induce deafness. And there is no shortage of powerful deep bass. This is the pinnacle tube amp for your hard-to-drive monoliths.
This thing will thump! However, it is not pumped up at the mid to upper bass like most every other amp. It's just powerful as hell without any peaks or valleys. Simply amazingly powerful, tight, controlled, deep bass.
Every piece of vinyl I have sounds better on this amp than anything I have ever heard. The holographic quality is there in spades and things like electric guitars sounds spooky good. As I said, astonishing.
The cons are that shipping is expensive, the remote ain't great, and the thing weighs a metric shit-ton. It gets hot too. But I didn't buy a single-ended 805 based 100+ pound amp for efficiency, I bought it for sound quality and that's exactly what it gives in spades - while also making lots of heat.
Build quality is 9+ out of 10. Yes, I'm a spoiled American POS with a fair dose of sino-skepticism who worried about receiving some kind of knock -off POC, but I could not have been more wrong. The build quality is world class. When considered against the price, the quality is again, astonishing. The other amps I ordered after this one all show the same degree of fineness. This brand is serious about their product.
Simply put, this is the one to get. Aside from potential back injury, you can't go wrong. :)
Date Added: 12/26/2021 by Th**pson T**d
