Ordered a Willsenton R300

@whitestix 

Thoughtful comments! 
I’ll admit that I have not heard or even seen the Willsenton R 300 amplifier. The company has been around long enough to have established a track record of both sonic performance and reliability. From what I gather on both accounts they do well.

Willsenton appears to fill a void between  ultra cheap Chinese amplifiers and say Line Magnetic level of products. Even then, Line Magnetic has different model ranges based upon price and presumably sound quality. Purely a gut feeling on my behalf but I think that based on owner feedback, Willsenton is a very solid choice.

I look forward to your listening impressions with considerable interest. Given your posted experience with other amplifiers. I believe that you are certainly able to separate the wheat from the chaff (Both sonically and judging build quality).

Charles

@charles1dad 

Thank you for your response. 

@voodoolounge 

👍

Charles

Hi, Don Sachs here.   First, this is not an attempt at advertising in any way.  The amp whitestix refers to is now in the second prototype and there is no commercial product.   

If you see a 300b that uses a 6SN7 to drive the 300b it will sound ok, but you will never hear what a 300b can do because a 6SN7 tube cannot adequately drive a 300b.   Search the web for Lynn Olson's symmetric Reichert.   What we have done is to start with that sort of design and then completely update the driver section and the power supplies.  The driver is now a triode connected 6V6 for each 300b and it will be coupled with custom wound interstage transformers from Dave G at Cinemag.   I tried a version with CCS loading and it was the best amp I had ever heard.   I have tweaked that further with choke loading and it is better and the IT version will be the best.  There are lots of other tricks in there, and many little secrets, but it is basically 4 single ended 300b amps in one box.  Phase split is done up front with a super high quality input transformer.   The result is an amp that has all the transparency of the flea watt SETs and the drive of a push pull.  It is about 27 watts/ch in this form and sounds like 60 watts/ch.  I love the Kootenay amp, but it doesn't sound like this amp.....  to my ear it is the best amp I have ever heard.

Hi Don.  Will your new 300B be available for sale at some point in the future?

Also, I have a pair of 45 single ended mono blocks and I wanted to send you a picture of the underside to see if you could make any improvements.  Would you be willing to take a look if I send you an email?  Thank you sir.

Hi

The 300b project is not a commercial product now.  It may be next year in partnership with someone, but it is not my place to do business here at all.  Not appropriate.  I am sorry, but I stopped modding gear or working on vintage gear maybe 4 or 5 years ago.  Just no time or desire.  If I didn't build it, then I no longer touch it nor look at it.....  Just too many other projects.  

I don't want to seem like I am dismissing the 300b integrated in question here.  I am sure it is very good value and would have a pleasing sound.  As we have discussed, it can no doubt be improved with better signal path parts.  It will have a limit due to the circuit and power supply design, but could still sound quite good.  Just not superb.  It simply cannot go to that level because of the basic design, and that is just fine because that was not what it was intended to do.   The 300b project I am doing with Lynn is an attempt to make a state of the art amp, so not really the same design goal:)  Build the best amp you can, and then figure out what it has to sell for.  There is no price point target.  

cheers,

Don