The R800i 805 arrived today. What a big amp! Here are just a few initial thoughts.
Moving this amp in the box is a two person affair. It is a beast
Moving It. My friend had to bolt so I had to move it out of the box and onto a 36" tall space where it would sit all by myself. I was able to lift it solo, but I wouldn't want to move it across the room by myself. Something to note and think about.
Build Quality. The first thing I noticed was the build quality. I used to own a top of the line Primaluna Dialogue HP integrated. If anyone is questioning whether the unit looks hokey or cheap in person, throw that aside. Same thing if we question whether it feels solid--it feels amazing. Everything about the build quality look, touch, sensory is as good or better than the Primaluna. (My personal opinion is I like its look better and it feels better). Note: I haven't opened it up yet and won't for a bit so I cannot comment on what's inside.
The VU meters remind me a bit of Cary tube products--a lovely darker blue. The power, volume and control source switches are beefy and have a nice tactile feel feel when you move them.
Sound Quality. I have only had it running under an hour. The first 30 minutes or so it sounded good but strained a touch in the midrange. Oddly, I thought the midrange is where this guy shines though. After it warmed up for about a half hour, it came into a nice stride. I'm only playing CDs right now during break in. I'll retook up my Roon NUC streaming situation for high res digital later. I'll also hook up my Manley Chinook phono stage and Technics 1200 GAE turntable with Benz Micro LPS cartridge later too.
My first thoughts on sound is clarity, presence, and space. It does a great job of making a holographic picture, which keeps enlarging as I warm it up/break it in. As I type this, my head pops up to hear some great holographic soundstage, warmth, and (again) clarity. The midrange is very seductive to say the least.
Another initial thought I'm having, after it got a good 45 minutes under its belt, is that the instruments have that "more instrumenty" sound I get with the 300B. Yet the 300B runs out of gas sooooo quickly.
Operation. I'm a bit confused about the biasing of the big 805 power tubes. The manual says the following:
"How to adjust the bias of 805A and 845?
805 adjust bias data refers to: 120ma"
Yet the 805s came biased at about 105. I bumped them up (with no source and volume at 0) to 110 and it started to feel that the bias adjustment screw was running out of room.
I "think" the manual may be saying to keep the 805s biased <120ma. At any rate, I turned the bias down to 90ma even and the midrange smoothed out and bass came on with more tuneful authority. I guess I will leave it at 90ma for now.
I'm very intrigued by what I'm hearing. I've owned tube amps before and have built a few. I hated to sell the Primaluna but it just didn't match with my Cornwall IVs as well as other amps (Elekit 300B, Carver Crimson 275, Marantz KI Ruby). I know some love that pairing, but it always felt a bit bloated and the holography was not there. This amp has that in spades. Out of the box it's better (in this system to me) than the more expensive Primaluna. I recall that I reluctantly sold the PL because it just didn't win my private shootouts either on a short or long term basis. Loved that amp and the company though.
So, like all of us I can be a victim of confirmation bias or warming up to a new sound signature. That said, I try to be very honest with myself and trust my ears. This amp sounds like it's going to be winner. It also looks super cool in my space.
I may not leave the house for a couple of weeks!