Looks like I really am a S.E.T. guy at heart. Be careful though! S.E.T. tube amps can become addicting! I've been told that the basics of how one hears volume is that a typical 25W RMS (R8 in triode mode for example) amp has a maximum volume which solely depends on the efficiency of your speakers, the average impedance of your speakers, and finally, the size of your room and where you are sitting in relation to the speakers. What's more, for the ear to perceive a volume that is TWICE the volume which a 25W RMS amp can go to comfortably, an amp would need to be around 10 times more powerful - so around 250W RMS! Now that I have that out of the way, not all amps can drive all speakers at a given efficiency either, simply because some speakers are harder to drive than others. Further, I have also heard it said that out of solid state class D, A, A/B and tube A and A/B designs, that tubes are GENERALLY more capable of driving difficult loads. As your Monitor Audio speakers present a relatively easy load, I believe that you should be fine as even though your speakers are a little on the low side in respect to efficiency, in an average sized listening room, you should be able to reach quite respectable volumes. Of course the R8 also has ultra linear mode which boosts the output to 45W RMS per channel, although I find that triode mode is the more accurate mode. If you use the R8 amp to watch movies, by all means throw it into ultra linear mode where the design of the R8 gives more "presence" to the midrange area, i.e., the midrange comes forward in the soundstage. Ultra linear mode can also sound better for some genres of music too, although this is also reliant on personal preference as well. You can pretty much know what will be the best sounding from one value: dialectic absorption. A Poly type is typically something like 100X to 1000X better than a "lytic. Now my main equipment is made up of a Marantz HD DAC1, by the way also because of you, then some floorstandings of my beloved Castle Knight 5 brand -91db- and most of the cables of this equipment are from the ODIN brand.

This is another reason I had to try the Willsenton as it was 1/3 the price and if it was quiet and brought that 300B sound I knew it would be a keeper. A no brainer.I also had to replace the RCA Van Den Hul The Frist Ultimate modulation cables, by a NEOTECH NEI-3001 MKIII that I associated with RCA KLEI Harmony connectors. Line Magnetic Tube Amplifier LM-210IA Integrated Amp Single Ended 300B*2 5U4G*2 8W*2 （110V/220V) (Dimension (WxDxH)：380mm x 405mm x 345mm, 220V, 1) This amp makes the Heresy IV’s sound warm and humongous with that inner glow we can only get from a S.E.T. amp.

Concerning the comparison with the Elekit TU-8900, in terms of components, especially with the Lundahl output transformers, the Elekit is delivered with more high-end components. But the price is also much higher. Regarding the coupling caps: @charles1dad has some good advice. They will/can also have an effect on the end result. Duelund make a 0.01ufd cap for bypass duties and are very very good. In this coupling position you are preventing the HV DC from appearing on the output terminals and here you will find you can 'flavour' the sound. Ideally you are trying to 'do no harm' to your precious signal. charles1dad I am glad that you see his point. I do not. He makes smug and arrogant assumptions about people he doesn’t even know.To enjoy music reproduction this much requires a system that is non fatiguing. By this I mean it can not be bright or etched in any way. I am always on the search for amplifiers, DACs and solutions to bring that certain sound I enjoy into my room. While I have reviewed so many solid state amps this year, I have always been a S.E.T. (Single Ended Triode) guy at heart. It’s why every speaker I own is easy to drive. From Klipsch Heritage to Fleetwood Deville’s. There is just something special about a low wattage single ended triode amp and a sensitive speaker. Just to share some experience with the 300B. I have the original Willsenton R-300B model from a couple years ago. That one has a balanced set of inputs. Very nice amp. From rumors online I believe Willsenton are made by the same factory as Cayin and Prima Luna. You can see the resemblance to Cayin in build with the newer version Willsenton R300 model. I don’t see the need to excuse rude and obnoxious behavior. I appreciate that we view this differently and that’s fine.