Woo Audio WA2 owners or opinions?

[GZeus]

I am strongly considering a WA2 for use as a head-fi amp and as a pre-amp for 2Channel listening. Link Owners of this unit or other Woo Audio gear, your input would be appreciated.

Are there a good variety of tubes available for the WA2?

Do you have any opinion of the upgrades that are offered? I know that the Blackgate's for output are probably worthwhile but I'm less sure of the ones for voltage filtering.
I think the tube upgrade is probably better done post purchase as far as cost and selection goes - agree?

Additionally, I'm wondering if there are additional upgrades that can/should be done to the WA2 like the cap upgrade done for the WA6 from this thread?

I have searched and read what I can but if all this is covered in a thread I missed, please post a link.

Thanks for your time - GZ

[Von Soundcard]

There were several threads about the WA2 but very few people actually commented on it and fewer still had heard it along its main competition.
You can find the main upgrades available on their page and talk to them by mail to ask about others. They have very good customer support and are open to suggestions.
The input and power tubes are relatively easy to find (I don't know about the rectifier) but I belive you have to know a bit about tubes to get the best 6922 (ECC88).
I am also curious about certain performances of this amp, I believe it is a really good amp which doesn't get nearly as much attention as it deserves.

[GZeus]

I know from a few of the threads I read that there are a couple of WA2 owners here at Head-Fi.

I guess it may get a bit of the short straw around here since it is not a dedicated head-fi amp - it features a pre-amp output.
That's a bit unfortunate since it looks like it can accomplish both tasks quite well and I welcome any input on either function.

Am I the only one who is looking for a tube amp that can provide both - excellent head-fi and 2-channel experiences?

[johnsonad]

Originally Posted by GZeus

I know from a few of the threads I read that there are a couple of WA2 owners here at Head-Fi.

I guess it may get a bit of the short straw around here since it is not a dedicated head-fi amp - it features a pre-amp output.
That's a bit unfortunate since it looks like it can accomplish both tasks quite well and I welcome any input on either function.

Am I the only one who is looking for a tube amp that can provide both - excellent head-fi and 2-channel experiences?

Nope, that is why I bought my RSA Apache. It gets used 98% of the time for two channel and the remainder is cans. I'm waiting for Jack to release a balanced tube amp/preamp. Once this happens I am in! After owning a WA6 I am a fan of both his products and customer service.

[fkclo]

Originally Posted by johnsonad

After owning a WA6 I am a fan of both his products and customer service.

Me too Jack's customer's service is probably the best in the market for custom made amps.

F. Lo

[Drag0n]

My next headphone amp/pre-amp is going to be a WA2.
I heard it at a meet in NY in November,and i thought it was the best i heard that day, although to be fair ,it was a noisy meet, and i didnt like the headphones on a few of the other amps. Jack seemed like a real nice guy also.

[3x331m]

There's hardly any tube amp can beat the WA2 at the same price range.

[The Pieman]

I have a fully optioned WA2 which I purchased from Jack about 6 months ago and I enjoy very much. It is used to drive some GS1000s, W5000s and MS2is mainly and is still yet to be used as a preamp.

Please note that this was purchased without auditioning. Like a lot of hardware in Head-Fi world it is almost impossible to audition anything in Australia. So you research, research and then research. When you think you have done enough, you do a bit more.

Before I purchased from Jack there were plenty of emails back and forwards. Jack is great for this. He will answer all your emails within 24 hours. Probably sooner for those of you in the States. Most of the discussion was about the options. I took all the options as getting them done later from Australia is a logistical pain.

Jack said the tube option of the 5998s was the most important. By the way Jack's price of $80 for the matched 5998 tube option is pretty right. I just got a matched of 5998s, for spares, for about that price. As for the Blackgate caps and power tanks, I took Jacks word, which I didn't have a problem with doing, that the upgrades were worthwhile. As I have never heard a stock WA2 and probably never will, well the obvious thing was to get the BG options. Plenty of burn in required. I doubt if mine are fully settled yet.

As for tube options, there are plenty of 6X4 and 6DJ8 options out there. I have started getting a few myself, but haven't played with them yet. The matched 5998s are a bit harder to get, well I found them a bit harder to get anyway.

Prior to the WOO all I had was a HeadRoom Microstack, RSA Tomahawk and Hornet. So I suppose the HR MicroStack was my benchmark. The WA2 was definitely worth the extra cash. It has lots of power to drive the GS1000s and it gets my feet tapping. It is fantastic with the W5000s as well.

How does the amp sound? Excellent. (Well I am not about to bag it am I?) Very clear and all around a very involving listen which are both very important to me. I don't analyse hardware very much. I just like to get maximum enjoyment, which I am definitely getting.

If you have specific questions please put them on the thread or PM me.

cheers
Simon

[Audio-Omega]

How come the company doesn't supply power cord ?

[fkclo]

Originally Posted by Audio-Omega

How come the company doesn't supply power cord ?

I guess most will be using their own power cord anyway and adding a cheap computer grade power cord will end up just increasing the shipment cost but won't be used with the amp.

If they are to include a descent audio grade power cord that will have to be reflected in the price.

I think we all agree Woo's pricing is very reasonable so far.

F. Lo

[GZeus]

Thanks to all for the input, especially 'The Pieman' - its nice to hear from an actual owner.

Your points about the upgrades and overall satisfaction are definitely worth reading. I don't have any specific questions right now but I may contact you later as I get closer to buying, if you don't mind.

Does anyone know - or care to speculate - about the release date of a balanced version?

Any other owners out there??

[The Pieman]

Originally Posted by Audio-Omega

How come the company doesn't supply power cord ?

F. Lo., as per usual is right. A lot of people, like me, prefer to source their own power cords. You can go to Dick Smith or Tandy and buy one for $5. As well Jack would have to stock all the different types of plugs that are used all around the world. Note that the Australian type plug is not that commonly used in my experience.

Note as well that a lot of the other manufacturers such as HeadRoom are the same. BYO power cord.

cheers
Simon

[The Pieman]

Originally Posted by GZeus

Thanks to all for the input, especially 'The Pieman' - its nice to hear from an actual owner.

Your points about the upgrades and overall satisfaction are definitely worth reading. I don't have any specific questions right now but I may contact you later as I get closer to buying, if you don't mind.

You are welcome. Please contact me anytime.

cheers
Simon

[Von Soundcard]

Speaking of this amp's performances, has anyone compared the Woo2 with SP Extreme or DV 337 ? Is the Woo2 on the same level with them on detail, dynamics and generally transparency* ?

* transparency considered not in the narrow sense of 'neutrality' but in the more general sense of being true and revealing of the recording as a whole and presentig a complete 'picture' of it without weak points or compromises

[Von Soundcard]

Any comments ? These are after all the top tube amps in the 1000$ range.