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Mad Ear+ HD vs Woo Audio 6

post #1 of 28
9/30/10 at 8:37pm
Thread Starter 

Hey everyone! Looking for a new amp to drive some Senn HD650 and Grado RS1 (which I will be buying at a later date). The two amps I am leaning towards most are the Mad Ear+ HD and the Woo Audio 6.

Both run in at around $500 used, so a similar price. From my research I have gathered that the Ear+ and the RS1 is a match made in heaven. Though at the same time, apparently the WA6 and the HD650 are also an amazing combo. I much prefer the looks of the WA6 with it's larger tubes and sleek design.. though looks aren't everything!

What would you guys do in my shoes? It will be fed by the Audio-Gd FUN with Earth Opa from my PC via Foobar2k and FLAC. I am eagerly awaiting some of your wise opinions smily_headphones1.gif


Edited by matthewh133 - 9/30/10 at 8:40pm
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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Sennheiser HD 650 Headphones
post #2 of 28
9/30/10 at 9:28pm

Hey you...again.

 

I had the exact same question a few months ago and started this thread:

 

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/468626/woo-or-mapletree

 

Ultimately, I went with the MAD Ear+ with black gate filter caps in the power supply and never looked back. It makes both the DT880/600ohm and RS1i sound simply amazing. No regrets!

 

Hope that helps.

 

John

 

Edit: I don't have the HD650 sorry, but the Ear+ was designed around the HD600. Also, someone mentioned in the other thread that Woo's wiring neatness is better than MAD. Well, the wiring in my Ear+ is a work of art, absolutely perfect.


Edited by dongringo - 9/30/10 at 9:34pm
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post #3 of 28
9/30/10 at 9:48pm
Thread Starter 

That's awesome, because I was looking at some DT880s also. Thanks! Mainly since you suggested them haha


Edited by matthewh133 - 9/30/10 at 9:54pm
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post #4 of 28
9/30/10 at 9:54pm

I was just reading through the old thread. There's some really good info in those 7 pages.

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post #5 of 28
9/30/10 at 10:12pm
Thread Starter 

Haha yeah mate I've had a read. Thanks. I did a search via google but nothin came up, thanks for pointing it out

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post #6 of 28
9/30/10 at 10:21pm
Thread Starter 

Thing that makes it hard to decide after reading that thread is it seems the Ear+ is getting the label of being more "dark" and "smooth", where as the WA6 getting labeled "more lively". I am thinking that maybe the HD650s specifically may be a tad *too* dark/smooth paired with the Ear+ as we all know it already has that reputation without the amp. Then again, the Ear+ obviously takes the cake with the RS1.


Edited by matthewh133 - 9/30/10 at 10:31pm
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post #7 of 28
9/30/10 at 10:58pm

The interesting thing is the Ear+ doesn't sound particularly smooth to me, rather neutral with a seriously high quality bass response, very exciting. I think it is being misunderstood. After several months of listening to it, my opinion is that it drives brighter phones like Beyers and Grados with very little fatigue, although with plenty of power. That's a good thing. The other thing is, I do hear a noticeable difference depending on the driver tube used. I tend to throw in the 1950s Sylvania and Raytheon triple mica black plates for the Beyers and Grados due to the incredible bass slam. But for the D5000, which imo are a somewhat dark phone, at least in comparison to Beyer and Grado, I'll usually throw in a vintage GE 5 star black plate or some other various gray plates which have better synergy with Denons. Also, if I really want some killer soundstage I'll pair the Beyers with a Sylvania triple mica gray plate.

 

As you can see, the tube rolling has a lot to do with it. This should really be taken into consideration before buying any tube amp.

 

I'm sure you can't go wrong with either amp though. Have fun deciding!

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post #8 of 28
9/30/10 at 11:08pm

Hello Matthew,

 

Yet another thread...lol...I figured you would have at least three amps by now....JK..

 

 

You can't go wrong with the Mapletree for low z or hi z.  Drives them all...

 

 

Hi John (been calling you Don all this time...lol)....

 

I'm jamming right now with the Mapletree (RCA 12B4As & Sylvania 7025 ) and PRO900s...Great stuff....

 

Setup 5.jpg

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post #9 of 28
9/30/10 at 11:37pm

Hey Heatfan, I knew you'd chime in. haha

 

I see you have the classic red/black. I got all black. Beautiful specimens they are!

 

Is that a stack-o-dacs on the left?

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post #10 of 28
9/30/10 at 11:45pm

LOL....yes, they are beautiful specimens indeed...Cheers...

 

 

The stack is C-2 amp, DAC-19 & NFB-3 (Audio-GD)...I started an impression thread for the arrival of the NFB-2/3.  Trying it with SS and tubes....Been listening for several hours and surfing...Good times...

 

Here's the thread- http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/512856/audio-gd-nfb-2-nfb-3-delivery-impression-thread

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post #11 of 28
9/30/10 at 11:53pm
Thread Starter 

Lookin' good heatfan! And thanks again Donringo. Tubes are something I am unfamiliar with, but yes it seems like the Ear+ is perfect with some tube rolling depending on the headphones I am using. It seems swapping the tubes depending on whether I am listening to the Senns or Grados (or DT880s if I decide to give them a whirl) is probably the best way to get the most from each of these cans.. How simple is it to swap tubes? Is it bad to be swapping them regularly?


Edited by matthewh133 - 10/1/10 at 12:11am
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post #12 of 28
10/1/10 at 8:22am

With the Ear+ there's just one tube to swap, which is nice because you don't have to buy matched tubes like you do with some amps. You just take it out and pop another in. It doesn't hurt it at all. One thing to keep in mind though is that powering up the tube is harder on it than letting it glow so it's best to not be constantly swapping tubes within one listening session.

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post #13 of 28
10/1/10 at 6:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by matthewh133 View Post

Lookin' good heatfan! And thanks again Donringo. Tubes are something I am unfamiliar with, but yes it seems like the Ear+ is perfect with some tube rolling depending on the headphones I am using. It seems swapping the tubes depending on whether I am listening to the Senns or Grados (or DT880s if I decide to give them a whirl) is probably the best way to get the most from each of these cans.. How simple is it to swap tubes? Is it bad to be swapping them regularly?


Thanks Matthew, 

 

As John stated above me, tube rolling is easy.  Just don't change tubes while amp is on and I usually wait an hour before tube changes.
 

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post #14 of 28
10/1/10 at 7:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dongringo View Post

Hey you...again.

 

I had the exact same question a few months ago and started this thread:

 

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/468626/woo-or-mapletree

 

Ultimately, I went with the MAD Ear+ with black gate filter caps in the power supply and never looked back. It makes both the DT880/600ohm and RS1i sound simply amazing. No regrets!

 

Hope that helps.

 

John

 

Edit: I don't have the HD650 sorry, but the Ear+ was designed around the HD600. Also, someone mentioned in the other thread that Woo's wiring neatness is better than MAD. Well, the wiring in my Ear+ is a work of art, absolutely perfect.





Quote:
Originally Posted by HeatFan12 View Post

Hello Matthew,

 

Yet another thread...lol...I figured you would have at least three amps by now....JK..

 

 

You can't go wrong with the Mapletree for low z or hi z.  Drives them all...

 

 

Hi John (been calling you Don all this time...lol)....

 

I'm jamming right now with the Mapletree (RCA 12B4As & Sylvania 7025 ) and PRO900s...Great stuff....

 

Setup 5.jpg



I gotta back up your comments guys too. Nothing works better with the RS1s than the Mapletree....and it drives my T1s/HD800s very, very well. It is a good match to with the LCD-2s. Now how's that for a versatile amp!

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post #15 of 28
10/2/10 at 7:56am
Thread Starter 

I noticed the Ear+ dropped the "purist" in the name, and at the same time a new model was released with the high and low impedance sockets. Would there much of a loss if I found a used Ear+ Purist (the one with only one socket)?

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

Sennheiser HD 650 Headphones
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