Is it okay to bring the WOO on an airplane?

I wouldn't expect to just waltz through with it, as TSA will definitely be raising an eyebrow. Other than that and protecting the tubes, as you travel, I don't think it would be too much of a problem. 

Edited by illharmonics - 11/11/10 at 8:53pm

I would put it in your luggage. It would REALLY suck if the security thought it was a bomb or something and confiscated it 

If you must, carry it on. Things have a terrible way of disappearing from checked baggage, not to mention getting thrown around. You might end up with a cracked solder joint or two.

Though I don't think I'd take an amp along even in checked baggage. You will get pulled aside and do not expect the TSA to have any idea what it is. You probably won't get arrested, but they might tell you to ship it. That's not exactly convenient at the last second.

Personally, I'd ship it beforehand. It'll cost, but you won't run into problems. Also, do not count on consistency from airport to airport. They all seem to make up rules on the fly. My iPad sometimes has to be run through as a laptop and sometimes not.

Which is why I travel by car as much as possible. That's a pain, too. When I drove from Arizona to California Tuesday night, I had to go through four checkpoints. Still, I was able to take the Zana along as well as a firearm (legally owned and properly secured).

I am taking my WA6 to Amsterdam/London this Christmas. I am just going to box it up in its original packing materials and walk on board de plane. The box is small enough to be a carry-on. I won't tape it shut just so that airport security can sniff out the contents of the box as much as they want if the need arises. My usual carry-on will be sent to the belly of the plane. I can always buy another toothbrush later if they lose my personal bag but I can't afford to buy another WA6 if that jewel should go missing.

I honestly think it'll be more trouble than it's worth. Get yourself a nice portable amp.

Four?  Wow.  OT I know, but may I ask what were the circumstances?  What they were looking for?  Was it routine?  How did you feel about it?

 

I'm taking it with me because my friend in Amsterdam has never heard a WA6 before.

 

OT: For the plane ride which portable headphone amp would you suggest I get so that I may be able to sit back and enjoy the 1,170-minute flight?

I was just wondering if you had any problems with your Woo amp? I will be traveling to Turkey with my Woo 6SE amp in a month, and I want to carry on instead of checking in. 

I always carry-on expensive/fragile/esoteric gear. 

 

I once got stopped because the security guy had never seen a monopod before. He made me extend it, commented that it looked like a weapon, but let me go when other security guys started making fun of him. 

 

But this is nothing compared to hobby-grade RC car batteries, often hand assembled from raw cells, and looks like this:

 

 

Anyway, I'd hand carry it and be ready to explain what it is. 

 

Jack

 

People tend to get little nervous about security now that the media has found it be such a "fun" story, and they blow it way out of proportion. I travel a lot with high end electronics and it can be done without too much trouble.

Checking larger gear on can make things easier, you don't have to carry it, but has it's inherent risk... The baggage handlers don't know what's in there and they will treat it like any other bag, rough. Pack well. If I am checking camera gear I always use a high end case like something from Pelican. It's huge and heavy duty but I trust my gear is protected. It will not, however keep it from being lost. Be sure whatever you pack has no prohibited substances and you'll have no trouble.

For something smaller carrying on board will let you make sure it gets there with you. Again, it goes without saying that what you pack can't be on the prohibited list. That said, pack so you can easily take the item out for inspection. While the screeners might not know what you've got, it's easy to show them and explain it. Have everything you need to operate it with you in case they ask you to turn it on. Arrive a little early to allow for this. Be curtious. They aren't going to confiscate anything that's not prohibited.

In spite of the media hype screening is not much more than a minor inconvenience unless you let it get to you. A little patience and preparation will get you and your kit through with no headaches. Hey, sometimes it's even fun to show off a cool gadget to the folks at security, have fun with it.

You dont even have an in-ear/noise cancelling headphone. I personally would not go onto a plane and listen to music on a pair of open headphones considering the ambient noise is like  80-90 db ish.
 

In-ear/noise canceling headphones could have been the ticket but then I'd have been afraid that I'd get so comfortable that I'd fall asleep and miss out on all of that free beverage and irresistible 8-mile high cuisine. I ended up not taking the WA6 with me to Holland just because I started to get a little concerned about the what-ifs. What if it didn't make it to my destination in one piece; what if.... Anyway, it seemed that my friend and all of his friends were actually into very loud music pumped to extreme dB settings on uberhigh-end hifi equipment. None of them could settle down long enough to listen to a set of good headphones on a WA6. And even though the sound system they had was very good, the decibels being shoved through those great speakers of theirs only made the music sound gritty and distorted. But they didn't notice it--all they were concerned about was the volume--which by the way, was competing with the house next door that had their surroundsound system hammering our walls. Not a good trip.