Woo Audio WA6 + WA6SE: Tubes, Comments, Pictures, and Advice - Page 9

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobeau 

 

 

One thing to keep in mind is that early Mullard is going to be a different beast than the far more common Mullard GZ34s out there (small black base).  I found the latter to be pretty underwhelming, my miniwatt was heads and shoulders above and the early MIE Mullards are likely to be a derivative of that.  

 

This is mostly for the readers out there that just want to pick up a Mullard tube to try.  They're all decent tubes, but to really see what they can do you have to get an early one.

 

Tubeworld is a good source of info on these tubes, although their prices are otherwordly

 

https://www.tubeworld.com/5ar4.htm

 

All the links toward the top of this page (just under the metal based tube) will take you to info pages on the variants.  The ones you should focus on are in the top three links (metal and fat base tubes).

 

I picked up my '58 fat base from eBay for $119 NOS.  It's not a pretty tube by any stretch of the imagination.  But the sound is, so far, second to none.  I kinda "dumbed" into a good one.  I know more about these tubes today than when I was looking for mine.  

I was able to track down what I hope is a good quality metal base GZ34/5AR4.  It's a '56 Amperex/Philips from Holland with the Bugleboy label on the glass.  I had to creep over my budget, which was likely a bit optimistic, but this tube is NOS.  I'll be sure to give some impressions of it when it arrives.

Thanks again to everyone for helping out with what to look for on these tubes... I hope I picked a good one!

Just a note-- And sorry if there's an etiquette I'm breaking here-- someone's selling a few NOS GZ34 for only $129 on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mullard-GZ34-5AR4-NOS-tube-f31-code-/290670615048?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item43ad519a08#ht_1917wt_1156

Looks like a steal.  It's a 1958 fat base like mine.

G'day all, I purchased a WA6 from a fellow Head-Fier  and have been silently enjoying it for the past few weeks. I have to say that I am absolutely stunned by the build and sound quality of these amps.

Originally I was regretting the purchase due to the fact that this amp was one of the few that I desperately wanted but couldn't afford... but I have to say... those few weeks of living off instant noodles was most definitely work it!

Anyway, just a quick hello to you all, hope to get to know you all better!

PS: Are the 7N7 tubes worth rolling into a WA6? Been pondering about this ever since I read about them in the WA6 product infomation page.

some love the 7n7 and others don't. they are electrically equivalent to the 6sn7 family

of driver tubes but only sylvania and national union are known to have manufactured

them so not much variation in tube rolling. stick to the T-plates over the V-plates,

as the former generally presents a more smooth/refined sound perfect for vocal, acoustic,

and small ensemble music. the soundscape is generally wider and deeper via the 6sn7/7n7

tubes over any other compatible w/the wa6. instruments are farther apart and imaging

is better as well w/the 6sn7/7n7. but if you want dynamics and a forward sound, go for

the 6fd7 or 6em7.

CV593

RCA 6DE7 Drivers

This is a serious contender for the title of best rectifier.  My initial impression-- I've found my dream tube.  Mine is a military (brown base)-- labeled RAF (British Royal Air Force) made by Mullard in 1967, the year I was born!  

Looks wise-- it falls between the Sofia Princess in it's glowing mesh greatness-- and the Mullard GZ34, which is frankly as exciting as limestone in the looks department.  The CV593 has twin antenna posts (figuratively) that glow atop the plates, and a tasty glow down low.  Will post pics.

Presence.  Drums are tight but up front.  Slight booming in the bass.  But it's controlled aggression.  There's a punchy quality, but it's restrained.  Sweet.  Winning sound right out of the box.  Is it too controlled?  Time will tell.

Really musical.  Very together.  Good bass extension.  A slight amount of slam.  Bassheads will love this tube.  Soundstage is great-- but I need some swapping to double-check.  

Over to the Burson.. The Burson has a lighter touch with the sound.  Slightly deeper on the bass.  It's a looser feel.  Slightly more spacious.  

The sound of the CV593 has me interested.  It's got my attention.  It's one musical tube!  It's a lush sound that's full bodied without any bloat.  Most tubes of this nature are too aggressive. 

More musical than the Burson to my ear, and that's a huge compliment. 

Moving back to my current favorite-- the Mullard GZ34 (1958 fat base)-- I was expecting to clearly favor the CV593-- and crown a new champ.  Not so fast.  

The GZ34 has a deeper more separated bass, and a slightly wider soundstage.  We're talking shades here, but it's apparent to my ears.  The GZ34 lacks some of the winning punch of the 593, but it's a really pristine sound.  Everything stays in place (contained) and that makes for a brilliant soundstage.  The GZ34 plays closer to the edge on sibilance, but it doesn't go past it.  Bright yet deep are hard qualities to surpass.  The 593 is darker, but holds the music together better.  

No question both of these tubes are heavyweight contenders--  Both wow me at every turn.  But If I had to give my personal favorites-- the list goes like this:

1) Mullard GZ34 (1958)

2) Mullard CV593 (RAF 1967)

3) Sophia Princess

In the end, the deeper, less blooming bass and wider soundstage were just too great for the CV593 to overcome, despite it's overall musicality.   Both are amazing tubes, and the GZ34 ranks higher on my list by the narrowest of margins.

Hey even ugly guys needs to win once in a while.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ahzari 

 

Nice pic!
 

 

+1

is it possible to plug the wa6se amp in the burson 160ds amp/dac in order to use the dac part of the Burson and how, i have no idea if you can do this or maybe i could i use it with the dac in the essence stx soundcart or does anybody know of a good dac that goes with this and a pair of marklized d-5000 denons it already sounds great with the burson i've had for 2 months now , but you guys and your glowing tubes are driving me nuts i gotta try this .ya ya i know your sorry for my wallet.Thanks for your time guys.

No, you'd need the Burson 160d to do that.  The 160ds doesn't have the pre-amp out circuit.  If I didn't have my Burson 160D I'd have purchased the CEntrance DACmini.  I think that's the best bang for the buck.

I got my WA6 with Blackgates and V-cap upgrades today.  I've been running it with the Sophia Princess and GE 6FD7 fat bottles and it honestly blows away the V200 that I had.  It has an even smoother and more organic sound all the while maintaining a good sized soundstage and separation without the veil that the V200 had.

Thanks to all you guys in this thread it helped me make the decision to purchase a Wa6 with sophia upgrade. I bought the DT880/600s to pair with the amp. Should get the headphones in at the end of the week and the amp in a couple of weeks. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saintly 

I got my WA6 with Blackgates and V-cap upgrades today.  I've been running it with the Sophia Princess and GE 6FD7 fat bottles and it honestly blows away the V200 that I had.  It has an even smoother and more organic sound all the while maintaining a good sized soundstage and separation without the veil that the V200 had.

I purchased a pair of 6FD7's off of eBay.  They showed promise, but the tubes weren't matched and the balance in the headphones were way off.  I've moved past the Sofia Princess.  It's pretty to look at but there are better sounding rectifier tubes out there.  Check out the GZ34 from Mullard.  Any late 50's NOS is heaven on the WA6.  

I bought a pair of RCA 6SN7s from Woo direct with the adapters.  I'll review them soon, they sound very good at first listen, but they eat power.  1/3 drop in output power on Sennheiser 650s.  More to come.