Woo Audio WA6 + WA6SE: Tubes, Comments, Pictures, and Advice - Page 21

Hello Group, I am new to the forum but have been following this thread for some time. I own a pair of Ultrasone 2900. I have been shopping for a headphone amp to pair with these headphones. I am leaning toward the WA6SE as I am trying to roll off the high frequency of these headphones just a tad. Does anyone have any experience with this pairing? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

ultrasones don't seem to like tubes very much, i had a WA6-SE for ultrasone pro 900s and did not enjoy the combination too much. another member here i believe tried the 2900 with a WA5 and did not think it was a very good match either.

i would get a good SS amp instead, but of course, YMMV.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ahzari 

I have a disagree with the comment above.. I had the WA6SE with the Pro900, Pro2900s, and the Signature Pro.. The Ultrasones totally need tubes to calm down their awfully sharp treble (my opinion). I have to say I wasn't a fan of the Pro900 with any amp I used (hybrid, SS, or tube), the 2900s were better than the 900s and warm tubes made the experience more enjoyable. I just think the WA6SE is a very versatile amp, its not overly lush like the WA2 can be and still retains a great amount of speed much like SS amps (of course with stock tubes.. playing around with tubes will of course change the audio as well.. I personally prefer warmth so I go for warmer sounding tubes and rectifiers).Th

Thanks for your thoughts. So did you upgrade your tubes with the SE and if so, which ones.

I'm not one of those people who immediately jumps on a new guy who ask a question that's already been asked... but in this case I would suggest you do some searching through this thread and the number of others on the subject of tube rolling in the 6SE to gather some information as this is a pretty extensive discussion...  You'll find LOTS of great information to review.

I think many (most) 6SE owners upgrade tubes over time.  Tube selection varies depending on preferences and system configuration, budget, etc...

Quote:

Originally Posted by shipsupt 

I'm not one of those people who immediately jumps on a new guy who ask a question that's already been asked... but in this case I would suggest you do some searching through this thread and the number of others on the subject of tube rolling in the 6SE to gather some information as this is a pretty extensive discussion...  You'll find LOTS of great information to review.

 

I think many (most) 6SE owners upgrade tubes over time.  Tube selection varies depending on preferences and system configuration, budget, etc...

Thanks for the suggestion, actually I have read all 300 plus posts in this thread! You are right as there are a number of outstanding comments on tube rolling that I have taken notes on. However, there are not a great deal of comments to my specific question regarding the 2900s and this topic (the 2900's don't seem to be as popular as say the HD 800s) I am really looking for some advice from folks who have, or have had experience with the pairing. 

Fair dinkum... I wasn't trying to bash, like I said.  Ahzari may be the right guy for that!  

I'd only add that while no one might have answered your exact question yet, with what you've learned in the thread you should be able to short list some tubes to roll into the 6SE.  

Good information like this can lead you to where you want to go:

If you're using the Sig Pros with the WA6SE the tubes make a huge difference in the amount of bass you hear - try to get your hands on some 6FD7s they are the best tubes for bass - with those tubes I never thought the Sig Pros bass was lax, on the other hand with the 6DR7s or 6EW7s they can sound very empty.. This is of course with my Sophia Princess (which also is prob the best rectifier for bass lovers). Like Noxa i didnt find them very comfortable one of the main reasons for the sell also for me the soundstage was lacking as well - otherwise one of the better headphones out there for the price.

The Signature Pros are a slightly warm headphone based on Ultrasone standards - not necessarily when compared to many other top tier headphones on the market. Other Ultrasone offerings in the Pro and Edition series tend to be colder and sibilant - the Signature Pros fix some of these colorings and offer up a more neutral sound. A warm amp with bring some warmer coloring, bigger bass - smoother treble and midrange to the rather neutral Signature Pro, a colder solid state amp with make them sound brighter. It really goes down to personal taste, I am not fond of tremble emphasized headphones and am extremely sensitive to sibilance so I like what tubes bring to audio.

SoundFreaq - yes I did enjoy the Signature Pros with the WA6SE, since the headphones are so clear and honest in their sound reproduction tube rolling was more fun because you could really change the sound signature with warmer/colder/lush'er/etc tubes. With some other headphones the difference was not as noticeable.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tmacb3 

Thanks for the suggestion, actually I have read all 300 plus posts in this thread! You are right as there are a number of outstanding comments on tube rolling that I have taken notes on. However, there are not a great deal of comments to my specific question regarding the 2900s and this topic (the 2900's don't seem to be as popular as say the HD 800s) I am really looking for some advice from folks who have, or have had experience with the pairing. 

Thanks all, this info was really what I was looking for. I love this medium.

I can't be sure about that particular one, but most of the text there were quotes from your previous post!  

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ahzari 

Suuuper warm based on Ultrasone standards .. compared with other headphones in the market though I would agree with you that they are slightly warm and Ultrasone's most neutral offering. Sig Pros were really great, just wish they had less clamp (they crushed my skull - maybe because of my big head ).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ahzari 

I have a disagree with the comment above.. I had the WA6SE with the Pro900, Pro2900s, and the Signature Pro.. The Ultrasones totally need tubes to calm down their awfully sharp treble (my opinion). I have to say I wasn't a fan of the Pro900 with any amp I used (hybrid, SS, or tube), the 2900s were better than the 900s and warm tubes made the experience more enjoyable. I just think the WA6SE is a very versatile amp, its not overly lush like the WA2 can be and still retains a great amount of speed much like SS amps (of course with stock tubes.. playing around with tubes will of course change the audio as well.. I personally prefer warmth so I go for warmer sounding tubes and rectifiers).

how different are 2900s / sigs vs the 900s?

i only heard it with the pro 900 and didn't enjoy it very much. i found the treble was still harsh, especially at louder volumes, and the bass was kinda heavy but felt lacking punch at times and loose as well (i blame the 6ew7 tubes for this)

im sure i could of found a tube combo i would of liked if i had more tubes at the time, unfortunately i didnt.  the WA6-SE is really responsive to tube rolling though.

Dubstep girl, if you had to choose which would you pick, the WA6SE or the WA2? I would be using it with the LCD-2s/Magnum V5's/Grados and Fostex T50RP

Quote:

Originally Posted by kskwerl 

Dubstep girl, if you had to choose which would you pick, the WA6SE or the WA2? I would be using it with the LCD-2s/Magnum V5's/Grados and Fostex T50RP

the WA6-SE for sure! i feel the 6EW7 will work for most of those headphones, especially grado 325is, won't help the bass too much, but really cleans up the treble and smoothens out the sound, especially with the sophia rectifier. i had the combination for a while and enjoyed it quite a bit, with the RS1/RS1i as well!

6DR7 and 6FD7 are especially nice with the Audeze, 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ahzari 

The 2900s improved on the 900s.. much more tamed treble - though still harsh with many of my electronic tracks, but I was just pointing out the 2900s treble was more polite with tubes than with my ss or hybrid amp; noting that the ultrasone pro sound can sound great with tubes. Also the Sig Pros were a huge leap forward compared to the 900/2900s in everything except soundstage, treble was articulate and smooth - very detailed, bass was tight and deep, and mids were forward.. With the right tubes the bass would come alive and the soundstage could be improved further.

 

Agree with you on sound signature, the SE is quite responsive to tubes, I couldn't believe what difference a rectifier could make until I purchased a Mullard GZ - it was awesome.. and the differences between the FD7s and EW7s are significant (I really enjoy tubes.. just not how hard they are to find and how much they cost to buy sometimes ).

i have a mullard GZ34 as well! its definitely a great sounding tube, more neutral and transparent than my other tubes, though i prefer the 596 as its more lush without becoming slower like the sophia. note: i have the f32 4 notch plate version, i can only imagine how good an older metal base would sound.

rectifiers do sound quite different, the sophia, 596, gz34 are all different. i wanna try out an EML in the future or maybe some of the nos options. i guess the WA6-SE's construction is what makes the rectifiers have such a huge impact on sound. on my WA2, the rectifier seems to make the least amount of difference.