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Woo3 Modified - Page 14

post #196 of 240
1/13/07 at 12:46pm

Groove Tubes???

Quote:
Originally Posted by jimmyjames8 View Post
I've spent a couple hundred dollars on tubes for the Woo3 (I know, I know, you can spend more than that on just NOS Amperex 6dj8's), about 4 different brands of 6922/6dj8's and 5 different power tubes. So far the Groove Tube 6dj8's and the Tungsol 5998's are champs. Any other combo including some Bugle Boys is clearly inferior sounding in my rig, enough so that I just ordered and received 2 sets of spare NOS Groove Tubes and Tungsols for my Woo 3 or maybe I'll buy another one to mod. Cheers!
As I understand it from Groove Tubes... they rebrand tubes made by others. They often rebrand JJ tubes. Do you know what mfr's made your Groove Tubes???
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post #197 of 240
1/13/07 at 1:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamato8 View Post
Do you have an image of the Mullard tube? I would like to figure out who made it. Are there any codes on the tube? Is it a little warmer sounding than the 7236? I find the 7236 in Tung-sol to be more analytical than other tubes but with the combo of the Seimens 6922, it is a nice combonation.
I had one of these Mullard branded 6080's and the tube looked identical to the Sylvania 6080's I also had. I am like you .... I doubt Mullard actually made a true 6080.
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post #198 of 240
1/15/07 at 4:12am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gradofan2 View Post
As I understand it from Groove Tubes... they rebrand tubes made by others. They often rebrand JJ tubes. Do you know what mfr's made your Groove Tubes???
I have some Groove Tubes GT-6922, which I bought 2-3 years ago. I could be wrong, but they seem to be Russian made. They look more like 6N23P I am using in my WA3 than JJ E88CC.
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post #199 of 240
1/15/07 at 10:17am
Thread Starter 
There are some Amperex tubes that were actually made in Russia that are 6DJ8's and they are nothing short of excellent. Some of the best of this type I have.
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post #200 of 240
1/22/07 at 12:43pm

non ST-Shape 5998 vs Tung-Sol 5998 ST-Shape

I am a new owner of WA3. It looks like Tung-Sol 5998 ST-Shape is highly recommended for this amp. I have non - ST-Shape 5998 tube with markings: JAN 5998A Sylvania EAC USA 82219 8052. Would I gain a lot by replacing it with Tung-Sol 5998 ST-Shape?
Was Tung-Sol the only manufacturer of 5998 or just the only manufacturer of the ST-Shape 5998?
Thank you,
Mooch2000
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post #201 of 240
1/22/07 at 1:00pm
Thread Starter 
Your tube was made in 1980 in the 52nd week. I like earlier tubes from the fifties and early sixties. Many like the ST shape and some like the straight sided bottle. I can't remember all the manufactures of the ST shape but there are a few. The nice thing about the tube is it is fairly inexpensive so you can buy a few different varieties and find what you really like.
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post #202 of 240
2/28/07 at 12:47am

Incredable

Howdy Ya'll,
Been reading this thread for some time now.
I have had my WA-3 for about 6 months.
I got it modded by Woo when I bought it, He omitted the preamp circuitry and wired the driver tubes in parallel.
I use a Sennheiser HD-600 with a Cardas Cable.
I mostly use my computer for playbacks.
I have modified all the sound card op amps with AD-823 (my final choice after allot of rolling!).
Well The stock WA-3 sounded sublime after it burned in for around 100 hours.
Then it happened....
I was cleaning some audio shelves and an XLR connector rolled off and shattered a 6922 on the amp. Doooooht!!
Didn't hurt anything but the tube though.
So, I took that opportunity to order some nice tubes.
I opted to use the tubes you were using in your WA-3, Jamato; because of your sonic descriptions of them.
I am using a matched pair of Amperix PQ 6DJ8 made in Holland (not an easy tube to find), and a Tung-Sol/Cetron 7236.
I have burned them in for about 100 hours and all I can say is one word....
IN-CREDIBLE!!!!
I will enjoy this liquid audio for awhile, then I believe I'm going to change the output caps to the Blackgates.
Thanks for all the info Jamato!!
Ya'll Take Care,
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post #203 of 240
2/28/07 at 1:28am
Thread Starter 
I am glad that the information was of value to you and your listening pleasure was the benefactor.

I notice that the paralleled tubes are now used in the Woo 3+.

The BlackGate output caps used in the Super E configuration is smooooth. They will take some time to break-in but not as long as it often takes for BG's. For some reason I found them sounding good right off and after some time they improved even more.

I was listening to the amp with my IEM's the other day and I couldn't believe how quiet it was. No hiss and this is unusual for a tube amp when you use something like the IEM's.
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post #204 of 240
3/2/07 at 10:20am

Total Enjoyment

Howdy Ya'll,
I have been enjoying the WA-3 every free chance I get.
I continually let it play music and burn in when I'm not around.
Well, I noticed that some of the Low Frequency punch isn't as much as it used to be.
The High Frequency extension and clarity has opened up dramatically, along with the Sound Stage.
The Mids are bright and clear now. Slightly subdued and not as overpowering as they where at the beginning.
I will wait a little more time and see what happens to the Bass.
If it doesn't come back, then I will opt for the Blackgates in Super-E configuration like Jamato suggested.
If this doesn't work, then I will try the Bias mod.
I do have a question though.
Has anyone tried a different higher quality Power Chord on their Woo-3?
If so, what were the differences and which did you use?
Thanks!!
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post #205 of 240
3/2/07 at 12:55pm
I preferred the Tung Sol (coke bottle) 5998 over the 7236 in my WA3, and although the 5998 isn't a bass monster, the 5998 seemed to be a better balanced tube than the 7236 with a greater sense of weight in the midbass.
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post #206 of 240
3/2/07 at 10:15pm
Thread Starter 
Yes, it is all balancing with the headphones being used, driver tubes and the power cord it important. I use a nice aftermarket one. A good cord can actually help to filter some of the AC giving you a better signal. I used to make my own but no time now and no real desire to.
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post #207 of 240
3/2/07 at 10:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamato8 View Post
Yes, it is all balancing with the headphones being used, driver tubes and the power cord it important. I use a nice aftermarket one. A good cord can actually help to filter some of the AC giving you a better signal.
I agree and I would add: you don't need to break the bank to hear an improvement. I am using the Woo 3 in my "noisy" office environment. After installing a Quail hospital-grade cord (that I got in the 3rd group buy) I noticed a clear improvement in the bass section (cleaner, tighter). There are several threads here about cheap power cords, I bet any of the recommended ones would bring similar benefits.
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post #208 of 240
4/12/07 at 1:03pm
I would like to praise Woo Audio for a great service. I bought my WA3 used. After reading posts here I decided to modify it. I am not into DIY, so I asked Jack if he could perform a mod on my amp. He agreed. The mod consisted of:

1. Omitting the preamp circuitry.
2. Wiring the driver tubes in parallel.
3. Leaving the preamp out RCA unwired.

I sent my amp to Jack on Saturday and one week later I had it back! One week including shipping. That is absolutely exceptional. I have never received such a fast audio related service. Great job Woo Audio!!!

I still have to do some more listening, but so far I am very happy sound wise. The first thing I have noticed was the volume level. I used to listen with setting around 10:00 – 10:30. Right know volume around 9:15 is fine. The sound is more dynamic and bass is more solid. It did not affect the openness of sound, it’s still there.
I am using HD-650 and WA3 with Tung-Sol / IBM 5998 and Amperex / HP 6DJ8/ECC88 tubes.
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post #209 of 240
4/13/07 at 12:40am
Has anyone tried re-wire the driver tube into SRPP?
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post #210 of 240
8/24/07 at 3:13pm
A bit OT but I guess this is an excellent thread to get some help: I recently got two Jan Tung-sol 5998 off ebay. They are the coke-bottle kind, and they both appear to come from the same lot (6624, which as I learned a couple of posts above this one, means they were built in 1966). They both sound very good on my Woo 3.
The issue I have is that one of the two tubes is somewhat noisier than the other (a constant hiss, independent on the volume setting), After a couple of hours of operation the same tube will start buzzing for perhaps a couple more hours and then stop. The buzz is not audible with headphones on, but rather annoying otherwise. I read somewhere that NOS tubes (mine weren't listed as NOS) sometimes are noisy and that they get quieter with usage, but I can also imagine that the hiss, and especially the buzzing are signs of a tube which is about to fail. Any insight? Should I try to return the noisy tube?
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