Hey folks,
First off, I wanted to thank all of you for your suggestions and help. As before, I'd love to share my experiences with you.
WA6SE and Tube Rolling
The Woo Audio WA6SE is fantastic!
Initially I was quite surprised (even a little shocked) by how neutral the WA6SE sounded. I was expecting something a little warmer. I thought: “Oops!”; after all, various people did warn me that the WA6SE was a more solid state sounding tube amp. Over time, however, I’ve come to see that the WA6SE’s sound is really more natural than it is neutral in that it presents you with a tonal balance that is mostly neutral but has just the right amount of warmth to sound very lifelike. I’ve also found that tube rolling alters the tonal balance quite significantly. I’ve tried four drive/power tubes and my favorites for classical music are by far the Amperex 6EM7s. They aren’t particularly warm, and they don’t seem to sound very good with a number of headphones, but when they do work, they offer significant improvements in terms of resolution, dynamics and soundstage. I should probably add that I didn’t find the 6EM7s to be particularly well suited for genres other than classical music or jazz. I found the best genre all-rounder tube to be Westinghouse 6FD7. I thought the Raytheon 6EW7s were okay, and I didn’t particularly care for the International Servicemaster 6DR7s. I also have some Zenith 6GL7s on the way, another favorite of Jack’s aside from the 6EM7s. I’m very curious to see how they compare. In terms of rectifier tubes, the Sophia Princess 274B blows the stock Shu Guang 274B out of the water. No contest there. I also did some power cable rolling. I found that the Fisch Audio P0 worked very well with the WA6SE; it gave the sound more body.
On to headphones
I started off listening to my WA6SE with my HD 600s. Wow! I have never heard the HD 600s sound this good. I now understand why these are ranked 21st in the Battle of The Flagships. Music pours forth so naturally from these headphones; it’s really impressive. Sure, the soundstage could be larger and details could be better resolved, but nevertheless, my overall impression of the HD 600s was very good. Nonetheless, I still wanted to see how the other headphones on the market stacked up against the HD 600s, so I went on a little auditioning trip.
I auditioned the following headphones with my WA6SE (using 6EM7/274B) connected to my Densen CD-player: Sennheiser HD 650, HD 700 and HD 800, Shure 1840, AKG Q701, Ultrasone Ed 8 and Ed 10, Audez'e LCD2 and LCD3 and HiFiMAN HE-500.
Side note: I wasn't able to audition the Beyerdynamic T1s. They're sold out everywhere in my country. I called the local distributor, who told me that they were expecting a shipment in maybe a month or two, maybe longer; he didn’t really know. I then called a few people at Beyerdynamic's HQ in Germany, but none of them could tell me where to find a place to audition them either, not even in Southern Germany. I was told that I really shouldn’t expect to be able to audition the T1s before purchasing them because they’re oh so popular. So much for the T1s, I guess. I will try, however, God knows where, to audition them in a few months. Anyway...
Of all the headphones I tested, only one really stood out, namely, drumroll... the HD 800! Wow! On the WA6SE, the HD 800s are magic! This combo allowed me to immerse myself into my music unlike any other system I’ve heard. It was a wholly different listening experience compared to any of the other headphones I auditioned, and that includes the LCD3s whose sound I really loved when I auditioned them using the Lehmann Linear. Resolution, soundstage, imaging, transparency and dynamics were all breathtaking. The WA6SE also took care of most the problems I had when auditioning the HD 800s on the Violectric V200: the sound had much more impact and body and wasn’t nearly as bright. I should also mention that the HD 800s are immensely comfortable. I can listen to music for hours while lying down. Size and weight are no problem at all.
Since I felt the HD 800s were head and shoulders above all the other headphones I tested, I went ahead and purchased them. In their stock form I would give them a solid A. Not quite an A+, however. Even though the WA6SE is overall a great match for them, the HD 800s remain slightly bright, a little thin and a touch clinical. They’re that close to perfection, but not quite there yet. Let me introduce you to the…
Cardas Clear Headphone Cable
I spoke to a number of people about ways to improve my system to get to that A+ level. A few people recommended that I try replacing the stock headphone cable. I ended up ordering the Cardas Clear headphone cable. I didn’t really expect all that much from it and was even anticipating having to return it; I had read so many comments stating that headphone cables only make subtle differences at best. Well, I plugged in my Cardas Clear and started listening to some of Pavarotti’s better known pieces. Within a few minutes, I had tears in my eyes. What the Cardas Clear does is give the HD 800s a soul, as ridiculous as that may sound. All the weaknesses of the HD 800 were gone. I was getting full-bodied, emotionally involving and truly cohesive sound; and not just that, soundstage, dynamics, and resolution were also improved. I was just blown away by the difference that this cable made. It smoothed out all the hot treble I was getting before without losing any of the treble detail. Where I noticed the most improvement was on vocals. In their stock form, the vocals on the HD 800 are very good but not quite perfect. The problem seems to lie with the stock cable because the Cardas Clear transformed the way my HD 800s portray vocals; voices now sound extremely lifelike and the emotions of singers are so palpable. I was blown away. Anyway, I probably ought to end my Ode to the Cardas Clear.
Small Proviso: The HD 800s don’t work for everything
Bad recordings, be they old or just poorly made, still don’t sound particularly great with my HD 800s. With many pieces recorded in the 50s, 60s or earlier, I tend to prefer the HD 600 over the HD 800. Also, when listening to jazz, blues or more popular genres, I often prefer a more laid-back presentation. Initially, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to use the HD 600 as my alternative to the HD 800 or try a different headphone.
One headphone that came up over and over again when looking for headphones that are on the more forgiving side of things was the HiFiMAN HE-500. I decided to audition it for a week, and I must say, I was extremely impressed with it, especially considering its price. It has the perfect voicing for popular music. Vocals are so beautiful. It also has serious amounts of bass, which worked very well for the electronic music I listen to. Unfortunately, they were simply too heavy for me. I thought that the fact that they were smaller than the LCD2/3 would make them much better for listening to music lying down. Unfortunately, their lack of clamping force, which otherwise would be a great thing, has the effect that they slide down producing the same “neck-brace effect” that I experienced with the LCD2/3. However, for someone who listens to music sitting up and doesn’t mind a heavy headphone, I would absolutely recommend them. They’re a superb all-rounder.
Since the HE-500 didn’t work out, and none of the other headphones I auditioned really fit the bill, I decided to stick with the HD 600 but chose to also get the HD 650 for an even more laid-back presentation (they’re cheap and basically same price as the 600s where I live). Given my success with recabling my HD 800s, I’m going to get a SAA E-Series cable for my HD 650, which I could then also use with the HD 600 if I wanted to. I’ll let you guys know how that turns out.
End Result
Thanks to all your input and help my dear Head-Fiers, I’ve arrived at the promised land. When it comes to classical music, I couldn’t ask for anything more, and I’m not that easy to please. I was going to invest in a Mapleshade isolation platform system, but to be honest, I don’t feel the need for it anymore. I might still go ahead with it sometime in the future, but for now, I’m going to leave everything as it is. There is still some work to be done on an alternative to my HD 800s, and I’ll let you guys know how that goes. That being said, I’m extremely happy with my current system and I couldn’t have done it without all of you.
Thanks!
Joel
