[Zachik]

New to this thread (read ALL of it before posting )...
I have auditioned the WA8 for the first time 2 days ago at the SF meet. Long story short - I ended up buying 1 of the 2 demo units from Mike!
This little wonder (to my ears) sounds on par with the best tube amps ($3,000+) that I auditioned at the meet. Obviously, hard to do a very "accurate" A/B comparisons, but if it is close enough to require a lot of back and forth - then that is proof enough (for me) that it is as-good (or 95% as good).
As a side note, I usually not a huge fan of the Utopia, and auditioned them at CanJam and the meet on several setups, never impressed by them. They sounded good (though not $4,000 good) driven by the WA8 !

 

[nogi replicant]

I'm looking to buy if anyone is keen to sell. cheers.

 

[Zachik]

I'm looking to buy if anyone is keen to sell. cheers.

Someone (not me!!) is selling one. Good price, too.
Good luck

 

[gordec]

Anyone current with WA8 had Centrance M8 before? I thinking about upgrading. Just wondering if I'm going to hear and very dramatic upgrade. Pretty simple setup Android USB-OTG -> WA8 -> LCD-XC.

 

[sarnhelen]

I see Hifiguy loves the sound of the W8 with Sony Z1R (and clearly with a Kimber cable, from the pic), and he should know. But on the Z1R threads the wisdom is, tube amps are always a bad match for Z1R. I'd like to hear more from anyone with this combination.

 

[Cognacbrown]

mmm......recommend it also... Eclipse is a top-notch transportable tube amp that will take care of your headfi needs on and off the road. If not for the paltry battery life (3 hours or so), this would be a must-have. Don't hesitate..........to push you to the edge, here's.inspiration:

@raypin, I've the CDM too and I'm wondering how the WA8 compares?

 

[nogi replicant]

I see Hifiguy loves the sound of the W8 with Sony Z1R (and clearly with a Kimber cable, from the pic), and he should know. But on the Z1R threads the wisdom is, tube amps are always a bad match for Z1R. I'd like to hear more from anyone with this combination.

I Demo'd a couple of different headphones with the WA8 this week. Tried the Z1R with it. I have tried the Z1R with a few different amps and not liked it at all. The WA8 was the first time I have actually thought the Z1R sounded pretty damn good.

 

[nogi replicant]

I will receive a WA8 soon so am looking for some headphones to pair it with. I can demo most cans with it, however not the Abyss. Is the WA8 capable of driving the Abyss to good performance levels? Not just volume but actually allowing the Abyss to do its thing? Thanks.

 

[Zachik]

I will receive a WA8 soon so am looking for some headphones to pair it with. I can demo most cans with it, however not the Abyss. Is the WA8 capable of driving the Abyss to good performance levels? Not just volume but actually allowing the Abyss to do its thing? Thanks.

Have you tried the Abyss before (with other amps)?
I am asking because not everyone likes them... Do you think or know for a fact you even like them (with other amps)?

 

[Joseph Lin]

I will receive a WA8 soon so am looking for some headphones to pair it with. I can demo most cans with it, however not the Abyss. Is the WA8 capable of driving the Abyss to good performance levels? Not just volume but actually allowing the Abyss to do its thing? Thanks.

Deleted...

 

[nogi replicant]

Have you tried the Abyss before (with other amps)?
I am asking because not everyone likes them... Do you think or know for a fact you even like them (with other amps)?

No I haven't tried the abyss. Have tried most other headphones at sr009 price and under. From what I have read though the abyss has attributes I value like bass, soundstage, and texture/tactility. Due to having little kids with wondering hands and wanting to use this upcoming headphone purchase in multiple locations around the house (office and lounge room etc) I needed a small transportable amp (enter WA8). I am looking at probably getting the HE1000v2 or maybe the Utopia for it (slight lean towards the HEK). But if I thought the WA8 was capable of driving the Abyss then I would make significantly extra efforts to demo it. Means travelling a very long distance here in Australia.

 

[Zachik]

No I haven't tried the abyss. Have tried most other headphones at sr009 price and under. From what I have read though the abyss has attributes I value like bass, soundstage, and texture/tactility. Due to having little kids with wondering hands and wanting to use this upcoming headphone purchase in multiple locations around the house (office and lounge room etc) I needed a small transportable amp (enter WA8). I am looking at probably getting the HE1000v2 or maybe the Utopia for it (slight lean towards the HEK). But if I thought the WA8 was capable of driving the Abyss then I would make significantly extra efforts to demo it. Means travelling a very long distance here in Australia.

I am not a big fan of the Utopia, but it does sound good with WA8. Listened to them together at a meet.
Never auditioned the HE1000v2 with WA8.
I personally love the Mr. Speakers AEON and Ether Flow (open) with the WA8. Great match!
One of the reviewers matched WA8 with HiFiMAN Edition X v2 and loved it together.

 

[Cognacbrown]

Had a chance to test both Hugo2 and WA 8 using my DAP Onkyo DP1XA with a couple of headphones namely the Hifiman Edition X v2 and the Audeze LCDi4. After a couple of hours of testing, I walked out of the shop with both the WA 8 and also the LCDi4 (fully paid of course . I wanted so much to prefer the Hugo 2 as it makes such a convenient portable package especially the ability to charge using the micro USB is much desired. However, the WA 8 sounded so much more musical and balanced without sacrificing details. You've got to compare both to appreciate very noticeable differences in sound signature. At the end, I've tried many genres and I find myself always going back to the WA 8. On resolution, both units are very good at detail retrieval. I didn't feel I'm losing much via the WA 8. I own the Hifiman Edition X and the pairing is sublime! The LCDi4 is an incredible portable device. It ran so close to the Hifiman Edition X. Makes it an essential travel earphone.

My only gripe is that I've to carry the weight of WA8 together with its brick style power block for my travel needs. I know some people have bought an Omni charger as a backup to the limited battery life. At the end, I value top notch and desired sound signature over battery life. It's that good in my books. I do have a backup of course in the Chord Mojo.

 

[Zachik]

Had a chance to test both Hugo2 and WA 8 using my DAP Onkyo DP1XA with a couple of headphones namely the Hifiman Edition X v2 and the Audeze LCDi4. After a couple of hours of testing, I walked out of the shop with both the WA 8 and also the LCDi4 (fully paid of course . I wanted so much to prefer the Hugo 2 as it makes such a convenient portable package especially the ability to charge using the micro USB is much desired. However, the WA 8 sounded so much more musical and balanced without sacrificing details. You've got to compare both to appreciate very noticeable differences in sound signature. At the end, I've tried many genres and I find myself always going back to the WA 8. On resolution, both units are very good at detail retrieval. I didn't feel I'm losing much via the WA 8. I own the Hifiman Edition X and the pairing is sublime! The LCDi4 is an incredible portable device. It ran so close to the Hifiman Edition X. Makes it an essential travel earphone.

My only gripe is that I've to carry the weight of WA8 together with its brick style power block for my travel needs. I know some people have bought an Omni charger as a backup to the limited battery life. At the end, I value top notch and desired sound signature over battery life. It's that good in my books. I do have a backup of course in the Chord Mojo.

Enjoy your new toys!
I agree with every word about the WA8 - great fun/musical sound without sacrificing details. I am also very glad to hear your opinion with pairing to Edition X as it is on my wishlist...

 

[nogi replicant]

Had a chance to test both Hugo2 and WA 8 using my DAP Onkyo DP1XA with a couple of headphones namely the Hifiman Edition X v2 and the Audeze LCDi4. After a couple of hours of testing, I walked out of the shop with both the WA 8 and also the LCDi4 (fully paid of course . I wanted so much to prefer the Hugo 2 as it makes such a convenient portable package especially the ability to charge using the micro USB is much desired. However, the WA 8 sounded so much more musical and balanced without sacrificing details. You've got to compare both to appreciate very noticeable differences in sound signature. At the end, I've tried many genres and I find myself always going back to the WA 8. On resolution, both units are very good at detail retrieval. I didn't feel I'm losing much via the WA 8. I own the Hifiman Edition X and the pairing is sublime! The LCDi4 is an incredible portable device. It ran so close to the Hifiman Edition X. Makes it an essential travel earphone.

My only gripe is that I've to carry the weight of WA8 together with its brick style power block for my travel needs. I know some people have bought an Omni charger as a backup to the limited battery life. At the end, I value top notch and desired sound signature over battery life. It's that good in my books. I do have a backup of course in the Chord Mojo.

Hi, I will receive my WA8 in the next couple of days. I will be testing out a bunch of headphones and also the LCD i4. From you comments above it sounds like you think the Edition X with the WA8 is better than the i4 with the WA8 (with the Edition X being far cheaper than the i4). How do you find the two compare? thanks.