I'm using GEC A1834s, very nice: but pricey. 5998s would be my second choice, followed by Tung-Sol 7236s. The 7236s are almost reasonable. Didn't care much for the Bendix 6080, lot's of bass; but flabby to my ear. Different strokes and all.

I've owned my WA2 at least 10 years (it was built with Blackgates). I do not use my T1s that often these days, most of my listening is through the WA2 and an 800S. I have other gear; but there is just something special about the WA2 with good tubes. For now, I use GEC A1834, Mazda E88CC, and...

Sounds like a good way to blow my headphones if I crank the volume a bit while listening to speakers. I swap between speakers and headphones every day, I'll forget to unplug the cable sooner or later. I was looking forward to regaining the desk space that Rag1 occupies; but this may be a deal...

No, my WA2 has never been turned up much past half way and that was when I used it as a preamp. The LCD-3s sound better on the Ragnarok, the T1s on the WA2; but both would be very acceptable if I didn't have a choice. I'm also using 5998 tubes.

They are hard to find; but you might like some Mazda E88cc. I've been using a pair for the past couple of years. They are made in Suresnes, France and sound very similar to Herleen manufactured Phillips or Amperex (same owner).

Older models had pre-amp built in, Woo removed that a few years ago.

I bought some Mazda E88CC from them a couple of years ago. Shipping took a while; but they have fairly nice and unusual tubes.

I have a Ragnarok & love it. My criticisms of it are mostly ergonomic. I'd prefer to put it in a rack; but the current iteration runs 30° hotter in a rack than on my desk. Then there's the rear power switch. If Ragnarok 2 is rack friendly, I'll probably buy one. I'd love to have 18" of my desk...

Like other have said, I have one, like it, and don't need two. I have enough tubes to last a decade or so. There isn't much to talk about.

To my understanding, it is about an impedance mismatch, rather than volume. I use LCD-3s; but they sound much better on my Ragnarok, than on my WA2. My 600 ohm T1s sound better on the WA2. It's a matter of clarity for the LCD-3s. I use and like both pairs.

I also preferred the TS7236 with HD650s (I didn't care for Sylvania 7236s). With Beyer T1s, I preferred the 5998.

I'm also a fan of the GEC 6AS7G, I bought a few pairs several years ago and almost feel guilty for using them (I'll get over it).   In my opinion, 5998/2399 are the best bang for the buck. They are also stupidly priced; but seem a bargain compared to the GEC.   5998A aren't anything at all...

I dropped my old pair of T1s, cracked the aluminum right at the T1 cutout, and had the same problem with the replacement parts. I solved it by drilling out the hole slightly larger. Seems Beyer changed the diameter of the screw.   That would have been several years ago, doesn't seem to have...

Probably tied to impedance dropping below a certain point.   I know for a fact that Ragnarok will go into "protect mode" when the volume is turned past a certain point with 4Ω speakers.

To my knowledge, the preamp output is always on when driving speakers. I use my preamp output to drive a subwoofer and it's always there.