[pbirkett]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gsferrari Woo Audio 1 fits your requirements. I have one now and it is uber awesome for the price. Around $350.00 gets you a nice headphone amp with a lot of tuberolling potential although the stock sound is already very bassy and nice. Cheers!

I take it you mean this?

How does that stack up against the PPX3. Also, how hard (or not) will it prove shipping these amps to the UK and adapting them for UK voltage? In particular, the PPX3 looks like an enormous beast of a headphone amp!!!

 

[ooheadsoo]

Tube amps are more exotic and sound great! Look great too! What's to lose?

I second the wooaudio-1. Sounds absolutely wonderful to me. It can also be upgraded to have preamp outs like the singlepowers. I'm probably going to get mine upgraded sometime in the summer or fall.

The layout and chassis have been modified, I believe. That picture you see may not be accurate any more. Also, you can have the amp modified - just ask.

 

[tiberian]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyrion My vote is for the xp-7.

ditto

 

[go_vtec]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbirkett So would I be right in assuming you guys believe that tube amplifiers are the way to go to add flavour to the digital sound, add a bit of punch and welly and make it less analytical?

Yes, if you are interested you can read my reviews on tube amps.
http://www5.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=75296

 

[jpelg]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpalmer Sounds like you're looking for a PPA with a bass boost circuit to me!

I agree with Greg.

 

[tom hankins]

I sent you a PM about the Rega Ear.
I must tell you though if you can get the cash the PPX3 is more in the league of 1000.00 dollar amps than amps it's price range. Judging by your signature, the PPX3 is the amp you will really like. Mikhail will build it to cover your UK power supply needs.

 

[sacd lover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbirkett So would I be right in assuming you guys believe that tube amplifiers are the way to go to add flavour to the digital sound, add a bit of punch and welly and make it less analytical?

Personally, I believe the best way to improve digital sound is by having a discrete analog output stage replace the normal op amp output stage nearly all cd players use. However, tubes do add a flavour. I refer to this flavour as harmonic or tonal richness. This characteristic does make music less edgy and analytical to me.

 

[sacd lover]

The Woo Audio amp is almost like the Eddie Current hd 300. However, the Eddie Current uses a 6sn7 driver tube vs a 6922/6dj8 in the Woo. I think the 6sn7 is a lot better sounding tube than the 6922's. The 6922 is not an especially rugged tube either and good nos 6922/ 6dj8 tubes can be very expensive. If you run a 6922 very hard it wont last long.

 

[ooheadsoo]

Interestingly enough, when I asked Woo about tube rolling, he said that his personal take was that it didn't make enough difference in his amps (though it does make some difference) to justify the price because he had designed his amps to take advantage of the inherent qualities of his tube choices. That said, I still plan on tube rolling some day with NOS amperex and mullards. First, I'm getting some filter choke, DC filament rectification, and tube rectification done, along with some upgraded capacitors

Edit: Oh yeah, the wooaudio has a much shorter lead time than the Eddie Current too

 

[sacd lover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ooheadsoo Edit: Oh yeah, the wooaudio has a much shorter lead time than the Eddie Current too

You got that right.

 

[elnero]

I'll third, fourth, fifth or whatever the heck it is now the recommendation for the PPX3. This amp has got groove as well as a great way of balancing smoothness and detail.

I don't know if this makes a difference to you or not but I know Mikhail is quite familiar with international shipping so he should be able to get it to you without any hassle. It's also not quite as heavy as you might expect.

 

[pbirkett]

So it looks like a toss-up between the PPX3 or Woo-audio... I have not really tried a proper tube amp (only the X-cans) with headphones, so maybe I should give it a go... are these amps alright for dancey music then, because some people say they are too "slow" sounding for this type of music, is that right, or is it just generalising?

Gonna read your review now v-tec (PS I take it you drive a Honda

).

 

[ooheadsoo]

I haven't heard the ppx, but I don't think either of these amps could be called slow by any measure of the word.

 

[sacd lover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ooheadsoo I haven't heard the ppx, but I don't think either of these amps could be called slow by any measure of the word.

I havent heard the Woo but the ppx3 is not slow. That big 6as7/6080 tube on the Woo should give powerful bass.

 

[pbirkett]

You guys are tempting me... the Perreaux is said to have a tube like sound though, but I get the impression that these amps will still sound a lot different to the Perreaux? My main beaf with the Perreaux to be fair is its lack of authority in the bass and the fact that to me, sometimes it can sound a little "slow" (by which I mean it can sound to slow down during complex / aggressive / dynamic portions of music). That part in particular, is one of my pet hates in an amplifier/hifi system.