rfprice
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 6, 2011
- Posts
- 46
- Likes
- 19
Hello,
Can anyone comment on these two integrateds? I'm trying to feel my way in and through the world of 300b SET. I've had my eye on these two amps for some time, but I'm not even sure if the difference between them is a matter of taste or quality. A stock WA5 is about half the price of the Cary. Does this indicate a difference in overall performance level? A fully-loaded WA5 is approximately the price of the Cary. Does this bring them closer together? I'm flying blind, and am trying even to just get a sense of where these stand in relation to each other (and in relation to other available 300b designs).
People seem to have strong opinions about the Cary, both good and bad. This fact makes me more appreciative of the Cary, not less. The word that jumps out at me from people's reviews is "magical." User reviews of the WA5 are universally positive. I haven't read a single negative word about it. But might this mean that the Woo is a great all-around performer, but not quite spectacular in any particular way?
The 6moons review describes the WA5 as overkill for solely headphone use (in comparison to a Yamamoto HA-2). Well, I've never heard the Yamamoto either, so this tells me little. However, although I hope that my next amp will be able to drive a pair of moderately efficient speakers, I want to put my money toward optimal headphone-stage performance first. I'd even forgo the speaker taps entirely and buy the LE version if I thought that the performance trade-off would be significant.
Would appreciate any and all advice. Thanks.
Can anyone comment on these two integrateds? I'm trying to feel my way in and through the world of 300b SET. I've had my eye on these two amps for some time, but I'm not even sure if the difference between them is a matter of taste or quality. A stock WA5 is about half the price of the Cary. Does this indicate a difference in overall performance level? A fully-loaded WA5 is approximately the price of the Cary. Does this bring them closer together? I'm flying blind, and am trying even to just get a sense of where these stand in relation to each other (and in relation to other available 300b designs).
People seem to have strong opinions about the Cary, both good and bad. This fact makes me more appreciative of the Cary, not less. The word that jumps out at me from people's reviews is "magical." User reviews of the WA5 are universally positive. I haven't read a single negative word about it. But might this mean that the Woo is a great all-around performer, but not quite spectacular in any particular way?
The 6moons review describes the WA5 as overkill for solely headphone use (in comparison to a Yamamoto HA-2). Well, I've never heard the Yamamoto either, so this tells me little. However, although I hope that my next amp will be able to drive a pair of moderately efficient speakers, I want to put my money toward optimal headphone-stage performance first. I'd even forgo the speaker taps entirely and buy the LE version if I thought that the performance trade-off would be significant.
Would appreciate any and all advice. Thanks.