[Dubstep Girl]

great review!! I agree with everything said about hd 800 and he-6. i LOVE both these headphones on the WA5

 

[GalaxyGuy]

lojay, great review.  Your experience with the 445 and HE6 is similar to what I've found with my 2A3 MkIV and the HE6.  My amp just does not do justice to those cans.  That said, I quite enjoy the amp with the HD800 (unmodded), LCD-X and TH900.  All three cans are excellent with the 2A3 amp, as I am sure they are with the 445.  Thanks for the review.

 

[Khragon]

Thanks for the great review.  Gave me a taste of what 445 sound like.  Enjoying my WA5 now with both headphone and speakers.  Got to upgrade my HPs first though before getting another amp.

 

[bmichels]

Super great reviens Indeed. Congratulation. It réassured me on my 4-45 purchase that I am now waiting to be shippet to me.

I will also be interested to know who has really used those amps as speaker Amp, and what (high efficiency) speakers have been succesfully used with the Ec445 ? Does it sound good also with speakers ?

I am really septical on this speaker output feature because 3 watts Is really not that much !

 

[Xcalibur255]

Great review.

Did you get a chance to try EML 45 Mesh? Warms up 4-45 a bit with more bloom, but it's like you said, the amp really doesn't change that much. Yes, you are right on the subjective preferences thing: My priorities are toward resolution, speed, attack, precision, neutrality (which should not be confused with lean, bright, etched, sizzly, unnaturally sibilant, etc.). I generally dislike bloom.

 
Have you heard both the solid plate and mesh plate EML 45 Purrin?  If so I would really appreciate hearing your thoughts.  I realize they are/will be amp dependant but anything helps.  I've read about all there is to read on this subject online, but it's nigh impossible to find direct comparisons that are actually helpful and not showered in metaphor (6moons).
 
I will probably be picking up one EML or the other soon.  I've been really quite pleased with the Sylvania 45 STs I have in my amp now that I've found a pair that isn't junk, but I think the EMLs will make things a little bit more complete all around.
 
FWIW my amp is manual bias so I have control over that aspect, and plate voltage is a by the book 250V.

 

[Cortazar]

I ( and i think many others too) would be curious about purrin's thoughts about abyss ab1266 with ec 4-45.

 

[fhuang]

thanks for the review lojay. 
 
been thinking getting a even more tubey sounding amp than wa5, i guess 4-45 is just not that.  need to look for something else.
 
did you try a t1 with 4-45?

 

[Rico613]

  thanks for the review lojay. 
 
been thinking getting a even more tubey sounding amp than wa5, i guess 4-45 is just not that.  need to look for something else.
 
did you try a t1 with 4-45?

In the comparisons I've read, the EML Mesh Plate tubes would have a more tubey sound.  See this review at 6 Moons the Eddie Current Balance Act with EML Mesh Plate 300b may be what you're looking for.

 

[Alex Cappello]

Excellent review, having not heard either amp this was very helpful, thank you!

 

[Argo Duck]

Excellent review - I like it when there is obvious care taken with preparation, execution and write-up. Thanks.

One question re Bring it on home: you mention "Page's voice 'brighter'" but I always thought - mercifully - it was Plant singing that track Went back and checked. Still sounds like Plant to me, but maybe my less resolving system has me fooled

Again, thanks for a fine review. Look forward to more in due course.

 

[lojay]

Excellent review - I like it when there is obvious care taken with preparation, execution and write-up. Thanks.

One question re Bring it on home: you mention "Page's voice 'brighter'" but I always thought - mercifully - it was Plant singing that track

Went back and checked. Still sounds like Plant to me, but maybe my less resolving system has me fooled

Again, thanks for a fine review. Look forward to more in due course.

 
Thanks, it is absolutely Plant, a mistake on my part which is now corrected.

 

[lojay]

  For me, the most noticeable thing is that WA5's noise floor is just too high, especially on TH900. ..... That is why I believe 4-45 is more of a HI-FI amp, WA5 is more like an amp for casual listening. 

 
On the WA5, you need to use the switch to adopt the correct impedance setting. There was no audible noise at 9 o clock for the HD800 on the WA5 at the high impedance setting. The 4-45 has audible noise when you clock the volume up to around 3 o clock, but on balance it seems driving the HD800 the 4-45 has a 20% lower noise floor.
 
I think I agree that the 4-45 is better for critical listening. The mid-range on the WA5 is yet very enjoyable in its own right.
 

  lojay, Your WA5 is without the optional upgrades offered by Woo , right ?

 
Yes it is the stock version without the cap upgrades etc. If I am to buy a new WA5 in the future that will be the maxxed out version.

  great review!! I agree with everything said about hd 800 and he-6. i LOVE both these headphones on the WA5

 
Thanks DG! Good to know you are still enjoying the WA5. Man, I will miss the HE-6 and WA5 combo but I really cannot afford having two huge tube amps in my office.

  lojay, great review.  Your experience with the 445 and HE6 is similar to what I've found with my 2A3 MkIV and the HE6.  My amp just does not do justice to those cans.  

 
I see. I don't regret getting the 4-45 over the 2A3MKIV then!
 

I am really septical on this speaker output feature because 3 watts Is really not that much !

 
I think you will need some very high sensitivity speakers (about 100dB) to do them justice. But that's a common issue driving speakers with a tube amp, isn't it? 
 

  been thinking getting a even more tubey sounding amp than wa5, i guess 4-45 is just not that.  need to look for something else.
did you try a t1 with 4-45?

 
The 4-45 is absolutely not tubey. It sounds like a solid-state amp without the treble harshness and deep bass. From my recollection the only amp that can image nearly as well is the Rudistor RP030B but the HD800 is very strident on that amp. You might want to look at the Leben 300CX or Manley / Carey 300B amps for tubiness. I don't have a T1, sorry!

 

[lojay]

Great review.

Did you get a chance to try EML 45 Mesh? Warms up 4-45 a bit with more bloom, but it's like you said, the amp really doesn't change that much. Yes, you are right on the subjective preferences thing: My priorities are toward resolution, speed, attack, precision, neutrality (which should not be confused with lean, bright, etched, sizzly, unnaturally sibilant, etc.). I generally dislike bloom.

 
Thanks Purrin, especially for recommending the HD800 mods and the 4-45 to the community. As you can tell from the review I really like the amp. My views are consistent with yours though I may have tried the WA5 with upgraded tubes and that enhances the transparency and resolution significantly compared to stock.
 
I think I prefer resolution and speed given my rather eclectic music preferences. The fact that I use 6C45Pi instead of the WE417A speaks volumes about that. Those who enjoy Diana Krall and small jazz ensembles might prefer more a tubier sound, as voices and instruments benefit from more flesh, body and, ahem, even order harmonic distortion.
 
I bought a quad of EML 45 Solids which cost me a fortune. So far I still prefer the vintage globes but time will tell as I break in the Solids. So I don't think I will be getting the Mesh any time soon. Besides, it seems that the 4-45 is voiced in a way that the mids are more recessed and that is consistent with the design philosophy stated on the EC website that "with Eddie Current amps, you’ll never want to stop listening. Most headphone amps sound dynamic at first, but in less than an hour listening fatigue occurs". I doubt the Mesh will transform the 4-45 into something close to the WA5 and I am not sure if I want to. The best thing about the 4-45 is that it is high res but is laid back and allows for long-term listening at the same time. That is quite a feat.

 

[zeissiez]

Great comprehensive review!!! I see you have a Little Dot amp there, how's it for the HD800 compared to the other two amps here? Is it competent ?

 

[purrin]

   
Have you heard both the solid plate and mesh plate EML 45 Purrin?  If so I would really appreciate hearing your thoughts. 

 
My experience was the opposite that of the six moons dude on the 4-45. Solid plate EML 45s had more of a bloom. A "wall-of-sound" effect which I found blurred the sound more than the mesh. 
 

 
You might want to look at the Leben 300CX or Manley / Carey 300B amps for tubiness.

 
x2 on Leben or Carey for even tubier sound. (I didn't feel the Manley NeoClassic 300b was tubey at all though.)