Epic Woo WA5 / Eddie Current 4-45 Shootout
Apr 17, 2015 at 10:59 AM Post #63 of 71
I have a question that may sound stupid to the gurus. If the 4-45 sounds like a SS amp, then why not just get a good SS amp. What are the charms of 4-45?
I'm not sure I know what is an SS amp supposed to sound like and what is not. I can only speak from the amps I heard.

Compared to the Ragnarok, the 445 has even better attack or leading edge, is more detailed, and is faster in the transients. The sound is less muddied, and is less soft. It is leaner, in that it is tonally brighter and has slightly less bass.

For the traditional tube qualities, the 445 images more realistically, has better stage depth and has a touch of tube warmth. But still the Rag is warmer, in a more artificial way. So I suppose the warmth is more organic and preferable on tubes.

And yes, you can tube roll to get a softer or harder sound, a more euphonic or matter-of-fact sound, etc. Tube rolling makes a significant difference, though not so much as in 300B/6SN7 amps like the WA5.

So there you have it. The 445 sounds very different from a SS amp (the Ragnarok). It sounds very different from the WA5. It sounds very different from the Teton. We cannot compare apples and oranges.
 
Apr 17, 2015 at 3:04 PM Post #64 of 71
I have a question that may sound stupid to the gurus. If the 4-45 sounds like a SS amp, then why not just get a good SS amp. What are the charms of 4-45?

I have always found "tube vs. ss" to be perhaps the most pointless distinction made here.  It's possible to imbue either type with any combination of good or bad qualities, none of which are exclusive to one or the other, through various design and component choices. 
 
Apr 18, 2015 at 7:50 AM Post #65 of 71
I'm not sure I know what is an SS amp supposed to sound like and what is not. I can only speak from the amps I heard.

Compared to the Ragnarok, the 445 has even better attack or leading edge, is more detailed, and is faster in the transients. The sound is less muddied, and is less soft. It is leaner, in that it is tonally brighter and has slightly less bass.

For the traditional tube qualities, the 445 images more realistically, has better stage depth and has a touch of tube warmth. But still the Rag is warmer, in a more artificial way. So I suppose the warmth is more organic and preferable on tubes.

And yes, you can tube roll to get a softer or harder sound, a more euphonic or matter-of-fact sound, etc. Tube rolling makes a significant difference, though not so much as in 300B/6SN7 amps like the WA5.

So there you have it. The 445 sounds very different from a SS amp (the Ragnarok). It sounds very different from the WA5. It sounds very different from the Teton. We cannot compare apples and oranges.

 
What is meant when you say this?  "We cannot compare apples and oranges"  Or better yet, what would comparing apples to apples be?
 
Apr 18, 2015 at 8:42 AM Post #66 of 71
What is meant when you say this?  [COLOR=0000CD]"We cannot compare apples and oranges"  [/COLOR]Or better yet, what would comparing apples to apples be?
To be clear, what I meant is already stated in my post, that last sentence was redundant. If you like you can ignore it.

Logically speaking, you can compare apples with oranges. Whether you will get data meaningful to you is another matter.

So back to the question: why not get a SS amp instead of the 445 if the 445 sounds like a SS amp? Well because it doesn't and the question is based on a false assumption that SS has a particular sound and that all SS sound the same- vice versa.
 
Sep 23, 2016 at 12:48 AM Post #67 of 71
To be clear, what I meant is already stated in my post, that last sentence was redundant. If you like you can ignore it.

Logically speaking, you can compare apples with oranges. Whether you will get data meaningful to you is another matter.

So back to the question: why not get a SS amp instead of the 445 if the 445 sounds like a SS amp? Well because it doesn't and the question is based on a false assumption that SS has a particular sound and that all SS sound the same- vice versa.

Why did you move on to the Teton - how does it compare to the 445 and wa5?
 
Sep 23, 2016 at 8:41 PM Post #68 of 71
Why did you move on to the Teton - how does it compare to the 445 and wa5?


Didn't he keep the 4-45?

Him & minimus were arguing about which they liked more, the Teton or the 4-45 from this post in the Teton thread

http://www.head-fi.org/t/705776/the-apex-teton-review-and-impressions-thread/120#post_11601815

edit:
oops looks like he sold his 4-45 for a EC Studio upgrade.
 
Oct 1, 2016 at 1:01 AM Post #69 of 71
Ultimately I sold the EC445, dropped out of the Studio queue and got a SR009 & DIYT2 rig instead.

I seldom use the HD800 nowadays and am experimenting with the Abyss and hopefully the Utopia one day, both connected directly to the Chord DAVE.

I still have the Teton but I never use it.

Didn't he keep the 4-45?

Him & minimus were arguing about which they liked more, the Teton or the 4-45 from this post in the Teton thread

http://www.head-fi.org/t/705776/the-apex-teton-review-and-impressions-thread/120#post_11601815

edit:
oops looks like he sold his 4-45 for a EC Studio upgrade.
 
Oct 4, 2016 at 9:12 PM Post #70 of 71
Ultimately I sold the EC445, dropped out of the Studio queue and got a SR009 & DIYT2 rig instead.

I seldom use the HD800 nowadays and am experimenting with the Abyss and hopefully the Utopia one day, both connected directly to the Chord DAVE.

I still have the Teton but I never use it.


How do you compare with hp out of chord dave?
 
Oct 5, 2016 at 11:56 AM Post #71 of 71
Ultimately I sold the EC445, dropped out of the Studio queue and got a SR009 & DIYT2 rig instead.

I seldom use the HD800 nowadays and am experimenting with the Abyss and hopefully the Utopia one day, both connected directly to the Chord DAVE.

I still have the Teton but I never use it.


Would like to hear your impressions of the SR-009/T2 pairing, please :)
 

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