[ThunderJak]

Looking for someone that has listened to both of these Amp\DAC combos with 300 Ohm open, or closed back headphones. I would like to know your opinions on them and if there are any significant sound differences between the two.

 

[Me x3]

Can't speak for the Woo.
I like the FiiO AM2A very much, warm, resolving and powerful. I personally prefer it over AM5 although both are very capable.

I guess your headphones and preferences might play an important role.

What headphones are you going to use with it?

 

[ThunderJak]

Can't speak for the Woo.
I like the FiiO AM2A very much, warm, resolving and powerful. I personally prefer it over AM5 although both are very capable.

I guess your headphones and preferences might play an important role.

What headphones are you going to use with it?

Thank you for your reply!

I will be using the HD 800 S, Denon D5000, and Fostex TH-X00. I'm trying to narrow it down to which of these Amp/DAC combos would be the best.

 

[ThunderJak]

Bump

 

[kukkurovaca]

I haven't heard either but this is an extremely apples to oranges comparison. If you can't find anyone who's used both, you may just want to check reviews of the WA7 which include comparisons to solid state amps, and go from there. Or, maybe check for reviews which compare either to a more common/popular third option, like a Chord Mojo or iFi Micro Black Label.

Can I ask why you're looking at these two, rather than, say, a desktop solid state amp versus a desktop tube amp, etc.?

 

[ThunderJak]

I haven't heard either but this is an extremely apples to oranges comparison. If you can't find anyone who's used both, you may just want to check reviews of the WA7 which include comparisons to solid state amps, and go from there. Or, maybe check for reviews which compare either to a more common/popular third option, like a Chord Mojo or iFi Micro Black Label.

Can I ask why you're looking at these two, rather than, say, a desktop solid state amp versus a desktop tube amp, etc.?

The reason I am looking at these two is because I am familiar with FiiO products. I have owned the Alpen and Alpen 2. I recently purchased the Sennheiser HD 800 S, and have been trying to come to a conclusion on which amp/dac combo to purchase. Cavalli went out of business and Oppo has discontinued their audio products. So I am just looking for opinions on these two at the moment. I have looked at the Chord Mojo, but it doesn't have a balanced output like the FiiO Q5. Although the WA7D doesn't have a balanced output, it is a tube amp. That's one reason I am considering it.

 

[kukkurovaca]

The reason I am looking at these two is because I am familiar with FiiO products. I have owned the Alpen and Alpen 2. I recently purchased the Sennheiser HD 800 S, and have been trying to come to a conclusion on which amp/dac combo to purchase. Cavalli went out of business and Oppo has discontinued their audio products. So I am just looking for opinions on these two at the moment. I have looked at the Chord Mojo, but it doesn't have a balanced output like the FiiO Q5. Although the WA7D doesn't have a balanced output, it is a tube amp. That's one reason I am considering it.

Not to complicate things further, but have you considered the ALO CDM? It's a balanced tube hybrid, and a used or b-stock one would be in the same price range as a WA7 with solid state PSU. It's not pocketable like the Q5, but it is transportable. It's a somewhat quirky device, though.

Also, FWIW I wouldn't sweat the balanced vs. single-ended thing too much. I like balanced, but in terms of sound quality I think it's usually a pretty minor tweak.

 

[FangJoker]

I think to get a really good setup out of the 800s requires financial pain. The 800s thread should have recommendations for any price range, but of course a headphone like that will scale a lot better with totl dacs and amps.

 

[ThunderJak]

Not to complicate things further, but have you considered the ALO CDM? It's a balanced tube hybrid, and a used or b-stock one would be in the same price range as a WA7 with solid state PSU. It's not pocketable like the Q5, but it is transportable. It's a somewhat quirky device, though.

Also, FWIW I wouldn't sweat the balanced vs. single-ended thing too much. I like balanced, but in terms of sound quality I think it's usually a pretty minor tweak.

I am open to all suggestions, and I will take a look at the ALO. The reason I wanted the balanced on the FiiO Q5 is because it outputs 93mW of power. That would be enough to drive the HD 800 S I am hoping.

 

[kukkurovaca]

I am open to all suggestions, and I will take a look at the ALO. The reason I wanted the balanced on the FiiO Q5 is because it outputs 93mW of power. That would be enough to drive the HD 800 S I am hoping.

I'm sure it would, but they're not that hard a headphone to drive, and there are a number of amps that will do the job. Fewer, I guess, if you must have a dac/amp combo unit, though. But I'm guessing the Mojo has more power than the Q5's balanced output, and the iFi Black Label for sure is much more powerful. And of course, most desktop amps will have more power.

You may also want to look less at absolute power output and more at how well the amp is likely to pair with your headphones in terms of sound, especially if you're particularly concerned with how the HD 800 S will do.

FWIW, I have a pair of HD800 (non-S) and the CDM works great with them, especially for those who want a smoother, less harsh sound. (The CDM's amp section is fairly neutral, but the DAC is colored.)

 

[Me x3]

HD800S is not hard to drive. For reference, it's slightly easier to drive than DT880 Pro 250 Ohm.
Let alone headphones like K701 or HE560.

The very hard to drive thing comes mostly from the fact that many people didn't like HD800's (the silver one) sound signature and always blamed amplifiers instead of blaming the headphone (mainly because the headphone has a big reputation).

HD800S has a different sound signature, but the "very hard to drive" thing remains inherited from HD800.
In real life you'll be using less than 10mW to drive the HD800S

 

[ThunderJak]

HD800S is not hard to drive. For reference, it's slightly easier to drive than DT880 Pro 250 Ohm.
Let alone headphones like K701 or HE560.

The very hard to drive thing comes mostly from the fact that many people didn't like HD800's (the silver one) sound signature and always blamed amplifiers instead of blaming the headphone (mainly because the headphone has a big reputation).

HD800S has a different sound signature, but the "very hard to drive" thing remains inherited from HD800.
In real life you'll be using less than 10mW to drive the HD800S

That's what I was thinking. I have been using my FiiO Alpen 2 at the moment with the HD 800 S and it sounds good, but I want something more high quality to pair with them. I was reading this thread: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/best-amp-dac-for-hd800-s.819287/ and one of the recommendations was the WA7D. It's on sale for $799, but I am just trying to come to a conclusion if it is worth the extra $400 - $450 compared to the FiiO Q5.

 

[Currawong]

The Mojo has enough power. It has nothing at all to do with it not being balanced. That's just a feature to make products look more impressive, but with today's electronics is completely unnecessary.