[tokendog]

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Congratz, big fan of Jack's products. What kind of tubes are you playing with?

 
The Sophia and the stock Zenith 6EW7 tubes.  What do you recommend?  Please feel free to recommend.

 

[bareyb]

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WA6-SE has arrived.  It's a wonderfully built amp.  I'm impressed.  It sounds fantastic with the TH-900 right out of the box and I look forward to listening for the differences as it burns in.
It's a LOT larger than it looks in the pictures (that's what she said!).
 
Good job, Woo!  Now to listen to it with my other headphones.

Congrats tokendog. That's a sweet amp. 

 

[Greed]

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The Sophia and the stock Zenith 6EW7 tubes.  What do you recommend?  Please feel free to recommend.

When I heard a WA6-SE, my favorite tubes were Sophia Princess 274B or USAF-596 with either Sylvania 6EW7 or Raytheon 6EW7. There was some other more rare tubes that I heard, but they are so hard to find nowadays, it really isn't worth the time, effort, or money.

 

[tokendog]

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Congrats tokendog. That's a sweet amp. 

 
Thanks.
 
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When I heard a WA6-SE, my favorite tubes were Sophia Princess 274B or USAF-596 with either Sylvania 6EW7 or Raytheon 6EW7. There was some other more rare tubes that I heard, but they are so hard to find nowadays, it really isn't worth the time, effort, or money.

 
Yeah, I will do some tube rolling with it later on and see what I find.  For now I'm going to sit back and enjoy it as is.

 

[Greed]

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Thanks.
 
 
Yeah, I will do some tube rolling with it later on and see what I find.  For now I'm going to sit back and enjoy it as is.

It is a great amp, for a wide range of different impedance headphones, the WA6-SE is much better than the WA2. It really gives you that fast and dynamic sound like an SS but with the smoothness of a tube amp. It is great for headphones like the TH-900, imo. I heard it with the D7K and it was a great combo. Really brought out the somewhat recessed mids forward, tightened things up, and gave it more oomph. It was great. Really love that amp, hope you do too!

 

[bareyb]

Here's a little update on my experiences with the Th-900s and the Ultrasone Signature DJs that I posted in the "Basshead Club" thread, but I thought you guys might be interested too. My kids and their  friends are on Spring Break this whole week. Had to take my rig out to the Garage to get some peace and quiet! It's nice having an all-in-one in these situations.  

 

 
 

how do the Signature DJ's compare to the Th-900s bareyb? Im seriously interested

Comparing them isn't as easy as I thought it might be. For one, the Fostex make every one of my other headphones sound muffled in comparison. Their open nature and huge 3D image are much more similar in character to the HiFi Man HE500s than to the Signature DJ in my opinion. An HE500 on Steroids is a good characterization for these. Comparing them directly to the Signature DJs is not really a fair comparison considering they do cost twice as much... Having said that, if you don't directly compare, the Signature DJ's would be a fitting end game for many a Basshead. I love them and I plan to keep them as my portable rig. The Fostex are far too fragile feeling for me to haul them around with much confidence. 
 
I'm guessing you probably want to know mostly about how the BASS compares so I won't keep you in suspense. Looking at the frequency charts it would seem like the Th-900 should blow the DJ's away, but it's really not the case in terms of perceived quantity. On some tracks the Th-900s have more and on others the DJs have more. It's very close. Overall, the Th-900 has more, but not enough to spend the $1000.00 for.
 


 
The reason the Fostex cost two grand is because of whatever magical material they made the drivers out of. The Bass is extremely musical. I am hearing things from the Fostex that I've never heard before and I promise you, I have never used that phrase before. My Father was an Audiophile and I grew up around high end speakers and amps my whole life. He had Fischer and Marantz when those names meant something. The Th-900s are as close as I've come to that level of audiophilia since I began this hobby.
 
Anyway enough about the Th-900s.They cost two grand, so they better be awesome, and they are... And guess what? That doesn't mean a thing when we are talking about the Signature DJ's. They are still the best bang for the buck I've found  for a true Basshead, and if I'd never heard the Th-900s they'd be my end game.
 
If you can afford the Th-900s do it. They are just simply the best headphones I've ever heard in my life. If it's the end game you seek, these may very well do it for you. If not, get the Signature DJ's and know you've got one of the best Basshead 'phones in the World. The list of elite Audiophile Basshead Cans is very short and very expensive and the Th-900s are not well suited to rough use like the DJs are. Bottom line: If you can manage to get both and use the DJ's for portable and the Th-900s at home, that's the best of all worlds. 

 

[twizzleraddict]

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Here's a little update on my experiences with the Th-900s and the Ultrasone Signature DJs that I posted in the "Basshead Club" thread, but I thought you guys might be interested too. My kids and their  friends are on Spring Break this whole week. Had to take my rig out to the Garage to get some peace and quiet! It's nice having an all-in-one in these situations.  

 

 
 
Comparing them isn't as easy as I thought it might be. For one, the Fostex make every one of my other headphones sound muffled in comparison. Their open nature and huge 3D image are much more similar in character to the HiFi Man HE500s than to the Signature DJ in my opinion. An HE500 on Steroids is a good characterization for these. Comparing them directly to the Signature DJs is not really a fair comparison considering they do cost twice as much... Having said that, if you don't directly compare, the Signature DJ's would be a fitting end game for many a Basshead. I love them and I plan to keep them as my portable rig. The Fostex are far too fragile feeling for me to haul them around with much confidence. 
 
I'm guessing you probably want to know mostly about how the BASS compares so I won't keep you in suspense. Looking at the frequency charts it would seem like the Th-900 should blow the DJ's away, but it's really not the case in terms of perceived quantity. On some tracks the Th-900s have more and on others the DJs have more. It's very close. Overall, the Th-900 has more, but not enough to spend the $1000.00 for.
 


 
The reason the Fostex cost two grand is because of whatever magical material they made the drivers out of. The Bass is extremely musical. I am hearing things from the Fostex that I've never heard before and I promise you, I have never used that phrase before. My Father was an Audiophile and I grew up around high end speakers and amps my whole life. He had Fischer and Marantz when those names meant something. The Th-900s are as close as I've come to that level of audiophilia since I began this hobby.
 
Anyway enough about the Th-900s.They cost two grand, so they better be awesome, and they are... And guess what? That doesn't mean a thing when we are talking about the Signature DJ's. They are still the best bang for the buck I've found  for a true Basshead, and if I'd never heard the Th-900s they'd be my end game.
 
If you can afford the Th-900s do it. They are just simply the best headphones I've ever heard in my life. No exaggeration. If not, get the Signature DJ's and know you've got one of the best Basshead 'phones in the World. The list of elite Audiophile Basshead Cans is very short and very expensive and the Th-900s are not well suited to rough use like the DJs are. Bottom line: If you can manage to get both and use the DJ's for portable and the Th-900s at home, that's the best of all worlds. They are both worthy contenders for the Basshead Hall of Fame. 

 
Now you've got to listen to some more "audiophile" music to see what the fuss is about with the TH900s. Nice write up! I think if the focus wasn't so much on that tight, plentiful and musical bass out of these cans, we would hear some more about how well they do on intimate stuff!

 

[bareyb]

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Now you've got to listen to some more "audiophile" music to see what the fuss is about with the TH900s. Nice write up! I think if the focus wasn't so much on that tight, plentiful and musical bass out of these cans, we would hear some more about how well they do on intimate stuff!

That was just a quickie I did for the Basshead Club. I think I did mention that the mids and highs were more akin to my HE500 Planars and that's quite a compliment (to both).  To get such an open sound from a closed back can is amazing. I really am hearing things I was missing from other headphones. 
 
I'll try to get up some more in depth impressions, but suffice to say, I'm very happy I bought these. All I wanted was a Basshead quality headphone with Audiophile quality mids and highs. Never thought it would be this tough, but I do believe I am done buying Headphones for a long time to come. I was hoping these would be my endgame and they are. I suspect if I ever do replace them, it will be with a newer model of the same thing.

 

[tokendog]

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That was just a quickie I did for the Basshead Club. I think I did mention that the mids and highs were more akin to my HE500 Planars and that's quite a compliment (to both).  To get such an open sound from a closed back can is amazing. I really am hearing things I was missing from other headphones. 
 
I'll try to get up some more in depth impressions, but suffice to say, I'm very happy I bought these. All I wanted was a Basshead quality headphone with Audiophile quality mids and highs. Never thought it would be this tough, but I do believe I am done buying Headphones for a long time to come. I was hoping these would be my endgame and they are. I suspect if I ever do replace them, it will be with a newer model of the same thing.

 
I can assure you there is nothing that beats them for the qualities you seem to enjoy.  The only thing that comes close is the LCD-3 and those are not nearly as musical in my opinion.   You can peacefully rest in the knowledge that you have one of the best headphones in the world when it comes to simply enjoying your music rather than analyzing it.

 

[jsgraha]

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The Sophia and the stock Zenith 6EW7 tubes.  What do you recommend?  Please feel free to recommend.

Congratulation tokendog for the 6SE.
I'm currently have a th900 on my head, using audio-gd ref7 feeding wa6se.
For that setup, I prefer sophia with 6dr7 pinnacle nos (athough the different with other 6dr7 not significant at all anyway).
It has a better tonality for instrument and vocal (particularly piano and female vocal).
 
But sophia and 6fd7 have a better PRaT and dynamic though, imo.
6em7 is quite detail and airy, but I don't think it suit th900.

 

[preproman]

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I can assure you there is nothing that beats them for the qualities you seem to enjoy.  The only thing that comes close is the LCD-3 and those are not nearly as musical in my opinion.   You can peacefully rest in the knowledge that you have one of the best headphones in the world when it comes to simply enjoying your music rather than analyzing it.

Token,
 
You have a lot of the headphones I have.  As far as musical goes.  I find that the W3000, HE-6 are more musical.  You may not, but I find the LCD-3 mids are more forward when compared to the TH-900..  Thus for me is more musical when it comes to female voices. 

 

[tokendog]

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Congratulation tokendog for the 6SE.
I'm currently have a th900 on my head, using audio-gd ref7 feeding wa6se.
For that setup, I prefer sophia with 6dr7 pinnacle nos (athough the different with other 6dr7 not significant at all anyway).
It has a better tonality for instrument and vocal (particularly piano and female vocal).
 
But sophia and 6fd7 have a better PRaT and dynamic though, imo.
6em7 is quite detail and airy, but I don't think it suit th900.

 
Thank you.  I've ordered the Pinnacle 6DR7 and the 6FD7.  I might order the 6EM7 for my other headphones.
I appreciate your input.
 
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Token,
 
You have a lot of the headphones I have.  As far as musical goes.  I find that the W3000, HE-6 are more musical.  You may not, but I find the LCD-3 mids are more forward when compared to the TH-900..  Thus for me is more musical when it comes to female voices. 

 
I would say the W3000 is very much a contender as well.  I just find the bass on the TH-900 more suited to my taste.  I will agree that I prefer the LCD-3s overall when it comes to female vocals but the TH-900 does more things I like as a whole so I tend to listen to them rather than my other cans.  I'm currently in the progress of downsizing my collection of audio equipment.  Simplifying and focusing more on other hobbies such as photography.  The TH-900, W3000ANV, and LCD-3 aren't going any where though.

 

[rpgman1]

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I've heard nothing but good things about the Antelope Zodiac DAC's. I actually was considering a Gold, but opted to go another route and the M51, after some discussion with Radio_Head. In my opinion the Zodiac's are a bit pricey, unless you buy used. For that kind of money there are better options IMO. One thing I remember specifically about the Zodiac is that the amp section left much to be desired. It was a decent amp, but doesn't compare to some of the better amps in the market right now. If you are looking for a AIO unit, you really can't get better than the Burson Conductor. I haven't heard the new Taboo MK III, but have heard it does well with a wide range of headphones.

The NAD M51 is a great DAC anyway. I was thinking of getting the Matrix X-Sabre as my DAC though. Still undecided on the headphone amp. I know I got several recommendations from this thread here already and sorting through them to find one suited for me.

 

[Greed]

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The NAD M51 is a great DAC anyway. I was thinking of getting the Matrix X-Sabre as my DAC though. Still undecided on the headphone amp. I know I got several recommendations from this thread here already and sorting through them to find one suited for me.

It really is a matter of preference and budget. Feature sets are basically the same when you are considering high end amplifiers. I would try and catch a meet somewhere near you, or find an audio shop that has atleast a few of the amps you are interested in. Problem is, many of the amps you want to buy take time to make, you don't just order it and it comes to your door in a matter of days (unless you want the Burson Conductor, or others of the same). Also you should really consider what headphones you plan to get, have, and go from there. I'm floating around, trying to fill the void in my collection, an SS amp. I've looked at plenty of reviews, and have done extensive research but I'm still undecided. GS-X MK II or waiting for the Schiit Statement amp is where I'm sitting right now. Problem is, if I want to get a GS-X, I need to order soon, because the next batch of amps that Justin ordered maybe sold out in a month or so. Decisions decisions...

 

[tokendog]

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It is a great amp, for a wide range of different impedance headphones, the WA6-SE is much better than the WA2. It really gives you that fast and dynamic sound like an SS but with the smoothness of a tube amp. It is great for headphones like the TH-900, imo. I heard it with the D7K and it was a great combo. Really brought out the somewhat recessed mids forward, tightened things up, and gave it more oomph. It was great. Really love that amp, hope you do too!

 
Thanks,
 
I was debating between this, the WA7, and the WA2.  I still want to hear the other two amps to see the difference but Jack from Woo Audio told me the WA6SE is the better sound quality overall between the three.