New from Woo Audio - WA7 Fireflies (3rd Gen)

[Tubewin]

Have you tried 12BH7 tubes yet? 12BH7 tubes sounded a level up to me.

No not yet, I'm currently using the rca clear tops. There is absolutely zero noise from the tubes and the amp, it's remarkable.

 

[pervysage]

I think this is the best I've heard my Utopia's.

Is that a 4.4mm -> 4-pin XLR adapter? Was wondering where to get one.

 

[Tubewin]

Is that a 4.4mm -> 4-pin XLR adapter? Was wondering where to get one.

Yeah, purchased from woo audio.

 

[Tubewin]

looks as good as it sounds!

 

[Tubewin]

Seems like warm-up is the key. I got my isolation transformer in and it itself buzzes. So I was getting a buzz in the headphones and was feeling a bit discouraged but then took the isolation transformer out of the chain plugging back straight into the wall with the amp having had over an hour to warm up and it’s basically the noise floor is quite quiet. There’s a very faint sound balanced but nothing SE.

It’s very much like the old days when I would plan on listening and turn on the tube amp and go do stuff for an hour before sitting down to listen.

I'm going to have to agree with you on the warm up time. I don't have an issue with the noise floor, but it definitely sounds better after being left on for an hour or so. Less harshness, more natural timbre, etc.

 

[Tubewin]

Anyone use mullard 12au7's with the wa7 yet? Just ordered a pair of nos from tube depot.

 

[Tubewin]

So the Mullard 12au7 ecc82's are definitely a go with the wa7. The mids are more saturated and weightier than the RCA clear tops. I seem to prefer the Mullards over the RCA's with the WA7. It's so good.

 

[qua2k]

I will be transitioning into a new position soon and will be hybrid again. Now looking into a desktop tube amp. This seems like a very good mid option that has both 6.3 and 4.4 balanced. Curious though, what other balanced options are out there besides Cayin that have embraced the 4.4 plug?

 

[Tubewin]

So I've had the amp for a week or two now, and I learned a few things about the unit.

The biggest thing I found out was that the amp scales with your source. I had the opportunity to bring the WA7 with me for my fourth of July vacation and thought it performed admirably, but the sound wasn't that close to how it sounded when it was connected to a better dac (holo may). The onboard dac was definitely more veiled and vocals were less coherent, like the words that were sung were not as outlined. Mullard tubes+Holo May combo gave the sound a weighty euphonic signature while maintaining a clear and veilless background, which outlined and separated the words in their own space. So, if I had to recommend this as a standalone, without an external dac at the ready, I personally wouldn't take the plunge. But fortunately I'm keeping my Holo May for the foreseeable future and that WA7 combo is very very good, and depending on the circumstances (desk space, aesthetic taste, etc) it may still be worth it to others who want an all in one system. I'm curious to know how their higher end line up will sound now, but I'm still thoroughly happy with the result of the wa7+holo+mullard tubes. Feels very close to end game.

Full disclosure, I did not use the onboard dac on the wa7 for any lengthy period of time, so I can not say whether or not "burning in" the onboard dac will yield sonic benefits.
When I had the unit with me on vacation, my power supply chain was absent as well. My ps audio powerplant 3, multiple linear power supplies connecting to both usb and ethernet jcat cards as well as a linear power supply to an etherregen. There was no "power treatment" at the vacation house where I was staying. But I did briefly listen to the WA7 connected to it's onboard dac via usb to the jcat card before leaving for vacation, and I could say without question, that I preferred the wa7 with the holo may.

TLDR: It scales. It scales dramatically.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

brought out my OG HD800 with stock 4.4mm balanced cable. She still sounds amazing, a great pairing with WA7 3rd gen.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

So I've had the amp for a week or two now, and I learned a few things about the unit.

The biggest thing I found out was that the amp scales with your source. I had the opportunity to bring the WA7 with me for my fourth of July vacation and thought it performed admirably, but the sound wasn't that close to how it sounded when it was connected to a better dac (holo may). The onboard dac was definitely more veiled and vocals were less coherent, like the words that were sung were not as outlined. Mullard tubes+Holo May combo gave the sound a weighty euphonic signature while maintaining a clear and veilless background, which outlined and separated the words in their own space. So, if I had to recommend this as a standalone, without an external dac at the ready, I personally wouldn't take the plunge. But fortunately I'm keeping my Holo May for the foreseeable future and that WA7 combo is very very good, and depending on the circumstances (desk space, aesthetic taste, etc) it may still be worth it to others who want an all in one system. I'm curious to know how their higher end line up will sound now, but I'm still thoroughly happy with the result of the wa7+holo+mullard tubes. Feels very close to end game.

Full disclosure, I did not use the onboard dac on the wa7 for any lengthy period of time, so I can not say whether or not "burning in" the onboard dac will yield sonic benefits.
When I had the unit with me on vacation, my power supply chain was absent as well. My ps audio powerplant 3, multiple linear power supplies connecting to both usb and ethernet jcat cards as well as a linear power supply to an etherregen. There was no "power treatment" at the vacation house where I was staying. But I did briefly listen to the WA7 connected to it's onboard dac via usb to the jcat card before leaving for vacation, and I could say without question, that I preferred the wa7 with the holo may.

TLDR: It scales. It scales dramatically.

to be fair... the HoloAudio – May DAC cost $4,198.00 – $5,598.00 + audio cables.

WA7 3rd gen is class-leading performance for an all-in-one headphone amp and DAC under $1500.

 

[Tubewin]

to be fair... the HoloAudio – May DAC cost $4,198.00 – $5,598.00 + audio cables.

WA7 3rd gen is class-leading performance for an all-in-one headphone amp and DAC under $1500.

True. I'm just very impressed by how much the amp section on the wa7 can scale with end game dacs. It's comparable or better than some stand alone amps costing 2k and above.

 

[wcrespo178]

Hey ya’ll,

Just started rolling tubes on my WA7, and I figured I share my experience here.

The RCA clear 12AU7 tubes provide an all-around clearer sound signature (hence the name). I’d say they “tightened” everything from the treble to the bass. Also, I find they sound awesome with my dark or warm headphones. Consider them a legit upgrade from the stock tubes.

For my brighter headphone (HD800S), I much prefer the Amperex 12AU7 (orange globes) as they have that warm tube flavor these headphones need. This was the true upgrade I wanted for these headphones.

I found both pairs of tubes on the used market for less than half their retail price. Zero regrets so far

 

[whatdidyoulearnabout]

Does anyone know if using WA7 as a preamp with say a Topping A90 give me improvement on an LCD5? I am wondering if more power will make any difference.

It may be the power, or may simply be the superior layout and/or identity of the Dual AK4497EQ AKM chips vs. whatever ESS Sabre the Fireflies have inbuilt (they're still cagey about this), but I can say that with LCD-XCs, the Topping D70s blows using the inbuilt DAC out of the water in terms of detail and soundstage.

 

[eloom123]

Which tubes did yours come with? RCA 5963 or 12AU7's?

Here is a photo of what came with mine. I know nothing about tubes, but based on them having "USA 5963" printed on them and mostly rubbed off red/orange ink I think they are RCA 5963.