New Woo Audio 6 w/ PDPS vs Woo Audio 6 SE?
Jun 22, 2010 at 4:56 PM Post #16 of 30
It sounds like you are a bass head and there is nothing wrong with that. However, AKG headphones tend to be very weak in the bass department no matter what amp you use. That is just how those headphones are designed which is why I personally don't like them. Generally, high end headphones and amps are designed to have a natural sounding bass which is good for stuff like classical, jazz, and classic rock. If you want something with lots of bass, you may want to consider lower end equipment but you will have to sacrifice the clarity and detail of the mids and highs. Check these out:
 
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665774410
 
I heard them briefly at the Sony Store and they had incredible bass impact with no special amp required. They had them plugged directly into a mp3 player. Unfortunately, their demo songs only had bass and no vocals or other instruments so I have no idea if the mids and highs are any good. 
 
Jun 22, 2010 at 5:11 PM Post #17 of 30
wind16,
 
let me know how that WA6se turns out with your AKG's.   But it's true, the 701 are not bass oriented headphones to begin with. That WA6se will def be an improvement, but  If the WA6 didn't step on the bass areas(to your likings) on the AKG 701, don't expect miracles on the 'SE' edition. 
 
It seems like the Senn HD650's would be the next choice if you want something more dynamic.
 
 
Jun 22, 2010 at 6:04 PM Post #18 of 30


Quote:
greekgod said:
It sounds like you are a bass head and there is nothing wrong with that. However, AKG headphones tend to be very weak in the bass department no matter what amp you use. That is just how those headphones are designed which is why I personally don't like them. Generally, high end headphones and amps are designed to have a natural sounding bass which is good for stuff like classical, jazz, and classic rock. If you want something with lots of bass, you may want to consider lower end equipment but you will have to sacrifice the clarity and detail of the mids and highs. Check these out:
 
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665774410
 
I heard them briefly at the Sony Store and they had incredible bass impact with no special amp required. They had them plugged directly into a mp3 player. Unfortunately, their demo songs only had bass and no vocals or other instruments so I have no idea if the mids and highs are any good. 
Click to expand...


I am a basshead at certain times. I won't argue that. However, I have felt how bass "impact" can be on the AKGs. I have listened to AKGs with a Music Hall ph 25.5 hybrid amp and I can feel the strumming of the accoustic. I can feel the physical hits of heavy strumming. The harder the guitarist strums, the headphones vibrate just a bit more. This is by no means a pounding bass, but a small vibration. It is most definitely NOT even near as strong as the Monster Studio Beats' vibration, but it's there. I did not have to move the volume knob of the Music Hall as much as I had with the WA 6. So I am coming to the conclusion that the hybrid is definitely powering the AKGs more effectively. However, I did not like the more closed soundstage of the Music Hall. The Woo is MUCH more expansive. I do not believe I need a new headphone because I have heard what the AKGs are capable of and a Woo with more power should probably combine the aspects of the Music Hall and the WA 6 that I like.
 
Jul 10, 2010 at 11:25 PM Post #19 of 30
I finally received my Woo Audio 6 SE.  I have midterms for my last few classes in undergrad coming up so I will post all my impressions later and let my amp burn-in more.
 
But right now I have to announce that the Woo Audio 6 SE is absolutely amazing. Very VERY powerful. 
 
The low end is definitely hitting. It has the low end impact of Music Hall ph 25.5, and the incredible spaciousness in the Woo Audio 6. It may actually be even more spacious and detailed. 
 
Absolutely astounding...
 
I believe I have found my perfect amp. Amazing with my AKG K701s and my Denon D7000s. We'll see how it goes with Ultrasones. Volume knob only needs to go half way max. Anymore is deafening.
 
Once again the amp has the following:
Powerful, impact bass
Incredibly spacious - I actually do not know how much more spacious this could get
Amazingly detailed - All the layers of the tracks in the song are easily located and discerned
 
My AKGs actually sound amazing with trance with this amp... Just wow... 
 
I need to calm down now and get back to studying...
 
Jul 11, 2010 at 12:21 AM Post #20 of 30
This thread may have some answers for you
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/414128/stuck-between-wa6-and-wa6-se
 
The main difference between the 2 wa6 is the power output of the two. I know when I have tried the wa6 with my denons it had a hard time pushing them. You had to crank the volume and the sound wasnt good at all IMO. The wa6 se with its greater power output was able to push the same denons very well. I really enjoyed the se with my denons.
 
Jul 24, 2010 at 1:09 AM Post #23 of 30
I'm glad you found an amp that you love.
 
I take back what I said about the Sony headphones. I was able to give them a better listen and they have horrible mids and highs. It is no wonder the Sony Store uses bass only mp3s for the demos. 
 
Jul 24, 2010 at 3:32 AM Post #24 of 30
In response to the earlier post about maxing the upgrade due to upgraditis and jack recommending the Woo5LE instead...I would have to concur.
 
Although I only tried the WA6, I really felt it was quite lackluster. It didn't seem to enhance too much, and infact, I skipped the WA6SE and went on to listen to the WA5LE, and WA22 as well as their Stax version.
 
I have to say the WA5LE outperformed WA22, WA6, WA3 by a WIDE margin. It really provided me the wow factor, and the grin off my cheek did not fade for the longest time. It was hard to hide the subtle cheeky grin I had on my face when I thought I was doing it the whole time in my heart. I wasn't, and it was showing,not to mention,  there probably  isn't a need to hide it. If you do have the $, I really suggest the WA5LE, it was by far the best one I heard of the Woos, IMHO ofcourse. I cannot comment on the WA6 SE though. For the headphones, I tried the Beyer T1 and the HE-5LE on these amps.
 
Jul 24, 2010 at 7:29 PM Post #25 of 30


Quote:
gknix said:
 It really provided me the wow factor, and the grin off my cheek did not fade for the longest time. It was hard to hide the subtle cheeky grin I had on my face when I thought I was doing it the whole time in my heart. I wasn't, and it was showing,not to mention,  there probably  isn't a need to hide it.
Click to expand...


Sorry but I had to laugh when I read this. That was the longest explanation for what type of smile you had. 
beerchug.gif

 
Has anyone heard the WA6SE fulled upgraded vs. a regular WA6SE? Are the extra parts worthy of the ~$700? I'm not speaking from experience here, but I feel like with it fully upgraded, it is starting to get in the range of ultra high class amps that might be a better choice?
 
Jul 29, 2010 at 5:27 PM Post #26 of 30
If you throw in the parts upgrades, the stepped attenuator, and the teflon sockets upgrades the total comes to $1790. For $110 more you can just get the WA22. In such an instance, Jack recommended getting the WA22 over the upgraded WA6SE at that point, even with single ended headphones (assuming the source would be able to output balanced).
 
Jul 29, 2010 at 9:11 PM Post #28 of 30
I listened to both the WA6 and SE at the NJ meet. The SE is significant upgrade over the 6. Two different beast the SE is very powerful and much better even for the price difference worth the money IMO. I did think they had a solid state flavor to them but built well.
 
Aug 6, 2010 at 8:48 PM Post #29 of 30
As much as I like Ray Samuels and his amps (I LOVE the Raptor), Jack's amps are my favorites. There's just something about them with top-notch cans. 
biggrin.gif

 
Sep 22, 2010 at 4:24 AM Post #30 of 30


I am very interested in your comments re the WA6 driving the Denons. I am considering a WA6 to drive my low impedance phones (W5000, D7000, K702) as I already have a Decware CSP-2+ for my high impedance ones.
 
It concerns me a little that you think the amp was underpowered for Denons - I assume they are your LA700's? How underpwoered was it - volume at 12, 3? Could some judicious tube rolling fix it? What other transformer coupled amp would you suggest? My problem is that it is very hard to listen to one in advance, and the 30 day return doesn't help when I would be paying a third of the amp price in shipping!
Quote:
kingstyles said:
This thread may have some answers for you
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/414128/stuck-between-wa6-and-wa6-se
 
The main difference between the 2 wa6 is the power output of the two. I know when I have tried the wa6 with my denons it had a hard time pushing them. You had to crank the volume and the sound wasnt good at all IMO. The wa6 se with its greater power output was able to push the same denons very well. I really enjoyed the se with my denons.
Click to expand...



 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top