[mrbigsby]

First foray into tube rolling WA7 here (page1 post7, coincidentally!)
 
more tubes and cans to come, so i guess ill just keep editing that post and adding there.

 

[Kazenagi]

I feel regret.. should've jumped on the promotional price.

 

[TheGrumpyOldMan]

Quote:

First foray into tube rolling WA7 here (page1 post7, coincidentally!)
 
more tubes and cans to come, so i guess ill just keep editing that post and adding there.

"here" being where? Pg1 post 7 in this thread being by HolyCheese...
 
Also, as far as tube-rolling goes, the WA7 is really not an interesting choice since it only takes one specific type of tube, the 6C45, and there are really only the easily available Sovtek and the out-of-production Reflektor & Electro Harmonix, which are pretty much identical in specs & construction (besides the gold pins on the EH)
 
More importantly, If you plan on trying other "compatible" tubes (EC80x0, 437A etc.), with different specs, make sure to check with Woo beforehand since the WA7 may not be designed to adjust to them (unlike their other amps for which you can get a tube compatibility chart)
 
UPDATE: Nevermind, I think I found the thread post.

 

[mrbigsby]

http://www.head-fi.org/t/649097/woo-hoooo-wa7-fireflies#post_9124144
 
There you go, Sorry for forgetting to actually link it.
 
Yes its obviously not a 'tube rollers' amp, but there are still options. I dont agree that the gold pin currently produced valve will be identical to the NOS reflektor- where are you getting these specs? Is it the same rational that says the Reflektor is the same as Western Electrics 437? [Which by the way mght also work if you can afford them, as kindly stated above, best to check with Jack].
 
Again, we all know this isnt a tube rolling amp. We knew it as soon as we saw the "6c45" on the original advertising. i just thought, even with the limited choices, for my own curiosity it had to be done, and that it would be nice if someone explored them here.
 
Hope its helpful.
 
Edit: found here,
http://www.diy-audio-guide.com/support-files/6c45.pdf
Although it seems they have never done a datasheet for any of these specifically. Not even the still in production EHX gold pin? Youd think they would if its still in  production. Only one way to know, and ill know VERY soon!

 

[TheGrumpyOldMan]

No problem with that, just wanted to point out for potential non-hardcore buyers joining this thread that tube-rolling is not something they have to be much concerned about for this particular amp. I generally find that especially if a tube is of the same type/family, the audible difference are very minimal for normal listeners. I did not intend the above to come across as "authoritative", sorry for not being clearer. Just the best recommendation based on information available to me at this time regarding the 6C45 in particular, and my experience with quite a bit of tube-rolling on Woo amps in general.
 
Not sure about the Reflektor (and congrats on getting a pair!) but from the datasheet for the generic (Sovtek) 6C45, it seems it has 7.8W maximum plate dissipation & 150 Vdc maximum plate voltage. As far as the EH (G)old pins goes, the closest thing I've found is this sheet on 4tubes, and it lists the same specs (7.8W max plate dissipation & 150 Vdc max plate voltage) and available pics which lead me to believe they are (nearly) identical. Other tubes that may or may not be compatible pending Jack's recommendations, with different specs than the generic 6C45, can be found on the list in the middle of this general page.
 
Interestingly, I thought the EH Gold pins was no longer in production, though it is listed on their website... Why would they be so expensive and relatively hard to find?
 
Anyway, looking forward to finding out myself, hopefully in the near future! (my pre-order was early January, with a separate one for the EH tubes after Jack had pulled them off the official page for a while)

 

[mrbigsby]

No harm done at all! Thanks for your reply, you clearly have a lot to share about tubes and WOO which is awesome!!

If you need links for any of the tubes I've bought (matched pairs) please feel free to PM me. They were all relatively cheap. The EHX are still in production but are not overly popular. I do know that they can however be found should someone find themselves impatient or stuck.

The difference between reflektor and stock sovtek was obvious to me.Tthen again my stock tubes only had around 6-8 hours on them and reflektor less than 3. I do believe strongly in tube burn in (no so much solid state or cables), but IME the change is never all that dramatic. Contrary to say headphones where drivers may become increasingly flexible and free moving with exercise, resulting in an often stark sense of tonal freedom and extended depth when compared to the stiffer factory fresh form. Tubes seem to soften or relax somewhat too, but again so far for me personally it's never been a game changer.

I'm pumped for the gold pins! But if all else fails and they don't offer much contrast over the sovtek glow sticks, I still have my reflektors as a go-to.

More as it happens.

 

[Currawong]

I have the LCD-3s plugged in most of the time. Getting a good handle on the sound has been interesting as I'm used to dead neutral. A quick summary would be warm with a very pleasant focus on the mid-range but at the expense of ultimate detail. The DAC may be contributing to this very slightly as I thought the sound was a touch leaner with another DAC as a source. I suspect I'd like the EH Gold Pin tubes better. Regardless, that mid-range focus makes jazz and vocals very pleasant.

 

[Sylafari]

Reading these impressions, can't wait to get mines, but still a long long wait ahead

 

[mrbigsby]

was very impressed by the gold pins, much more so than the reflectors, which i thought were great till i heard these. The gold pins will stay in place likely till i need to buy another set.
 
More details in my WA7 review thread here post #7.

 

[Kevin Brown]

.

 

[SuPrbly]

I am seriously thinking of getting the LCD 2 and the WA7.. With that being said Do you guys think it would also match well with the HE-500's?
 
btw..Awesome review mrbigsby!

 

[Dogmatrix]

I am running a WA7 HE500 combo, its only been a few hours and I will post an in depth report in a week or so.
 
For now I can say without doubt the match is really good, a little on the dark side of neutral which would be down to the sovtek tubes, plenty of power with strong bass and just a touch of that slightly euphoric mid range.
 
Not what I would call a "reference sound", it is quite unique in my experience the only word I can think of right now is beautiful.

 

[GalaxyGuy]

My WA7 is on the way...should be delivered on Friday.  I'm a bit of a newoobie, but will post pics once it arrives.

 

[atomicbob]

I am with Dogmatrix here. The HE-500 pair well with the WA7 to my ears. They make the music engaging, exquisite to experience.

For me, reference sound would be HD600 and Violectric V200. Remember the Is it live or Memorex demos that toured many cities in the late 70s? Of course we could hear the difference. A cassette recorder is no match for a decent 2" Ampex recorder. Well these days ttry listening say, to a great guitarist playing a fine acoustic guitar in a room with good acoustics. Now position correctly a pair of Schoeps mics in front of the guitar in a Jecklin disc configuration into a Great River MP-2 mic preamp followed by a Benchmark or Lavry A/D converter. Record the guitarist. This recording reproduced through a Violectric V800 DAC into said V200 headphone amp and heard with the HD600 will have an interesting effect on those who have the chance to hear both the guitarist in the room as well as the reproduction. That is reference to me.

Now reference for music production / reproduction is a different goal than a recreational reproduction system. The goal of the former is to be brutally honest. The goal of the latter is to make everything sound enjoyable, sort of auditory equivalent of rose colored lenses. I have both. For audio work I require brutally honest. But when I want to listen for fun, I want the latter. To me there are two types of fun: OTL and Xfmr. A Woo WA3+ provides the former. Now the WA7 serves the latter. Very well. It brings out the best in the headphones respective sound signatures. So far my favorites from my humble collection are the HE-500, Beyerdynamic T90, and ATH-M50. Ok, back to being fully engaged with the listening session.

 

[RapidPulse]

I am loving the amp so far during my brief time with it (just got it 2 days ago).
But I have a couple of technical questions that hopefully someone has the answers to:
 
Is there a specific headphone impedance threshold where it would be recommended to use the Hi-Z setting vs. the Lo-Z setting?
 
 
I am using Hi-Z setting for my HD650 and T1. And Lo-Z for my IEMs.  But what about the (80 ohm) DT1350?
What is this setting doing exactly?  Is it just a gain setting?
 
Thanks for any insight.