The Woo Audio 2

[Gradofan2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have never heard either of these Woo amps, BUT, if you plan to use Grados, I think the WA6SE is the better choice, since it is transformer coupled and as such will do better with the very low impedance Grados. The WA2, while undoubtedly fantastic sounding, is an OTL (output transformerless) amp, and so is better, generally, for high impedance headphones. It may well sound great with the Grados, but it is still asking it to do something it isn;t really good at. At least on paper, the 6SE is the better Grado partner.

I guess I agree here...

I can tell you the WA6 SE does drive low impedance phones very well, as well as high impedance phones.

I had the WA3 OTL amp... and it struggled with low impedance phones - clipping upper mids, and bass - producing a rough, harsh sound.

The WA2 is a somewhat similar OTL design, but has greater power output, and I think some chokes, which Woo Audio reports is better able to drive low impedance phones. And... there have been some reports by users, that it does drive low impedance phones OK... but... not as well as high impedance phones.

But... after considering both... in the end... I bought the WA6 SE for the reasons Skylab described... and... I'm very pleased with it with both high and low impedance phones.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by David_N /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks Skylab, that's what I was thinking. I guess I'll carry through with my plan to order the WA6SE/Sophia Rectifier, but I'm not sure whether or not I'll get the parts upgrade (I'd like to, but money is an issue...). I'm still not sure what the benefit of the attenuator is though!

If you get the WA6SE with Sophia Princess 274b rectifier, you should be fine without the other upgrades and just the stock version. WA6SE already has a (pseudo) dual power supply, but if you get the regular WA6 you at least need to add the Pseudo Dual Power Supply mod and Sophia to it. Plus, you can always install a Goldpoint stepped attenuator yourself later for a small increase in transparency.

Upgrading the caps to maxed later is not something Woo wants to do, but Jamato8 did his own. I know I am not skilled enough to modify mine, so I went with a maxed WA6, but I had to send it back last May to get the new Pseudo Dual Power Supply mod. That cost $200 because it wasn't done with the original build and I needed the mod done with blackgate caps. Nevertheless, I heard a stock WA6 next to my maxed modded WA6 with Sophia and the stock WA6 was still quite good. Mine was slightly more refined with more expansive soundstage, and slightly better extension in the treble and bass, with a little more control over the bass in my D2000/7000 and Edition 9. The stock WA6SE with Sophia should perform pretty much as well as mine.

 

[SmoothSound]

I just ordered a maxed out WA2.... wait time according to Jack is 4 weeks for the silver 6 weeks for black...ouch.... good things come to those that wait...right. I went for the silver it will match up with my silver Rega CDP.

 

[atbglenn]

The silver looks great. Much better in person..

 

[Gvvt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by atbglenn /img/forum/go_quote.gif The silver looks great. Much better in person..

I have a feeling that all of the Woos look even better than the very good photos on their site or even here.

There's something surprisingly "present" about them - and such perfect proportions.

I got black to match my other stuff - silver must be amazing, too.

You're going to love the 2 - it's a stunning piece of work.

 

[HeatFan12]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmoothSound /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just ordered a maxed out WA2.... wait time according to Jack is 4 weeks for the silver 6 weeks for black...ouch.... good things come to those that wait...right. I went for the silver it will match up with my silver Rega CDP.

Congrats. You will love this amp.

Finally had a chance to roll in some power tubes. First up- Tung Sol 6AS7Gs. The bass tightened up without losing its quantity, was the first thing I noticed. Soundstage, imaging improved a bit also. Overall sound has improved with a more airy presentation.

This amp just gets better and better..

In case anyone is wondering about low impedance phones with this amp--atm I'm listening to my AH-D5000 (Euphoria Vol. 1 'For The Mind, Body and Soul' CD1).
It just sounds amazing. I like the Denons with SS amps, however, the WA2 seems to reel them in and control them. One small example- Song #1 "Looking For Love [Trouser Enthusiasts Joy of Sex Mix] - Karen Ramirez, always exhibits a bit of sibilance (not much) on these phones. With the WA2, I'm still looking for it and it is nowhere to be found.

Next up Tung Sol 5998, Svets 6H13C....

 

[Skylab]

Nice pics! Tung-Sol 6AS7G's are VERY good sounding tubes. They can be a little elusive, but the ones I have definitely sound better than RCA's (which themselves do sound very good).

 

[HeatFan12]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab /img/forum/go_quote.gif Nice pics! Tung-Sol 6AS7G's are VERY good sounding tubes. They can be a little elusive, but the ones I have definitely sound better than RCA's (which themselves do sound very good).

Thank you sir...

Absolutely...Every now and then they do turn up and they really are great sounding tubes...

 

[ciphercomplete]

I want one!

 

[jp11801]

I first heard the Woo 2 at the international meet in San Jose on 2007 and it rocked my world. This is probably one of the most under appreciated amps at Headfi.

 

[Brighten]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jp11801 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I first heard the Woo 2 at the international meet in San Jose on 2007 and it rocked my world. This is probably one of the most under appreciated amps at Headfi.

Have you heard any other Woo amps to compare it to?

 

[auee]

HeatFan12, great pictures. Your post gives me reason to believe that the amp can handle all phones but electrostatic phones. Thanks and it is very enjoyable to read all of your opinions about this amp and how it sounds with various tubes. Man, I want to play soon.

 

[HeatFan12]

Quote:

Originally Posted by auee /img/forum/go_quote.gif HeatFan12, great pictures. Your post gives me reason to believe that the amp can handle all phones but electrostatic phones. Thanks and it is very enjoyable to read all of your opinions about this amp and how it sounds with various tubes. Man, I want to play soon.

Thanks auee. It is really a wonderful amp. After a good amount of listening, I went from the Denons to Beyer DT880s. The amp did not miss a beat. The DT880s kept their great detail with just the right amount of bass...Very involving...

 

[ghostmusic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeatFan12 /img/forum/go_quote.gif In case anyone is wondering about low impedance phones with this amp--atm I'm listening to my AH-D5000 (Euphoria Vol. 1 'For The Mind, Body and Soul' CD1). It just sounds amazing. I like the Denons with SS amps, however, the WA2 seems to reel them in and control them. One small example- Song #1 "Looking For Love [Trouser Enthusiasts Joy of Sex Mix] - Karen Ramirez, always exhibits a bit of sibilance (not much) on these phones. With the WA2, I'm still looking for it and it is nowhere to be found.

Chiming in to corroborate HeatFan12's claims. I tried the Lawton LA2000 with the new WA2 with PDSP & blackgates. I expected disaster because 1) markl warned me about trying 25 ohms with some tube amps 2) as skylab said, it's general knowledge that it's better to go with a transformer-coupled amp rather than OTL for low impedance. So I must say I was quite shocked at how well the WA2 & LA2000 mated. Very very shocked. The sound was authoritative in every register of the sound, and in addition to the agile and plentiful bass, you also got that guileless, silky OTL sound that just let you forget about the gear. It was awesome. I only got to play with LA2000 for like 3 days (sadly, they had to go to Sweden with their rightful owner, Struts, who has a great LA2000 review elsewhere in this forum.) But in a couple weeks, I should have LA7000 to try with the WA2 & I hope to do more extensive critical listening to verify my impressions.

P.S. - which makes me wonder, how does Zana Deux handle the low-impedance phones? I should probably post in the Zana Deux thread or search, but as it is right now, I'm stealing a few minutes away from my work to post here...

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghostmusic /img/forum/go_quote.gif Chiming in to corroborate HeatFan12's claims. I tried the Lawton LA2000 with the new WA2 with PDSP & blackgates. I expected disaster because 1) markl warned me about trying 25 ohms with some tube amps 2) as skylab said, it's general knowledge that it's better to go with a transformer-coupled amp rather than OTL for low impedance. So I must say I was quite shocked at how well the WA2 & LA2000 mated. Very very shocked. The sound was authoritative in every register of the sound, and in addition to the agile and plentiful bass, you also got that guileless, silky OTL sound that just let you forget about the gear. It was awesome. I only got to play with LA2000 for like 3 days (sadly, they had to go to Sweden with their rightful owner, Struts, who has a great LA2000 review elsewhere in this forum.) But in a couple weeks, I should have LA7000 to try with the WA2 & I hope to do more extensive critical listening to verify my impressions. P.S. - which makes me wonder, how does Zana Deux handle the low-impedance phones? I should probably post in the Zana Deux thread or search, but as it is right now, I'm stealing a few minutes away from my work to post here...

The Zana Deux (at Blutarskys) performs every bit as well as the WA6 maxed with PDPS and Sophia Princess with low impedance phones.