[David222]

Congratulations- nice setup around the WA2 as well! Glad to hear you are pleased- with those tubes the WA2 definitely would shine! If you are ever interested in using 12AU7/12AT7/12AX7s, the WA2 does exceptionally well with a pair of adapters.

I was really pleased with going from Amperex PQ (“White Shield”) 7308s to Brimar CV455s (and several other tubes from that family), thanks to @jonathan c . And ultimately I’d be perfectly happy with RFT EZ81s (also foil getters), Tung-Sol USN 7236s, and the Brimar CV455s in my WA2…

Thank you! Yes, at some point I'll definitly roll (via adapter) my Brimar CV455 KB/FBs...Footscray all the way!

And, yes many thanks to @jonathan c for great advice along the way - you can see his influence above

 

[Onik]

Where can I get RFT EZ81s(foil getters)?

Is this the right one?: https://www.hotroxuk.com/rft-ez81-rectifier.html

and why foil getter is better?

 

[exchez]

Where can I get RFT EZ81s(foil getters)?

Is this the right one?: https://www.hotroxuk.com/rft-ez81-rectifier.html

and why foil getter is better?

Where can I get RFT EZ81s(foil getters)?

Is this the right one?: https://www.hotroxuk.com/rft-ez81-rectifier.html

and why foil getter is better?

I think most people wait until they see them on eBay or some classifieds board. I don't see a picture for those specific tubes so I can't say for certain, but probably not. The getters are the most obvious way of spotting which production era a tube comes from so something specific about the foil getter era makes for a better sounding tube. YMMV though. I haven't listened to my WA2 with the EZ81 foils, but the halo getter RFT EZ81 sounds inferior to any RFT EZ80 I've tried.

 

[David222]

So happy to have purchased the WA2. Tremendous fun.

GEC 6080 | Mullard EZ81 Square Get | Mullard CV2493

 

[AudioDuck]

So happy to have purchased the WA2. Tremendous fun.



GEC 6080 | Mullard EZ81 Square Get | Mullard CV2493

So true. Listening to Kate Bush’s “50 Words For Snow” with the WA2 and ZMF Eikon right now (details in my signature), and it’s SO lovely.

Timbre, depth, emotion, it’s all there in spades.

 

[exchez]

Anyone ever seen one of these? If so, care to explain?

 

[David222]

Anyone ever seen one of these? If so, care to explain?

Looks like an armor piercing round

 

[jonathan c]

Anyone ever seen one of these? If so, care to explain?

To prevent microphonics?

 

[shwnwllms]

To prevent microphonics?

That would be my guess, similar to a “tube damper”

https://herbiesaudiolab.com/pages/herbies-tube-damper-comparison

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Slade01]

Anyone ever seen one of these? If so, care to explain?

TBH- it looks like a heat sink for the vacuum tube. I ran across these on a forum when I was learning about tubes / and in the same vein as dampeners. Apparently there are also heat sink type covers to help them cool? Kills the glow vibe though...

https://www.pearl-hifi.com/03_Prod_Serv/Coolers/Coolers.html

or

 

[shwnwllms]

TBH- it looks like a heat sink for the vacuum tube. I ran across these on a forum when I was learning about tubes / and in the same vein as dampeners. Apparently there are also heat sink type covers to help them cool? Kills the glow vibe though...

https://www.pearl-hifi.com/03_Prod_Serv/Coolers/Coolers.html

or

Blasphemy

 

[ColSaulTigh]

Blasphemy

 

[wolverine72]

Hi everyone! I joined the WA2 club just last week and I've been blown away with the sound quality coming out of this amp... even with the stock tubes it came with.

I'd been thinking about trying an OTL amp for some time... since I have 2 ZMF headphones and lots of people rave about OTL's with high impedence headphones. After reading reviews and posts here on Head-Fi, I almost bought the WA2 during Woo's holiday sale, but just couldn't quite convince myself.

But then a couple weeks ago I came across a great deal on a demo unit from an online dealer and couldn't resist. They had either color available, and after oscillating back and forth I finally decided on the black unit... only to have the silver unit show up at my doorstep 2 days later ... but all's good because I really love the silver color in person and wouldn't have it any other way now! The amp is much more beautiful in person than pictures, it's just a work of art.

And the build quality is stellar... much higher than I'd expected. Inserting the tubes in the sockets has just the right amount of resistance... no wiggling or rocking... just solidly seating themselves in the the sockets. Same goes for the 1/4" headphone jack... just a satisfying thunk sound as the cable is fully connected. And the volume knob has a nice weight, turns smoothly, and looks classy with combination of the shiny surface and matte sides.

I'm typically not overly impressed with the sound any new audio equipment... but tell myself to just be patient, give it time to break in and for myself to adjust to the new sound. But that hasn't been the case with the WA2 at all! As soon as I started listening to it with my ZMF Atrium headphones I thought oh my goodness, what is going on here? I'm hearing all kinds of details throughout a very natural large soundstage. Side to side, front to back, I can pick out the instruments very distinctly... even in complex mixes which often can degenerate into a muddled mess. The vocals are clear, transparent, and airy, but without grain.

So thanks to all the posters on this thread for helping me discover this wonderful amp!

 

[jonathan c]

And that is with the ‘stock’ tubes….Tube suggestions are available from participants in this thread and in others…

 

[George Chronis]

I agree the WA2 is delightful with the ZMF. I am also a new owner but had a WA5-LE forever. I am considering selling my WA5-LE in favor of the WA2. I will be doing more comparisons tonight. The WA5-LE is still edging the WA2 in my ears, I believe, but for the money, it's probably WA2. I don't think I can justify the price difference in sound quality. I also just bough a Ferrum Oor + Hypsos and ordered an Envy. So, lots of testing ahead and good prices on the classifieds for what I decide not to keep