[Ultrainferno]

I got got 2 Philips miniwatt EZ80 tubes. One turned out to be labelled Philips, and the other is a Miniwatt made in Brazil. The Philips one has a ring getter (was made in the '60s in Germany and the other one has a square getter with a Sao paulo Brazil factory code. See pic below. Can I use these safely together in the WA2?
 

 
Thanks for the help!
 
 

 

[Clayton SF]

How to stuff a WA2 into a backpack.

 

[Efjay]

A seperate thread elicted no responses so I thought I'd try my luck here:
 
I own the WA2, utilizing the 7236 power tubes. Presently, I have been using Denon d2000s for listening. I primarily listen to metal (everything from death to thrash to black and so on).
 
I've been perusing the forums looking for advice on upgrading my phones. From what I've read, several posters have stated that either the Hifiman HE-500 or Auduze LCD-2 might pair well with the WA2. Other posters have disagreed and a recent email response from Woo Audio stated
 
"[size=11pt]The impedance of these headphones is technically compatible to the WA2. However, they are rated 89dB and 91dB which are low sensitive. They require a higher power amp to power them at their full potential."[/size]
 
  
I also sent an amail to HifiMan regarding using the WA2 with the HE-500 and their reply was that it was compatible.
 
I'd like to keep my budget in the $700 to $1000 range. Any advice, particularly those based on personal experience, would be welcome. Any other recommendations would be welcome as well.

 

[hodgjy]

Sure, sound will come out of low impedance headphones driven by an OTL amp such as the WA2, but it is far from optimal. OTL amps are best paired with high impedance headphones like the 300 ohm Sennheisers ans the 600 ohm Beyerdynamics. Low impedance, low sensitivity headphones like orthos will not match their optimality from OTL amps. Those conditions are the worst of both worlds. If you are going to drive low impedance headphones from an OTL amp, it's best they are highly sensitive.

[COLOR=000000]A seperate thread elicted no responses so I thought I'd try my luck here:[/COLOR]

[COLOR=000000]I own the WA2, utilizing the 7236 power tubes. Presently, I have been using Denon d2000s for listening. I primarily listen to metal (everything from death to thrash to black and so on).[/COLOR]

[COLOR=000000]I've been perusing the forums looking for advice on upgrading my phones. From what I've read, several posters have stated that either the Hifiman HE-500 or Auduze LCD-2 might pair well with the WA2. Other posters have disagreed and a recent email response from Woo Audio stated[/COLOR]

[COLOR=008080]"[SIZE=11pt]The impedance of these headphones is technically compatible to the WA2. However, they are rated 89dB and 91dB which are low sensitive. They require a higher power amp to power them at their full potential."[/SIZE][/COLOR]

 
 

[COLOR=000000][COLOR=000000]I also sent an amail to HifiMan regarding using the WA2 with the HE-500 and their reply was that it was compatible.[/COLOR][/COLOR]

[COLOR=000000]I'd like to keep my budget in the $700 to $1000 range. Any advice, particularly those based on personal experience, would be welcome. Any other recommendations would be welcome as well.[/COLOR]

 

[Efjay]

Quote:

Sure, sound will come out of low impedance headphones driven by an OTL amp such as the WA2, but it is far from optimal. OTL amps are best paired with high impedance headphones like the 300 ohm Sennheisers ans the 600 ohm Beyerdynamics. Low impedance, low sensitivity headphones like orthos will not match their optimality from OTL amps. Those conditions are the worst of both worlds. If you are going to drive low impedance headphones from an OTL amp, it's best they are highly sensitive.

 
Appreciate the reply. This would seem to be the state of things unfortunately. I've had my WA2 about 30 months and I have to admit a bit of regret due to the limiting of compatible headphones. I'm a longtime lurker on these pages and I've learned a considerable amount since my purchase and I would probably go a different route these days. At this point I'll likely look at Grados or the HD700s.  

 

[hodgjy]

Since you like metal, why not try the Beyerdynamc DT990 600 ohms? I love mine for metal. They love tubes, and tubes love them. They perform way above their price point and would be a great match for the WA2 and metal.

 

[Draygonn]

Appreciate the reply. This would seem to be the state of things unfortunately. I've had my WA2 about 30 months and I have to admit a bit of regret due to the limiting of compatible headphones. I'm a longtime lurker on these pages and I've learned a considerable amount since my purchase and I would probably go a different route these days. At this point I'll likely look at Grados or the HD700s.  

Going the OTL route does have it's limitations. Have you thought about flipping your WA2 for a WA6SE? It has an output transformer which could handle the lower impedance cans and should do well with orthos if you choose that route. You would still have the beautiful Woo Audio look.

 

[ardilla]

The impedance of orthodynamics is usually a totally different story than with dynamics. 
 
The LCD-2/3 and Hifiamn orthos have FLAT impedance curves. This implies that the impedance matching is a less concern thanwith normal dynamic headphones, as the Denon D2000, e.g. On the WA22, I mostly prefer the LCD-2/3 using the HI impedance setting, as it gives a fuller, sweeter sound. 
 
So, since you are happy with the Denons (and others are happy with Denons as well) you should not be of too much concern bout the impedance. There can, however, be a challenge with regards to raw power. I have the HE-500, LCD-2(r1) and LCD-3 - all works well on the WA2, but the HE500 least so (imo)
 
If you're going LCD-2, the rev.1 is easier to drive.  
 
Quote:

A seperate thread elicted no responses so I thought I'd try my luck here:
 
I own the WA2, utilizing the 7236 power tubes. Presently, I have been using Denon d2000s for listening. I primarily listen to metal (everything from death to thrash to black and so on).
 
I've been perusing the forums looking for advice on upgrading my phones. From what I've read, several posters have stated that either the Hifiman HE-500 or Auduze LCD-2 might pair well with the WA2. Other posters have disagreed and a recent email response from Woo Audio stated
 
"[size=11pt]The impedance of these headphones is technically compatible to the WA2. However, they are rated 89dB and 91dB which are low sensitive. They require a higher power amp to power them at their full potential."[/size]
 
  
I also sent an amail to HifiMan regarding using the WA2 with the HE-500 and their reply was that it was compatible.
 
I'd like to keep my budget in the $700 to $1000 range. Any advice, particularly those based on personal experience, would be welcome. Any other recommendations would be welcome as well.

 

[ardilla]

BTW:
 
Here are some impressions I wrote comparing the WA22 and the WA2 using HD650 and LCD-3. I basically found the LCD-2 rev.1 to bahave similarly to the LCD-3. 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/615810/the-beauty-and-the-beast-woo-wa2-vs-wa22

 

[Efjay]

Quote:

Going the OTL route does have it's limitations. Have you thought about flipping your WA2 for a WA6SE? It has an output transformer which could handle the lower impedance cans and should do well with orthos if you choose that route. You would still have the beautiful Woo Audio look.

 I've never sold a piece of equipment so I doubt I'll start here. Also, one reason I picked the WA2 was the ability to use it as a pre-amp.
 
Most likely, I'll look to getting headphones that will match and consider building a new system down the road. For a bit more, perhaps the Denon 7100 will present a best of all worlds solution. I'd like to try the Shure 1840s as well.
 
Thanks again for the various replies.

 

[Efjay]

Quote:

BTW:
 
Here are some impressions I wrote comparing the WA22 and the WA2 using HD650 and LCD-3. I basically found the LCD-2 rev.1 to bahave similarly to the LCD-3. 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/615810/the-beauty-and-the-beast-woo-wa2-vs-wa22

 I read that thread. The LCD-2, as they presently exist, are barely more sensitive than the HE-500s. Not certain I would have any better results running them. There were a few comparison threads regarding the WA2, and a review mentioning the HE-500 being run by the WA2, but it seems counter-intuitive that they should make a good pairing.

 

[Efjay]

Quote:

Since you like metal, why not try the Beyerdynamc DT990 600 ohms? I love mine for metal. They love tubes, and tubes love them. They perform way above their price point and would be a great match for the WA2 and metal.

 I've been looking at a lot of headphones though I wonder if this represents more of a side-grade than an upgrade.
 
...and I wish I saw the multi-quote button earlier.

 

[hodgjy]

You're probably right about being a side-grade, but since they are high impedance, they will have a better damping factor and, thus, better sounding bass (in theory).
 
Quote:

 I've been looking at a lot of headphones though I wonder if this represents more of a side-grade than an upgrade.
 
...and I wish I saw the multi-quote button earlier.

 

[Efjay]

Out of curiousity, does anyone know the power output of the WA2 using the 7236 tubes?

 

[NOMBEDES]

Is there a consensus on impedance?  What is the approximate cut off between Low ~ Med ~ High for headphones.  I know this is a newbie question, but I do not know the answer.