[mochimon]

Hi guys,

im planning on upgrading my amp in the near future, and the WA6 is one of my final candidates. Of the people who have heard it stock, and with upgrades, do you think the full upgrade is worth the price increase? Those V-caps and Black Gates put the little guy just around a hundred dollars shy of a Corda Opera or Slee Solo.

im a student, and dont have tons of money, so the much cheaper wa6 would be great if it sounds OK, stock. i'll be running HD650's and MS2i's as my main phones for a while. i listen to all types of music(srsly) from the bottom line NAD CDP, and may upgrade to entry level analogue down the road.

John Woo said they don't generally do upgrades on previously sold amps, so its either now or never it seems.

K thanx bai---

 

[The Pieman]

If I remember correctly, maxxed WOO amps turnup on the FS board now and again. Why not put a WTB for a maxxed WA6 on the board?? Never know your luck and maybe save yourself some money.

cheers
Simon

 

[takezo]

the blackgate cap upgrades are highly recommended as it will allow for maximal
transparency on par with $2K tube amps...the v-cap is, for all intent and purposes,
overkill for this unit. ask jack woo to use other pair of decoupling caps
instead of the v-caps (approx. $150 per pair). i'd recommend these:

jensen copper foil paper in oil 0.15uF/630v approx. $60 per pair
M-CAP Supreme Silver & Oil 0.15uF/1200v approx. $55 per pair
auricap 0.15uF/600v approx. $35 per pair

*ask jack what he'd charge for these other decoupling caps first. or if you're
good with soldering you can easily do it yourself. i doubt he has these in stock,
so he may ask you to order it and send it to him, which is a good idea...

the jensen copper foil and m-cap silver/oil are outstanding and on par with the
v-cap on the maxed wa-6. the only difference is resolution. the v-cap seems
to have a very slight edge. but the jensen copper foil has liquid smooth midrange
and slightly more laid back than the v-cap, allowing for fatigue-free listening
for many hours. same goes for the m-cap (mundorf)supreme silver/oil...the
auricap is outstanding for it's cost and nearly on par with the more expensive
types in resolution, transparency and clarity. it misses out a little on the
liquid smooth characteristics of the paper in oil caps.

the only draw back for these paper in oil type caps is their
longevity from what i hear. though i haven't experienced it yet, some say these
only last several years with high use before the sound deteriorates...the auricap
is a Metallized Polypropylene type that supposedly is better lasting.
of course the v-cap is teflon and should last many years from what i've read...

*oh, and get the volex 17604 power cord (~$10). it synergizes very well with the
maxed wa6... better than much more expensive power cords. good luck.

 

[jamato8]

I have used the oil caps for years and no problem. There was a problem for a while with a few bad batches from Audio Note UK leaking but that passed and the Jensen earlier ones were ok but frankly I would go with the Mundorf silver over the Jensen any day. I have used both extensively and the Mundorf are just better. As far as life goes they last fine and should outlast their intended use. I find the Jensens smear just a bit, the Mundorf do not. The best would be the Audio Note copper foil/oil caps. They are excellent. This is all just my opinion and is not intended to contradict the statement above. Jensen may have also improved their copper foil caps and if they have that would be great.

 

[mochimon]

would it be out of the question to try to upgrade the WA6 myself, or pay someone to do it down the road? is it a fairly intricate job or a simple in and out?

 

[jamato8]

It all depends upon your skill level. Pop it open and have a look around. If you are familiar with what to do then why not but if you don't know how to work with some of the high voltages and the correct parts, some help should be obtained with either you doing the work with guidance or have someone else do it.

 

[Capunk]

So Jack does not accept stock WA6 and return it for upgrade works?

 

[jamato8]

I am sure he does. That would be an excellent way to have it upgraded.

 

[mochimon]

it's been over 3 months since i emailed him so don't quote me here but:

because of installation fees, and some special modifications that are needed to accommodate the new components he very strongly suggested that i get all the work done at once. i guess they might be open to upgrading something you sent in, but he made it seem like you would be paying way more.

 

[gz76]

I wonder whether you'll reap the benefits of the upgrades with your current source? Maybe you'd be better off pouring some funds into a new CD player.

 

[takezo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mochimon /img/forum/go_quote.gif would it be out of the question to try to upgrade the WA6 myself, or pay someone to do it down the road? is it a fairly intricate job or a simple in and out?

it's an intricate job if you take into consideration the size of these components..
the decoupling caps are relatively easy to desolder and resolder but the
black gate caps require rewiring and lots of desoldering and soldering...
unless you've had some experience with working with electronics i'd stay away
from risking a shock to yourself and the amp...

 

[jamato8]

None of the replacements are very complicated. The power supply cap just have two terminals and that is one place the BG's go. You have a ground and a positive for the B+, simple and straightforward but I agree unless you really know what you are doing it is best to wait until you do or have someone else do it. I started out when I was in high school, well actually when I was 8 and that was, oh god, so long ago. :^)