[kentturbo]

Okay, so I did some research online but came up short.

I wanted to know which amp sounds better for oldies, jazz, vocals, classical. NOT much a rap fan or techno.

The two headphones to compare are: Woo Audio 6SE and Ray Samuel's Raptor (stock, but give inputs on tuberolling if you want)

They are of similar price range. Both makers offer good service. Made in the USA. I guess it comes down to which one you prefer, and maybe tell us why.

 

[nikongod]

Wa6se

OTL amps are by and large over-rated.

 

[Seamaster]

For jazz, vocals, classical, WA6SE; as Woo amps are more musical, fit very well for your type of music.

 

[Covenant]

You know my oppinion, or at least I hope you do

WA6SE, explained the why's in your last thread.

 

[kentturbo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covenant /img/forum/go_quote.gif You know my oppinion, or at least I hope you do WA6SE, explained the why's in your last thread.

Thanks Covenant!

 

[Elephas]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikongod /img/forum/go_quote.gif OTL amps are by and large over-rated.

The Zana Deux doesn't like you!

Might I suggest an Eddie Current Zana Deux instead? And there's also the Zana Deux Transformer if you don't want OTL.

Hey, if you can afford a Raptor, you can save up a bit more for a ZD!

I used to own a Raptor but sold it after getting a Zana Deux. I think the ZD is significantly better. I did try many tubes in the Raptor, including the well-known Tung-Sol 5687, various Mullard, Amperex, etc. and some 12BH7 and even a Telefunken ECC802S.

The tube cost for a Raptor can be a lot higher than for the ZD. The ZD uses 5 tubes to the Raptor's 3, but the single 6SL7 is the only one that's really important, and most 6SL7 is relatively inexpensive. Relatively, that is, compared to 6SN7, 12AX7 or 12AU7 market prices.

With the Raptor, you can find yourself spending a lot of money for all three tubes. The selection for 5687 is generally mostly limited to US production, and you can't go wrong going with Tung-Sol.

With the 12AU7 spot, there's a wide variety to choose from and it can get costly. You'll find yourself being stuck with many extras, since many of these are sold as matched pairs (the seller can often get more money by selling as a matched pair than singles). Admittedly, this also happens with the ZD's single 6SL7, where I'm often breaking up matched pairs. Doing this once with a matched quad of Valvo 6SL7 almost killed me, I had to do penance by listening to the ZD for four hours straight.

Forget the Woo (I've never heard one) or the Raptor, go for a real tube amp like the ZD! Your wallet will hate you, but your ears will be happy!

 

[kunalraiker]

it's WA6 SE, no brainer here.

 

[kentturbo]

The Eddie Current Zana Deux costs $2200.00 (as it states in the website). Thanks for the advice, but that's twice as much as what I wanted.

 

[Gradofan2]

Somewhere in one of these threads... someone (or two) compares the WA6 SE (maxxed I believe) to the Raptor and to the ZD... they favored the WA6 SE to the Raptor, and observed the WA6 SE sounded as good as the ZD.

Regardless... for the price... the WA6 SE is hard to beat... and the additional investment in much more expensive amps... won't likely be warranted (justified by any significant improvement in the sound you perceive, if any).

So... for the money... your safest bet is the WA6 SE... and... its easy to sell.

Though... you can probably also say the same for several amps, which are much less expensive the WA6 SE (e.g. the Millett MiniMax, the MAD amps, etc.).

 

[sarathcpt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikongod /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wa6se OTL amps are by and large over-rated.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elephas /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Zana Deux doesn't like you!

The WA2 or Decware CSP2 do not like you either

!

 

[jc9394]

If you are planning to keep your HD600, get the WA6 SE. I prefer WA6 (regular version) over the Raptor when I have both at the same time and sold the Raptor and keep the WA6.

 

[tosehee]

Raptor pairs really well with HD800.

It's not just the amp, but the synergy with your current setup is equally important.

 

[kentturbo]

So it all depends on my future move? Keep the HD600 get the WA6SE.
If I plan to upgrade to Raptor then get the HD800?

 

[jc9394]

I have tried WA6SE with HD800 and I think it pair very well. I probably will upgrade to HD800 and plan on using my WA6.

 

[tosehee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kentturbo /img/forum/go_quote.gif So it all depends on my future move? Keep the HD600 get the WA6SE. If I plan to upgrade to Raptor then get the HD800?

I didn't mean to say HD800 is poor on WA6SE.

It's just that raptor has a VERY good synergy with HD800.

i really meant to say that the synergy with your setup is more important than just an amp per se.