[Barnstormer13]

I’ll second @ColSaulTigh in recommending the Woo WA6-SE in your price range. While you can spend a fortune in tubes on it, you don’t have to. $100 can get you a decent rectifier and the driver tubes it comes with are fine. I’d also consider the Cayin HA-3A which is also in your price range. Haven’t heard it myself, but ZMF recommends it, which is good enough for me.

There is room for improvement if you want to maximize performance through tube upgrades, but your cost will spike up quite dramatically and you may want to start looking at some $2k+ amps like the DNA starlet or Cayin HA-6A instead.

The WA-6SE is a really good amp though and will keep up should you decide to upgrade at some point to a TOTL ZMF like the Verite, atrium or Caldera.

I also really like the Schiit Folkvangr but it’s no longer available except 2nd hand. That said, it’s essentially an OTL amp and as long as you plan to stick with high impedance dynamic headphones, a really good OTL like the Woo WA2 ($1500) or Felix Euphoria ($2200) is something to consider, especially if you like rolling tubes.

 

[Barnstormer13]

Amps I’ve owned (not counting portables- can’t remember them all):

Schiit Magni3
Schiit lyr3
Woo WA6-SE
Schiit Folkvangr

The Woo is good enough that I didn’t really feel the need to upgrade further, but the Folkvangr was interesting so I impulse bought it and I’m glad I did. It’s absolutely fantastic. Someday I might pick up a higher end amp from A&S, Cayin, or another big player, but I’ve definitely reached the point of diminishing returns.

 

[ld100]

Amps I’ve owned (not counting portables- can’t remember them all):

Schiit Magni3
Schiit lyr3
Woo WA6-SE
Schiit Folkvangr

The Woo is good enough that I didn’t really feel the need to upgrade further, but the Folkvangr was interesting so I impulse bought it and I’m glad I did. It’s absolutely fantastic. Someday I might pick up a higher end amp from A&S, Cayin, or another big player, but I’ve definitely reached the point of diminishing returns.

 

[analogTubeSound]

In your realistic range, look at a Woo Audio WA6-SE. Excellent amp with a lot of tube rolling capabilities, although driver tubes are a bit limited. If you're willing to go to the $5k range, there are a ton of options between the Woo and the top of your range. Ampandsound, Eddie Current, DNA, etc. etc. etc. You can buy a Woo Audio WA5-LE for that range. If you check the classifieds section, there are plenty of tube amps that fall into that budget.

Next question would be - what exactly are you looking for, characteristic-wise? I know you mentioned "a warmer sound" but what exactly does that mean? You listen to a lot of the same stuff I do. Having bass and being a rich, full sounding amplifier and two different things, and tube rolling will vary that up quite a bit. The current king of richness (IMO) is the 300B amplifier (although others should chime in here). There are some trade-offs to consider:

1) Tube rolling can get pricy. Even in the Woo Audio WA6, you're looking at anywhere from $50 to over $700 for decent rectifiers, each with their own unique influence on the sound. With a WA5-LE, you need 2 rectifiers, 2 300B tubes (which can easily run into the $2k range for a pair), and 2 driver tubes (which can land in the $500+/pair range).

2) There are as many opinions as there are amplifiers. I'm partial to Woo Audio. Others will like Cayian, Ampandsound, etc. etc. etc. I STRONGLY recommend you give a few a listen if you can. I know it's hard as they're not exactly available at every Walmart. If you do some homework you'll see the same brands pop up time and time again, and users of those will give you an idea of their "house" sound, and which brands to stay away from.

3) How the sound is delivered through the chain can matter as much as the amp itself. Are you using bluetooth to stream your music? Running straight from a PC or streamer? Do you have a DAC? If so, what kind? What headphones are you looking to use? What direction are you looking to go? Dynamic drivers, planars, or Stax? This hobby can become crippling from all the choices. Some of your decision making has to be blind faith. Reading the forums can be your friend.

4) Where do you plan on drawing the line? This can easily become a many-thousand dollar "addiction", so know where your limits are. $5k for an amp, $5k in headphones, $5k in tubes, $2k+ for a DAC, $3k for cables....it starts to add up quick. This brings me back to my original question - what is your REAL budget?

5) Finally - there is no "right" answer. You need to do some discovery to find out what YOU like and don't like. My ears are different from yours, and both are different from the next person who chimes in on this thread. Experiment. Pick up an amp and try it out. I highly recommend going the used route first. If you don't like it, you can sell it for close to what you paid for it, and try something else. Rinse and repeat until you start to narrow down the direction you want to go.

Like any hobby, have fun with it. Part of that is the discovery process.

Thank you for your awesome reply @ColSaulTigh !

1) I would not consider tube prices in my decision here. That may sound a bit naïve but i don't want tube availability/pricing to determine the amp per say... (Unless in an extreme*** tube cost case). With my existing amps i have already spent a few k in tubes and they are simply something i see as "consumables" where the amp is a "capital" item.

2) This is where i dont have access/experience. I have yet to attend any meet ups, etc... I would really like to hear a few amps before making a decision on an amp of this cost. Any recommendations on where to look for demoing/hearing equipment?

3) Source = PC (Win10) (Tidal or FooBar running local files) -> iFi xDSD USB interface -> 'INSERT AMP HERE' -> ZMF Eikons/HD800S/HD650s
Source 2 = Mobile Tidal -> Dragonfly RED -> 'INSERT AMP HERE' -> ZMF Eikons/HD800S/HD650s

4) Valid question... Real budget answer is "As low as possible to get me 98% of the satisfaction i desire". I realize this is not an answer and is extremely subjective. Obviously would rather spend 1.3k on the Woo WA6-SE vs 5k on something else that might only get me a "2% improvement". Ultimately looking for something in the 1-3k range that is GOOD VALUE.

5) Completely understand! Thanks for the great reply this was very helpful!

 

[ColSaulTigh]

Thank you for your awesome reply @ColSaulTigh !

1) I would not consider tube prices in my decision here. That may sound a bit naïve but i don't want tube availability/pricing to determine the amp per say... (Unless in an extreme*** tube cost case). With my existing amps i have already spent a few k in tubes and they are simply something i see as "consumables" where the amp is a "capital" item.

2) This is where i dont have access/experience. I have yet to attend any meet ups, etc... I would really like to hear a few amps before making a decision on an amp of this cost. Any recommendations on where to look for demoing/hearing equipment?

3) Source = PC (Win10) (Tidal or FooBar running local files) -> iFi xDSD USB interface -> 'INSERT AMP HERE' -> ZMF Eikons/HD800S/HD650s
Source 2 = Mobile Tidal -> Dragonfly RED -> 'INSERT AMP HERE' -> ZMF Eikons/HD800S/HD650s

4) Valid question... Real budget answer is "As low as possible to get me 98% of the satisfaction i desire". I realize this is not an answer and is extremely subjective. Obviously would rather spend 1.3k on the Woo WA6-SE vs 5k on something else that might only get me a "2% improvement". Ultimately looking for something in the 1-3k range that is GOOD VALUE.

5) Completely understand! Thanks for the great reply this was very helpful!

Now that I have a bit of time to sit down and dig this apart, let's really look at what you want to accomplish. I think for the budget of the amp, at $1,500, you're going to be hard-pressed to come up with something that flat-out outperforms the Woo Audio WA6-SE. Domestically designed and built here in NYC, incredible track record, great technical support, a huge fan base, lots of support from the community, and generally a well-received system. Plus you get it in either Black or Silver. How do I know? Well...meet the Wonder Twins!

With the WA6-SE, it's more about the rectifier, and $50 gets you a nuclear reactor in the Brimar 5Z4GY. Bold, Boomy, full, never runs out of breath....its an ass-kicker. If you want warm and gooey and pretty to boot, spend $200-$250 for a Sophia Princess 274B. Rich velvety sound, and a very pretty tube to look it. Want nothing but performance? $750 gets you an Elrog 5U4G (Don't run their 274B, it doesn't play nice). That will bring you every squeeze of sound from the fruit. Presence, depth and dimension, passion, attack, decay, layers upon layers are each their own separate sheets....it's the boss-daddy, daddy-o!

Pair it with something like your ZMF Eikons and you're in for a treat! The HD800S works well as well, but can sound a bit hollow ((IMO). I'll have to break out the 650;s and see how those sound on them.

Your sources are fine - I use Tidal for almost everything these days. Just too lazy to set up an SACD player or turntable. Run it all through a good R2R DAC and you can't hear much of a difference anyway.,

I say all this to point out this: - VALUE can be had if you're patient and know where to look. You will find Woo Audio WA5-LE's for sale from time to time around the $3,999 price point. Yes, that's more than double the WA6-SE, BUT you're getting a FAR superior 300B amplifier. No comparison. If the Woo WA6-SE is a Ford Mustang 5.0, the WA5-LE is a Porsche 911 GT4. You might be able to squeeze your way into one, and now it's a whole new ball game. If the WA6-SE is a solid 7, the WA5-LE is a 12 or 13 - it's that much better.

I get the whole "Value" thing, which is why I buy most of my stuff second-hand from other head-fi'ers in the community. Haven't been burned yet and saved quite a bit of money doing so.