[tyrion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't have much to add, and my sole previous serious listening with K1000s were at two mini-meets, but did hear the Al's WA5 with the K1000, HD600, CD3000, 2500 and K701 and it's a monster. Since difficulty of driving a variety of phones to this SQ level was mentioned earlier in this thread, I'll just say not a single phone plugged into the WA5 faltered in any significantly compromised way. The hi/low switch definitely helped here, but this isn't an X phone, but not Y phone amp. Unfortunately, it's out of my budget, but that listening experience did make me buy another Woo amp the following week unheard. Figured whoever created the WA5 would work a little magic even with lesser lights.

Now you guys are killing me. I still have at least a month before it arrives.

I am lucky to have some other new toys to occupy me for a while.

 

[blessingx]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyrion /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am lucky to have some other new toys to occupy me for a while.

I hope you don't suffer too much with only the Zana Deux, Signature 30 and First Watt.

 

[tyrion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx /img/forum/go_quote.gif I hope you don't suffer too much with only the Zana Deux, Signature 30 and First Watt.

You got me there. The ZD/F1 is on of the best combos for the K1000. They just generate too muh heat in the much smaller room my gear is in.

 

[Voltron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyrion /img/forum/go_quote.gif Now you guys are killing me. I still have at least a month before it arrives. I am lucky to have some other new toys to occupy me for a while.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx /img/forum/go_quote.gif I hope you don't suffer too much with only the Zana Deux, Signature 30 and First Watt.

Poor old tyrion, has to make do with a few lousy pieces while waiting for the Woo masterpiece.

[size=x-large]WAAA!!![/size]

So, the Woo 5 comments above from foo_me and blessingx are all accurate and consistent with own experience. The amp is just amazing as far as I am concerned. I admit that I enjoy it more with Western Electric 300Bs and Sylvania 6SN7GTs than with stock, but the stock tubes actually sound great themselves. My source is still breaking in but the time spent with the Woo and K1000, including a little time last night with Grizzly Bear's earlier and rather ethereal disc, has been incredibly satisfying.

As Ric pointed out, however, the amp handles hi and lo impedance S/E cans with at least as much authority. It made Ric reconsider selling he Ultrasones because they sounded like completely different cans out of the Woo. I haven't managed to connect any speakers to the Woo, but I will be doing that before she heads back to Jack (or maybe to tyrion if his is delayed

).

All in all, the best solution I have come across for a combination K1000/HP/Speaker amp with the flexibility to make everything sound great. I have not heard an upgraded Extreme, another amp that powers many cans well, including the K1000 with a S/E tail, so I cannot weigh in on that comparison. The Woo also does not have balanced inputs or output for balanced cans, but I recall Jack mentioning that was a consideration for future models.

 

[tyrion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voltron /img/forum/go_quote.gif Poor old tyrion, has to make do with a few lousy pieces while waiting for the Woo masterpiece. [size=x-large]WAAA!!![/size]

I deserved that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voltron /img/forum/go_quote.gif All in all, the best solution I have come across for a combination K1000/HP/Speaker amp with the flexibility to make everything sound great. I have not heard an upgraded Extreme, another amp that powers many cans well, including the K1000 with a S/E tail, so I cannot weigh in on that comparison.

Your a demo hog.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voltron /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Woo also does not have balanced inputs or output for balanced cans, but I recall Jack mentioning that was a consideration for future models.

Ah, a future upgrade.

 

[Stax-i-nox]

Tyrion, will def let you know my impressions with this amp etc.

Further thoughts on the BAP 1000. Frankly, the more I listen to it, the more I don't understand why AKG discontinued it. It makes headphone listening even more enjoyable, at least with the K1000. I don't have any other headphones except Stax to compare at the moment. I makes every cd I put in there sound like it was recorded binaurally. It opens up the soundstage and does not change the timbre etc of the recording, only the focus changes, you can tell where instruments are in the soundstage, somewhat like speakers. It's very addicting.

Have a question...I don't know if this is even possible......... could the Stax cans work from an amp like the Woo5, if you could plug them in, say using a plug adapter?

 

[dave-the-rave]

I know this is a K1000 thread... but has anyone heard the Woo WA-5 with R10's?

It was while i was listening to R10's through Bozebuttons' modified Cary 3000 SEI that I determined that I MUST own a pair of R10's. Now I have them, but I still haven't found an amp that does them justice. Strongly considering the Woo 5, for the 300 B's, and the ability to drive speakers. Anyone hear R10's with it? Thanks.

 

[Voltron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stax-i-nox /img/forum/go_quote.gif Have a question...I don't know if this is even possible......... could the Stax cans work from an amp like the Woo5, if you could plug them in, say using a plug adapter?

No. Electrostats have completely different needs than what the WA5 can provide. A strike against the Woo, I guess!

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave-the-rave /img/forum/go_quote.gif I know this is a K1000 thread... but has anyone heard the Woo WA-5 with R10's? It was while i was listening to R10's through Bozebuttons' modified Cary 3000 SEI that I determined that I MUST own a pair of R10's. Now I have them, but I still haven't found an amp that does them justice. Strongly considering the Woo 5, for the 300 B's, and the ability to drive speakers. Anyone hear R10's with it? Thanks.

I've heard it with the baby brother CD3000, but not the R-10. Sorry. Sounds very good with the CD3000 because of the impedance switch. Grados sound great too.

 

[Voltron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stax-i-nox /img/forum/go_quote.gif In a few weeks, I should be getting the first Woo5....looking forward to it. I will be trying it with the AKG BAP 1000 through my Sony Xa7es. My first listening impressions with this BAP 1000 are very positive so far. The BAP1000 has a somewhat thin sound to it. I have it in balanced mode, coming from a Sony XA7ES directly to the BAP. AKG says that the best sound should go through an amp, which is where the Woo5 comes in. Will post here after I have them both connected and have listened to them. So far, the BAP seems to make the K1000 sound even more speaker like, with more depth etc to what the K1000 already does so well. It's like the performers are out in front of me. When I press the bypass switch on the BAP, the soundfield seems to collapse and the K1000 reverts back to what seems like "inside the head" sound...interesting difference.

I am curious about the BAP device because I have never heard one and cannot find hardly any information about them. I assume it is processing the sound more than I would want, but your experience is interesting nonetheless. Have you tried to determine if the sound is "colored" by the BAP aside from the spatial changes it creates? Does the BAP allow you to process the sound but not amplify the signal, as in a type of line-out? If the sound is thin, is it also bright coming from the BAP alone? I am sure that the WA5 can add some flesh onto the sound for you, but I wonder whether the additional amplification will introduce problems. Should be fun to try it out.

I am surprised by your comments that the K1000 has an "inside the head" sound without the BAP, and fundamentally find it curious that the soundstage is collapsed without the BAP. The K1000 is probably the most "outside the head" headphone available (possibly topped by the Surrounder but that's not really a headphone after all). Plus you have the ability to open up the soundstage by pivoting the K1000 drivers out from the head. What other kind of amps have you used with the K1000? A good solid amp might give you much more of what you are getting from the BAP without the processing. But don't get me wrong, I am not questioning the sound because I have never heard it. I'm just speculating that with a good and powerful amp you would have a different take on the K1000.

Looking forward to hearing more from this thread.

 

[Stax-i-nox]

...that I am hearing this collapse due to the huge difference in the BAP processed signal and the normal signal. The BAP def does not change the color of the sound, only the soundstage. Also, the volume remains the same when switching back and forth. Here is a link to the AKG manual for the BAP.

http://www.akg.com/site/products/pow...nguage,EN.html

In their manual, they say the best audiophile sound will come from adding an amp to the BAP. This I have not done yet as I only have 1 set of balanced cables, so hence my running balanced direct from the Xa7es to the BAP. I have read that the BAP alone driving the K1000 is not the best, and I can confirm that...the sound is somewhat thin. I have heard my K1000 powered by my eAR1 digital amp, and they sounded better, different, not as thin, and seemed to have a bit better natural soundstage.

The real forte of the BAP seems to be it's ability to open up the soundstage and focus of where the performers are in the recording, and it gives the impression that the sounds are not coming from the headphones. I know the K1000 excels at this without the BAP, but adding the BAP makes the K1000 do more of what they already do so well.

There are 9 preset "curves" that supposedly can come close, in 90-95% of our own hearing. There is a test cd...I went through and marked down which presets work the best...the one that comes closest to my hearing is the #3. The sound IS colored somewhat by each preset, the idea being to come closest to the bypassed normal sound when switching back and forth. I am not sure though, if this coloring of the sound is due to the change in spatial qualities that each preset presents.

It will be interesting to see how the W5 does with the K1000 and with this BAP in there as well. Jack is making me a set of interconnects so that the BAP will connect with the W5. He sure has been great in answering all my concerns. I am also sending him my K1000 so he can calibrate my W5!,,,,,now that's service! Will keep you posted.

 

[Stax-i-nox]

I must have an early model of the BAP, the left and right levels on the left of the BAP are different than the ones pictured on the AKG website.

 

[Voltron]

Thanks for the further info, pics and manual link. That looks like it is a lot of fun and would be great to hear sometime. For now, I will have to wait for more of your impressions.

 

[jp11801]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blessingx /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't have much to add, and my sole previous serious listening with K1000s were at two mini-meets, but did hear the Al's WA5 with the K1000, HD600, CD3000, 2500 and K701 and it's a monster. Since difficulty of driving a variety of phones to this SQ level was mentioned earlier in this thread, I'll just say not a single phone plugged into the WA5 faltered in any significantly compromised way. The hi/low switch definitely helped here, but this isn't an X phone, but not Y phone amp. Unfortunately, it's out of my budget, but that listening experience did make me buy another Woo amp the following week unheard. Figured whoever created the WA5 would work a little magic even with lesser lights.

The woo 2 is an incredible amp as also functions as a pre amp as well and was one of my favorites at the meet in San Jose with my newly aquired PS-1s. You can't go wrong with that amp BTW it was also a fave of Wes Philips of steroephile at the meet as well.

 

[tyrion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jp11801 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The woo 2 is an incredible amp as also functions as a pre amp as well and was one of my favorites at the meet in San Jose with my newly aquired PS-1s. You can't go wrong with that amp BTW it was also a fave of Wes Philips of steroephile at the meet as well.

I agree. I was thinking of picking up that amp until I heard the WA5. It really sounds nice with the PS-1 and HD-600s.

 

[Voltron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jp11801 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The woo 2 is an incredible amp as also functions as a pre amp as well and was one of my favorites at the meet in San Jose with my newly aquired PS-1s. You can't go wrong with that amp BTW it was also a fave of Wes Philips of steroephile at the meet as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyrion /img/forum/go_quote.gif I agree. I was thinking of picking up that amp until I heard the WA5. It really sounds nice with the PS-1 and HD-600s.

Nice of you guys to make Ric feel so special about his purchase of the Woo [size=large]6.[/size]