[Dubstep Girl]

All I can add is that I definitely don't find the LCD2 dull with my WA22, especially not when I'm using a mighty 596 rectifier. And the HD800 is somewhat legendary with it.

T1? I know MH says its slightly better than wa2, but read somewhere its not very good and doesnt get loud enuf

 

[migasson]

I second what Grokit said.. It's far from dull cranking Explosions In The Sky at somewhere between 12 to 1 o'clock is an emotional experience I can tell you!!

 

[migasson]

I second what Grokit said.. It's far from dull cranking Explosions In The Sky at somewhere between 12 to 1 o'clock is an emotional experience I can tell you!!

 

[migasson]

The key is running the whole thing balanced...

 

[Dubstep Girl]

iincluding balanced cables for the headphones? i thought it didn't matter except for the source

 

[Ultrainferno]

Quote:

iincluding balanced cables for the headphones? i thought it didn't matter except for the source

 
Don't forget to read the "WA22 isn't really fully balanced" discussion

 

[Dubstep Girl]

Quote:

 
Don't forget to read the "WA22 isn't really fully balanced" discussion

 
errr....yeah dat too....

 

[shipsupt]

I think there is better out there for the 800. I know you already have a few tubes that are very good with the 800. There are some pretty special tubes our there, like some of the GZ34/5AR4's. Hard to find, and pretty pricey, but the results with the HD-800 were pretty striking to me. As always, it's about synergy between the recitifer and the drivers you choose.

I guess I should be more specific about why I don't like the 6SN7 in the SE. For me they are too polite. They soften things up too much and turn the sharp, dynamic 6SE into a slush puppie. This has to do with reducing the power output when using these tubes. The adapters need to have a resistor with a bypass capacitor to lower the current in the 6SN7 or you will burn them out. This also reduces the power output of the amp.
YMMV on how this reduction in power impacts the sound.

All of these potential changes are going to be slight, small fine tuning steps. You're past getting the big jumps out of your 6SE and HD-800's.

Are you still using that same DAC? You might consider a source upgrade. I always thought the change between DACs would be subtle until I popped the NAD M51 into my system. You might think that old DAC is just fine, and in some ways it surely is, but a new source can make another big step change in your system. Something to consider.

 

[jc9394]

Quote:

All I can add is that I definitely don't find the LCD2 dull with my WA22, especially not when I'm using a mighty 596 rectifier. And the HD800 is somewhat legendary with it.

Totally agreed, I never find WA22 and LCD2 dull.  Yes, I do prefer the beta22 over WA22 when listening to LCD2.
 
Quote:

T1? I know MH says its slightly better than wa2, but read somewhere its not very good and doesnt get loud enuf

With 596 and TS7236 or TS5998, it gets very loud with only 5 clicks but my source is kind of hot.
 
Quote:

iincluding balanced cables for the headphones? i thought it didn't matter except for the source

Balanced cable is not really needed, I have all my headphone cables changed to balanced for the other amps.  Balanced DAC is a must.
 
Quote:

I think there is better out there for the 800. 
 

 
X2, both [size=small]DNA Stratus and Sonett pair HD800 very well.  It maybe a hair better than standard build WA22.  Personally I think it use the GZ34 tube, we don't use the GZ34 enough with Woo amps.  The mighty 596 is an excellent tube but I still prefer the metal based Mullard GZ34.[/size]

 

[LionTamer]

My opinion...I wouldn't go for a WA22, as good as it is. I would go straight for the top and do a WA5LE. That one has the potential to replace both of your amps and be an improvement on both and it won't require a change in your ecosystem to maximize a balanced setup.

The other alternative is to sell both the HE500 and LCD2 to fund the purchase of an LCD3.

Either of these options IMHO would ensure that you are making a significant upgrade of the sound that you already know/like as opposed to simply changing the type of sound.

 

[jc9394]

Quote:

My opinion...I wouldn't go for a WA22, as good as it is. I would go straight for the top and do a WA5LE. That one has the potential to replace both of your amps and be an improvement on both and it won't require a change in your ecosystem to maximize a balanced setup.

The other alternative is to sell both the HE500 and LCD2 to fund the purchase of an LCD3.

Either of these options IMHO would ensure that you are making a significant upgrade of the sound that you already know/like as opposed to simply changing the type of sound.

 
Going to WA5/LE definitely a better choice but keep in mind is the 300B tubes, they are not cheap and the sound signature it either love it or hate it.  IMHO, the 300B does go well with hiphop, top 40, and dance.  It does really well with classical, jazz, vocals.  One more thing is you really need a top shelf DAC to get the full advantage of WA5/LE.  When I had the WA5LE, I tested it with DAC cable, PS digital Link, W4S DAC-2, and PWD mkII.  
 
 
LCD3 is not that much better than LCD2.2 to justify the price difference, I personally prefer the LCD2.2.

 

[Dubstep Girl]

LCD-3 and DNA 2A3/WA5-LE won't happen. not enough money and i'd be stuck with stock tubes. also my DLIII might prove to be not enough with these amps (will it be good for WA22?) 
 
the WA22 all i would need to do is buy 6SN7's since i already have a good selection of 5U4G (black mullard GZ34, mighty 596, miss sophia, and the eml) and some 6080 (RCA 6AS7, TS 5998 and Sylvania 7236).
 
im totally for buying the WA22, but i wanted to be sure its a sure improvement in soundstage/imaging/detail/ transparency over the WA6-SE and WA2. and also, i would not want to lose any magic with the T1. the WA2 is almost primarily for the T1, its just smooth, musical, and well awesome, but it can be a little dull at times still. thats why i was considering tube rolling, maybe updating JAN-Sylvania 7308's to some nice CCa's or something would bring the last bit of improvement for it to be a perfect setup, for me, its really close already.
 
as for the WA6-SE, i'm enjoying it with HD 800 and LCD-2, the HD 800 just sound so right on it, detailed, open, energy, bass, but it still gets a tad bit too hot sometimes. i was considering 6SN7  because theres no perfect combination with the other tubes, either they're too harsh, or too dull, and i wanted to see if 6SN7 would give me some sweetness and tonality while still maintaining control and transparency. the T1 doesn't do too well with WA6-SE, too bright.
 
of course, my worries with the WA22 are these: 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/632848/wa2-or-wa22-for-beyerdynamic-t1 this one about T1 not having power
 
and also http://www.head-fi.org/t/615810/the-beauty-and-the-beast-woo-wa2-vs-wa22 this one, seems i could basically replace WA6-SE with WA22 and the review would be exactly the same. 
 
and a few other things of course, however, if its enough of an upgrade to get the WA22, then i'd definitely buy it. i would expect it to be better than either WA2 and WA6-SE to a noticeable degree, and to be not as lush as WA2, but not as bright and aggressive as a WA6-SE (ive actually read somewhere that WA6-SE was more tubish and musical). also, it would have to be magical with the T1 similar to WA2. (ive read somewhere also that the WA22 was better with T1 than some other similarly priced amps, that there is synergy).

 

[joeribt]

Quote:

 
I mean honestly, this is impossible for any of us to tell you. Given the very limited symptoms (rectifiers blowing), the problem could be any one of a number of issues with the amp, including, despite the low probability, that maybe all of your tubes were defective. 
 
In my own natural curiosity, I'd be the type of person to try to it and see what happens. If it also blows then you know for sure the amp is defective, and given this fact, I don't see why under warranty Woo Audio wouldn't fix/replace both the amp and give you at least a new stock tube. 
 
So I'd try it myself. But that by no means means I think it is safe for the tube. In all likelihood, it might be a problem that occurred after you started rolling (or because of it, if a tube was bad?). 

 
Thanks. Jack said I should put the stock rectifier back in.  So I did and it worked well. After that, a day later, I tried tube rolling again an put a Mullard GZ34. Again, it burnt immediately, as if it gets too much power. This was a different tube, from a different seller. I am afraid to try again, as this is becoming very, very costly. The WA6 should be ideal for tube rolling, so I am not sure what my next step should be. Jack is convinced it is not the amp. 

 

[jc9394]

@Dubstep Girl, I think you will need to save up enough money to get the WA22 and compare it to the WA6 and WA2 you have to make sure the WA22 meets your need.  
 
I only test T1 for few hours during the meet, with my setup PWD>WA22, I can't get the volume past 11 o'clock without damaging my ears. 

 

[jc9394]

Quote:

 
Thanks. Jack said I should put the stock rectifier back in.  So I did and it worked well. After that, a day later, I tried tube rolling again an put a Mullard GZ37. Again, it burnt immediately, as if it gets too much power. This was a different tube, from a different seller. I am afraid to try again, as this is becoming very, very costly. The WA6 should be ideal for tube rolling, so I am not sure what my next step should be. Jack is convinced it is not the amp. 

do you have any 5U4G to test other than the stock one?  maybe get couple different brands of 5U4G to make sure it is not the tubes.