Woo Audio Amp Owner Unite

[Krutsch]

  Lol, well Ken I see I should share my plans for upgrades, shooting for the ultimate here, so you will not be talking about cost  

 

 
Wow, impressive...  Well, let's see, ahh... I have a new Moon Audio Silver Dragon V3 headphone cable...
 

 

[Krutsch]

  Music Server:
 
​Currently running the Antipodes DX however it is the source so debated the Baetis but went for the Computer Audio Design CAT, that makes USB as the only digital out, the DaVInci needs that for high res so yep I have heard all the arguments over AES/SPDIF etc not going to get drawn into that the DaVinci was designed with USB as its primary input, that the way it is. The CAT has its own external custom power supply feeding power via a property cable to the CAT so that keeps noise away from the Server.
 

 

 
On a more serious note, please do report back on your impressions, with respect to the CAD CAT.  I recently changed my source to a Bryston BDP-1 with a pair of Corsair Flash drives (512GB + 128GB) which holds my 2-channel library. I was quite surprised by the difference, sound-wise, coming from a MacBook Retina - I don't think I've ever heard anything sound like this, and I am now a believer in a dedicated, purpose-built computer as a digital source.
 
On the software side, however, I had some challenges understanding MPD (the internal Linux player) and to / not to load music on it; Bryston is still finishing up their major UI re-write. I will be curious to hear how the out-of-box experience is for you with the CAT.
 
Congrats on winning Head-Fi...

 

[isquirrel]

   
On a more serious note, please do report back on your impressions, with respect to the CAD CAT.  I recently changed my source to a Bryston BDP-1 with a pair of Corsair Flash drives (512GB + 128GB) which holds my 2-channel library. I was quite surprised by the difference, sound-wise, coming from a MacBook Retina - I don't think I've ever heard anything sound like this, and I am now a believer in a dedicated, purpose-built computer as a digital source.
 
On the software side, however, I had some challenges understanding MPD (the internal Linux player) and to / not to load music on it; Bryston is still finishing up their major UI re-write. I will be curious to hear how the out-of-box experience is for you with the CAT.
 
Congrats on winning Head-Fi...

I was exactly the same, I fought the idea of a dedicated music server until I received the Antipodes DX, I was dead wrong made a big difference/improvement to the sound.
 
Scott Berry form CAD takes the whole server thing to a different level. Its being built now so will be interesting indeed. FWIW I found that storing all my music files directly on the server was much better sonically than on a NAS

 

[isquirrel]

Found this on WBF out of some Zanden amp, now that's a big tube, they are using a 300B as the driver
 

 

[TonyNewman]

  Found this on WBF out of some Zanden amp, now that's a big tube, they are using a 300B as the driver
 

 
Looks like a WE212. Big mother.

 

[Krutsch]

 
I was exactly the same, I fought the idea of a dedicated music server until I received the Antipodes DX, I was dead wrong made a big difference/improvement to the sound.
 
Scott Berry form CAD takes the whole server thing to a different level. Its being built now so will be interesting indeed. FWIW I found that storing all my music files directly on the server was much better sonically than on a NAS

 
+1 ... I experimented with DLNA (MinimServer, which is great), NAS, attached USB HDD and Flash drives.  Flash drives for the win - very low noise - and one of the reasons I like the Bryston, as it's easy to plug in a bunch of thumb drives and the unit just aggregates all of the files.

 

[xevman]

hey guys i currently own a woo audio wa6 and ive owned it for quite some time now 2 years and have it paired with my HD600s I love the amp and i want to improve the sonic characteristics of it. Currently it has a Sofia Princess rectifier and rca 6fd7 fat bottle tubes. On the Woo website it states the 6gl7/6em7 is the best driver tube for this amp (im aware it needs adapters). Would this be a good option to upgrade to? can anyone vouch for these driver tubes?                         

 

[Stereolab42]

  Found this on WBF out of some Zanden amp, now that's a big tube, they are using a 300B as the driver
 

 
*&(#$# me. You know you've got a hardcore amp when it uses 300Bs as DRIVERS! (And that's clearly just one channel...)
 
I'm glad I didn't jump on the Elrog bandwagon. It seems new tube manufactures always go through about a five-ten year period of extreme unreliability before they figure it out...

 

[Porteroso]

hey guys i currently own a woo audio wa6 and ive owned it for quite some time now 2 years and have it paired with my HD600s I love the amp and i want to improve the sonic characteristics of it. Currently it has a Sofia Princess rectifier and rca 6fd7 fat bottle tubes. On the Woo website it states the 6gl7/6em7 is the best driver tube for this amp (im aware it needs adapters). Would this be a good option to upgrade to? can anyone vouch for these driver tubes?                         

Hi! No! Go another route. I will type more out when I get home.

 

[xevman]

Hi! No! Go another route. I will type more out when I get home.

alright waiting eagerly for your opinion

 

[Porteroso]

 

Hi! No! Go another route. I will type more out when I get home.

alright waiting eagerly for your opinion

Well, I think most of the WA6 owners here would recommend getting either 6SN7 adapters, or 6F8G adapters. They are somewhat expensive, but those tubes are by far the best, or at least that is the general opinion. The best of them are the TS rp 6SN7/6F8G, and the NU 6F8G is also amazing. For cheaper, the RCAs are pretty good, and I got a pair of Melz 6H8C, which are very neutral and clean sounding. I do like them. But for transparency, depth, soundstage, detail, the Tung Sol and the National Unions take the prize, I think.
 
For the adapters, Woo and Glenn make very good ones. They are roughly the same price, I think. I have the 6SN7 adapters from Woo, they are very solid. And I have Glenn's 6DE7-->6F8G adapters as well. Both flawless. In my opinion, 6F8G is the way to go, because from what everyone can tell, the tubes are mostly identical sounding, if made the same way. And they are much cheaper. There are a few, like the RCA red base, the Melz, that are only in 6SN7, not 6F8G, but as 6SN7 was a replacement for 6F8G, and they are electrically equivalent, the main tubes are available in both.

 

[xevman]

  Well, I think most of the WA6 owners here would recommend getting either 6SN7 adapters, or 6F8G adapters. They are somewhat expensive, but those tubes are by far the best, or at least that is the general opinion. The best of them are the TS rp 6SN7/6F8G, and the NU 6F8G is also amazing. For cheaper, the RCAs are pretty good, and I got a pair of Melz 6H8C, which are very neutral and clean sounding. I do like them. But for transparency, depth, soundstage, detail, the Tung Sol and the National Unions take the prize, I think.
 
For the adapters, Woo and Glenn make very good ones. They are roughly the same price, I think. I have the 6SN7 adapters from Woo, they are very solid. And I have Glenn's 6DE7-->6F8G adapters as well. Both flawless. In my opinion, 6F8G is the way to go, because from what everyone can tell, the tubes are mostly identical sounding, if made the same way. And they are much cheaper. There are a few, like the RCA red base, the Melz, that are only in 6SN7, not 6F8G, but as 6SN7 was a replacement for 6F8G, and they are electrically equivalent, the main tubes are available in both.

Id be interested to try the 6f8g tubes and since you say they are electrically equivalent to the 6sn7 would that mean i can use 6sn7 adapters or would i need to buy an adapter specially for the 6f8g tubes.

 

[xevman]

  Id be interested to try the 6f8g tubes and since you say they are electrically equivalent to the 6sn7 would that mean i can use 6sn7 adapters or would i need to buy an adapter specially for the 6f8g tubes.

actually nvm i just realised theyre different. In my area 6F8G tubes are difficult to get a hold of and have no idea where to get such adapter from

 

[Porteroso]

If you get the 6DE7 --> 6SN7 adapter from Woo, you can just get a 6SN7 --> 6F8G adapter from ebay. Most of them work just fine. Alternatively, Glenn can make you a single adapter for 6DE7 --> 6F8G. Of course then, you won't have access to 6SN7. I have all options at this point, but I will only really be stocking up on the 6F8G tubes from now on. Just cheaper, and money is tight around here. Also, I really only care for the Tung Sol and National Union VT-99s at this point, they are the ones worth stocking up on. Even if I sell this amp one day, the tubes will only appreciate, finite supply and all.
 
Also, in other news, I ordered a U52, hoping it can beat out the Brimar 5Z4G by a significant margin; it will have to, to be worth keeping.

 

[MIKELAP]

 

  Well, I think most of the WA6 owners here would recommend getting either 6SN7 adapters, or 6F8G adapters. They are somewhat expensive, but those tubes are by far the best, or at least that is the general opinion. The best of them are the TS rp 6SN7/6F8G, and the NU 6F8G is also amazing. For cheaper, the RCAs are pretty good, and I got a pair of Melz 6H8C, which are very neutral and clean sounding. I do like them. But for transparency, depth, soundstage, detail, the Tung Sol and the National Unions take the prize, I think.
 
For the adapters, Woo and Glenn make very good ones. They are roughly the same price, I think. I have the 6SN7 adapters from Woo, they are very solid. And I have Glenn's 6DE7-->6F8G adapters as well. Both flawless. In my opinion, 6F8G is the way to go, because from what everyone can tell, the tubes are mostly identical sounding, if made the same way. And they are much cheaper. There are a few, like the RCA red base, the Melz, that are only in 6SN7, not 6F8G, but as 6SN7 was a replacement for 6F8G, and they are electrically equivalent, the main tubes are available in both.

Id be interested to try the 6f8g tubes and since you say they are electrically equivalent to the 6sn7 would that mean i can use 6sn7 adapters or would i need to buy an adapter specially for the 6f8g tubes.

   Got my 6F8G adapters from Glenn