[Kenion]

Brimar is great. I've recently gone back to it and really enjoying it.

Regarding buzz. Check that no signal cable is near or on a power cord.
I've experienced it once before. A transformer microwave buzz and I just
moved a signal cable away from a power and it fixed it. You can test
while the amp is on.

Thanks for the hint! Im going to test that right now.
I did however test it already in a completely diffent room where there is no electronic device at all nearby - simply the amp itself and yet it has the some buzz.
I got damping material underneath the amp right now (some sort of foam) which makes the noise somewhat bearable but still audible from close.
It shoudnt be a permanent solution though

 

[Badas]

Thanks for the hint! Im going to test that right now.
I did however test it already in a completely diffent room where there is no electronic device at all nearby - simply the amp itself and yet it has the some buzz.
I got damping material underneath the amp right now (some sort of foam) which makes the noise somewhat bearable but still audible from close.
It shoudnt be a permanent solution though

With your amp turned off and unplugged.
Unscrew your transformer lid and take a look inside.
See if there is any metal or wire left loose inside.
If there is remove and retest.

If this doesn't work then it is definitely the rectifier.
I'm just working other things it could be.

 

[Kenion]

With your amp turned off and unplugged.
Unscrew your transformer lid and take a look inside.
See if there is any metal or wire left loose inside.
If there is remove and retest.

If this doesn't work then it is definitely the rectifier.
I'm just working other things it could be.

Thank you Badas.
I may consider it but I may also wait for Mike to reply about my case and perhaps till I got a replacement rectifier tube.
Despite I don't think I have the right screw driver for the screws being used here. :/

 

[ajreynol]

Hi guys, quick question. I'm considering a WA6-SE and the WA22.

I'm looking to drive my Audeze LCD-4's to as close to their potential as my $2k or so budget can reach. I read over 2 separate official blog posts from Audeze on this subject. One post recommended the 22 while the other post recommended the 6SE. So I figured I should come to the place where all the owners hang out for a second opinion. I enjoy the tube experience in general, having been using a tube amp as my daily driver for the last few years. My tubes have not given me any issue with 6-8 hours of usage every day since. I'd like to continue that sort of longevity in a tube amp and its tubes if I pick up either Woo. I'd like to know if that's realistic. My current tube amp (Schiit Lyr 2) only has the 2 tubes, where the 6SE and 22 have double or triple the number of tubes to account for, respectively. My hope here is to get an amp that can provide the best power and performance of the two...and to do so without a future that includes having to spend much time micromanaging tubes. I'm not a tube roller, and only ever got 1 additional set of tubes for my Lyr 2 in the years I've owned it. Not something I want to get into as a hobby. Am I in the right place in looking at these two Woo amps? Or should I focus on a solid state instead?

For what it's worth, my music preferences are what I would describe as music well-served by amps that improve on their inherent "richness" of the music. Jazz, pop, electronic, R&B, hip-hop. Hence my attraction to another tube amp. I'm trying to finalize my list of options which already has the Wells Milo (solid state), Ragnarok (solid state) and iCAN Pro (hybrid) on it. Oh and my DAC is a pure DAC (not a +amp) Chord 2Qute, which is only RCA out. Any direction would be welcome.

Note: I do not have any interest in changing my DAC, so whatever amp is chosen will be fed by an unbalanced RCA coming from the 2Qute and will need to perform well in that configuration. (I know some amps seem to be strongly recommended with balanced in to balanced out setup, so I feel I should make that clear that will not be an option for me if it affects any recommendations)

Thanks in advance for any thoughts that could help!

 

[reeltime]

Hi guys, quick question. I'm considering a WA6-SE and the WA22.

If you can afford the WA22, get it. It's a much better amp in every way.

 

[joseph69]

I've been considering a new WA22 as well because it's fully balanced and I'm already set up for it with my current gear.

 

[Kenion]

Hi guys, quick question. I'm considering a WA6-SE and the WA22.

I'm looking to drive my Audeze LCD-4's to as close to their potential as my $2k or so budget can reach. I read over 2 separate official blog posts from Audeze on this subject. One post recommended the 22 while the other post recommended the 6SE. So I figured I should come to the place where all the owners hang out for a second opinion. I enjoy the tube experience in general, having been using a tube amp as my daily driver for the last few years. My tubes have not given me any issue with 6-8 hours of usage every day since. I'd like to continue that sort of longevity in a tube amp and its tubes if I pick up either Woo. I'd like to know if that's realistic. My current tube amp (Schiit Lyr 2) only has the 2 tubes, where the 6SE and 22 have double or triple the number of tubes to account for, respectively. My hope here is to get an amp that can provide the best power and performance of the two...and to do so without a future that includes having to spend much time micromanaging tubes. I'm not a tube roller, and only ever got 1 additional set of tubes for my Lyr 2 in the years I've owned it. Not something I want to get into as a hobby. Am I in the right place in looking at these two Woo amps? Or should I focus on a solid state instead?

For what it's worth, my music preferences are what I would describe as music well-served by amps that improve on their inherent "richness" of the music. Jazz, pop, electronic, R&B, hip-hop. Hence my attraction to another tube amp. I'm trying to finalize my list of options which already has the Wells Milo (solid state), Ragnarok (solid state) and iCAN Pro (hybrid) on it. Oh and my DAC is a pure DAC (not a +amp) Chord 2Qute, which is only RCA out. Any direction would be welcome.

Note: I do not have any interest in changing my DAC, so whatever amp is chosen will be fed by an unbalanced RCA coming from the 2Qute and will need to perform well in that configuration. (I know some amps seem to be strongly recommended with balanced in to balanced out setup, so I feel I should make that clear that will not be an option for me if it affects any recommendations)

Thanks in advance for any thoughts that could help!

You can also check out this chart for some comparision between the two. Its from WooAudio - unless you haven't seen it yet.
http://wooaudio.com/docs/wooaudio_amplifier_comparisons.pdf

 

[ajreynol]

Thanks for the insight and the chart, guys! Focusing on the WA22 as my tube option. Now to decide between the WA22, Milo, iCan Pro, and Ragnarok.

:-/

 

[pippen99]

There is a dedicated WA22 thread that split from this one that is now approaching 350 posts. I have not kept up with that thread but I have read most if not all of this thread. From what I remember the general consensus is that the WA22 is rather ordinary without a spending a tidy sum on upgraded tubes. I believe that some have spent near the price of the amp on tubes and that the WA22 can be made to sing gloriously with the right tubes. Search the posts by Badas as he seems to be the resident expert on the WA22. I have never heard a WA22 so I am only relating the sense I get from what I have read here. Also I am not hating on Woo as I own a near maxed WA5. Of your alternatives I was impressed by the Milo. Another tube alternative would be the AmpsandSound amplifiers particularly for me the LeeLoo. Good luck in your search!

 

[Badas]

I'm not sure a WA22 will have the power to drive a LCD-4.
I do find dynamic drivers work better than Planar on my WA22.
Planar fulls apart a bit.
I've kind of formed the opinion that you really need a 300B amp to drive Planar properly.
I've heard great things from 300B and Planar.

 

[BuddhaBruce]

I figure this is the best place to ask... I only own SS amps and was looking into getting into tubes.

One that asethetically catches my eye is the Wa7 fireflies with the tube power supply. Can you guys help in describing it's sound characteristics?

I'll most likely be driving my Aeon Flow Opens and Klipsch HP-3 with them, along with andromedas if possible.

Would these make 'good pairings'? How does the wa7 compare to say the Schiit Lyr2 or Valhalla?

Thanks guys

 

[ajreynol]

I'm not sure a WA22 will have the power to drive a LCD-4.
I do find dynamic drivers work better than Planar on my WA22.
Planar fulls apart a bit.
I've kind of formed the opinion that you really need a 300B amp to drive Planar properly.
I've heard great things from 300B and Planar.

It appears you're correct. After speaking with some Woo reps, I'm now looking at the WA5-LE for my LCD-4's.

Just not sure I have the space on my work desk for something that large.

Given the normal asking price, I'm looking at a used v1 WA5-LE with new tubes and a 1 year warranty.

Is a v1 WA5-LE with new, stock tubes good enough, or will I need to immediately look at tube upgrades? Is there anything I should be worried about with it not being a v2?

 

[phase0]

Stock WA5 is decent, but it can scale nicely if you get some good tubes for it. If you go this route you'll eventually want to try some new tubes or you'll never reach 100% of what the WA5 is capable of. It is rather big too.

 

[pippen99]

I have a v1 WA5 driving my LCD4s. The only keeper among the stock tubes might be the rectifier tubes and they are the easiest and cheapest to upgrade. You can get a pair of Brimars such as is in Phase0's signature for about $60 or a pair of Weber WU4GB solid state rectifiers for about $50. The power and drive tubes are where the money starts piling up. To get somewhere near the potential of the WA5 expect at least 800-1000 dollars. However that is where the big payoff in SQ is found. Space is a problem. The WA5 is nearly 9 inches tall for each unit. I had trouble finding a rack where the 2nd shelf was as tall as the first shelf. Remember, if memory serves, the units are 39 and 30 lbs respectively. Also the v1 is strictly single ended unless you have something incredibly hard to drive. When I talked to the Woo rep he told me never plug anything in to the balanced plug except the K1000 as marked or possibly an HE6. If your headphones have balanced cables you will need to purchase an XLR to 1/4 adapter.

I love my WA5. The only way I would sell it is for a down payment on a WA33. I think I will go listen to it now.

 

[reeltime]

Is a v1 WA5-LE with new, stock tubes good enough, or will I need to immediately look at tube upgrades? Is there anything I should be worried about with it not being a v2?

I’ve had both. The V2 is just a better version of the V1 with better control. It has a little more power as I recall- maybe 8W vs 5W? I may be thinking of the WA-5 speaker output.

Tubes are everything in this amp. Try to at least step up to EML tubes (300b and 5U4G). They resell well and higher end tubes are incrimentally better, not revolutionary. The GZ-34 metal base is still one of my favorite rectifiers. The 596 is great too, but you need adapters. The Takatsukis will cost you more than the amp.

Congrats! It’s a great amp.