No worries and my bad if my response came off a little blunt, it was late.
No, not at all.
No worries and my bad if my response came off a little blunt, it was late.
I upgraded to WA5LE but unfortunately/fortunately that my work is so busy I have to resell the WA5LE. Will try to get the WA5 probably later next year, currently I'm still too busy to listen to anything lately.
On the single ended vs balanced input, I had recently checked with Jack and he mentioned that for the "latest WA22, they have included a RCA to XLR phase splitter circuit built into the amp and we should get similar performance from RCA and XLR inputs. However, the XLR will sound cleaner and more open since it does not pass through the phase splitter circuit."
Do we know if most WA22 has this phase splitter, or this is a more recent change?
Regarding the WA22... there are $650 of upgraded tubes recommended on Woo's site. Are all these excellent choices, or is it a better idea just to go stock and buy different tubes? (I listen to Rock/EDM and prefer a slightly V-shaped sound, if that helps.) I would also ask the same question for the WA6-SE, since I have not yet made a decision between the two.
(I'm not trying to rehash 1000s of pages of tube rolling discussion, just want to get a feel if I would be making an expensive mistake going with Woo's upgrades...)
Regarding the WA22... there are $650 of upgraded tubes recommended on Woo's site. Are all these excellent choices, or is it a better idea just to go stock and buy different tubes? (I listen to Rock/EDM and prefer a slightly V-shaped sound, if that helps.) I would also ask the same question for the WA6-SE, since I have not yet made a decision between the two.
(I'm not trying to rehash 1000s of pages of tube rolling discussion, just want to get a feel if I would be making an expensive mistake going with Woo's upgrades...)
If you are prepared to do some hard work i.e. read through various relevant tube related threads to gain knowledge about various tubes & their characteristics , patiently stalk ebay & contact various tube sellers to get tubes that you want at reasonable prices, then you will get much better tubes , some cheaper , some more expensive but better sounding as well.
If you want to take the easy way just buy the Woo tube upgrades, you will get reasonably good sound.
So depends on whether you are the tinkering kind of guy who lives for the thrill of the chase of tracking down the next tube & enjoy comparing the sound of various tubes or whether you are a set it & forget it kind of guy who cannot be bothered with all that.
I will test RCA vs Balanced on mine tonight and let you know if I can tell a notable difference or not, as mine should be one of the "latest" WA22's.
I guess I would be in-between the two extremes. I would like to build up a tube collection, and if the Woo upgrades serve as a good start then I'm fine with that.
You should be able to tell pretty easily. My WA22 is about 3 years old and the balanced inputs play MUCH louder than the RCA inputs.
I guess I would be in-between the two extremes. I would like to build up a tube collection, and if the Woo upgrades serve as a good start then I'm fine with that.
As a starter Tube upgrade kit for the WA22 get :
Rectifier :
RCA 5U4G ($30 - $50) or Mullard GZ32 ($50-$80) or USAF 596 - adapter required (around $ 150 )
Power :
TS 7236 is available cheaper at other places (PM me if you need more info). You can also get GEC 6080 /Mullard 6080 / Chatham or Bendix 6080 WB Graphite Plates ($ 100 - 150 pair)
Driver:
Ken Rad VT231 6SN7GT or Brimar CV1988 or RCA Red Base 5692 or Sylvania Bad Boy 6SN7GT or Tung Sol 6F8G or National Union 6F8G or Sylvania 6F8G ($ 150 - 200 pair). Adapter required for 6F8G.
the above upgrades should cost you around $ 300- 450 & will give SQ equal (if not better) to the upgrades offered by Woo @ 650 IMO.
Only Caveat is patience & little effort is required to obtain the above at reasonable prices.
There are a whole lot more upgrades available (please check my profile for the one's I have) but I have just listed those which will give you great sound within a specified budget.
I think upgraded tubes are important for a WA22 (I can't comment on the WA6SE), but I would personally steer away from the Sophia rectifier and go with something else. I have found that both the EML 5U4G and several NOS versions (in particular Mullard GZ34 and WE422a) are better options than the Sophia Electric rectifier that Jack offers. I know opinions will vary, but I think that both the drivers and power tubes that he offers are quite decent. In the end, I personally ended up with different tubes than anything that Jack offers as upgrades, but I think that aside from the rectifier the upgraded tubes are definitely worth the money for the WA22. I know that DG (among others) have strong opinions about this, but I just don't find that the Sophia is all that good. Better than stock? Yes. But you can do better for less, IMHO. Or, in my case, for more...