[Krutsch]

   
The perfect solution is to have a high end tube amp and a high end SS amp - both of which produce excellent, but different, SQ.
 
I was on track to achieve this, but then my WA5 had an internal capacitor hemorrhage ...

 
 
EDIT - my comments were a general tube vs SS spiel - nothing directed at you and your situation - apologies if I came across any different

I never thought that was your intention for even a second...

 ... I have a daughter in sports and music, which are tentacles constantly reaching into my wallet.
 
I am all-over having a high-end SS amp, but my next 2 audiophoolery purchases are: Beyer T1 or HD-800 for the WA3 (still pondering after my last meet...) and speakers for the 2-channel system in the living room (after a lot of auditioning, likely Spendor S3/5R2). After my upgrade spree at my desk, my living room stereo has fallen far behind on the transducer front and it's getting hard to enjoy (I can't believe I just typed that, but it's true).

 

[Justin_Time]

Solid state can be a warm and engaging sound. Perhaps not quite as enthralling as a good tube amp, but perhaps a lot closer than many folks think.

I think it is all about the equipment selection. Pairing a warmish and highly musical DAC (Auralic Vega) with a high quality headamp that is a little on the warm side (Simaudio 430HA or Taurus MK2) produces a sound that is WONDERFUL. In fact, I had to seriously upgrade the driver tubes on my WA5 just so it would be competitive with my solid state amp.

If I had to do it all over again, I would probably skip tubes altogether. I love the tube sound, but it doesn't stack up in a cost-benefit analysis against SS. For my WA5 SQ to be competitive with my 430HA SQ I have to put close to top tier tubes in it. That is expensive and takes the WA5 + tube costs significantly above the 430HA. Then there is the hassle of tube warm up, tube burn in and tubes blowing ... etc.

I switch my 430HA on and 2 seconds later I have great music. I like that a lot.

Tony,

Some of the Class-A SS amps are nearly as much trouble as tube amps.

My Pass Aleph amps do not sound any good until they are nice and hot, may be not hot enough to fry an egg but too hot to touch for sure. That usually takes at least 30 minutes, not very different from tubes. Also, it is highly inefficient, meaning to produce say 10 watts of music, they need at least 100 watts of power consumption--heck, I would not be surprised if it consumes that much electricity on idle. Now you know where all that heat is coming from. The amp is surrounded on all four sides by heat-sink fins. Heck, it is mostly a heat sink with a few small transistors inside. My friends call them the porcupines 'cause of the sharp fins sticking out and all that heat, both of which can cause serious pain if touched inappropriately. And of course the huge catalytic capacitors--think about the caps that blew up In the Woo and multiply the size by 10--typically dry out in 15 years or so, maybe sooner in all that heat, and must be replaced to prevent sonic degradation, transformer humming and catastrophic failures.

Oh I agree, tubes amps require greater care. All I am saying is that if you want the ultimate sound of Class-A SS amps, you have to put up with a lot too. We are enjoying springtime here in Houston so I have a month or two left to enjoy both my Woo WA5 and Pass Alephs. One of them must be put away in summer as my AC cannot keep up with both amps running and also the Houston summer heat. Ah, the joy of Audio...

 

[TonyNewman]

...
Oh I agree, tubes amps require greater care. All I am saying is that if you want the ultimate sound of Class-A SS amps, you have to put up with a lot too. We are enjoying springtime here in Houston so I have a month or two left to enjoy both my Woo WA5 and Pass Alephs. One of them must be put away in summer as my AC cannot keep up with both running and the Houston summer heat. Ah, the joy of Audio...

 
I know exactly where you are coming from on the heat front - I had my fill of heat and hassle with an 845 SET amp. That thing chucked out 200+W of heat continuously. You could BBQ your face by getting too close to the 845 tubes when it was fully "warmed up". Just brutal in the summer - running the AC was a must.
 
My SS choice was partly influenced by this. I use a Simaudio 430HA as SS preamp and headamp. This unit uses some form of proprietary magic from Simaudio to produce class A sound without the class A heat. It sounds superb and gets barely warm to the touch.
 
My power amp is an Accuphase P-4200, a class A/B amp. Accuphase also make beefy pure class A amps that get hot, but I avoided those because of the heat issue, and because A/B gives a much higher power output for less bucks. I have had this unit on for the past 8 hours and it is also just warm to the touch. I know going class A/B vs class A will involve some small degree of compromise on SQ, but that is worth it for me to avoid the heat issue (and any related reliability issues).

 

[Stax-i-nox]

I'm in the process of receiving a new pair of newly designed high-end 2 way speakers. The plan is to pair them
with my WA5, then try a couple of SS state amps....an Aragon A/B 4004 mkII and an upgraded Threshold A/B S200. With the Threshold, the plan is to use the Lightspeed Passive Attenuator. The speakers are 4 ohms. Will post here once I receive the speakers.

 

[Brittonal]

Does anyone have any recommendations on a dac for the Woo WA6 and HD650s at $500 or less?  I love the sound of my WA6 and don't want a dac that is going to change the sound very much.

 

[Badas]

  Does anyone have any recommendations on a dac for the Woo WA6 and HD650s at $500 or less?  I love the sound of my WA6 and don't want a dac that is going to change the sound very much.

 

I found the Cambridge Audio DacMagic (pictured under iPod) was excellent for the $$'s. Very neutral, rendered treble nicely and with respect.
 
Eventually went Arcam irDac. It has a slightly warm from neutral signature. Especially in the mids. That is what I was looking for. However if you want neutral DacMagic maybe what you are looking for.

 

[Justin_Time]

I am ready to take the plunge for a pair of Elrog 300B tubes for my Woo WA5.

Based on your own experience, a recommendation on the best place to order these from will be much appreciated.

 

[Khragon]

Got mine from: http://www.trueaudiophile.com/
Marc is pretty good and keep us in the loop when there's a slight delay

 

[musicman59]

  Got mine from: http://www.trueaudiophile.com/
Marc is pretty good and keep us in the loop when there's a slight delay

+1

 

[Sko0byDoo]

How about Takatsuki 300B U.S. distributor?  Thinking about taking a chance with PriceJapan...

 

[Stax-i-nox]

+1 for Trueaudiophile.com

 

[isquirrel]

Yep well thanks to constant plugging from Matt  I have a pair of Abyss (can you say Abysses ??) turning up today, I know I have slagged these things off but have never spent any real time with them, so decided to shut up and find out for myself.
 
We shall see if this turns out to be another "Pie in the Face" for me.
 

 

[HiFiGuy528]

We hope you guys and gals will join us.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/741136/canjam-socal-2015-march-28-29-2015-its-official
 

 
http://www.chestergroup.org/montrealaudioshow/2015
 

 

[Audioclyde]

How about Takatsuki 300B U.S. distributor?  Thinking about taking a chance with PriceJapan...

I purchased my TA300B's via PriceJapan; delivered to Oklahoma, USA, with no problems whatsoever. As they inform you up front, it can take them up to a week or so to get the tubes and ship. My experience was very good.

Randy

 

[isquirrel]

I purchased my TA300B's via PriceJapan; delivered to Oklahoma, USA, with no problems whatsoever. As they inform you up front, it can take them up to a week or so to get the tubes and ship. My experience was very good.

Randy

You won't regret it !