[SeeHear]

Hi fellas, regarding the WA2, the guy just got back to me and said it is 7 years old but only 10 hours run time. 7 years seems quite old to me, but on the other hand my Talk Electronics HiFi Amps are about 15 years old and still sound amazing. Being new to this world of valves/tubes I’m unsure of the lifespan of these amps. There doesn’t seem to be many of these amps for sale in the used ads, I’m thinking they’re that good that people tend to just keep em. Any thoughts would be once again greatly appreciated. Thanks

Hi,

I've had my WA2 about 5.5 - 6 years, with WAY more than 10 hours on it! The amp itself is like new - no, it sounds better than new. The only negative effects from age, as far as I have seen, is degradation of the tubes. If the tubes are only 10 hours in, this deal sounds like a no-brainer.

 

[KEV G]

Looks like I’m going to pick the WA2 up on Thursday morning, so as long as it’s in the condition he described, I’ll be back on this thread a lot more I guess and thanks again for any advice given.

 

[thecrow]

Looks like I’m going to pick the WA2 up on Thursday morning, so as long as it’s in the condition he described, I’ll be back on this thread a lot more I guess and thanks again for any advice given.

I hope all works well.

Have fun tube rolling.

Fyi: There is a LOT of info on 6dj8 tubes in the lyr rolling thread. Some of which I completely agree with and a lot recent stuff i don’t

 

[KEV G]

I hope all works well.

Have fun tube rolling.

Fyi: There is a LOT of info on 6dj8 tubes in the lyr rolling thread. Some of which I completely agree with and a lot recent stuff i don’t

Lol, tube rolling is gonna be a whole new world to me, so I’m gonna need plenty of tips and advice. I’ve thought about trying some different tubes on my Valhalla 2, but I’ve only had it for a short time and thought it best to get well accustomed to the sound quality as it is before I start confusing myself with different tubes
Thanks again

 

[Csericks]

I think that you should take your time with rolling. IMHO there are many good options without getting into the highest $ tubes. I agree that some of the most expensive tubes may squeeze the very last drop of performance out of the WA2 but I also think that the sound produced by this amp is truly remarkable using some of the solid, but less expensive tubes. I've been using my WA2 for about 6 years mostly going back and forth between a couple of sets of tubes; those tubes are still going strong and I have enough spares of those tubes to outlive me. If I come across a good deal I'll add some more of the, supposedly, superior tubes but after many years I continue to be satisfied with what I have been using. My suggestions may be the opposite of many others and, as such, perhaps should be ignored.

 

[KEV G]

I think that you should take your time with rolling. IMHO there are many good options without getting into the highest $ tubes. I agree that some of the most expensive tubes may squeeze the very last drop of performance out of the WA2 but I also think that the sound produced by this amp is truly remarkable using some of the solid, but less expensive tubes. I've been using my WA2 for about 6 years mostly going back and forth between a couple of sets of tubes; those tubes are still going strong and I have enough spares of those tubes to outlive me. If I come across a good deal I'll add some more of the, supposedly, superior tubes but after many years I continue to be satisfied with what I have been using. My suggestions may be the opposite of many others and, as such, perhaps should be ignored.

Yep, I understand your way of thinking alright and I’m not about to ignore your opinion. I don’t think I’ll be going crazy with buying super expensive tubes, like you, if I come across a good deal, then I’ll take it and see how it sounds. How much does the sq go up by in comparison to how much you spend and also if I’m content with a cheaper tube then that gives me more money to spend on music....happy days. Cheers

 

[abvolt]

Lol, tube rolling is gonna be a whole new world to me, so I’m gonna need plenty of tips and advice. I’ve thought about trying some different tubes on my Valhalla 2, but I’ve only had it for a short time and thought it best to get well accustomed to the sound quality as it is before I start confusing myself with different tubes
Thanks again

I say you'll find tube rolling very enjoyable as I do, that's one of the reason's I got the wa22 with it's huge rolling options, you will notice sq changes from subtle to very striking differences it's well worth your time, one suggestion listen to your new amp with the stock tubes until you're very familiar with the stock sound then you'll really notice big changes when you do start rolling..enjoy

 

[Contrails]

Anyone got any internal pics of the WA33 amp? Not the elite one, the El cheapo version.

 

[KEV G]

So, picked up the WA2 today and just fired it up and all good. It’s only been on for about 20 minuets, couldn’t resist plugging the HD650s in and wow.... this thing is just what I was looking for.
I also messaged Woo direct for some advice also, considering this is a seven year old amp, wasn’t really expecting a reply and was pleasantly surprised with the response I got. Sounds like they have a great customer care/service policy, which goes a long way with me.
So my Valhalla is going to be rigged up to my power amp, so I can switch between that and the solid state pre-amp. The WA2 is going to be for my headphones.....happy days. Thanks people for all your comments in helping me decide to buy this amp, I am now a Woo fan for sure.
I’m now going to go missing for a while, back to the first post on this thread and see what I can learn from it.

 

[Csericks]

Glad it sounds good to you; I sure enjoy mine. What tubes were included?

 

[KEV G]

Glad it sounds good to you; I sure enjoy mine. What tubes were included?

I have no idea lol, he said his father bought it New with the $200 tube upgrade. He bought it because he moved to Tenerife and didn’t want to annoy his neighbors with his HiFi, but the neighbors didn’t mind the HiFi, so the WA2 was put in a cupboard and forgotten about and if you could see his HiFi you would understand. His son was selling it for him and showed me some pictures, waaaay out of my price range and my HiFi is about £5k
I really like his neighbors lol
I’ll have a look a the tubes in the morning and let you know what they are and you could let me know what you think, I would appreciate it and need to start learning these things. Cheers

 

[Csericks]

My opinion is certainly to be taken with a grain of salt but I'm happy to share what I think.

 

[KEV G]

My opinion is certainly to be taken with a grain of salt but I'm happy to share what I think.

I like salt lol
Cheers

 

[Contrails]

KEV G, the WA2 is supposed to be a good preamp too. Along with tube upgrades, I would also look at upgrading the output capacitors.

 

[audioadvocate]

I just bought a pair of TungSol NOS "matched"421-A tubes from bangybang tubes on eBay. Turns out one of the two has significant bottom corrosion and one channel is 2/3 louder than the other. The top on one of the tubes is not silvered completely like the other. They do NOT sound matched and I doubt that this is New Old Stock. I'm returning the tubes but I'm going on three days with no response from the vendor. Might need to get eBay in the act.

Anyone here have any experience with 5998 power tubes and the WA22? Woo wants $400 for a NOS matched pair and they are otherwise in short supply. I believe in having a backup set for each set of tubes...especially power tubes.