[pfurey89]

Is anyone using a wa7 with Utopia? How's the pairing?

 

[Benny-x]

Thanks for the review, it was great to hear genuine owner feedback and see some beautiful pictures.

I'm a happy LAu owner, but also a gear'phile, so I can't help looking out for what my next purchase might be~

Do you have any further comparative feedback vs. the LAu? I know you've said it's a step up across the board, but I'd love to hear more about the comparison to get an idea about where the LAu falls in the big picture.

Then maybe also vs. other high-end SS or tube amps like the WA Headtrip, Woo WA5 upgraded, DNA Stratus or Stellaris, EC anything but the newer budget ones, etc.? I don't mean owned, but at least had a listen in a proper environment that could give you some idea of the amps and headphones?

Or the Phi's off a speaker amp? This is how I run my HiFiMAN HE-6 and HEKv1, to amazing effect.

And what about in the DAC department? Any others you're familiar with or liked outside, but on the same level as the Yggdrasil?

I feel it's really helpful to get a clearer picture of your gear familiarity in order to help me understand your perspectives that you have written about.

Thanks again, though, this was a great write up. And the pictures...!

 

[filip sebastian]

Hello,i bought a Mullard GZ32 tube, and adaptors for 6SN7. Can you reccomend me a few 6SN7 models that will go along with GZ32? The headsets are Beyerdynamic T1 first gen.

 

[joseph69]

I'm posting this in this thread because although I posted it in the 'Woo's New Flagship WA33' thread, there isn't much going on over there.

I received the WA33 (standard) this morning and carefully placed all of the stock tubes into their appropriate sockets, selected my appropriate voltage (110) then plugged in both SE/XLR inputs and the power cord. I switched the output to HP, impedance to L , level to L and input to 1(XLR).
I was immediately disgusted with the feel of the switches...they feel like total garbage, like they're broken. They actually feel like something which would be on a 5yr olds toy (maybe even worse) which has given me a terrible taste in my mouth right from the start. This, too me, is absolutely unacceptable in every way for $8K.

I have the amp powered up with headphones plugged into the (XLR) output and I intend to burn the tubes in for a few hours before taking a quick listen. Tonight I'm going to do a few hours of listening with my Utopia and give some brief initial impressions. After a sufficient amount of burn in, all I can say is that this amp better sound very acceptable with the stock tubes, and also give me the impression that it would have excellent potential with upgraded tubes.

 

[thecrow]

I'm posting this in this thread because although I posted it in the 'Woo's New Flagship WA33' thread, there isn't much going on over there.

I received the WA33 (standard) this morning and carefully placed all of the stock tubes into their appropriate sockets, selected my appropriate voltage (110) then plugged in both SE/XLR inputs and the power cord. I switched the output to HP, impedance to L , level to L and input to 1(XLR).
I was immediately disgusted with the feel of the switches...they feel like total garbage, like they're broken. They actually feel like something which would be on a 5yr olds toy (maybe even worse) which has given me a terrible taste in my mouth right from the start. This, too me, is absolutely unacceptable in every way for $8K.

I have the amp powered up with headphones plugged into the (XLR) output and I intend to burn the tubes in for a few hours before taking a quick listen. Tonight I'm going to do a few hours of listening with my Utopia and give some brief initial impressions. After a sufficient amount of burn in, all I can say is that this amp better sound very acceptable with the stock tubes, and also give me the impression that it would have excellent potential with upgraded tubes.

“this amp better sound very acceptable with the stock tubes,..”

Yeah! You tell them! It better!!!

Ps: i hope it does - good chance it will

 

[HiFiGuy528]

I posted this in the WA33 thread but I'll post here as well since the concern is also shared here.

Hi @joseph69 to address your concern about the "quality" of the switches. The quality is what we focused on when choosing parts for all of our products. In the case of the WA33, we use the ultra-premium ElectroSwitch rotary switches. Their switches are designed for mission-critical tasks and they are the primary supplier of high-quality products for electrical utilities, and the U.S. Navy. Sure, it does not have the buttery-smooth feel of switches found in consumer electronics but it is not a toy in regards to the quality.

Part of the break-in process is also allowing your ears to adjust to the new sound. We recommend customers to enjoy the system as normal during the break-in period. The sound will improve with every use. We hope you can allow the system settle-in before doing critical listenings.

Don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have questions or concerns. We’re here to help.

http://electroswitch.com/electroswitchesandrelays/default.htm

 

[abvolt]

I'm posting this in this thread because although I posted it in the 'Woo's New Flagship WA33' thread, there isn't much going on over there.

I received the WA33 (standard) this morning and carefully placed all of the stock tubes into their appropriate sockets, selected my appropriate voltage (110) then plugged in both SE/XLR inputs and the power cord. I switched the output to HP, impedance to L , level to L and input to 1(XLR).
I was immediately disgusted with the feel of the switches...they feel like total garbage, like they're broken. They actually feel like something which would be on a 5yr olds toy (maybe even worse) which has given me a terrible taste in my mouth right from the start. This, too me, is absolutely unacceptable in every way for $8K.

I have the amp powered up with headphones plugged into the (XLR) output and I intend to burn the tubes in for a few hours before taking a quick listen. Tonight I'm going to do a few hours of listening with my Utopia and give some brief initial impressions. After a sufficient amount of burn in, all I can say is that this amp better sound very acceptable with the stock tubes, and also give me the impression that it would have excellent potential with upgraded tubes.

I hope it works out for you 8k for a headamp, "wow" they should be the best switch's money can buy for that price. It sure does look fine, maybe some new type of switch call Woo I'm sure they'll help..

 

[joseph69]

I was rotating the impedance/level switches from H to L and vise-versa several times just to get aquatinted with the sound differences using 3 different impedance headphones. I realized that these switches need to be turned quickly, then they feel fine. When they're turned slowly (like I was doing) and as @HiFiGuy528 mentioned, they're not buttery smooth, I didn't know this, but definitely expected them to be buttery smooth as you already know from my reaction. I now know that they feel rather lumpy when being turned slowly like I've never experienced. My apologies for the outburst and negative remarks. Understanding now how they're supposed to feel, and finding out for myself that tuning them quickly they feel fine, I have no issues with them at all. Again, my apologies to all...I don'twant to mislead anyone on the build quality.

Now as for my initial (and I stress initial) impressions.
I left the amp on for 3hrs (with headphones connected) and did some listening for about 1-1/2 hrs this afternoon between my RS1i/Utopia?HD6XX and I can say I was quite impressed! I was actually overwhelmed at how good all of the headphones I tried with the WA33 sounded, especially with the stock tubes and the little amount of time the amp was powered on. I've been listening tonight for the past 1-1/2 hrs with the Utopia and am enjoying it very much.

 

[phase0]

I didn't ask to play with the switches at CanJam on the WA33 so IDK. I have the WA5, The HP Power and input selects are a little rough (not buttery smooth). I got the settings dialed in so it's rare I touch them. I never considered it an issue. I just assumed they're something rugged so I suspect it is similar for the WA33. The power and volume knobs which I do use frequently have a very pleasing feel and are more to the buttery smooth quality. Anyways @joseph69 I hope you enjoy your amp, and if not don't be afraid to talk to Woo about it as that's a lot of money and you should definitely be satisfied at the end of it.

 

[joseph69]

"I got the settings dialed in"

Thank you very much.
What do you mean by this? This is the second time I've heard this said (dialed in). On the WA33 the impedance/level switches go either H or L. I thought maybe there was a range between H and L so I tried it, but I had no sound output unless I turned the switch to either all the way H or L...there's no in-between. Is there an in-between on the WA5 which is why you're saying your settings are "dialed in"?

 

[phase0]

Thank you very much.
What do you mean by this? This is the second time I've heard this said (dialed in). On the WA33 the impedance/level switches go either H or L. I thought maybe there was a range between H and L so I tried it, but I had no sound output unless I turned the switch to either all the way H or L...there's no in-between. Is there an in-between on the WA5 which is why you're saying your settings are "dialed in"?

Right. There's no special nuance for these switch positions. What I mean is that when the amp is new or you get new headphones, you're gonna play with the settings: twist the knobs and flip the switches (and swap tubes potentially). After a while you start to settle into your preferred settings. After your preference is established those switches get touched less often. If you're using yours as a preamp, or mine for speaker outs... There's scenarios where I might switch outputs more often but I rarely touch it now. Hence dialed in...

 

[joseph69]

Right. There's no special nuance for these switch positions. What I mean is that when the amp is new or you get new headphones, you're gonna play with the settings: twist the knobs and flip the switches (and swap tubes potentially). After a while you start to settle into your preferred settings. After your preference is established those switches get touched less often. If you're using yours as a preamp, or mine for speaker outs... There's scenarios where I might switch outputs more often but I rarely touch it now. Hence dialed in...

Thank you for the clarification.

 

[Kane Williams]

On the Dynamic Range Database (http://dr.loudness-war.info/) I have some of the albums (downloads) they say have high DR. Using Mastering The Mix Expose software, I can confirm similar readings to what they get, however, in Expose, there are two measurements for DR, the first is for short term DR, which is the one that corresponds with the figures the database quotes but it is the second one that looks at overall DR of the track (I guess the average DR, so actually how dynamic it is) and all of the tracks I tested that they said were high DR failed this test, so that database is next to useless if the Expose software is to be believed. Such a shame.

 

[isquirrel]

Can anyone tell me what is the difference between a 6SN7 Tube and 13EM7 Tube please?

 

[elira]

Can anyone tell me what is the difference between a 6SN7 Tube and 13EM7 Tube please?

Both tubes have essentially the same function. The main difference is that the 6SN7 is a 6V tube, and the 13EM7 is a 13V tube, that means that you cannot use them in the same amp.