[Ricey20]

Received my black WA22 today. Been burning it in, still using stock tubes to get a feel for stock sound before I get better tubes

 

[Gvvt]

Covenant, I've come across tubes, JJ 12AX7s among others, that had skinnier pins than normal, and nudging them inward did help; but you probably would have noticed that when you put these new ones in.

I've also found that some drivers in my WA2 are noisy when I first try them, but seem to clear up later. NO idea what that's about, but you may want to let them simmer for a while before tasting again.

 

[takezo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covenant /img/forum/go_quote.gif ...To be honest I highly doubt it. Why would the stock tubes work flawlessly if the retainers were loose? The 6FD7's felt secure in the sockets and couldn't wiggle. Also, I didn't touch the tubes while on. I dont think either the soft noise nor the loud cracks were due to simple microphonics.

it's possible that all of the tubes are bad but it's also possible that some, but
not all, of the pins are not making good full contact. you can test, to see if
this is the case, by gently nudging/moving the tube while you have it on.
i'd use a cheap backup headphone for this as the crackling/popping noise
may damage the drivers of the hp. if you hear the same crackling noise when
tube is moved then it's a contact issue. if not, then most probably your tube
is bad.

 

[takezo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricey20 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Received my black WA22 today. Been burning it in, still using stock tubes to get a feel for stock sound before I get better tubes

congrats on the new toy. please share your impressions on the unit when you
have time. thanks in advance.

 

[Covenant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricey20 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Received my black WA22 today. Been burning it in, still using stock tubes to get a feel for stock sound before I get better tubes

Congrats! Post pics

Quote:

Originally Posted by takezo you can test, to see if this is the case, by gently nudging/moving the tube while you have it on. i'd use a cheap backup headphone for this as the crackling/popping noise may damage the drivers of the hp. if you hear the same crackling noise when tube is moved then it's a contact issue. if not, then most probably your tube is bad.

Sounds like a good idea. I'll give this a shot.

Edit: No, nothing audible when gently wiggling the tubes while the amp is on. Music continues playing uninterrupted, and I hear no cracks.
Edit2: And again, after about 20 minutes playing, CRACK! in one channel. Maybe against all odds I really did just get 2 bad sets of tubes.

 

[indydieselnut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Covenant /img/forum/go_quote.gif Edit2: And again, after about 20 minutes playing, CRACK! in one channel. Maybe against all odds I really did just get 2 bad sets of tubes.

What you're describing happened to me with SIX different NOS JAN Sylvania 6922 tubes. I got so frustrated I sold them...the new owner had no problems with any of them. It really made me wonder...

 

[Covenant]

Quote:

Originally Posted by indydieselnut /img/forum/go_quote.gif What you're describing happened to me with SIX different NOS JAN Sylvania 6922 tubes. I got so frustrated I sold them...the new owner had no problems with any of them. It really made me wonder...

Yeah, I'm scratching my head too. I've managed to put about 3hrs of use on them despite the cracking, just in case it was initial 'noise' that would dissapear over time. But I have to worry if it could be causing damage to the amp, not to mention the headphone drivers, so I'm unwilling to let them burn further.

I have to wonder, could it be at all related to the Teflon sockets in our amps? I couldn't visually see any thickness differences between the 6FD7 pins and the 6EW7 pins, but perhaps the Teflon sockets are in some way unsuitable for this tube type? I don't know, I'm grasping at straws here.

Edit: No discernible thickness difference, but there is a length difference - the 6FD7 pins are longer than those on the stock tubes.

 

[takezo]

yeah, sounds like it's time to move onto other tubes... it's a good thing they're
only $4 to $6 per tube...

 

[takezo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by indydieselnut /img/forum/go_quote.gif What you're describing happened to me with SIX different NOS JAN Sylvania 6922 tubes. I got so frustrated I sold them...the new owner had no problems with any of them. It really made me wonder...

these tubes can be very high maintenance... in regards to performing best
under very specific voltage and temperature...

 

[rurika]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricey20 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Received my black WA22 today. Been burning it in, still using stock tubes to get a feel for stock sound before I get better tubes

Congrats !!


Still waiting my silver W22.

 

[Stax-i-nox]

It's been awhile since I have been on this site....I have the very 1st WA5 production unit....running the stock tubes that came with it, and the AKG K1000 of course....I have Stax stuff, but really, the WA5 combo gets the most use.....still going strong and sounding incredible!

 

[Csericks]

I had a bit of trouble finding a reasonable deal on tubes for my LDII so I did what any self-respecting head-fi member would do - ordered a WA6 with PDPS. As I write this note I'm enjoying my first 5 minutes of listening. Pretty damn good right out of the box; I can't wait to hear how the first hundred or so hours unfold.

 

[iTui]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricey20 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Received my black WA22 today. Been burning it in, still using stock tubes to get a feel for stock sound before I get better tubes

Wow, congratulation!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by rurika /img/forum/go_quote.gif Congrats !! Still waiting my silver W22.

My silver WA22 is expected to ship far away to Thailand by next week.
So exciting to amp my HD800 with it. What would be a good pair of XLR interconnect cables for C.E.C TL51XR and WA22?

 

[fallow81]

Acrolink 6N-2400II XLR

Great transparency, 3d-Imaging, natural sound.

 

[dannie01]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Csericks /img/forum/go_quote.gif I had a bit of trouble finding a reasonable deal on tubes for my LDII so I did what any self-respecting head-fi member would do - ordered a WA6 with PDPS. As I write this note I'm enjoying my first 5 minutes of listening. Pretty damn good right out of the box; I can't wait to hear how the first hundred or so hours unfold.

Congrats, you'll find it sing after the first 200rs of burn-in, enjoy and welcome to the unite.