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Hello fellow Woo Audio owners. I have some questions about tubes (from a tube noob).
I've owned the WA6 for 4 months now (standard configuration), and I'm thinking about upgrading to better tubes.
This is my rig, by the way: Cambridge DacMagic --> WA6 --> Denon D5000.
First off; which tubes do I actually have now? On the rectifier tube it says "Electron Tube 274B". Is that a 5AR4?
On the drive tubes it says 6DR7. Are those equal to 6DE7?
What can I expect if I upgrade to Sophia Princess Mesh Plate 274B + 7N7 drive/power tubes? Will the sound be drastically improved compared to the standard tubes that came with the WA6?
Your 274B is...... well, a 274B.
Sorry, couldn't resist. The 274B is not the same thing as as 5AR4, but it is electrically compatible with the amp along with a dozen or so other types of rectifier tubes. It seems many recent owners are getting a Shuguang 274B as stock now rather than NOS tubes. The Sophia Princess is the same type of tube that you have now, only made to a higher standard. If you like the presentation of the 274B tube, setting actual clarity of resolution aside, then you'll probably enjoy the Sophia. What I mean by presentation are things like how vocals are presented within the stereo image (upfront or behind the instruments), how wide the soundstage is, how fast or slow the dynamics and rhythm appear to be reproduced...... things like that. Rectifier tubes affect these qualities of the sound a lot, and if you feel the 274B isn't matching your tastes well in one of these areas you can try a different type of tube such as a 5U4G and see if it works better for you. Decent NOS rectifiers are as little as $20 so you don't have to break the bank to experiment.
The 6DR7 drive tubes in the same family as the 6DE7 but don't sound identical. For one thing they are higher gain and result in higher output power from the amp than a 6DE7 does. The 6DE7, 6DR7 and 6CY7 are the small bottle tubes and generally have a more closed in and dynamic sound. The 6EW7 is a bigger, wider and more relaxed sound, and the 6FD7 sits right in the middle as a kind of best of both worlds tube for many people. IMO the 7N7 is a better option than any of them. I use 6SN7 in my WA6 personally, which sounds very similar to the 7N7 and am extremely happy with the results. What it will bring, more than anything, is an increased sense of refinement and finesse to the sound. The presentation is more three dimensional and organic sounding, with overall better resolution. In my case some of the 6SN7 also offer much better bass as well, especially in terms of response (going lower) and control (being "taut" or having a fast atttack to the note). Impact and actual quantity of bass isn't necessarily better than, say, a 6FD7.
There are no wrong choices, so experiment and have fun. But now that Jack is doing the 7N7 thing I would definitely give it a try. 7N7 tubes are generally less expensive than 6SN7 as well, though the downside is they are generally less available and have a more narrow list of choices too. If it were me, I'd find the oldest vintage of Sylvania 7N7 you can find and go from there.
Best Regards.
