[grokit]

Quote:

hmmm...wow now i really want a WA22....
 
and what needs to be balanced? just my DAC output?
 
i would have
 
Bitperfect from J River Media Center >>> Musical Fidelity V-Link (USB/SPDIF Converter) >>> COAX/OPTICAL  >>>> DAC >>> Balanced out to WA22? is that it?
 
 
and would you guys all say a WA22 is for sure better than a WA6SE then?
 
 
i could get a balanced Cable for my LCD-2 / HD 800 but would have to stay single ended on the T1/ D7000 /RS1.

 
Yup, you just need a pair of XLR cables and you're good. Think of the WA22 as giving you that OTL goodness (it's not OTL, but very euphonic) you like out of your WA2, combined with the added current/punch of the 6SE.
 
And then double the power because it's balanced

(not really)
 
Note: this was pretty much the opposite of a technical/factual explanation, as I've never heard a WA2, WA6SE, T1, RS1, or a D7000. But yeah, for sure

 

[grokit]

 
Quote:

Quote:

I do have a few of them, both RCA and Sylvania.  The sylvania 5Y3 is better than 596 in the combo I mentioned, gives a very good base while tame the brightness without lossing the detail or soundstage.  596 could be a little bit aggressive in comparison. 

A little bit aggressive? 

 I couldn't relax the first time I paired the '596' with TS-BGRP's inside the Woo. The rectifier walked ALL over the drive tubes... "No no no, you're suppose to dance together!" I'd bark!!! It took a couple of cable swaps to prevent further assaults. They eventually went on to become quite the pairing!

Aggressive is the word that I am coming to use as well. It really pushes the envelope, but in a good way.
 
I've got a couple of driver pairings in mind, including the TSRP

; any hints

 

[Ahzari]

So the 5Y3GTs are good rectifiers? they have several pretty cheap selling on Ebay, I might just try me one if thats the case...

 

[Draygonn]

Thanks! It looks even better at night with the lights turned off. Woo makes great sounding amps that look pretty impressive.

How's my WA2 treating you?

Its a terrific amp. I listen to it everyday. Rocking along to Seal Killer right now. From where it's placed I get to see GolfNutz' 5998 heaters perfectly. Couldn't ask for more.

Here is my view when the lights are off and the WA2 is glowing


Enjoyed your article on Innerfidelity. Will you be working with Tyll on the upcoming amp testing?

 

[Dubstep Girl]

wish i could sell my WA6-SE and WA2. i would like totally buy that WA22 right now...
 
i'd have to sell both pretty quickly though, and for a good price, close to the sale price. 
 
now i want that WA22....bad...lol

 

[emremusic]

This place is bad for your wallet. It can make you totally want something, and convince you that it's better when you haven't even heard it. 
I know it's been the case for me at least. I just wanted to buy a WA6. Then I come here, and after reading few posts, l felt like I just had to buy 6SE and its upgrades. 
 
I was also wondering about something, I would be happy if some one could inform me...
 
It's been told many times on this forum, and by Jack to me in his email: You have to have a balanced source for the WA22. If not, 6SE is the "superior" amp. 
 
How can a balanced source make that much of a difference in sound? I thought the idea of balanced cable was to prevent interference or noise from very long cables in live situations. If we are not dealing with long cables, what is the point of having balanced outs on a computer dac? 
 
Instead of superiority, can these two amps be thought of as different characters, like WA22: euphonic, 6se: fast dynamic and SS like.
 
Quote:

wish i could sell my WA6-SE and WA2. i would like totally buy that WA22 right now...
 
i'd have to sell both pretty quickly though, and for a good price, close to the sale price. 
 
now i want that WA22....bad...lol

 

 

[Ahzari]

Quote:

This place is bad for your wallet. It can make you totally want something, and convince you that it's better when you haven't even heard it. 
I know it's been the case for me at least. I just wanted to buy a WA6. Then I come here, and after reading few posts, l felt like I just had to buy 6SE and its upgrades. 
 
I was also wondering about something, I would be happy if some one could inform me...
 
It's been told many times on this forum, and by Jack to me in his email: You have to have a balanced source for the WA22. If not, 6SE is the "superior" amp. 
 
How can a balanced source make that much of a difference in sound? I thought the idea of balanced cable was to prevent interference or noise from very long cables in live situations. If we are not dealing with long cables, what is the point of having balanced outs on a computer dac? 
 
Instead of superiority, can these two amps be thought of as different characters, like WA22: euphonic, 6se: fast dynamic and SS like.
 


 

same thing is constantly happening to me, and I think several others.. head-fi a beautiful curse. 
 

 

[Silent One]

Quote:

This place is bad for your wallet. It can make you totally want something, and convince you that it's better when you haven't even heard it. 
I know it's been the case for me at least. I just wanted to buy a WA6. Then I come here, and after reading few posts, l felt like I just had to buy 6SE and its upgrades. 
 
I was also wondering about something, I would be happy if some one could inform me...
 
It's been told many times on this forum, and by Jack to me in his email: You have to have a balanced source for the WA22. If not, 6SE is the "superior" amp. 
 
How can a balanced source make that much of a difference in sound? I thought the idea of balanced cable was to prevent interference or noise from very long cables in live situations. If we are not dealing with long cables, what is the point of having balanced outs on a computer dac? 
 
Instead of superiority, can these two amps be thought of as different characters, like WA22: euphonic, 6se: fast dynamic and SS like.
 


 

Power, baby! Complimented by common mode rejection by way of balanced design. Also, without a balanced source you'd be only using half an amp in the WA22. And if that's the case, you might as well save $$$ and get the 6 Special Edition. Looking at my DAC, it has an output voltage of 2.6v, but balanced output yields 5.2v. Luckily for me, Wyred4Sound has a fully internal balanced DAC, so even single-ended users benefit from common mode rejection. 
 
Also, the demands placed on the two power supplies should allow for more efficient handling of tricky passages, resulting in better sound. SE amps can and do sound good, but it still comes back to power - quality, quantity and isolation in my view.
 

 

[emremusic]

Silent One...
 
Besides upgrading to D7000's, I also would like to upgrade to my source: the apogee duet (1st version)
 
I was thinking about Bifrost.. but Do you have any suggestions for dacs that are below $1000 for my 6SE?? (My max is 1500 for both new headphones and new source)
Quote:

Power, baby! Complimented by common mode rejection by way of balanced design. Also, without a balanced source you'd be only using half an amp in the WA22. And if that's the case, you might as well save $$$ and get the 6 Special Edition. Looking at my DAC, it has an output voltage of 2.6v, but balanced output yields 5.2v. Luckily for me, Wyred4Sound has a fully internal balanced DAC, so even single-ended users benefit from common mode rejection. 
 
Also, the demands placed on the two power supplies should allow for more efficient handling of tricky passages, resulting in better sound. SE amps can and do sound good, but it still comes back to power - quality, quantity and isolation in my view.
 

 

 

[Silent One]

Quote:

Silent One...
 
Besides upgrading to D7000's, I also would like to upgrade to my source: the apogee duet (1st version)
 
I was thinking about Bifrost.. but Do you have any suggestions for dacs that are below $1000 for my 6SE?? (My max is 1500 for both new headphones and new source)


 

Absolutely no idea about Bitfrost. (grokit, I know you're still awake, weigh-in. 

 ) Are you thinking about maybe recording and playback through the Mac/Duet setup? Have you looked at the Duet 2? Because DAC's are proliferating, I'd seek to get a premium DAC Pre-Owned if possible. Strong recommendations aren't coming to me at this hour. 

 But now that we all know you're in the hunt...
 

 

[grokit]

Hmm, I've been following the Bifrost and the reviews are certainly glowing, but the Schiit FOTM period can be brutal. The only criticism that seems to come up is it doesn't quite fill in the low end as much as it could, but this is always disputed and then the claims of burn-in come along to fix it right up. But everyone seems to agree that it punches way above its weight class with incredible instrument separation and detail, as would be expected by the philosophy of the company and the pedigree of their designer (Mike @ Theta Digital).
 
Personally I am interested in upgrading from my DAC/converter setup (which is also a real heavy-hitter for its price) at some point, and am waiting for impressions to roll in on Woo's new offering, as well as the upcoming Schiit mid-grade balanced DAC. Others that I have found to be interesting for my needs are the new Audiolab M-DAC, and the Anedio D2. The M-DAC and balanced Schiit is/will be in a more attractive price bracket than the other two, and I am a value hound at heart. But that new Woo stack, from what I have seen the attention to detail is amazing. I must resist the pre-order deal!
 
If I didn't need balanced outputs, the Marantz SA-8004 SACD/DAC could be an option, as there's one in the trade forums right now that was recently reduced to $850.

 

[grokit]

Almost forgot why I wandered over here... for those of you having a hard time deciding between the WA6SE and the WA2, there has been some relevant activity in just the comparison thread lately:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/555749/sibling-rivalry-the-woo-wa2-vs-the-woo-wa6se-review-posted-update-6-3-2011/120#post_8238332

 

[hodgjy]

There are a few people here that could recable them for you if you wanted.  I'm not affiliated with this guy, but Zombie_X isn't too far away from you (Milwaukee), and he's a member of the trade.  He does recabling and could convert things to balanced for you.
 
Quote:

but would have to stay single ended on the T1/ D7000 /RS1.

 

 

[roadster-s]

Hi all, new head-fi'er here. I just stepped into the headphone world on a more serious basis recently, after having owned a set of Senn HD570 for the last dozen years or so. I now have a new Woo WA6-SE on order as well as a set of HD800's. I stopped my search on this combo after spending some quality time with Jack at the Montrreal AV show last week. Great guy, passionate about his art. The AV show gave me the opportunity to try out several headphone/amp combos, all with their own signature, but in the end this one fit my needs perfectly. I'll be running everything in stock form for a while and upgrade tubes and headphone cable later on.
 
I'll be running a Sony XA5400ES as transport with an EE Minimax DAC Plus (upgraded with a Psvane Grade A tube that improved the sound considerably), going to the Woo. I ordered the amp with loop out option to hook up into my Marantz AV7005, since the whole thing is part of my home theater set-up. Cables are all Better cables Silver Serpent thoughout my system, except for speakers. I'll be posting pictures as soon as everything comes in.
 
BTW, thanks to all of you, this forum has been essential in helping learn more about headphones and amps. In the end, my ears closed the deal.

 

[lyricsuite]

 
 
Woo Audio WEE - Issues! [ALSO POSTED IN THE MAIN STAX THREAD - I"M PRETTY CONFIDENT IT CAN'T BE A GROUND HUM ISSUE]
 
I haven't contributed much here despite lurking for a long time, but thought it would be useful to share my WOO experiences and to ask for any help the forum could give. I paid for a WEE with normal and pro bias sockets back in December. The first unit I received had something seriously wrong and buzzed loudly, so it went back across the Atlantic (I'm in the UK) and was 'repaired'. The repaired unit still hummed (but much more quietly) and following an exchange with Jack it eventually went back a second time, when I was told Woo could detect no fault. It's now finally back in the UK and the issue is as follows:
 
I have no hum from any other equipment (Stax 4070, 407, and original Lambda, SRM-T1S and SRD 7 Mk2)
Woo WEE hums from pro bias port (loudest on 407, and only slightly audible on the less sensitive 4070, there may be hum on the normal bias port, but the level is too low to be of concern)
Woo WEE hums when connected to sources (amplifiers from Merdian and Naim) and when running completely by itself
Hum is not volume dependent and is a harmonic of 50Hz power
Hum only occurs when the unit is switched on to 'star' (i.e. when running bias power)
 
I have tried the unit in three different locations and think it may have been quieter in one, so do wonder whether there is a mains issue to which it is super sensitive...
 
Woo will not help any further at this point (and have treated me like some sort of idiot, which doesn't seem very characteristic). I am a professional musician with 25+ years of recording experience and have never had a problem with my audio gear... 
 
Any advice would be very welcome!