Woo Audio I or Rega Ear?

[Steve Coal]

I recently acquired a pair of Senn HD-580's and have been trying to decide on an amp for them. I've read just about every post on amps for the HD-580 and the Rega Ear is said to be quite synergetic with them, but i'm also quite interested in tube amps (and not a whole lot has been said about the WA-1). I can either get a new Rega Ear or a used Woo Audio I for just about the same price. I've read gsferrari's WA-1 review, and he seems to praise it for what it is (a cheap tube amp), but I need some opinions, has anybody heard both? I'll throw in my music preferences as well, as certain amps are better suited for different genres. I'd mostly be listening to Electronica (all the sub-genres), Rap/Hip-Hop, and to a lesser extent Soundtracks/Classical. I do appreciate detail in music. I'd assume the Woo Audio I is the better amp (because it's 2x the price when purchased new).

Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Steve Coal]

Certainly somebody has an opinion..

 

[KZEE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Coal Certainly somebody has an opinion..

Buy the Woo - if you don't like it you can probably sell it for what you bought it for, whereas with the Rega you'd probably take a loss if you want to sell it.

 

[Steve Coal]

And I could probably get some benefit using my ATH-A900's on the Woo (whereas the gain on the Rega would probably be too high, and it was specifically made for high impedence cans anyway). Thanks for your opinion, I actually bought the Woo just 5 min ago - i'm excited.

- Steve

 

[KZEE]

Personally I think you're going to like the Woo much more than you would have the Rega. Enjoy your new-old amp when it arrives.

 

[Shizelbs]

I hope you like the Woo. You must've been the one to beat me to it. Weird, I was looking at the same two amps also. Let me know if it doesn't float your boat.

 

[Steve Coal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KZEE Personally I think you're going to like the Woo much more than you would have the Rega. Enjoy your new-old amp when it arrives.

Awesome, that's good to hear. I'm enjoying the sound of my HD-580's out of my M-Audio Revo, I can't wait for the added fullness of having the amp.

Shizelbs - Thanks. Yea I was the one that beat ya to it. If it doesn't float my boat I will definitely let you know..

- Steve

 

[some1x]

I would get the WooAudio 3 instead of Woo1. I've owned both. Woo3 is well worth the extra $100.

 

[KbdKid]

Does the Woo3 greatly enhance the RS1 phones? If so, what is the major area of improvement?

 

[some1x]

I bought the RS1 last Christmas, which is a few months after upgrading from Woo1 to Woo3 (just noticed that the price difference is only $60 now). The only headphone I have used on both amps is the HD600. The main differences between the amps are:
1) Much better looks. The Woo1 looked like a DIY experiment, while the Woo3 looks like a refined product.
2) Built in pre-amp feature.
3) Less crosstalk. The Woo1 used only one 6DJ8 driver tube, which caused higher than usual crosstalk. Also, this gave the Woo3 a wider soundstage.
4) Lower noise floor. (With the HD600) The Woo3 is silent for a few more clicks on the volume control. To be fair, the Woo1 was free from background noise at the reasonable volume levels.

 

[some1x]

I haven't listened to RS1 unamped, but for comparisons sake I could try the RS1 with iPod and see how it goes.

 

[Steve Coal]

Well the thing is, I got the Woo Audio 1 used at nearly half the price, so it would've costed like $300 more for the Woo Audio 3 (which is not quite what I wanted to spend on my first headphone amp)... The WA-1 i'm receiving does in fact have the pre-amp feature...

- Steve

 

[some1x]

Good deal I would recommend finding a quality 6dj8/6922/7308 driver tube for the WA1, it has considerable effect on how the amp sounds.

 

[Steve Coal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by some1x Good deal I would recommend finding a quality 6dj8/6922/7308 driver tube for the WA1, it has considerable effect on how the amp sounds.

I don't know that much about tubes, or tube rolling and the like. What would be a good version of that tube? Do good tubes necessarily need to be NOS?

http://thetubestore.com/sovtek6922.html
http://thetubestore.com/ehx6922.html
http://thetubestore.com/teslae88ccgp.html
http://thetubestore.com/teslaecc88.html
http://thetubestore.com/janphilips6922.html

- Steve

 

[some1x]

http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/scr...ubes.html#6DJ8

That's a good starting place for information about 6dj8/6922/7308 tubes.

In a couple of weeks, I should have an extra Amperex (RCA label) 6DJ8 and RCA/Tung-Sol 6AS7G that you can have for the cost of shipping.