I'm in the market to buy an amp for Auduze LCD-X and I don't know which amp to get. Woo Audio W22 with all the upgrade tubes or WA5 LE with no upgrades, just straight out stock. Which one would be better? Let me know thanks.
The WA5 would get my vote, if you have your heart set on Woo. The WA22 is relatively immune to tube rolling, so I would not shell out a lot for upgraded tubes (unless you are OCD and like collecting a lot of tubes in search of the Holy Grail.).
Personally, having owned the WA22 and then gladly moved on, I would go with an ECP L-2 if you can find one used or shell out $5K for the Apex Teton if you can afford it.
I'm in the market to buy an amp for Auduze LCD-X and I don't know which amp to get. Woo Audio W22 with all the upgrade tubes or WA5 LE with no upgrades, just straight out stock. Which one would be better? Let me know thanks.
The WA5 would get my vote, if you have your heart set on Woo. The WA22 is relatively immune to tube rolling, so I would not shell out a lot for upgraded tubes (unless you are OCD and like collecting a lot of tubes in search of the Holy Grail.).
Personally, having owned the WA22 and then gladly moved on, I would go with an ECP L-2 if you can find one used or shell out $5K for the Apex Teton if you can afford it.
X2, WA22 is very responsive to tube rolling. Unless you are set on tube, I recommend GS-X MKII or beta22 to drive LCD. I tried both LCD2.2 with both WA22 and WA5LE but it sounded the best out of my balanced beta22.
X2, WA22 is very responsive to tube rolling. Unless you are set on tube, I recommend GS-X MKII or beta22 to drive LCD. I tried both LCD2.2 with both WA22 and WA5LE but it sounded the best out of my balanced beta22.
Yes, you can alter the sound of the WA22 if you roll different tubes in it. But the changes are subtle in comparison to the effects of rolling tubes in the Eddie Current Super 7, the Singlepower Extreme or the Apex Teton, for example. The Apex Teton sounds like an ultra-fast, linear solid state amp with a Tung Sol BGRP 6SN7, Chatham 5998, and Sylvania 5AR4. Replace those tubes with an RCA 6SN7, Bendix 6080, and Mullard 5AR4, and the Teton suddenly sounds like a good SET amp with really nice mid-range bloom. Do the same with the WA22 and the difference in sound quality is about as significant as changing interconnects from Cardas to Tara Labs, i.e. subtle, not night-and-day. I put a high value on the ability to customize the sound of an amp to my taste through different tubes -- and in my book, the WA22 pales in comparison to other amps I have owned on that front. If you don't like the stock WA22, you probably won't ever love it no matter what tubes you use in it. At least that was my experience, was why I didn't like it very much and ultimately sold it.
But, if you are comparing the WA22 to a solid state amp, then I guess the WA22 is a tube rollers dream...only because the WA22 has tubes in it.
Yes, by all accounts it is a very good amp. Be prepared to buy a few 6SN7s (at least a NOS RCA) to optimize it to your tastes, since it is very responsive to tube rolling.
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