[nephilim32]

Good?

Check out NEW OLD STOCK UNUSED USA MADE WESTERN ELECTRIC 421A OCTAL BASED POWER DUO-TRIODE on eBay!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2849005961...6KDfTlQqq&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=EMAIL

I think so. You did alright.

 

[nephilim32]

All this praise of how good the WA22 is as a pre-amp has me very intrigued.
I’ve never tried it as a pre.
I may have to swap out my Freya+ and try the WA22 out to my Sim Moon 400m monoblocks….

Absolutely go for it. I was nicely surprised. As a pre-amp the WA22 works best with my HD 800 so far (pre burn in. )
I’ve only got 16 hrs on the thing.

 

[CAJames]

… I also use it as a preamp right now into tube monos while I wait for my Supratek to finally show up after a 7 month wait. It sounds awesome as a pre, that’s for sure.

Me too. I probably use it more as a pre (also with balanced tube monoblocks) than I do with 'phones. It excels in both roles IMO and really simplified my system.

 

[jbua5150]

Look what you all made me do…….

 

[jbua5150]

I had a Freya once and the Woo is night and day in comparison. Only the lack of remote volume is a drag.

After my first few hours of listening, the sound quality of WA22 is FAR superior to the Freya+.
Soundstage has widened massively, and there is a crispness to the highs that the Freya+ just doesn't have.
I had tried this tube combo (Syl 7236+TS BGRP 6F8G+Sophia Princess) on Audeze LCD-4z headphones last night, and found them to be quite bass heavy.
The James Loudspeakers I'm using tend to be quite rich in the bass department. I was concerned that this tube combo might not be ideal, and that I should replace the Sophia for a Brimar CV717 to brighten things up. Not necessary at all! I'm getting a wonderfully balanced sound that I've not heard with the Freya+.

 

[deutscherhififan]

Look what you all made me do…….

Congrats! Just what the doctor ordered…

 

[Adnan Firoze]

Good?

Check out NEW OLD STOCK UNUSED USA MADE WESTERN ELECTRIC 421A OCTAL BASED POWER DUO-TRIODE on eBay!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2849005961...6KDfTlQqq&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=EMAIL

Looks good but it's a single. For the WA22, you need very tightly matched power tubes.

 

[Adnan Firoze]

On the topic of the WA22 as a pre, I honestly am not blown away using a Susvara and 1266 TC. I prefer them right off of the amp. I find the sound lose a bit body on the AHB2 power amp (relative to the amp output directly). It has also a lot to do with what power tubes being used. With the cheaper Thomson 6080WA, it is much warmer and full bodied as a pre than the TS 5998/WE 421A that are more powerful and transparent.

 

[davehg]

On the topic of the WA22 as a pre, I honestly am not blown away using a Susvara and 1266 TC. I prefer them right off of the amp. I find the sound lose a bit body on the AHB2 power amp (relative to the amp output directly). It has also a lot to do with what power tubes being used. With the cheaper Thomson 6080WA, it is much warmer and full bodied as a pre than the TS 5998/WE 421A that are more powerful and transparent.

I have a Leben CS600x integrated that can be used a power amp only, but it doesn’t sound as good as when used as an integrated. I had eyed the WA22 G2 when setting up my speaker based system given the obvious convenience but I was advised there are better preamp only choices so I went with a 300b based preamp which sounds awesome (but no headphone support).

 

[davehg]

heads up I am putting my Gen 1 WA22 up for sale. It sports some nice NOS tubes, and I had a shop install a pair of $450 Jupiter copper capacitors which greatly enhanced dynamics and tone. I’ll post a link soon. I’ve loved this system but now that my house remodel is finished I finally have my listening room back and migrating back to 2ch speaker setups, and the WA22 is a bit redundant with my Leben and Bottlehead amps/preamps. Will be asking $1600.

 

[synfinatic]

Anyone with a WA22 and experience with the WA6(-SE) care to comment on how they compare sound/presentation wise? I see a lot of people with both in their signatures and curious if you see the WA22 as an upgrade or just different/synergies with different HPs?

 

[VanHai]

Anyone with a WA22 and experience with the WA6(-SE) care to comment on how they compare sound/presentation wise? I see a lot of people with both in their signatures and curious if you see the WA22 as an upgrade or just different/synergies with different HPs?

I own WA22 and WA6-SE, both are 2nd Gen. It is definitely an upgrade from WE6-SE to WA22, if you pair WE6-SE with the correct tubes it can perform beautifully, up to about 85% to 90% of the WA22. To my ears the WA22 is a sonic amp, has more musical, detail, clarity and wider soundstage.

 

[ColSaulTigh]

In case anyone is interested, I found a pair of my beloved KR-Audio 5U4G Riccardo Kron Anniversary Edition Rectifier tubes for sale. I've bought from him before, excellent seller, but he's firm on his price.

Go get 'em!

 

[Adnan Firoze]

In case anyone is interested, I found a pair of my beloved KR-Audio 5U4G Riccardo Kron Anniversary Edition Rectifier tubes for sale. I've bought from him before, excellent seller, but he's firm on his price.

Go get 'em!

Argh! Now I regret logging on to Headfi this afternoon.

 

[Adnan Firoze]

In case anyone is interested, selling off my spare Mullard/Cossor GZ37 "Fat Bottle" (very different from the regular version, please read DubStep Girl's famous ranking and impressions - linked below) in NOS condition.
https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/rare-mullard-cossor-gz37-fat-bottle-rectifier-tube.29865/

You can read about it on DubStep Girl's famous thread/ranking. It's at #3.