[abvolt]

yes I have all of them I roll different tubes and try new combos all the time, the ecc35's are one of my favorite variants of the 6sn7..

 

[leftside]

You can get ECC35's for reasonable prices from reputable dealers. The early versions (late 40's to early 50's) are very expensive due to their rarity value, but later ones are cheaper and sound just as good (to my ears). The LCD-3 really appreciate the extra gain with the ECC35.

 

[attmci]

You can get ECC35's for reasonable prices from reputable dealers. The early versions (late 40's to early 50's) are very expensive due to their rarity value, but later ones are cheaper and sound just as good (to my ears). The LCD-3 really appreciate the extra gain with the ECC35.

Same gain as the one I listed earlier today. And I have other favorites.

I have the ECC tubes, but I will use Fivre and other tubes to replace these over-priced ones.

Just like I prefer clear-top 5998 to 421A.

 

[leftside]

Just like I prefer clear-top 5998 to 421A.

From what I can tell, the clear-top/bottom micas 5998 is the same tube as the 421A. Construction appears exactly the same to me. The clear-top/bottom mica 5998 seem about as rare as the 421A today.

The later 1970's and 1980's 421A is definitely made by Western Electric as Tung-Sol as a company were no longer around by then.

 

[attmci]

From what I can tell, the clear-top/bottom micas 5998 is the same tube as the 421A. Construction appears exactly the same to me. The clear-top/bottom mica 5998 seem about as rare as the 421A today.

The later 1970's and 1980's 421A is definitely made by Western Electric as Tung-Sol as a company were no longer around by then.

See the attached file.
WE-421A.pdf
5998.pdf

Need to find out the relationship between the Chatham and WE (a Bell company).

"Chatham Electronics Div was latterly a Division of Tung-Sol Electric Inc, Livingston, NJ. This in turn was part of Wagner Electric Corp in 1966 finally acquired by Studebaker in 1967. The Chatham organisation manufactured equipment but the tubes owe more to Tung-Sol as Chatham was not independent of their parent company."

"
The 1967 merger that created the company was arranged by the entrepreneur Derald Ruttenberg, who took the risk of buying Studebaker despite the liabilities that came with it, including dealer warranties and union agreements. He saw that Onan generators and STP engine additives were healthy businesses. The large tax loss was also valuable. Worthington was expected to continue to earn steady profits, but could use the tax loss to avoid paying taxes.[6]

"The stockholders of Studebaker and Worthington approved the merger despite rumors that the Federal Trade Commission considered the merger would be "substantially anti-competitive". The combined 1966 gross revenues of the two companies had been $672 million, with net income of $24.5 million.[7] Studebaker was acquired by Wagner Electric, which in turn was merged with Worthington Corporation to create Studebaker-Worthington.[8] The merger was completed in November 1967, creating a company with $550 million of assets.[9] The combined company included the profitable divisions from Studebaker, brake and electrical automobile component manufacturing from Wagner Electric, and diverse operations from Worthington that included manufacture of construction equipment, valves and power generation plant.[5]"

Did they spin off some divisions during the merge?

WE do have a history to design tubes to support the phone company.


Link to the old debate.

 

[leftside]

Right, so 421A tubes after 1967 must be Western Electric as Tung-Sol was no longer a company.

 

[attmci]

The detailed structures between the 57 Clear-top 2399 and the 56 WE 421A are different.

All mine clear-top tubes were produced in 57. Strange.

 

[davehg]

I recently added a Roon Nucleus to my system, which now controls my modded SB3/TriVista DAC. Roon ships with an Audeze DSP filter for all of their models, so I fired up the filter for the LCD3. What do you know - it improved the pairing with the WA22. So much so that I preferred this pairing to the Focal Clear. But I still dug the HD650 pairing with the WA22 too.

I’m only a few days into using the Roon Nucleus but I am totally sold on this setup for my digital sources. Integrates wonderfully with Tidal and controls all my home systems. Just need to play with a new DAC to see what can be improved.

 

[FYB-2]

That's good to read. Got an Intel Node(?) for Xmas and will be running with Roon after the New Year.

 

[paulomario77]

I recently added a Roon Nucleus to my system, which now controls my modded SB3/TriVista DAC. Roon ships with an Audeze DSP filter for all of their models, so I fired up the filter for the LCD3. What do you know - it improved the pairing with the WA22. So much so that I preferred this pairing to the Focal Clear. But I still dug the HD650 pairing with the WA22 too.

I’m only a few days into using the Roon Nucleus but I am totally sold on this setup for my digital sources. Integrates wonderfully with Tidal and controls all my home systems. Just need to play with a new DAC to see what can be improved.

Roon is great, isn't it? A whole new way to consume music. As my FLAC library is relatively small (~500 CDs), my Core runs on my Synology DS718+, and I don't have any system other than my headphones setup, so performance out of the NAS is great. It streams to my Directstream Junior via its Bridge II interface.

 

[davehg]

Roon is great, isn't it? A whole new way to consume music. As my FLAC library is relatively small (~500 CDs), my Core runs on my Synology DS718+, and I don't have any system other than my headphones setup, so performance out of the NAS is great. It streams to my Directstream Junior via its Bridge II interface.

Add Tidal and your collection is now infinitely larger. My new resolution is not to buy any new albums except on vinyl, and only after I’ve used Tidal to discover if I like it.

I love the way Roon has integrated Tidal, and I just need to try an MQA DAC to see if it really is worth the upgrade.

The price for a Roon is a bit high but I’ll still pay the fee - nice OS for music that really makes you wonder why any manufacturer bothers with creating and maintaining their own app. What I love is the ability to use one interface for all my music systems, and choose the gear that best suits my tastes, instead of being tied into a manufacturers ecosystem and waiting/hoping they support a streaming service (I am looking at you, Sony ES).

 

[BillinSF]

Bump

 

[koven]

This post is for price-insensitive audiophiles looking for peak performance from the Woo WA22 platform. My honest opinions are below. Thousands of dollars of cost are mentioned to maximize this platform's potential. What you read below are my thoughts and a chance for those who want it, to snag some real honeys of the tubes this amp was built for. I'm an anal, computer and lawyer guy who went razyu collecting but that was my fun. I want those who really appreciate the music to now have a chance to optimize. Interested in further discussions, you can PM me. Otherwise enjoy/criticize what you may read as snobby, but it's just what I've learned adn what I've collected.
I am going to post an "outside the box" post for Woo WA22 fans. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all, except some may disagree with some of the things I post. Disagree and comment if you like, but here we go. I'm revealing myself here, so no abuse please. There is a very happy ending here. A chance to snag the f'ing finest tubes for this amp that exist. For those who read on, the rewards await.

Two years ago, at age 60, as a lifetime audiophile, I discover this new-to-me magical concept of headphone tube amps. Woo WA 22 pops up in my research very quickly as the best platform. I am cursed with being able to afford things within reason, but I am a detail-oriented computer guy turned lawyer, so I do my homework. I discover the following.

WA22 is by far the best neutral platform for sound reproduction, but it is just a platform. It "holds and interfaces" tubes. That is it. Bunch of wires with a very well wired set of connectors that enable the tubes to really shine with the least interference. If you think the WA 22 platform is doing anything besides transferring current to components, you are confused. The tubes are all that matters. All that matters. It's a tube amp, designed for the audio tubes then available in 2008-09 when it was introduced. Guess what suckers! Those tubes are largely gone except to those who hoarded them.

Let me repeat. The Woo WA22, like any other tube amp, was built by a company trying to make money. Nothing wrong with that!!!! Woo discovered this opportunity in about 2008. Build a platform to create that Tube sound in an era of solid-state as the normal. That tiMe frame (2009) was the top of the roller coaster. Here goes as the downhill starts.

Damn it. These tube amps are a platform that connects tubes. The tubes do the work. My Porsche can ride on lots of tires (well not really), but not lots of tires can keep up with the Porsche engine and drive-train performance.

So god dammit, buy the tubes this amp was meant for, or you are wasting your money!! Why the f*ck do you think Woo is hoarding tubes? Mike is a great guy, but he knows; it's his business.

So here's the point. I discovered Woo about 2 years ago and went crazy. I'm a lawyer and did my homework , but could afford the best tubes, so dammit I snagged 'em.

Bought WA22 in early 2016 Hunted down all the best tubes. And did my homework into what every one of these tubes did. Overbought like a madman. Went to dubstep girl's rectifier post. Bought the best. Went to the to 6SN7 post, researched that thread, bought all the best.

If you don't quite get it, let me clarify. Tubes became obsolete in the late 1960's except in the soviet union. US pilots shot down Soviet MIGs in Vietnam that had tube electronics. So, why not obsolete in the USSR post Vietnam and the 60's when solid -state took over commercially? Tubes do not quit under EMP (electro-magnetic pulse (post-nuclear explosion burst))!! That's why there are more modern era Russian tubes; they were made post-Cold War until the Berlin Wall fell. Soviets were ahead of US in planning for post-nuclear strike scenarios.

What is my point? You have to buy the tubes the WA22 was designed for which is tubes that have not been made in 40-50 years! The Woo WA22 is a shining light and a crystal clear beautiful platform that requires that you honor it with the tubes it was designed for. Here's a hint, it was not designed for tubes built after it was introduced (2009)! Let that sink in.

The best tubes are US pre-1969 and if you can snag them military tubes during WW II (Joint Army-Navy tubes designated as VT.) or Korea. After 1969, US environmental laws limited metals that could be used in tubes, plus commercial and military use was ending.

OK, so why am I posting all this crap. I bought a Woo WA22 2 years ago and a f'ing TON of tubes. Only the best. Rectifers: Every quality war era driver you can imagine checking date codes. I mean the WWII era RC grey glass 1952's pre-June 1952 (if you don't know what I mean, you just aren't getting it). I never listen to this amp and it's to off-load.

Here's my Woo WA22 platform: Rectifier: WE 422A (1959). Rectifiers convert AC household current to DC for the amp. This is the number one component. Lampizator's Fiskus says the rectifier is 60% of SQ. You have to pay up! period. Search Head-Fi for Dubstep Girls Massive Rectifier post. I have WE 422A (2), 274A, Marconi.

Power tubes: nothing but Tung-Sol 5998's. Nothing. Period. An audiophile must have these. Kidding yourself if you think anything else will make the Woo sing.

Drivers: Search Head-Fi's 6SN7 post. Gotta go WWII VT-231's here. I have about 8 pairs of the finest you'll find on the head-fi post. WWII and Korea era VT-231's and so on.

I have about $10,000 worth of researched high-quality tubes I think audiophiles would enjoy a lot more than them gathering dust in my closet.

Just ask, and I can send you my eBay and other receipts. My price=your price.

-Bill

Have you considered trading up to the WA5 or WA33 at this point? Seems like a more bang for buck way to spend a few extra thousand than rolling tubes in the 22.

 

[BillinSF]

Bump

 

[attmci]

Bump

LOL