[grokit]

I would say it could be a great amp, but it is not that easy to choose the tubes right. It has no problem in driving my lcd3f. In fact i expected the wa22 to be more tubey.

I am just trying to choose the right tubes. Not sure if anyone tried: Sophia 274b/rca 6sn7gt/svietlana 6n13s. It works quite fine for me.

You're right, I should have said 'really' good at the very least. I just found my WA22 a lot more fussy with headphones than I do as a preamp.

I really like the tubes I finally settled with: shuguang treasures for the drivers, sylvania 7236 power tubes, and a usaf 690 with a fantastic adapter crafted by 2359glenn. I used to favor different tubes for different headphones and even music, then evolved to a combination that I felt worked the best with the most kind of headphones and music. I did all my tube rolling before I had it converted to a preamp. When I realized I was satisfied, I bought multiple back-ups for them and stopped rolling tubes.

 

[cddc]

I think that anyone who has shelled out big $ for the og WE300B is automatically going to defend it as worth the excessive premium, which is allegedly due to scarcity. It's an obvious example of what is known as post-purchase rationalization, also known as buyer’s stockholm syndrome. In a nut shell, this is when someone purchases a product or service, then proceeds to overlook any faults or defects in order to justify their purchase, so as not to have remorse. In this instance the fault is the inflated price.

LOL....well summarized, man!

And this happens quite often, especially in the mysterious tube world.

I recently spent weeks researching on how various testers work and how transconductances are calculated/measured, and finally proved that Western Electric 421A and Tung Sol 5998 are the same tube because they have the same internal construction and same transconductance (if measured under the same plate/grid voltages). But some "not-the-same-tube" believers still think their WE421A's sound better than TS 5998 (though some other tube veterans like Skylab and DubStepGirl think they sound the same) .

The proof - https://www.head-fi.org/threads/crack-bottlehead-otl.476650/post-15927789

I think those believers just want to justify the excessive premium they paid is worth it, as you said, or quite likely their sound perception is unconciously biased hinted by the higher price on WE 421A (as people tend to think expensive tubes sound better).

 

[cddc]

You're right, I should have said 'really' good at the very least. I just found my WA22 a lot more fussy with headphones than I do as a preamp.

I really like the tubes I finally settled with: shuguang treasures for the drivers, sylvania 7236 power tubes, and a usaf 690 with a fantastic adapter crafted by 2359glenn. I used to favor different tubes for different headphones and even music, then evolved to a combination that I felt worked the best with the most kind of headphones and music. I did all my tube rolling before I had it converted to a preamp. When I realized I was satisfied, I bought multiple back-ups for them and stopped rolling tubes.

I'm a big fan of 7236 too

 

[cddc]

I found it neutral - the 6080s seem to have the least impact, certainly not as much as the 5AU4 or the 6SN7

It can well be, as in WA22 the output transformers will have a significant impact on the power tubes.

 

[grokit]

Kind of an edit: I should probably clarify that I still have the capacity to roll tubes, as I kept many of my favorite alternates around.
I don't have that many extras, but probably a few more than I need. I remember going in on a bulk order of the 596, but I sold off a couple.

 

[attmci]

Sure, thanks, below

You should use the alternative input.

 

[bpiotrow13]

You should use the alternative input.

Thanks, i know that already totally different sound.

 

[bpiotrow13]

Just found an information on a different thread that Woo inserted conversion units to wa22 and the newWA22's are converting unbalanced input to balanced from the viewpoint of the amp.

Does it mean that it does not matter if i connect the source to wa22 through rca or xlr? How can i tell which version of wa22 i have? I have v1, but seems not so old. Can i tell it by serial number?

I am still experimenting with my wa22. i have very basic dac (borrowerd from a friend) with xlr output and very good dacs with rca output. Wonder if i need to buy new dac with xlr output.

 

[grokit]

@bpiotrow13
It sure sounds like you need to know which version you have.

I'm in kind of the same boat, as mine is a v.1 that Woo converted to preamp, before v.2 was released. Shortly before that, I had them convert the SE input to XLR/balanced. Basically I had the (v.1) unconverted SE input converted to a balanced one, shortly later they made it into a preamp for me. This was over 7 years ago.

IDK about when the v.2 was released, as I was away from the forums for a while.

It sounds to me like there may be a 50% 'power/performance' issue with the SE inputs on the v.1 units, while there's a slight 'fidelity/performance' issue from the transformer installed on the v.2 units to eliminate the 'power/performance' issue. Meaning maybe I got it right for once, when getting these upgrades done.

You might want to send Woo Audio your serial number, and see what they have to say.

 

[grokit]

...mine is a v.1 that Woo converted to preamp, before v.2 was released. Shortly before that, I had them convert the SE input to XLR/balanced. Basically I had the (v.1) unconverted SE input converted to a balanced one, shortly later they made it into a preamp for me. This was over 7 years ago.

Since then... my WA22 has seemed to develop an issue with the headamp, independant of the preamp function which is still working great. I'm still utilizing both balanced inputs, but have the flexibility for an SE one now. I've reached out to Woo, to see if they have any more info on what mine might be up to regarding these inputs, as well as a possible repair, or trade-in. I think I would prefer a repair, but I do wonder what would happen with a standard RCA to XLR cable going into what I have now.

 

[njs170]

Just picked one of these amps up. So far enjoying it. The stock tubes leave room for improvement in my opinion. Already swapped out the drivers with the Tung Sol 6SN7 and RCA 6SN7. I have the RCA 6SA7G Black plates and Sylvania 5Y3WGTA on their way to try out.

 

[bpcans]

Hello everybody. I recently bought a WA22 (2nd generation) direct from Michael Liang at Woo Audio in NY. I hope finding this dedicated thread is gonna give me more information about my new favorite piece of hp gear. I installed the supplied Westinghouse 6080 power tubes, but I’m using a well broken in USAF 596 rectifier and grade A Sophia Electric 6SN7’s. Coming from a 1st gen WA6 this new amp is truly amazing. It’s like going from a Ford Fusion to driving a Cadillac STS with a big V8 under the hood.

 

[Roasty]

Hello everybody. I recently bought a WA22 (2nd generation) direct from Michael Liang at Woo Audio in NY. I hope finding this dedicated thread is gonna give me more information about my new favorite piece of hp gear. I installed the supplied Westinghouse 6080 power tubes, but I’m using a well broken in USAF 596 rectifier and grade A Sophia Electric 6SN7’s. Coming from a 1st gen WA6 this new amp is truly amazing. It’s like going from a Ford Fusion to driving a Cadillac STS with a big V8 under the hood.

Enjoy the new amp!
Let me save you some trouble.. I went through the whole merry go round of tubes for this amp. Source some TS5998 power tubes! And if you can get Mullard ECC35 tubes, you'll be pretty much done.

 

[bpcans]

Enjoy the new amp!
Let me save you some trouble.. I went through the whole merry go round of tubes for this amp. Source some TS5998 power tubes! And if you can get Mullard ECC35 tubes, you'll be pretty much done.

Thanks for the heads up Roasty. I take it that the Tung Sol 5998 power tubes are a vast improvement over the supplied Westinghouse 6080’s? Are either the Mullards or the TS tubes outrageously expensive? https://wooaudio.com/tubes/tungsol-5998-pair Never mind Roasty, I found them. And yes they are crazy priced.

 

[Roasty]

Thanks for the heads up Roasty. I take it that the Tung Sol 5998 power tubes are a vast improvement over the supplied Westinghouse 6080’s? Are either the Mullards or the TS tubes outrageously expensive?

TS5998/WE421a power tubes will leave the stock 6080 in the drawer forever.
ECC35 are the best driver tubes I've heard with the wa22 hands down.

Unfortunately, yes, both sets are pricey.. You can go about it both ways. Either spend money on a lot of other tubes, or just bite the bullet and get the ones I mentioned.

I like them so much, I have a small stash of 4x 5998 and 4x WE421a, and 4x Mullard ECC35.

I'm sure there are other recommendations out there. Have fun on the journey! U have a nice amp to play with and it'll bring your lots of enjoyment. I'm upgrading to a WA33 which is on the way, but will most likely keep the WA22 for a second rig.