[AcousticMatt]

Thank you all for coming out to CJ and got to listen to some nice music.

@AcousticMatt congrats again on owning the WA23 Luna. Thank you for sharing your home listening impression. The Luna looks gorgeous in the backdrop of the forest. I couldn't be happier to see the amp find a new home that fills with music and joy! You truly put the amp to the test by throwing in a wide range of headphones.

Jack

Thanks, Jack. Definitely enjoying it!

 

[Somatic]

Anyone running Susvara off the WA23 LUNA directly or is it better to run off as a preamp paired with a speaker power amp? Thanks.

 

[AcousticMatt]

Anyone running Susvara off the WA23 LUNA directly or is it better to run off as a preamp paired with a speaker power amp? Thanks.

Hey @Somatic - I'm running my Susvara off of it and am really, really enjoying it. Have not tried Susvara with a speaker amp though. I can tell you that I did try some headphone amps at CanJam (not the best environment to test, but left enough of an impression) that were more powerful than the WA23 but I didn't like them more and ended up getting the WA23. The WA23 still sounds huge and has a powerful bass, but in a more refined way vs. something like the Riviera AIC-10. I own a Ferrum Oor (w/ Hypsos, important to note) and will try the WA23 as a pre with that using Susvara and can report back when I do.

 

[Somatic]

Hey @Somatic - I'm running my Susvara off of it and am really, really enjoying it. Have not tried Susvara with a speaker amp though. I can tell you that I did try some headphone amps at CanJam (not the best environment to test, but left enough of an impression) that were more powerful than the WA23 but I didn't like them more and ended up getting the WA23. The WA23 still sounds huge and has a powerful bass, but in a more refined way vs. something like the Riviera AIC-10. I own a Ferrum Oor (w/ Hypsos, important to note) and will try the WA23 as a pre with that using Susvara and can report back when I do.

Oooh, very interested in this combo. Thanks.

 

[Arcamera]

Can anyone comment on how the WA23 Luna compares with the Feliks Envy? Thanks.

 

[AcousticMatt]

Can anyone comment on how the WA23 Luna compares with the Feliks Envy? Thanks.

I tried both at CanJam this past weekend. It was the 2nd time I heard the Envy and the 1st time hearing the WA23. I preferred the WA23, but liked the Envy a lot too. To me, the Envy was interesting because normally most tube sounds to me have a lower or mid frequency charm to them, but this amp had more of a treble charm. Not fatiguing, but it stood out vs. every other tube amp I tried. The bass was also big and dynamics were really good from what I remember, but.... I kept going back to the WA23 for its characteristics (good punchy but clean bass, incredible imaging, and that lush yet clear lushness that's hard to describe). Hope this helps. It was fun trying out all these different amps and even more fun finding the golden one.

 

[ThanatosVI]

that lush yet clear lushness

Love that part of the description.

So you say the Envy had more Bass authority and treble presence than the Wa23?

 

[AcousticMatt]

Love that part of the description.

So you say the Envy had more Bass authority and treble presence than the Wa23?

Hmm... I wouldn't say Envy has more bass authority, maybe a rounder sounding bass (WA23's bass is really good, just sounds tighter, but just as impactful), and I'd say WA23 and Envy both have great treble presence, but I remember Envy sounding more treble forward (in a rounded, soft yet forward way) vs. the WA23, which sounds more clean and clear. Kinda hard to put into words, but that's what I remember hearing!

 

[AcousticMatt]

Love that part of the description.

So you say the Envy had more Bass authority and treble presence than the Wa23?

DACs could've played a role, too - a dCS Lina was the WA23 DAC and I'm not sure what was connected to the Envy.

 

[hifixman]

Can anyone comment on how the WA23 Luna compares with the Feliks Envy? Thanks.

In one word, opposite sound sig

 

[Arcamera]

Is it something like, Luna: a little warmer/darker; Envy: a little cooler/brighter?

 

[hifixman]

Is it something like, Luna: a little warmer/darker; Envy: a little cooler/brighter?

A lot, with stock tubes
Also the bass, imaging and microdetails are better at Luna to my ears.

 

[decur]

I had the AIC 10 on loan for like 2 months while my WA33 EE JPS was being made. It was alright and reminded me of the standard edition WA33 I had before. However, the Riviera had a flaw I did not like. It got muddy at times, especially with fast passages on songs (I listen to extremely fast music at times). Other forum members noticed the same thing. @mammal said the muddiness goes away with a different tube though. I was just using stock, so you may be able to fix AIC 10 flaws with different tubes.

I haven’t heard the WA23, but I love my WA33 Elite JPS. I like Woo Audio a lot and I’m sure the WA23 is great. I hope to hear it some day.

in regards to aic 10 the stock tube that comes with it is nothing special. i was told by my riviera labs aic-10 dealer that burn in was 500 hours,but it took more like 800 hours to finally settle in. also,i tube rolled a bit,untill i found the perfect tube,that is amazing with my susvara and 1266tc.
with proper burn in and "excellent tube matching" i have no muddiness whatsoever...
as far as wa23 i have heard it twice,once at canjam newyork and once at axpona this year.
the wa23 is an OUTSTANDING sounding amp,and my favorite sounding woo amp.
i never liked the wa33 because at shows,i always thought it sounded bloated in the bass and slow sounding. i have never heard the elite version,only the standard wa33.
the wa23 is lightning fast,and extremely transparent.
i really enjoyed hearing it

 

[hifixman]

in regards to aic 10 the stock tube that comes with it is nothing special. i was told by my riviera labs aic-10 dealer that burn in was 500 hours,but it took more like 800 hours to finally settle in. also,i tube rolled a bit,untill i found the perfect tube,that is amazing with my susvara and 1266tc.
with proper burn in and "excellent tube matching" i have no muddiness whatsoever...
as far as wa23 i have heard it twice,once at canjam newyork and once at axpona this year.
the wa23 is an OUTSTANDING sounding amp,and my favorite sounding woo amp.
i never liked the wa33 because at shows,i always thought it sounded bloated in the bass and slow sounding. i have never heard the elite version,only the standard wa33.
the wa23 is lightning fast,and extremely transparent.
i really enjoyed hearing it

Just curious have you noticed how big the difference is for the Wa23 at NY/Chicago versus the one at Socal with upgraded pasvon tubes?

The elite version doesn't have bloated bass but even much less bass for me. The sparkling highs gave me goose bumps four years ago, probably the most beautiful highs I have heard, but again I was not listening to stock tubes but the almost 3K upgraded ones suitable for jazz music, so take a grain of salt of my sonic impression due to all the variances.

 

[DJJEZ]

in regards to aic 10 the stock tube that comes with it is nothing special. i was told by my riviera labs aic-10 dealer that burn in was 500 hours,but it took more like 800 hours to finally settle in. also,i tube rolled a bit,untill i found the perfect tube,that is amazing with my susvara and 1266tc.
with proper burn in and "excellent tube matching" i have no muddiness whatsoever...
as far as wa23 i have heard it twice,once at canjam newyork and once at axpona this year.
the wa23 is an OUTSTANDING sounding amp,and my favorite sounding woo amp.
i never liked the wa33 because at shows,i always thought it sounded bloated in the bass and slow sounding. i have never heard the elite version,only the standard wa33.
the wa23 is lightning fast,and extremely transparent.
i really enjoyed hearing it

I've never heard the standard WA33 but I own the WA33 JPS elite and it is an extremely fast sounding amp but of course this also depends what dac you pair with it.