[ozziegurkan]

Does anyone understand how the Level toggle works? Is it doing an internal amplification when selecting Hi using the driver tubes or a step-up transformer or just letting in as unity? I want to make sure that I provide the most gain coming into this amp and not raise the noise floor before it goes into the power tubes.

 

[ColSaulTigh]

Does anyone understand how the Level toggle works? Is it doing an internal amplification when selecting Hi using the driver tubes or a step-up transformer or just letting in as unity? I want to make sure that I provide the most gain coming into this amp and not raise the noise floor before it goes into the power tubes.

You know, that's a good question! Shoot Mike @ Woo an email, they're pretty good and responding quickly.

 

[Bonddam]

Does anyone understand how the Level toggle works? Is it doing an internal amplification when selecting Hi using the driver tubes or a step-up transformer or just letting in as unity? I want to make sure that I provide the most gain coming into this amp and not raise the noise floor before it goes into the power tubes.

Believe the lo gain just adds resistors to reduce voltage.

 

[ozziegurkan]

Believe the lo gain just adds resistors to reduce voltage.

That’s what I want to find out. If that is the case, then I will just use my preamp to lower the output and keep it at unity without impacting the impedance.

 

[ColSaulTigh]

So I finally found a nice used pair of EML 300B Mesh to feed to the WA5-LE. Nothing remarkable to listen to, buy they sure are pretty at night!

 

[ozziegurkan]

That’s what I want to find out. If that is the case, then I will just use my preamp to lower the output and keep it at unity without impacting the impedance.

Found out from Mike that Hi level is line level, so I have switched to this and let my pre-amp do full volume control.

 

[Annarob1947]

I was being nice.. the empys kinda suck - don't spend money to try to make them sound good because the are meh.

I agree, i was torn between Lcd5 and Elites, 10 seconds on Meze was enough, too nice, too bland

 

[Givenchy77]

Anybody here tried the WE 300B tubes vs the Tats? wanted to get feedback from users .

Thanks.

 

[ColSaulTigh]

Anybody here tried the WE 300B tubes vs the Tats? wanted to get feedback from users .

Thanks.

WE300B = warm and gooey, slightly bloated, beefy, and rolled off on the top end.
Tak300B = Bold and strong, very clean, a bit clinical and polite.

ELROG 300B-Mo = ZOMG!!!! Literally make all my other 300B's sound like hot garbage. Ok, maybe an exaggeration, but they step all over every other 300B I own, by a fair margin.

 

[Givenchy77]

thanks man and you use this on your WA5-LE? How about the rectifier section what do you recommend?

 

[George Chronis]

Yeah, I’d like to know that as well. Elrog makes a 247B and 5U4G

 

[ColSaulTigh]

I'm using the Elrogs as I type this. They've been my default go-to rectifiers and power tubes ever since I got them back in June.

Elrogs makes both 274 and 5U4G variants. I had originally bought the 5U4Gs, but they were backordered. Parts Connexion recommended I try the 274. TECHNICALLY compatible, but one of them immediately popped when I powered on the amp. They went back and I was sent replacement 5U4Gs, which have been flawless ever since *except* that one of the 5U4G will make a physical "ringing" sound every once in a while. It goes away if I tap the tube.

Thomas Meyer (Elrog's current owner and chief engineer) inspected the defective 274 and thinks the filament may have come loose during shipping. He also says that he does not recommend using the 274 in the Woo because of plate voltage requirements (pulling that from memory, will look up his exact explanation later).

Performance-wise they out-perform everything else I've tried (see my signature). By far. YMMV, of course.

As for the 300B, they make 3 variants - ER300B, ER300B-Mo, and TM300B. The TM variant is limited production and reserved for use only in Thomas Meyer's hand-built amlifiers. I have not heard the ER300B, but the -Mo's are outstanding in every regard. If you put them up against the Western Electrics, you hear how slow, bloated, and rolled-off the WE's are. Fine if you want that romantic tube sound, but the sound flabby and lazy. If you put them up against the Takatsuki 300B, they're even more clean and precise, but with far more weight and impact. Compared to the EML 300B, 320B, 520B, etc....they really show off how modern engineering is moving the 300B out of the 20th century. Yes, they're pricy, but worth it (IMO).

Feel free too ask any questions - I'm here to help as best I can.

 

[George Chronis]

Thank you for that detailed response on the Elrogs. I’ve had the Sophia Royals in my WA5-LE and now the EMLs (and rectifiers). Do you have any more to say about the EMLs compared to Elrogs? Also, what drivers are these in the picture?

 

[ColSaulTigh]

Thank you for that detailed response on the Elrogs. I’ve had the Sophia Royals in my WA5-LE and now the EMLs (and rectifiers). Do you have any more to say about the EMLs compared to Elrogs? Also, what drivers are these in the picture?

The drivers are Sylvania 6F8G "Green Leaf" 1940's "Z0" date code - matched pair that I got NOS off ebay. One of the best drivers I've ever used. You should invest in a pair of adapters and find a pair of decent 6F8G's - they put just about every 6SN7 to shame.

The EML's are good tubes, big and bold, with a very warm, tubey feel to them. They don't have the cleanliness though of the Elrog. I have both solid plate and mesh 300B's, and they're definitely designed for a classic sound. The best way to describe the Elrog is to say "compare every tube you've ever heard, and take the best parts of each, and put them into one tube." Elrogs do sub-bass, bass, low vocals, mid vocals, high vocals, and hi-range perfectly. The WEIGHT and IMPACT is where it really shines through though. I just got finished listening to some orchestral music and to hear the low brass and low strings really resonate is the difference between a good tube and a great tube.

I have the Sophia Royal Princesses, too. Are yours also incredibly microphonic and ping like wind chimes for an hour after warm-up? If it weren't for those characteristics, I'd say they sounded good (similar to the WE300B), but those issues just ruin them for me.

 

[George Chronis]

Thank you for that description. Yes, the Sophias are indeed microphonic. I don’t touch the amp much or when I do, I expect to hear it They also ping for a long time. I’ve noticed that as well. I don’t know about an hour but definitely a long time. More infrequent as time goes by, but still there. After they settle and if I leave the amp alone, they sound very good, though.