Still enjoying this setup along with my
HE-6.
The WA5 is running WE300B, TS VT-99, and 596s. The sound is as transparent and natural as I can get it without spending a lot more. Tube-wise, I might get Sylvania 6SN7W + WE274B or find a GEC B65 or Sweden standard 33S30B if I can find for a good price.
The GSX Mk2 sometimes preamps for the WA5, as well as for the First watt J2. It improves the wa5 sound by tightening the bass and adding dynamic energy.
the speakers are Omega Speakers RS8 compact monitors with their “Speed 10” subwoofer. 98db efficiency single drivers, they are perfect for the wa5 and its 8W of 300B. The sound is smooth, palpable, organic, and transparent, it sounds like music and the speakers can disappear, very detailed but also effortless and lifelike in its presentation. the WE300B were key to providing this openness, holographic, and realism to the sound, without it, it wasn’t as good (used eml 300b prior to we300b). I don’t consider a 300B amp complete or reference level unless it has WE300B, they are a must, otherwise might as well go 2A3 push pull or something else. Love the SET magic of this setup, the purity is unmatched.
There is no coloration in the tonality or expression of the sound, it is absolutely lifelike, the equipment erases itself and the recording comes to life. Absolutely Zero grain. Very immersive. This is the WE300B doing this as the amp / my system didn’t get to this level until I added it to the Woo. With inferior 300B like the EML mesh pair, the sound was great still, clean, detailed, open, extended, but I could still hear the recording, the colorations, the decay wasn’t as liquid and organic, it was just controlled and good, but not real, i could tell it was an amp, a recording, a pair of speakers, a system emulating reality and staying in the realm of good hifi, but not fully breaking thru to the truth, the sound of nothing, but the sound itself, you hear it, and simply experience music, as it is.
Also Volume-wise, its perfect, gets very loud if I want to, perfect for normal size house or apartment living rooms. Bass is solid too, not the deepest, but good enough for most music except test recordings with really low extension. the bass is tight, fast, details, and as natural as I have heard, very clean lifelike decay.
As for the HE-6 combo, I run the gsx into wa5 for the best sound, as the extra gain and dynamics really help finish driving the power hungry he-6 and clean up the bass and transients. Its world-class sound, really leaves nothing to be desired of the setup. I don’t think I can better sound unless I go for something TOTL like susvara.
Overall, WA5 is a winner. It serves as my main amp for a speaker setup while still being able to be there for headphones. the 300b magic is real, and is worth going for, if you can get the right tubes and a setup it works well for (headphones, high efficiency single driver speakers, small/med size rooms).
The WA5 is Woo’s best amp along with the WA33. The newer WA33 will sound better when maxed out internally and with stock tubes due to its 2a3 push pull design, its “more neutral” and dynamic and seemingly more detailed. when maxed with nos 2a3, it’ll be as good as max wa5, perhaps only missing a bit of that purity and openness in exchange for dynamics and detail as well as 2W of more power. the wa5 is simply above average with normal tubes, quite colored at times being warm and slow despite its detail and openness, its so tube dependent. with maxed out tubes and we300b, it goes to another level, and becomes a world class SET amp, only beaten by very nice 300B amps costing tens of thousands of dollars. The WE300B is expensive, and makes the WA5 cost as much as an upgraded WA33, but that 300B magic is well worth the investment, its the ultimate audio tube.
