ShaolinGrump
100+ Head-Fier
UpstairsDownstairs rack complete. Umbilical bend was tricky. Had to size the lower shelf height to within ~5mm of the transformer lid.
Woo Audio WA6 + WA6SE: Tubes, Comments, Pictures, and Advice
- Thread starter Ahzari
- Start date
Xerosnake90
500+ Head-Fier
I'm having a hard time coming up with an answer to this. Wa6 vs Wa6 SE? I've found some discussion saying they liked the SE much better, but not much more direct comparison otherwise
I'm still teetering on waiting for a cheap Wa6 gen 1 to pop up or snagging a Wa6 SE gen 1 which comes with a bunch of tubes
I'm still teetering on waiting for a cheap Wa6 gen 1 to pop up or snagging a Wa6 SE gen 1 which comes with a bunch of tubes
jonathan c
Headphoneus Supremus
WA6SE delivers more power than WA6; this is true with both Gen1 and Gen2. For tube rolling, WA6 (not SE) Gen1 offers the most opportunity. The rectifier tube, 6922 via 6922 => 6DE7 adapter, 6SN7 via 6SN7 => 6DE7 adapter, 12AT7 / 12AU7 / 12AX7 via 12AU7 => 6DE7 adapter.
Xerosnake90
500+ Head-Fier
But how do they compare sound wise? I'm aware you have more tube rolling opportunities with the Wa6 but I'm assuming with more power you're going to get a potentially more detailed and harder hitting amp with the se compared to a softer lower power Wa6.
jonathan c
Headphoneus Supremus
.... only if the same tubes are used in WA6 and WA6SE ....
Xerosnake90
500+ Head-Fier
Right, so if you're rolling the same tubes or equivalents for example what does the SE do better as a base than the 6. If tubes were the only reason for overall sound we wouldn't need more expensive amps
jonathan c
Headphoneus Supremus
**** provide more power. This may be the determining factor if you are thinking to use 'hard to drive' headphones.Right, so if you're rolling the same tubes or equivalents for example what does the SE do better as a base than the 6.**** If tubes were the only reason for overall sound we wouldn't need more expensive amps
WA6 Vs WA6SE-
In my opinion, It depends on what direction interests you. If you’ve got really efficient headphones, the extra power of the WA6-SE may not matter.
Sound wise they’re pretty similar if you have easy to drive headphones and the same tubes in both amps. You can plug in a wider array of audio tubes into a WA6 (especially a Gen 1 I believe) so for tube rollers that’s important.
With either amp, you can push the performance pretty far changing the power tube without ever touching the audio tubes.
If you’re not looking to get into tube rolling and you want an amp that’s going to have no problems driving a wider array of headphones, you’re probably best off with the SE.
If you have an efficient high impedance headphone and want to play with tube options, the WA6 gen 1 may be the best choice.
I also think that both amps are good enough that with a good power tube, they perform excellently with the range of audio tubes you can use.
In my opinion, It depends on what direction interests you. If you’ve got really efficient headphones, the extra power of the WA6-SE may not matter.
Sound wise they’re pretty similar if you have easy to drive headphones and the same tubes in both amps. You can plug in a wider array of audio tubes into a WA6 (especially a Gen 1 I believe) so for tube rollers that’s important.
With either amp, you can push the performance pretty far changing the power tube without ever touching the audio tubes.
If you’re not looking to get into tube rolling and you want an amp that’s going to have no problems driving a wider array of headphones, you’re probably best off with the SE.
If you have an efficient high impedance headphone and want to play with tube options, the WA6 gen 1 may be the best choice.
I also think that both amps are good enough that with a good power tube, they perform excellently with the range of audio tubes you can use.
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Xerosnake90
500+ Head-Fier
Managed to find a seller for a Gen 1 Wa6 SE so have that coming in. He's including a Brimar and a couple different audio tubes for me to try out. Should be arriving tomorrow!
I have a gen 2 and it’s a really great amp. To my taste it prefers headphones with at least 80 ohms impedance, but it’s going to have some magic with the Brimar
Xerosnake90
500+ Head-Fier
My main HP is the 660s2 300ohm which I love. I might try out the 250ohm 1990 as well. Will be adding an HD800 probably by the end of the year and some ZMF headphones after that! I'm pretty happy with my Bifrost 2/64, maybe grab an Yggy someday
I kind of followed a similar path to you. I had a Lyr3 + PSvane CV181 TII, upgraded my DAC to a Bifrost 2, upgraded my amp to a WA6 SE, upgraded my amp again to a Folkvangr, Upgraded my DAC to a Yggdrasil, bought another SS amp. IMHO the upgrade from the Lyr to the WA6SE will be clearly audible.
Xerosnake90
500+ Head-Fier
Yea that's pretty much the path I'm taking lol. Though instead of a Folkvangr I'll likely end up at higher end Cayin, Woo or Feliks tube amp. I am expecting my Lyr+ to be for sale by tomorrow night
What'd you think about the upgrade from Bifrost 2 to Yggy?
I have to admit, I thought a lot about getting a Cayin. In the end I went a different way but the Cayin tube amps are no joke. I also thought about going upscale with Woo, but the step up in price to a WA5 LE was further than I was willing to go. I also thought long and hard about getting a WA2, but I decided that’s more of a sidegrade than an upgrade. In the end my love for creative engineering demanded the Folkvangr. It is a sonic step up from the WA6-SE (tighter bass, more detail, lower noise floor) but mostly it’s just more flexible on what headphones work well with it. For some track and headphone combos I still prefer the WA6-SE. Long story short, I figure a significant tube amp upgrade from the WA6-SE / Folkvangr price point is likely to cost a lot more than I want to spend for now. I did add a nice SS amp which allows me to choose between the thicker, creamier sound of a tube amp and more resolving tighter sound of a SS amp.Yea that's pretty much the path I'm taking lol. Though instead of a Folkvangr I'll likely end up at higher end Cayin, Woo or Feliks tube amp. I am expecting my Lyr+ to be for sale by tomorrow night
What'd you think about the upgrade from Bifrost 2 to Yggy?
Re going from the Bifrost 2 to the Yggy: definitely an upgrade, but smaller than going from my previous non-Multibit DAC to the Bifrost 2. That said, it images beautifully and adds a solid dose of clarity. I wouldn’t replace your Bifrost yet. It’s a fantastic DAC and you’ll get more bang for your buck upgrading other things first.
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phoneslave86
100+ Head-Fier
I am considering selling my WA6 SE. I kinda want to upgrade it to a WA22 or a bigger amp someday. My main amp these days is the Cen Grand Silver Fox but I still love the WA6 SE. I tell myself that it's ok to sell it... then I listen to it and I can't get myself to over and over. I love it setup warm to the hilt, copper ended cables everywhere, warm tuned rich lush mid custom tuned headphones. The low mid imaging is just a kick with this thing. On a 20A dedicated line the bass is huge and punchy, delicious tonal body in the mid-bass nothing quite like tubes. If I sell it and I probalby will at some point I wouldn't miss RCA interference issues with my many other electronics. IT was hard to get this thing fully isolated. In the long run the WA22 with XLR would be nice for sure, as well as having a preamp to have fun for adding tube preamp to Silver Fox.
I only use very high sensitive headphones. 107 Db to 114.5 Db, 32 Ohm to 64 Ohm. Isolated and noise mitigated I don't have issues with hiss and the sound is great. These JM headphones although sensitive love big power, can even run them with 20W into 30 Ohm on the Silver Fox no distortion. It's bordline hard to manage the hiss to a perfect place in some scenarios for these with the WA6 SE, does the WA22 have a lower noise floor than the WA6 SE?
I only use very high sensitive headphones. 107 Db to 114.5 Db, 32 Ohm to 64 Ohm. Isolated and noise mitigated I don't have issues with hiss and the sound is great. These JM headphones although sensitive love big power, can even run them with 20W into 30 Ohm on the Silver Fox no distortion. It's bordline hard to manage the hiss to a perfect place in some scenarios for these with the WA6 SE, does the WA22 have a lower noise floor than the WA6 SE?
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