Woo Audio Wa7 Fireflies Popping
Aug 23, 2018 at 5:49 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 23

ThunderJak

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Just purchased a Wa7 Fireflies from Woo Audio, and when I have my headphones plugged in and there is no music playing the left earphone makes popping/crackling noises randomly. I tried a few different pairs of my headphones and it's definitely coming from the amp. Is this normal? What could be causing this?
 
Aug 23, 2018 at 6:53 PM Post #2 of 23
Have you tried re-seating the tubes?

It could also be the tubes are burning in. If re-seating them doesnt help try leaving the amp on over night and see if that helps.
 
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Aug 23, 2018 at 8:16 PM Post #4 of 23
FWIW I have owned my GOTL for a few months now,and some times I get noise from amp,and other times not. Re-seating always fixes the issue. If your tubes are NOS,or simply new they often need a long period of time before that noise goes away. One night wont cut it,but since re-seating has helped I suggest allowing the tubes to cool down prior to rolling them out and re-seating.

Happy to help.
 
Aug 23, 2018 at 10:35 PM Post #5 of 23
FWIW I have owned my GOTL for a few months now,and some times I get noise from amp,and other times not. Re-seating always fixes the issue. If your tubes are NOS,or simply new they often need a long period of time before that noise goes away. One night wont cut it,but since re-seating has helped I suggest allowing the tubes to cool down prior to rolling them out and re-seating.

Happy to help.

So the occasional popping is normal then? I let them cool down and then re-seated them again. It pops occasionally in my left ear, but not like it was doing. I was just concerned about it damaging my headphones.
 
Aug 23, 2018 at 10:39 PM Post #6 of 23
Eventually the popping will go away,perhaps after 100 or more hours,but theres no reason to listen to popping. Just re-seat.
 
Aug 23, 2018 at 11:52 PM Post #8 of 23
Aug 24, 2018 at 12:16 AM Post #10 of 23
Do you think it is the tubes that is causing the occasional pop? What else could it be?

Very possible if re-seating seems to make a difference. That would indicate some pins did not have solid contact.
 
Aug 24, 2018 at 12:35 PM Post #11 of 23
Deoxit works great to remove oxidation and grime from tube pins,but one must be careful to remove the residue.

You can also use fine grit sandpaper.
 
Aug 25, 2018 at 4:04 PM Post #12 of 23
Deoxit works great to remove oxidation and grime from tube pins,but one must be careful to remove the residue.

You can also use fine grit sandpaper.

Okay thank you for the suggestions. I rolled the tubes again and re-seated them. The popping hasn't returned thankfully.

Additionally, I have also been considering getting a new FiiO Q5 with the high power AM5 amp module for a pure solid state listening experience. Do you think this Amp/DAC is adequate enough for 300ohm headphones, and will I notice any significant sound differences between the Wa7 Fireflies and the FiiO Q5?
 
Aug 25, 2018 at 4:38 PM Post #13 of 23
I have zero experience with that amp so I cant advise.
 
Aug 30, 2018 at 8:33 PM Post #14 of 23
Very possible if re-seating seems to make a difference. That would indicate some pins did not have solid contact.

So, I bought brand new tubes for the WA7 and I am still experiencing 1 occasional pop. I own a solid state amp and I have been trying to recreate the issue on it but it sounds perfect. Just having this is with the WA7, and it is plugged into its own wall outlet on a different circuit, and should be receiving very clean power. I'm am using a high quality AudioQuest USB cable as well. Any other ideas come to mind?
 
Aug 30, 2018 at 10:11 PM Post #15 of 23
So, I bought brand new tubes for the WA7 and I am still experiencing 1 occasional pop. I own a solid state amp and I have been trying to recreate the issue on it but it sounds perfect. Just having this is with the WA7, and it is plugged into its own wall outlet on a different circuit, and should be receiving very clean power. I'm am using a high quality AudioQuest USB cable as well. Any other ideas come to mind?

Your best bet is to ask Woo Audio for advice. They may take a day or 2 respond, but they always do. Try running the WA7 with another source for input versus the internal WA7 DAC. If you hearing popping in both cases, then you know the noise is coming from the WA7 amp.
 

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