osvaldo
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2013
- Posts
- 28
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- 12
I have both amps and listen with the HE-500 and the LCD-3. While I do like the Lyr (I bought it first) I definitely enjoy the WA7 more. The soundstage is wider and much more articulate - by comparison the Lyr sounds like I'm listening in a much smaller room with a somewhat muffled sound.
And the Lyr sounds a bit edgy and rough whereas the WA7 seems effortless and smooth in comparison. Like the ride difference between an Audi S4 and a Porsche 911, with the S4 being the WA7 and the Lyr being the 911. I'm only saying this in terms of ride mind you, not driving performance. The 911 ride is harsh and you feel the road more while the S4 is smooth and less hard on your butt during prolonged driving. For performance differences I'd say the Lyr is like an Audi A4 while the WA7 is like an S4. Both are nice cars but I prefer the S4's performance edge.
Bass performance in my opinion is better with the WA7 - I find ithe WA7 bass very impressive in fact. The WA7 midrange is very good also but the two amps are not that far apart, though I'd have to give the edge to the WA7. Female vocals - Roberta Flack and Carly Simon are good examples - seem to be reproduced with more transparency than the Lyr. And I give better marks to the WA7 for treble, with the Lyr being a bit grainy by comparison.
Incidentally, I'm running the WA7 with the ElectroHarmonix tubes, not the stock ones.
Don't get me wrong - I think the Lyr is a gret sounding amp. But I do feel the WA7 is a definite step up in sound quality, which the pricepoint would suggest. But the Lyr plus a decent DAC wouldn't be that much less in price than a WA7, which has a very good DAC built in.
My recommendation is to go with the WA7. Good luck in your decision.
I also have a Burson Soloist SL rated at 2W and a WA7 rated at 1W. On paper the Burson is more powerful (and in reality it does have the edge when it comes to sound pressure level), but when I put my LCD2 on the head, there SIMPLY IS NO WAY that the Burson will sound more powerful, articulate, with better soundstage and detailed as the WA7. The WA7 is simply in another league. It makes me hear much more things I wouldn't hear before and the pairing with LCD2 is phenomenal.
Also, Woo Audio sells direct from they're website, so no sharing profits with resellers and better components for you.
Just my 2 cents.