[WooAudio]

Hang tight. We hope to have the final version of the tube PSU for Montreal Audio Show end of the month. It won't be long!

 

[EdmontonCanuck]

Can I pre-order?

LOL

 

[JoelT]

  I wish it was only *once* a day that I was checking....sigh....I have no life LOL.
 
Agree with the extra set of glowing tubes I've got mine setup in my living room on a nice side table next to a very comfy couch. I ordered a nice new cable to replace my stock cable for my LCD-3's from Norne Audio. When I get the new PSU alongside my WA7 I'll post a pic of my setup. I can hardly wait

How do you like the LCD-3 with the WA7? I'm running a current LCD-2 with a Moon Audio Silver Dragon and it's pretty glorious with the WA7 (EHG upgraded). I'm not sure how the amp would fair with an even more revealing set of cans though. My initial thought was that I'd be better off upgrading amps if I go to a flagship headphone, but perhaps that's off base. Just curious of your impressions.
 
Enjoy the cable. Replacing the stock Audeze cable was a very, very good move for my LCD's.  

 

[EdmontonCanuck]

  How do you like the LCD-3 with the WA7? I'm running a current LCD-2 with a Moon Audio Silver Dragon and it's pretty glorious with the WA7 (EHG upgraded). I'm not sure how the amp would fair with an even more revealing set of cans though. My initial thought was that I'd be better off upgrading amps if I go to a flagship headphone, but perhaps that's off base. Just curious of your impressions.
 
Enjoy the cable. Replacing the stock Audeze cable was a very, very good move for my LCD's.  

I have to be honest with you....I'm a noob with this head-fi thing

  When I decided to get into it I tried to do some research and it's the WA7/LCD-3 combo that I decided on (I'm also running with the EH gold pins). I've never listened to anything else, so I can't comment really on how other setups might sound. I read up on other equipment combos but really took a leap of faith on the LCD-3's/WA7 from the various reviews that I read.
 
I could wax ecstatic on how much I like how my setup sounds. I'm blown away by it. I have a large collection of digital DSD (SACD) files that I listen to (well over 1400 albums) and every listening session I swear I sit there with those LCD-3's on my head and a huge grin on my face. I've read a lot of reviews from the Sennheiser HD800 guys (which I also considered) who say that they find the Audeze too "dark" but I just find the WA7/LCD-3 combo so "warm" and inviting and satisfying.
 
I don't think I'm the kind of guy that will own various high-end cans for all the different types of music out there...I just wanted one well-rounded pair and even though I can't say that there isn't something nicer out there (because I haven't listened to it)  I'm so satisfied that I've resolved to be content with my choice.
 
As for the upgraded cable, this is also an experiment for me. I have to admit to being in the "how can a cable make a sonic difference?" camp. Call me a skeptic....I'm fully aware of the "expectation bias" that can come from spending $$$ on upgraded cables. I still lean to the "snake oil" side of the equation, but who knows, I might be surprised (the upgraded cable is being delivered in the next week or so).  I'm trying to keep an open mind. I opted to purchase the Norne Audio Skoll cable for purely aesthetic reasons....I think it's beautiful and will complement my LCD-3/WA7 setup perfectly. After all, in addition to how great I find the WA7 sounds, I also find it to be an audio work of art, and want to enhance the visual setup further by replacing the rather plain-Jane (read "ugly") stock LCD-3 cable with the Norne.

 

[shultzee]

You certainly jumped in with very nice setup.  Congrats.  I tried various amps and phones until I ended up with LCD-2 and wa7 (also a pair of HD700).  I , like you smile every time I cue it up.  

 

[JoelT]

Thanks for your thoughts.
 
I can definitely relate to what you're saying...pretty much in the same proverbial boat here (i.e. had a large amount of music and felt that that my current music investment warranted a means to experience it in a much deeper and fuller way). Revisiting albums I haven't listened to in years has been an amazing experience.
 
I see you're not running the internal WA7 DAC (I am...no complaints), which I'm sure has some impact on the sound as well. I was really skeptical in regards to "upgrading" my cable too. However, the differences were easily and immediately apparent. It certainly didn't change the character of the headphone (that would be very bad), but it did noticeably improve my LCD-2 in terms of technicalities (imaging, dynamics, detail retrieval, "air"). That said, it sounds like a win-win if your primary goal is to enhance the aesthetics of the setup, agreed that the stock cable is ugly and lackluster in terms of build.

 

[EdmontonCanuck]

I'm not running with the internal WA7 DAC because of my large collection of DSD files. I wanted to use a DSD-capable DAC so that I could bitstream my music (via JRiver) directly to the DAC without having to convert it to PCM first. I'm very happy with my setup. I'm not knocking the WA7 DAC at all, I'm just recognizing that it doesn't support native DSD out of the box. I find the WA7/Exasound MkIII DAC awesome!

 

[EdmontonCanuck]

Hang tight. We hope to have the final version of the tube PSU for Montreal Audio Show end of the month. It won't be long!

 
Right country, wrong province I wish I was near Montreal, but alas, I'm 1,850 miles away! Looking forward to the official reviews!

 

[JoelT]

Yeah, I don't own any DSD files or SACD's, so it wasn't part of my equation. It does seem pretty widely acknowledged that the internal DAC is an upgrade point, so I suspect you benefit. Thankfully, I'm happy with the internal and certainly have no desire for more detail retrieval. Recording issues are already so apparent that I have no desire to push it further at the moment.
 
That new PSU on the the other hand

....

 

[AnakChan]

I'm not running with the internal WA7 DAC because of my large collection of DSD files. I wanted to use a DSD-capable DAC so that I could bitstream my music (via JRiver) directly to the DAC without having to convert it to PCM first. I'm very happy with my setup. I'm not knocking the WA7 DAC at all, I'm just recognizing that it doesn't support native DSD out of the box. I find the WA7/Exasound MkIII DAC awesome!

Last year after demo-ing Currawong' WA7, I sent my feedback to Jack Wu of my thoughts & incorporating DSD support into future WA7 (or their successors) but I never received a response from him.

I paired up my then HP-A8 as the DAC into the WA7 as the amp and it was a very fulfilling combo for the TH-900. I do hope Jack would consider DSD support for future WA7 successors though.

 

[PRaT]

Hang tight. We hope to have the final version of the tube PSU for Montreal Audio Show end of the month. It won't be long!

 
Just back from SSI in Montreal. True to his word, Jack did bring his new WA7 with separate tube PSU. Hooked up to a pair of Audeze LCD-X, it sounded absolutely fabulous.
 

 

[JoelT]

   
Just back from SSI in Montreal. True to his word, Jack did bring his new WA7 with separate tube PSU. Hooked up to a pair of Audeze LCD-X, it sounded absolutely fabulous.

 
Any further impressions as to how it compares to the stock PSU? 

 

[groovyd]

Needs a minimum length power cable between the two to give no more then an inch of 2 of placement between them.  Last thing I want is excess wire bulked up between the two.  As it is with the PSU completely out of sight the WA7 is a very zen like experience which I want to maintain. 

 

[phobos0411]

Wow... I didn't realize the separate tube based power supply would take the form of the actual wa7 amp itself. As a new owner of the wa7 (which arrived 3 days ago) I have only spent about 12-14 hours listening on the stock sovteks and I am already thoroughly impressed. My previous amp/dac was in the form of my xonar stx so the Woo was a bit leap for me but after seeing the pictures and reading the plethora of positive reviews I had to have one. What first struck me was just how much prettier it is to behold for real. The photos just don't do it justice! I'm awaiting the EH gold pin tubes as well so I'm looking forward to hearing those. But honestly this beautiful unit has far exceeded my expectations and I've still got so much more music to listen to. I'll be watching out for impressions and pricing on the new power supply though as it really does look the business here's to many more hours of listening pleasure! Once I've tidied my mess of a setup I'll definitely be taking some pics of the woo, its just so photogenic!

 

[EdmontonCanuck]

  Just back from SSI in Montreal. True to his word, Jack did bring his new WA7 with separate tube PSU. Hooked up to a pair of Audeze LCD-X, it sounded absolutely fabulous.
 

OK, so any word on availability?