[exchez]

Nope...but I will say that once I made the move to EZ81's I've never looked back. I'd highly recommend you keep an eye out for the RFT EZ81 foil getters. They show up fairly regularly and aren't usually very expensive. I'm alternating between them and Marconi U709's (which are ridiculously expensive, lol) and the RFT's really hold their own when I compare them.

A pair of RFT EZ81s from Jim McShane was one of the first rectifiers I rolled in my WA2. They seemed fine until I swapped them out for EI EZ80s. I got so much more clarity and detail with the EI EZ80s (esp. with classical recordings) that I never went back to EZ81s. Maybe it's time to reevaluate that judgement. I would love to try the Marconi U709. Somehow those are even rarer than the GEC 6AS7G.

 

[bpiotrow13]

Flavor of the month ... miniwatt EZ80 hiding ...

Looks really nice Those power tubes are very interesting. They are chatham branded but no doubt they were made by RCA, not chatham (look inside how they look). RCA used to brand their tubes with other brands a lot, but I ave never seen chatham branded RCA, just like Yours.

 

[GPJ7]

Looks really nice Those power tubes are very interesting. They are chatham branded but no doubt they were made by RCA, not chatham (look inside how they look). RCA used to brand their tubes with other brands a lot, but I ave never seen chatham branded RCA, just like Yours.

Thanks! And yes, the two in the WA2 are unquestionably RCA. I bought 3 of them from an ebay seller for $15 apiece, Jan/2022. One of them ended up being a legitimate Chatham with copper in it (and same structure, I have plenty of those) which was a nice surprise. I knew exactly what I was getting from his one advertised picture which showed the rebranded RCA with pristine silk screen. Looks just a little too good wouldn't you agree?

But, $45 for 3 NOS 6AS7G right now is a good deal whatever it is. (Two imposters for the Woo, one legit for my Crack/SB) I don't have a tester but the pins looked new on all of them. And, they all glow well and sound great so no complaints.

 

[bpiotrow13]

Thanks! And yes, the two in the WA2 are unquestionably RCA. I bought 3 of them from an ebay seller for $15 apiece, Jan/2022. One of them ended up being a legitimate Chatham with copper in it (and same structure, I have plenty of those) which was a nice surprise. I knew exactly what I was getting from his one advertised picture which showed the rebranded RCA with pristine silk screen. Looks just a little too good wouldn't you agree?

But, $45 for 3 NOS 6AS7G right now is a good deal whatever it is. (Two imposters for the Woo, one legit for my Crack/SB) I don't have a tester but the pins looked new on all of them. And, they all glow well and sound great so no complaints.

Good, RCA are not bad, the only thing is that (at least my RCA) are a bit noisy. True with prices, I have recently bought 2 pairs of Chatham 6as7 for USD 130..

One really needs to look inside 6as7 tube to know what is that. RCA was branding tubes for everyone I guess. On the other hand I chave chatham tubes branded RCA (!), Chatham and Tung Sol. Every option possible

What do You mean by plenty?

 

[Onik]

I haven't posted here in a while, but I have been busy tube rolling. I want to thank all the posters for providing me much background info as I rolled tubes in and out, especially RU4music, MikeLap, and Heatfan12. I love my WA2 and I use it as both a headphone amp and a preamp for my speakers system. This is a very good amp and with the right tubes it is a fantastic amp. So I'll leave some quick impressions on my top 5 of each type of tube.

Power tubes:
1) Western Electric 421A- powerful, airy and dynamic. Huge sounstage with a 3D quality. Superb details. Intoxicated from the first listen, whether from my T1s or my speakers.
2) GEC 6AS7G - Slightly warm, very musical, refined details. Has both rich tone and great speed with deep articulate bass. Very apparent why this is a favorite of many
3a) Tung Sol 5998- very detailed and powerful. Much like the 421A but without the air and 3D imaging that makes the 421A so special.
3b) GEC 6080 - the GEC 6AS7Gs more affordable little brother, has 90% of his quality at half the price.
3c) Sylvania 7236- A very underated all around performer.

Preamp/Driver tubes: (6SN7s & ECC32 w/adapter)
1) Mullard ECC32 brown bass - Hands down best driver tube I tried. Rich lush tones, refined details, great focus, speed, bass, almost any desirable quality, it has. It almost plays like an instrument itself. Makes the whole system euphonious. ))
2) Tung Sol VT-231A - Very dynamic, very fast. spectacularly detailed. Paired very well with the GEC 6AS7G in my system.
3) 6N23P '74 Reflektor Silver shield single wire getter post - What a superb little tube. Rich, dynamic, fast with great focus and holographic imagery.
4) Sylvania 6SN7GT - most slam and best bottom end of any tube tried.....and yet it still maintains good balance and performance in mids and upper ranges.
5) Siemens CCA - large soundstage and 3D holographic imaging. Perhaps the greatest focus of all tubes with exquisite micro-details but lacks a bit of warmth

Rectifier tubes:
1) Marconi U709 - Very, very rare and by far the best rectfier tube. It's kind of like giving the amp a power supply upgrade. Lower noise floor, greater details and clarity, deeper bass. Everything plays with more flourish. I did not expect this much improvement from a rectifier tube.
*******not much to say other than a good rectifier tube makes your driver and power tubes better. I will rank the rest
2) Brimar EZ81
3) Telefunken EZ80
4) Mullard EZ81
5) RFT EZ80

Since 2 of my top tubes are made in England, my love of British valves is apparent. I have to thank Kef at ValveTubes for supplying me with the Mullard ECC32s and the Marconi U709s. It is nice to form a relationship with a good tube guy and I can rely on Kef to provide me the best. I love my WA2 and with the WE421A, the Mullard Ecc32s and the Marconi U709s, this amp sounds so good it blows my mind and brings a smile to my face every time I listen.

Roll on my friends.......and rock too!

Wrong information: Mullard ECC32 is not compatible with WA 2!

 

[cddc]

Wrong information: Mullard ECC32 is not compatible with WA 2!

Many folks mistakenly treat ECC32 the same as 6SN7, but they are really not!

ECC32 draws 0.95A heater current (vs 0.6A from 6SN7), so replacing 6SN7 with ECC32 can potentially overtax the transformer which can lead to transformer failure if there is not enough redundant capacity.

Also, ECC32 has an amplification factor of 32, which is much higher than 6SN7's 20. In a sense ECC32 is closer to 6C8G than to 6SN7.

So ECC32 is definitely not a direct replacement for 6SN7.

 

[euter]

I decided to sell my beloved Woo Wa2 with NOS tubes in pristine condition. Please check my classifieds, if you are interested.

 

[Onik]

I decided to sell my beloved Woo Wa2 with NOS tubes in pristine condition. Please check my classifieds, if you are interested.

Why?

 

[euter]

@Onik I used Woo Wa2 with my high impedance headphones - Sennheiser HD800 300ohm and Audio Technica ATH-ADX5000 420ohm. Now I’m moved to Focal Utopia 80ohm, which needs another way to good amplification.

 

[jonathan c]

@Onik I used Woo Wa2 with my high impedance headphones - Sennheiser HD800 300ohm and Audio Technica ATH-ADX5000 420ohm. Now I’m moved to Focal Utopia 80ohm, which needs another way to good amplification.

Woo WA6SE…

 

[Onik]

@Onik I used Woo Wa2 with my high impedance headphones - Sennheiser HD800 300ohm and Audio Technica ATH-ADX5000 420ohm. Now I’m moved to Focal Utopia 80ohm, which needs another way to good amplification.

I find it funny that people sell their Amps just for a HP. I never found Focal HP appealing, their design always a bit strange to me, and I can't even imagine buying a 3k+ hp LOL. WA2 can Power HP 26 ohm- 600 ohm with no issues as far as I know.

 

[Flisker]

Flavor of the month ... miniwatt EZ80 hiding ...

Are these 6SN7 Tung-Sols in the middle ?

 

[bpiotrow13]

Are these 6SN7 Tung-Sols in the middle ?

It is quite possible, 6sn7 can be used instead of ecc82 (through adapter) and I have ecc88/ecc82 adapter for WA2 so also ecc82 and ecc88 are interchangeable in Woo wa2.

 

[Flisker]

It is quite possible, 6sn7 can be used instead of ecc82 (through adapter) and I have ecc88/ecc82 adapter for WA2 so also ecc82 and ecc88 are interchangeable in Woo wa2.

I had no idea, gotta get me some of those adapters

 

[AudioDuck]

I find it funny that people sell their Amps just for a HP. I never found Focal HP appealing, their design always a bit strange to me, and I can't even imagine buying a 3k+ hp LOL. WA2 can Power HP 26 ohm- 600 ohm with no issues as far as I know.

While obviously the Utopia and Stellia are different headphones, I tried my Stellias on the WA2 (new to my system yesterday) and was very, very pleased. It sounded pretty amazing to my ears.