[AudioDuck]

Don't complicate things. Here's what you do.
Step #1 - Rob your local 7-11.
Step #2 - GEC 6AS7G power tubes, RFT EZ81 foil getter rectifiers and pick between the following for your driver tubes,
depending on your mood: Telefunken ECC801S, Brimar CV455 or RFT ECC81 with foil getters.
You'll need the adapters for all 3 driver choices.
Step #3 - Sit back and enjoy more music than you can possibly ever digest.

(Haha, I'm only half kidding)

LOL, thanks for the tips!

I’m good on rectifier tubes (RFT EZ81 foil getters in place), and honestly my NOS Amperex PQ white shield 7308s are pretty amazing, so I think I’m good on drivers.

It’s really all about power tubes for me to wrap things up. And frankly, the Tung-Sol 7236s sound darn good to me. This dive into deeper tube waters was to find decent backups for the 7236s, should something happen.

I tried my last inbound pair, Sylvania JAN 6080WCs. They sounded pretty close to the Tung-Sol 7236s, so the best backups of the sets I bought.

Though after about 10-15 minutes of play, I increased the volume slightly and heard a fairly loud “pop” in one channel. The headphones were thankfully undamaged, and the sound remained at the same quality. Hopefully that’s a rare occurrence.

After powering down/cooling down, I rolled back to 7236s, feeling pretty good about the 6080s as the alternative for the 7236s if need arises.

Thanks for following along on the tube-noob journey! Now I’ll calm down, love the WA2 with current tubes in place, and save up for 5998s (and a fuse upgrade) in the next months/year…

 

[jonathan c]

Just when you thought that you could ‘Woo Two’ awhile……not tubes……first upgrade the fuse to a Synergistic Research Purple: 5x20mm, T 3.15A (T = timed / slow-blow). Then experience….…!

 

[billerb1]

Just when you thought that you could ‘Woo Two’ awhile……not tubes……first upgrade the fuse to a Synergistic Research Purple: 5x20mm, T 3.15A (T = timed / slow-blow). Then experience….…!

Kill me and get it over with. I think for about the last week and a half I've been totally at peace with my rig. Thanks bro.

 

[AudioDuck]

Kill me and get it over with. I think for about the last week and a half I've been totally at peace with my rig. Thanks bro.

Well, heck, why not- let’s crank this Woo to 11!

 

[HeatFan12]

Changing it up a bit on a stormy weekend in MIA. Mullard EZ80s, RCA 5670s and the work horses GE 6AS7Gs.

Good times!

Cheers!!

 

[jonathan c]

Kill me and get it over with. I think for about the last week and a half I've been totally at peace with my rig. Thanks bro.

Spank wallet now , thank me later …

 

[GPJ7]

I handcraft my "fuses" from this high quality "F.T.F.F." 12 gauge solid core copper ....

 

[jonathan c]

Enjoying the WA2. Le roulement du soir: RFT EZ81, GEC CV2984, Amperex PQ 7308. Les ecouteurs du soir: HD6XX (Custom Cans UK mod) / Norne Audio Vygarde.

 

[billerb1]

Just when you thought that you could ‘Woo Two’ awhile……not tubes……first upgrade the fuse to a Synergistic Research Purple: 5x20mm, T 3.15A (T = timed / slow-blow). Then experience….…!

I am now a believer. Everything good about your WA2 just got better. A lot better.

 

[AudioDuck]

I am now a believer. Everything good about your WA2 just got better. A lot better.

I agree- I’ve got 6-8 hours with the WA2 post-fuse installation now, and am loving it.

I also meandered into adapter territory for input tubes, and rolled in 12AU7 Brimars (CV4003 1957 Footscray NOS units, sorry @jonathan c , not 12AT7s/CV455s- yet anyway).

DAMN. How can the detail level over a velvety-black background with rich, glowing mids be possible? The 7308s sound like very good solid-state (but solid-state nonetheless) in comparison.

And the air around instruments and voices… we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto!

Set for tubes now, loving this combo… and a great Norne upgrade cable for my ZMFs arriving today. Getting close to a Nirvana-like harmony here.

(I guess I can remove the bookmarks on those spendy 5998s and such now… yay!)

 

[jonathan c]

I agree- I’ve got 6-8 hours with the WA2 post-fuse installation now, and am loving it.

I also meandered into adapter territory for input tubes, and rolled in 12AU7 Brimars (CV4003 1957 Footscray NOS units, sorry @jonathan c , not 12AT7s/CV455s- yet anyway).

DAMN. How can the detail level over a velvety-black background with rich, glowing mids be possible? The 7308s sound like very good solid-state (but solid-state nonetheless) in comparison.

And the air around instruments and voices… we’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto!

Set for tubes now, loving this combo… and a great Norne upgrade cable for my ZMFs arriving today. Getting close to a Nirvana-like harmony here.

(I guess I can remove the bookmarks on those spendy 5998s and such now… yay!)

The CV4003 are very good. The CV455 are better, to my ears. Why? It could be that: amplification factor is 60x versus 20x for CV4003, triple mica construction versus double mica construction for CV4003, square getter versus halo getter in CV4003, 1956 versus 1957 for CV4003 (ceteris paribus older is better) .

 

[jonathan c]

“And now for something completely different”. Just for the hell of it, a WA2 tube line-up of: Tesla EZ81, Thomson-CSF 6080WA, Telefunken ECC801S. So?…..,,. It’s time for a multi-hour ‘music bath’.

 

[AudioDuck]

“And now for something completely different”. Just for the hell of it, a WA2 tube line-up of: Tesla EZ81, Thomson-CSF 6080WA, Telefunken ECC801S. So?…..,,. It’s time for a multi-hour ‘music bath’.

Hi Jonathan,

How would you characterize the shift with that tube lineup? I’ve read that Telefunkens can be very detailed, and cooler in their tonality than, say, Brimars or Mullards.

Any observations you wouldn’t mind sharing?

Thanks in advance-

 

[jonathan c]

Hi Jonathan,

How would you characterize the shift with that tube lineup? I’ve read that Telefunkens can be very detailed, and cooler in their tonality than, say, Brimars or Mullards.

Any observations you wouldn’t mind sharing?

Thanks in advance-

The total lineup is airy, spacious with cascading ambience & reverberation. Lots of detail but not in a distracting / self-serving way. As I say about ZMF Auteur, the tube array this evening has ‘musical neutrality’.

 

[AudioDuck]

The total lineup is airy, spacious with cascading ambience & reverberation. Lots of detail but not in a distracting / self-serving way. As I say about ZMF Auteur, the tube array this evening has ‘musical neutrality’.

Nice! Thanks for sharing!