[nightenrock]

Is there a general consensus on which of these two amps (WooAudio 3 or WooAudio 6) amps is better for the Sennheiser 600s? I mean is it worth the extra for the 6? What about the upgrades on the 6, are they worth it? I was drawn in by the price, but now I'm very confused and trigger shy as what I wanted to be a purchase in the $500 range is possibly inching towards $1000. I've dug through here and other forums and found conflicting opinions on which of these two sounds best or is at least enough for the Sennheiser 600s. Thanks.

 

[rlanger]

I went with the 6 after listening to both, but I would have been quite happy with the 3.

The reason I went with the six is that I wanted an amp that could grow with me. I didn't know what cans I might have in the future, and the 6 has an impedance switch that allows it to work quite well with both low and high impedence cans.

The standard 6 sounds great so don't feel too much pressure to go for the upgrades right away. I may eventually do it, but I'm quite happy with my Woo as it is right now.

 

[nightenrock]

Thanks, rlanger!

 

[Stoney]

I wasn't happy with the WA3 and 3+ at the show (something was actively wrong and offended me), but that might have been ancillary equipment or cables. The WA5 was amazing and seductive, and the reason I bought (and love) the WA6. You'll need to swap the rectifier (or get the capacitor upgrades, or both) to get its best, but I found a $20 5V4 does the trick nicely!

All of the above with HD650s.

 

[LarryK2]

. . . I'm very happy with my Woo3 with my K701s from my turntable, laptop and CDP.

 

[nightenrock]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stoney /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wasn't happy with the WA3 and 3+ at the show (something was actively wrong and offended me), but that might have been ancillary equipment or cables. The WA5 was amazing and seductive, and the reason I bought (and love) the WA6. You'll need to swap the rectifier (or get the capacitor upgrades, or both) to get its best, but I found a $20 5V4 does the trick nicely! All of the above with HD650s.

Thanks, Stoney. So, you heard it with and without the upgrades then, huh? Did you get your 6 with the upgrades, or stock and then swap the rectifier tube?

 

[Stoney]

No, I haven't heard the upgrades, but the detailed impressions posted by others sound like it's worth it.

What I have done is swap the rectifier from the Sovtek to the Sylvania 5V4. I liked it so much in terms of extension and added space and detail that I bought a few others on ebay to compare. They are cheap and very satisfying. I can't comment on how it compares with metal base and the many others discussed on these threads. Just that it is enough to keep me from spending more money. ;^) And the sound is still seductive, just more accurate.

 

[GreatDane]

I've been a happy WA3 owner for almost 2 years and I haven't had the urge to upgrade yet. I think it sounds great with my HD 650, DT-880 and pretty good with even Grados. I have upgraded the tubes with Tung-Sol & Amperex.

 

[jcn3]

i think the woo 6 is a great deal stock and has tremendous upside potential that you can exercise later.

the hd600 and hd650 both can scale with a system -- i'd set the best foundation i could out of the box, especially for only $100 +/- more.

 

[calaf]

based on a 30' direct comparison at the national meet (in fairly quiet conditions), my impression is the Woo 3+ drives HD650 and K340 with more authority (body, punch) than the Woo6. The Woo6 did a much better job with Grados and K701. I do not remember if the two amps had both stock tubes.
IMO, if you plan to stick to high impedance cans, you are better off getting the Woo 3(+) and investing the money you save to get some good NOS tube.

 

[nightenrock]

Thanks everybody. I went ahead and ordered a stock 6. The hardest part was not getting the upgrades. Jack said it would take three weeks for the amp. I can't wait to hear it!

 

[he46570]

I'd love to hear your feedback on that. All the best with the purchase.

 

[rlanger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by calaf /img/forum/go_quote.gif based on a 30' direct comparison at the national meet (in fairly quiet conditions), my impression is the Woo 3+ drives HD650 and K340 with more authority (body, punch) than the Woo6. The Woo6 did a much better job with Grados and K701. I do not remember if the two amps had both stock tubes. IMO, if you plan to stick to high impedance cans, you are better off getting the Woo 3(+) and investing the money you save to get some good NOS tube.

That's odd? I thought that Jack said that the 3+ was specifically designed for low impedance cans? I remember listening to the 650s he had through the 3.

 

[LeChuck]

Remember that the WA6 and WA3 use significantly different designs; the 6 is transformer coupled, and the 3 is OTL. Just by their nature, transformer coupled designed tend to be able to handle low impedance cans better.

I think the 6 (especially upgraded) is probably a superior design. I haven't heard a WA3+ though, so I can't comment on it.

 

[takezo]

the wa3 is an OTL meaning it's not exactly the most efficient tube amp out there...their numbers may look more impressive but the transformer coupled wa6 will handle the low impedance cans like the grados and 701 more efficiently...which is why jack made the wa3+ which is not an OTL...but i'd go for the wa6 too, considering it's only a few dollars more than the wa3+...