[jamato8]

I have not heard the output as not being enough on the 6. What is the output voltage of your source that is being used?

the brown bass is higher than the standard by maybe 2 to 3mm's and I have seen them a little larger in diameter. I have some large black bass from some old gz34's that are larger in diameter and slightly higher.

 

[takezo]

yes, like jamato8 mentioned above, the large base types are slightly wider and are taller than the regular black and brown base that you regularly see...the large base types are pretty rare and i see the large black only frequently but the large brown base only once in a blue moon...i see the metal base more frequently than the large brown base...unfortunately, the regular sized brown and black have no difference in bass quality...

and i can't get past 2'oclock on my wa-6 without hurting my ears...even my 701 gets driven with no problem at a normal 11 or 12o'clock volume setting...you may want to ask jack woo to see if your unit has a gain setting that's lower than norm...

if you like bass, then go for the 5u4g rectifiers instead of the gz34/5ar4 tubes...most 5ar4 are neutral...

 

[MaMMa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamato8 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have not heard the output as not being enough on the 6. What is the output voltage of your source that is being used? the brown bass is higher than the standard by maybe 2 to 3mm's and I have seen them a little larger in diameter. I have some large black bass from some old gz34's that are larger in diameter and slightly higher.

My source is the Oppo 970HD and my laptop. I can listen to it maxed out for a while. The oppo and the laptop's volume is maxed as well. As far as the output voltage, I am not sure. How can I find this out? I will talk to Jack.

Thanks for the details on the tubes, could you guys provide a picture for comparison please?

 

[jamato8]

That is a good idea as Jack can modify or suggest any changes that need to be needed. The output of the tube for the 6 should have more than enough power and the position of the volume control doesn't indicate if you are running out of steam. I normally made my preamps so that the travel was pretty far along on the pot so that less of the conductive materieal was in the way of the signal. Either that or I would modify a pot so that only one reisistor was in the signal path but postion was not an indicator of actual power left or if it was near clipping.

 

[takezo]

hey jamato8, i have the rca's that jack sent with the unit but am trying to see if others can be used instead of the 6de7. i think the 6ew7 would meet spec but
i believe the tube diameter is way too big for the WA-6...

what would you recommend to replace the 6de7 triodes on the WA-6?

 

[jamato8]

As far as I know the 6EW7 is the only one. It has a slightly softer sound. You could get an extender so that the tube could be used or take the top plate off. I don't have a 6 yet so I don't have much more information except what I have gathered together and what I have heard from Jack. There is also the option of changing the cap from the driver section of the tube to the power section. This can have subtle but real effects as the signal has to pass right through that cap. I really like the Mundorf caps in the .22uf but they are large. Also the Audio Note caps are fine.

 

[takezo]

an extender...now, that's an ingenious insight! thanks jamato8

i don't plan on modifying just yet, but thanks again for the hint
of changing the caps...

 

[jamato8]

Yeah but cost doesn't always denote good sound. I have used some very caps that sounded great and some very expensive ones that muddied the sound. Also changing the value of the cap can change the frequency response. A .22 will have a little more bass response than a .1 but then the grid resistor will also have effect.

 

[MaMMa]

check this out takezo http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=236123

As far as my bass issue, Jack says he will tune it for more bass. I'm still waiting on a reply. Can't wait to hear the diff.

 

[takezo]

nice...that's very good of jack to offer the extenders in the future...

btw, large base and standard base are difficult to distinguish even side by side...
we're talking millimeters in diameters here...and trust me, the large brown base are even more difficult to find than the metal bases now-a-days...and you'll probably see more significant improvement from jack's mod than tube-rolling...

 

[jamato8]

You can change the grid resistor and the coupling cap and there are a few other changes Jack can make.

 

[MaMMa]

I'm pretty new to tubes much less hifi audio. Whats grid resistors and coupling caps? Is it a DIY mod?

 

[takezo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaMMa /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm pretty new to tubes much less hifi audio. Whats grid resistors and coupling caps? Is it a DIY mod?

i think jamato8 is referring to the possible tweaks or fine tuning jack will make to make your WA-6...let us know how the tweak turns out...

 

[jamato8]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaMMa /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm pretty new to tubes much less hifi audio. Whats grid resistors and coupling caps? Is it a DIY mod?

Yeah, Jack can do any changes. Unless you are into tubes and have worked with them ie., soldering and know basically what to expect and know you are working with some higher voltages, you are best off to let Jack do the work. A tube has a filament/heater, cathode, grid and plate (typical triode) and there many, many deviations from this. How you handle these with caps and resistors within a certain tube's specs is how it will sound and react to an incoming/outgoing signal.

 

[jamato8]

Quote:

Originally Posted by takezo /img/forum/go_quote.gif an extender...now, that's an ingenious insight! thanks jamato8 i don't plan on modifying just yet, but thanks again for the hint of changing the caps...

I used to make extenders and adapters so I could use various tubes in the same socket, as long as the operating points were in the same range as the tube being use. I also have a special gain section for my big dac that I can use 8 pin, 9 pin and various spec tubes because I can adjust the bias and plate voltage. But this is out of the range of the Woo or most regular amps.

The Woo can be further fine tubed with a change in the coupling cap, grid resistor and other small changes and Jack can and does address that.