[iomusic]

George, your review is informative and interesting! Great! I am looking forward to the Part II review...

 

[ldj325]

George,

Besides a very nice review, that's a nice looking studio you have. No way you got all that for $3,600. Is that a G5 on the floor? And a nice big monitor.

I'm setting up a Pro Tools LE home studio. I wish my set up looked that nice and clean.

I've got you beat cost wise (not counting the music studio gear) in a bit longer time than you. But much of that went into the Singlepower Extreme Platinum. Like you I don't have another desktop amp to compare it to. But I am not a brave as you to do a review without a comparison. I did do an A/B with my Hornet just for fun. On quick, initial impression the Hornet held up surprizingly well with a digital source. But once I got to the level of subtlities, the Extreme showed its superiority. Also vinyl as a source showed an even greater difference. One of the fun qualities of the Extreme is that it has a bass kick in the head (pleasantly like the way a full speaker system bass will thump in the chest) that is very tight, defined and impactful. The Woo 6 was my second choise in amps. And I am still curious how these two would match up in a head to head A/B. So I look forward to your comparison of the Woo 6 and the Extreme.

Laurence

 

[George Chronis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ldj325 /img/forum/go_quote.gif George, Besides a very nice , that's a nice looking studio you have. No way you got all that for $3,600. Is that a G5 on the floor? And a nice big monitor. I'm setting up a Pro Tools LE home studio. I wish my set up looked that nice and clean. Laurence

Hi Laurence, Yes, that's a Dual G5. And no, the G5, monitor, speakers, pianos etc. are not included in that price. Just the head-fi related stuff that's talked about in here, i.e. the amps, headphones, Presonus and the two SACD Players. Thanks for the nice words.

 

[trose49]

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreatDane /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes! _______ Very good initial summary George. I have a few of the same components that you own...Woo Audio 3 (well, close anyway)...Central Station, PA2v2, HD 650 , ER4P. You mention using max. volume with the 650, with my WA3, max. is quite loud, I often hit the wall at around 2 o'clock. My source is a Pioneer Elite DV-45A (universal player). For Redbook CD I use a digital connection into the CS using its DAC. I do have 2 other components in between the CS & WA3 so that might be an issue with my resuts. I do agree that as the volume goes up, up ,up there is no loss in quality...it's very involving, a very addictive thing! The WA3 & WA6 are beautiful amps. I had many of the same emotions when listening to my WA3 for the first time. Easily worth the money. At the time my best can was the DT-880 which also sounds wonderful with tubes. I actually like the CS amp for its razor sharp detail, it is my favorite amp for my DT-770 (Darth Beyers). For most music I do prefer tubes with my 880 or 650. ------------I look forward to more impressions----------------- yeah baby!

Where did you get the cover for the Woo OR DOES IT COME WITH THAT MESH COVER?

 

[Solitary1]

Great review, George. And great pics. Always good to see another Mac guy strut his stuff.

 

[GreatDane]

Quote:

Originally Posted by trose49 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Where did you get the cover for the Woo OR DOES IT COME WITH THAT MESH COVER?

I made that cover using perforated stainless steel sheet. I use it for custom gutter guards, roof drains, chimney caps,etc . A 48" X 120" sheet costs around $200...I used some left overs

If I didn't have the cover in place my tubes would probably have been damaged by now. I have an insane 14 month old cat that thinks he's a dog and a dog who thinks she's a cat, they can really tear up the joint

 

[polishpower]

I was wondering if you got your 701's in yet, as I have a CS, use digital out from the comp, have a CE595 on the way, and was wondering what the woo6 could do for the 701, comp->CS, and the CE595(I realize it's far inferior to the marantz, but if you've tried it I'd love to hear some impressions).

 

[watchluvr4ever]

polishpower, I personally like my CE595 and even though it isn't as good as the Marantz I believe its performance is way beyond its price point and it is a bargain even at full retail. When you get your CE595 give it some time for proper burn-in before you make any judgements about it. The sound of my unit changed dramatically after 200 hours of burn-in playing both redbook and SACD's. Out of the player I'm currently using my AKG K701's with my Headfive amp and BJC LC-1 interconnects. I just ordered a Woo 6 and there is a three week wait for mine. I will give my impressions when it arrives. Sorry for the rant.

 

[George Chronis]

I'll have to agree with watchluvr4ever. You can definitely tell the difference between the Marantz and the CE595, but the CE595 is a better bang for the buck than the Marantz. A lot of the members here would shoot me now, and they would say that the difference is tremendous (and a few more adjectives). I'm new to this hobby, and the differences seem subtle to me. I can tell the difference, but I'm not unhappy listening to the CE595. And the CE595 has a much louder signal than the Marantz. Probably +2db.

The Woo6 works great with the K701. For rock, it actually pairs better with the K701 than the HD650 (I think). I find myself plugging the K701 into the Woo6 more often than the HD650, and the K701 are not as burnt in as the HD650. For Jazz and Classical I still use the HD650, but you'll like the K701.

Hope this helps.

 

[polishpower]

Thanks to both of you, that's exactly what I was looking for!

Quote:

Originally Posted by watchluvr4ever /img/forum/go_quote.gif polishpower, I personally like my CE595 and even though it isn't as good as the Marantz I believe its performance is way beyond its price point and it is a bargain even at full retail. When you get your CE595 give it some time for proper burn-in before you make any judgements about it. The sound of my unit changed dramatically after 200 hours of burn-in playing both redbook and SACD's. Out of the player I'm currently using my AKG K701's with my Headfive amp and BJC LC-1 interconnects. I just ordered a Woo 6 and there is a three week wait for mine. I will give my impressions when it arrives. Sorry for the rant.

Quote:

Originally Posted by George Chronis /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'll have to agree with watchluvr4ever. You can definitely tell the difference between the Marantz and the CE595, but the CE595 is a better bang for the buck than the Marantz. A lot of the members here would shoot me now, and they would say that the difference is tremendous (and a few more adjectives). I'm new to this hobby, and the differences seem subtle to me. I can tell the difference, but I'm not unhappy listening to the CE595. And the CE595 has a much louder signal than the Marantz. Probably +2db. The Woo6 works great with the K701. For rock, it actually pairs better with the K701 than the HD650 (I think). I find myself plugging the K701 into the Woo6 more often than the HD650, and the K701 are not as burnt in as the HD650. For Jazz and Classical I still use the HD650, but you'll like the K701. Hope this helps.

 

[watchluvr4ever]

I scrapped my order on the Woo 6 because I bought a Mapletree Ear+ Purist HD. If it's as good as others have said it will be my only amp for a long time to come. I plan on getting either an RS-1 or HD650 to compliment it.

 

[TreAdidas]

It seems Jack has linked this review form his site. Very cool. I'm debating on where to go for a headphone amp and due to this and a few other posts the Woo 6 has my full attention.

Thanks!

 

[blessingx]

I know this is old, but just wanted to say great review.

 

[Agent Kang]

Thank you for the great review!

I also have a woo 6 and this amp is definitely a keeper.

 

[Towert7]

Thanks for the nice review George! The Woo6 is something that I am considering buying.