[nomad777]

the wa33 does buzz. I did a bunch of things and its pretty much eliminated. 1 I bought noise reduction boards or vibration boards and put them underneath the wa33 I also replaced the stock foot stands with vibration reduction ones. Then I just played it relentlessly and eventually it went away.

Also I'll try to describe this... the housing for what you pay for should be better made. It should be a full block of aluminum but its not. Between the power supply (bottom and the top part. etc..

If you put your hand underneath the top part you will find that its just a thin piece of metal. Which is a problem for buzzing... if it was one solid piece you would not have buzzing at all. So I basically would put my hand underneath the top part and the bottom piece of metal can be moved which; kinda cheap in my opinion for sure it was made this way to cut costs rather than one solid piece. So I would press underneath there at times and it would help with the buzzing. So you can try and put something underneath there to stabilize the bottom part of the top piece and that should help. Eventually I didn't have to as I changed tubes and with the vibration items I have it eventually went away.

I have the elite version but the body is the same on both models....

 

[nomad777]

Guys,
Have any of you had the chance to compare the sound of the standard WA33 against the WA33 Elite version?
I am really struggling to justify the extra $7k in cost.

The elite version is completely superior night and day ... not even a comparison... Ferrari vs. Honda

 

[Ciggavelli]

I believe he is referring to the ambient noise (buzzing) coming from the amplifier itself.

Yes, correct. The amp itself is buzzing

I agree. I think the noise comes from the amp not the tube, which I wrote 1 year ago.

Yes, exactly

the wa33 does buzz. I did a bunch of things and its pretty much eliminated. 1 I bought noise reduction boards or vibration boards and put them underneath the wa33 I also replaced the stock foot stands with vibration reduction ones. Then I just played it relentlessly and eventually it went away.

Also I'll try to describe this... the housing for what you pay for should be better made. It should be a full block of aluminum but its not. Between the power supply (bottom and the top part. etc..

If you put your hand underneath the top part you will find that its just a thin piece of metal. Which is a problem for buzzing... if it was one solid piece you would not have buzzing at all. So I basically would put my hand underneath the top part and the bottom piece of metal can be moved which; kinda cheap in my opinion for sure it was made this way to cut costs rather than one solid piece. So I would press underneath there at times and it would help with the buzzing. So you can try and put something underneath there to stabilize the bottom part of the top piece and that should help. Eventually I didn't have to as I changed tubes and with the vibration items I have it eventually went away.

I have the elite version but the body is the same on both models....

Thanks for the info! I'm glad to hear that my amp is probably not broken. I will try your suggestions.

 

[nomad777]

also tubes.... I also changed them and that also helped... SHUGUANG TREASURE 2A3-Z for the power tubes is what I went with... I also changed the rectifier kept the stock 4 tubes up front...

tubes also make a big difference for the buzz....

 

[nomad777]

Yes, correct. The amp itself is buzzing



Yes, exactly



Thanks for the info! I'm glad to hear that my amp is probably not broken. I will try your suggestions.

I had the same irritation as you when I bought mine I was upset after spending so much money I hear a buzz.... it drove me crazy... one thing to remember is that this amp
produces a lot of power I would not run utopias on it or other headphones that are easily powered they don't sound as good. Planars and harder to drive headphones sound amazing on it.

I just use the Dave for my utopias and for the hifiman1000 and hd800 I use the amp...

Could they have designed it better yes... but someone has to pay for Jack and Mikes mortgage and cars....

 

[joseph69]

It maybe you have a large amount of RFI entering your home, or something electrical in your home is causing this. May I suggest you leave the amp on and then try switching off one by one the various safety switches in your home switchboard. It could be a simple as a defective Fridge motor or A/C.

It can't hurt to experiment like this. I would also try removing the input cables. Are you running the Amp in balanced mode?

Good idea if you can't resolve the issue bu simply changing tubes (Brimar 5Z4GY rectifier in my case = dead silent) which let me know there was absolutely nothing wrong with AC line or any interference or my amp itself, but again, I still prefer the UE-596 so I can live with the slight buzz.

I also replaced the stock foot stands with vibration reduction ones. So I would press underneath there at times and it would help with the buzzing. .

Before changing the rectifier tube I also tried the isolator feet which did nothing at all for me. I also experimented with pressing the top plate of the PSU case and found the same results, but again, the 5Z4GY was dead silent.

The elite version is completely superior night and day ... not even a comparison... Ferrari vs. Honda

Besides the different externals & internals have you compared both with the same tubes on the same gear with the same headphones extensively? If so, would you care to elaborate the "night & day difference"?

I had the same irritation as you when I bought mine I was upset after spending so much money I hear a buzz.... it drove me crazy... one thing to remember is that this amp
produces a lot of power I would not run utopias on it or other headphones that are easily powered they don't sound as good. Planars and harder to drive headphones sound amazing on it.

I find my Utopia to be an excellent combo with the WA33, as well as all of my headphones and any headphone I've ever paired with it.

 

[nomad777]

The utopias work but I find they are to sensitive for this amp... I find better sq on the solid state overkill for the utopias...

I've compared both... the elite is just far superior .. and I mean way superior superman vs. captain america bugatti vs. Ford aston martin vs. Hyundai Mclaren p1 vs. mustang
human vs. ant clarity, soundstage, detail , precision, the stock one sounds dull compared to the elite ... its not just parts it also has point to point wiring the regular does not.
Because the sound is so clean and precise sometimes its easy to forget its a tube amp. The regular one you know its a tube amp....

I talked to Jack extensively about the differences; just don't want to elaborate all of them here... but its vastly better...... is the 15K price justified..... hmm... I guess that depends on how deep your pockets are ...

Also if you don't have the elite I don't want to make those of you that could not afford or just went for the regular one feel out of place because the stock one is still excellent but not in the same league as the elite version... If you ever see an elite for sale and you have the means... its definitely worth a look

might look at that 5Z... in the future...

 

[musicman59]

The utopias work but I find they are to sensitive for this amp... I find better sq on the solid state overkill for the utopias...
...

I own the Utopia (not the WA33 or Elite version) and the first time I listened to them with the Axios AG cable powered by the WA33 Elite my jaw dropped. That's the best I have heard the Utopia. I bought the Axios AG cable for mine and got close to the sound I heard with the WA33 Elite but not 100% there.
The bass at the beginning of Sting's A Thousand Years was just thunderous, tight and clean. Those who say the Utopia has no bass should listen to that combination.

 

[nomad777]

I own the Utopia (not the WA33 or Elite version) and the first time I listened to them with the Axios AG cable powered by the WA33 Elite my jaw dropped. That's the best I have heard the Utopia. I bought the Axios AG cable for mine and got close to the sound I heard with the WA33 Elite but not 100% there.
The bass at the beginning of Sting's A Thousand Years was just thunderous, tight and clean. Those who say the Utopia has no bass should listen to that combination.

the utopias like the hd800 have a 6mhz issue or khz can't remember..... if the wa 33 elite is the best you have heard the utopias that is not my experience and I own both.

I find it more clear and solid on the chord dave via the mscaler without the use of the wa33

As for bass the utopia can't and doesn't compete with the hd800's or hifiman1000's and the hifiman1000's sound better on the wa33 elite than the utopia's in all areas... the hd800's hmm bass is better of course soundstage... and just about matches it for detail

What I like about the utopia's is that they are very easy to drive i think 8ohms you can play them off on ipad if you wanted to... i also own the clears so I do like the utopia brand however on the wa33 elite hifiman1000's rule there... I don't own a pair of susvara's but curious about them... I'm targeting getting a pari of abyss tc's tl's whatever they are called next...

 

[Ciggavelli]

the utopias like the hd800 have a 6mhz issue or khz can't remember..... if the wa 33 elite is the best you have heard the utopias that is not my experience and I own both.

I find it more clear and solid on the chord dave via the mscaler without the use of the wa33

As for bass the utopia can't and doesn't compete with the hd800's or hifiman1000's and the hifiman1000's sound better on the wa33 elite than the utopia's in all areas... the hd800's hmm bass is better of course soundstage... and just about matches it for detail

What I like about the utopia's is that they are very easy to drive i think 8ohms you can play them off on ipad if you wanted to... i also own the clears so I do like the utopia brand however on the wa33 elite hifiman1000's rule there... I don't own a pair of susvara's but curious about them... I'm targeting getting a pari of abyss tc's tl's whatever they are called next...

I have Susvaras and TCs and run them off the Standard WA33. They both sound absolutely amazing. Somebody else mentioned that he can't tell which headphone is better, because they are both so good. I have to agree. The TCs off the WA33 have the best bass, weight, separation, clarity I've ever heard (bass is much better off the WA33 than just using my TT2/HMS combo). The impact, weight, combined with very good timing has left me speechless on some songs. I dunno how the TCs can hit so low and powerful, but at the same time remain quick (maybe it has something to do with my cabling...I don't know ).

The Susvaras off the WA33 sound magical, the mids are so so good. I think the best word to describe them is luxurious. Rock and Metal sound so unbelievably good that I question if anything could sound better with different equipment.

So, I've been going Susvara through the WA33 for quieter music (indie, singer/songwriter), metal and rock. I use the TCs for everything, but hip-hop and electronica sound much better on the TCs than the Susvaras. Rock and Metal sound good, but not at the same level as the Susvaras. If I'm searching for heft weight in a rock or metal sound, the TCs fit the bill perfectly.

 

[nomad777]

I have Susvaras and TCs and run them off the Standard WA33. They both sound absolutely amazing. Somebody else mentioned that he can't tell which headphone is better, because they are both so good. I have to agree. The TCs off the WA33 have the best bass, weight, separation, clarity I've ever heard (bass is much better off the WA33 than just using my TT2/HMS combo). The impact, weight, combined with very good timing has left me speechless on some songs. I dunno how the TCs can hit so low and powerful, but at the same time remain quick (maybe it has something to do with my cabling...I don't know ).

The Susvaras off the WA33 sound magical, the mids are so so good. I think the best word to describe them is luxurious. Rock and Metal sound so unbelievably good that I question if anything could sound better with different equipment.

So, I've been going Susvara through the WA33 for quieter music (indie, singer/songwriter), metal and rock. I use the TCs for everything, but hip-hop and electronica sound much better on the TCs than the Susvaras. Rock and Metal sound good, but not at the same level as the Susvaras. If I'm searching for heft weight in a rock or metal sound, the TCs fit the bill perfectly.

hmm when Im ready to buy it will be the TC's.... I just spent a bunch of cash on cx/ex antipodes combo... so giving the wallet a rest for now

 

[joseph69]

Those who say the Utopia has no bass should listen to that combination.

I agree 100% about the Utopia having excellent bass quality & quantity, but in my case using the XLR WireWorld Nano-Platinum Eclipse & WA33.

the utopias like the hd800 have a 6mhz issue or khz can't remember..... if the wa 33 elite is the best you have heard the utopias that is not my experience and I own both.
I find it more clear and solid on the chord dave via the mscaler without the use of the wa33

As for bass the utopia can't and doesn't compete with the hd800's or hifiman1000's and the hifiman1000's sound better on the wa33 elite than the utopia's in all areas... the hd800's hmm bass is better of course soundstage... and just about matches it for detail

What I like about the utopia's is that they are very easy to drive i think 8ohms you can play them off on ipad if you wanted to... i also own the clears so I do like the utopia brand however on the wa33 elite hifiman1000's rule there... I don't own a pair of susvara's but curious about them... I'm targeting getting a pari of abyss tc's tl's whatever they are called next...

I also own the GS-Xmk2 which I pair with the Utopia as well and do like the pairing very much for a different flavor depending on my mood, so I understand where you're coming from in regards to a SS pairing. I've also heard the Utopia via DAVE + M-Scaler and found it to be an excellent pairing as well.

I owned the Susvara for a while and did enjoy them very much, but in the end I sold them because I actually preferred my HE1Kv2 with both, my GS-X & WA33. Also, it wasn't a question of under powering the Susvara (which I thought it may have been) because I also had the opportunity to hear them on the Pass Labs X150.8 speaker amp which confirmed (for me) that I wasn't missing anything. I find the bass on the Utopia to be tighter, faster, cleaner and just as deep as the HE1Kv2...I enjoy both headphones very much for their differences.

 

[nomad777]

When I spoke to Jack in person he mentioned the PSvanes are the best tubes for "quite" sound eg.. eliminates buzzing... for those of you struggling with that.

 

[nomad777]

Do any of you own the Utopia and the Abyss TC? What are your thoughts I'm curious how the sound signature stacks up against the TC There are a lot of people saying the TC is the best headphone on the market but they said that about the utopia to.

 

[isquirrel]

I own both, The Abyss TC is far superior to the Utopia. I t needs plenty of power, the WA33 is perfectly able to drive the TC to deafening levels.

I have a Kennerton Thror on the way, it will be an interesting comparison between the three TOTL contendors:

Abyss TC
Susvara
Kennerton Thror