[Sonic77]

What amp did you upgrade from?

Not an amp, but I was using the Chord Dave, until I received the WA33, I've heard lots of tube amps though, the WA33 is very clean sounding, I love it!

I don't want to take this thread too far off topic but I'm painting, and will have physical wine/listening room ready for cellar next month and ready for equipment in the month thereafter. Have to resist temptation to bail and hire out to complete...

I just got a new roof put on my house, then my house was painted, and now I'm getting a new fence put up around my house, of course I don't have the time or skills to do this type of work, so I contract it out.

 

[dawktah2]

I'm actually done with the painting, high ceilings are not my forte! So contracting that out. The ceiling over the loft is done. I have contacted Nice Racks to get my 16U process going. I still need to decide on a DAC for the WA33.

Any more impressions from owners? Does it sound tubey or are you forced to tube roll? I'm still hoping for the sound I remember from my dads H.H. Scott gear from my childhood. It sounded as if a real piano was in the room. Nothing solid state I have heard has ever sounded like that.

 

[geraldshanghai]

I have come to settle my WA33 with following tubes:

4* RCA NOS 2a3 tubes, bought from wooaudio (very expensive!)
1* KR AUDIO 274B (bought from www.thecableco.com)
4* EH Gold Pin 6C45 (bought from wooaudio too)

I like this combo of the tubes. They work together to deliver a sound what is very "powerful" but at same time with very clear imaging.

I am still in the run-in period.

 

[dawktah2]

Given the very unique niche of this piece is there any downside to starting this close if not at the top? I only tube amp I have is the WA8.

 

[JohanGao]

Anyone can report the actual dimension of WA33 unit? I still waiting mine to come maybe the end of this month or early november, But still dizzy setting up empty space for it...
Mine will come with upgrade tube of
4 6c45
4 2A3 NOS RCA tube
1 Takatsuki 274B tube
All bought from Woo..

 

[Audio-Phile]

Also would love to see more impressions, can't afford right now but want to know if it's worth aiming for long term.

 

[HiFiGuy528]

Also would love to see more impressions, can't afford right now but want to know if it's worth aiming for long term.

A full review on the Elite Edition from TONEAudio is in the books. Stay subscribed....

http://www.tonepublications.com/magazine/

 

[JohanGao]

the amp have been released and delivered to many customer, but still hard to find some review nor in deep impression yet..

 

[andyschaub]

And the sound of the WA33 is something to behold. This is the BEST tube amplifier I have ever heard. So much power, control, detail, speed, and soundstage. It was not overly lush sounding--the WA22 they had next door was warmer. The WA33 is a different beast altogether. Definitely worth a listen.

The power supply unit has no exposed umbilical--the stacking creates the connection necessary to get power to the tubes. Very ingenious.

Jack Wu said you could add speaker taps as a custom option. It will push 9 or 10 watts out, which should power some small efficient speakers. That's probably how I'm gonna order mine.

That's great to know. I bet it would sound great with a pair of bi-wired Audio Note AN-J's. It's very hard to find a 2A3-based amp of any kind that puts out more than about 5 watts / channel, and you need a good 7-8 or a bit more for the AN-J's, but a good 2A3 amp and a pair of AN-J's can make a heavenly combination, I know from experience.

 

[dawktah2]

And the sound of the WA33 is something to behold. This is the BEST tube amplifier I have ever heard. So much power, control, detail, speed, and soundstage. It was not overly lush sounding--the WA22 they had next door was warmer. The WA33 is a different beast altogether. Definitely worth a listen.

The power supply unit has no exposed umbilical--the stacking creates the connection necessary to get power to the tubes. Very ingenious.

Jack Wu said you could add speaker taps as a custom option. It will push 9 or 10 watts out, which should power some small efficient speakers. That's probably how I'm gonna order mine.

After the repost you say the WA-22 is warmer? The WA33 does sound warm and tubey?

 

[JohanGao]

I have got mine yesterday... All I said it is really solid, and the sound is just amazing.. it makes my sony z1r sound like it is a difference headphone comparing when i use it with WA6SE before. But the one bothering me is, the amp is not dead silence, at least mine. When i hooked up my Z1R i and stop down the volume lever till zero, i can hear a noise, maybe not a noise but something like the sound of the working valve.. It is like the sound coming from the inside of the valve..

 

[watchdog507]

I have got mine yesterday... All I said it is really solid, and the sound is just amazing.. it makes my sony z1r sound like it is a difference headphone comparing when i use it with WA6SE before. But the one bothering me is, the amp is not dead silence, at least mine. When i hooked up my Z1R i and stop down the volume lever till zero, i can hear a noise, maybe not a noise but something like the sound of the working valve.. It is like the sound coming from the inside of the valve..

First, reach out to Woo, they are pretty good at replying to emails and ask about the noise floor. If they say it shouldn't be there, based on my experience with a Woo WA6 and a WA5-LE, let the amp idle for a while. Sometimes capacitors need to charge and the whole system to become stable. If that doesn't work, start with the driver tubes and replace them. See if that works. Then move to the power tubes if that doesn't help. I had bad driver tubes in my WA6 and it drove me nuts because they tested fine but induced hum into the system. Finally, I retested them with a different tester and they showed an issue.

 

[dawktah2]

First, reach out to Woo, they are pretty good at replying to emails and ask about the noise floor. If they say it shouldn't be there, based on my experience with a Woo WA6 and a WA5-LE, let the amp idle for a while. Sometimes capacitors need to charge and the whole system to become stable. If that doesn't work, start with the driver tubes and replace them. See if that works. Then move to the power tubes if that doesn't help. I had bad driver tubes in my WA6 and it drove me nuts because they tested fine but induced hum into the system. Finally, I retested them with a different tester and they showed an issue.

Which tester did you finally use?

 

[watchdog507]

Which tester did you finally use?

I use a B&K 747B tester. I like this one because it's solid state and in theory, holds calibration longer. The only thing that I don't like is that it can't test 300B's. Other than that it is a solid tester.

 

[JohanGao]

I have got mine yesterday... All I said it is really solid, and the sound is just amazing.. it makes my sony z1r sound like it is a difference headphone comparing when i use it with WA6SE before. But the one bothering me is, the amp is not dead silence, at least mine. When i hooked up my Z1R i and stop down the volume lever till zero, i can hear a noise, maybe not a noise but something like the sound of the working valve.. It is like the sound coming from the inside of the valve..

First, reach out to Woo, they are pretty good at replying to emails and ask about the noise floor. If they say it shouldn't be there, based on my experience with a Woo WA6 and a WA5-LE, let the amp idle for a while. Sometimes capacitors need to charge and the whole system to become stable. If that doesn't work, start with the driver tubes and replace them. See if that works. Then move to the power tubes if that doesn't help. I had bad driver tubes in my WA6 and it drove me nuts because they tested fine but induced hum into the system. Finally, I retested them with a different tester and they showed an issue.

Yesterday, I use my HE1000 and the amp is dead silence...