[cdanguyen08]

Guys, a somewhat unusual question, but nonetheless a bit important to me (or my laziness)

Is there a tube(y) headamp with a remote available?

Pls don't throw that many stones at me. ^^

I think @A2029 can build you a tube amp with a khozmo 64 step ladder that can be controlled with a remote. I was PMing him about his options when I set up my build.

 

[MacMan31]

Care to share which OTL amp you are liking ?

Joe

I've never heard any Woo Audio products but I second the Feliks Audio Echo. I have the second generation Mk2 version. So far it's been a great amp for me and I've kept it over other tube amps I've sold recently.

Very fair point, thanks for the reminder and I’m sorry that is the case at the moment.

It's just about always been the case as long as I've been alive (I'm 39 y/o).

 

[MacMan31]

The WA22 is a bigger, heavier, more powerful amp. It's also fully balanced, something the WA2 is not.

I owned one for a time 3-4 years ago. I heard some amazing things from this amp, but ended up selling it for various reasons.

looks like an awesome amp but dang expensive. Even used. https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649867721-woo-audio-w22/

 

[Chris Kaoss]

Hopefully it'd just take only 1 kidney (or my first born).

 

[Pharmaboy]

looks like an awesome amp but dang expensive. Even used. https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/details/649867721-woo-audio-w22/

Yes & yes. It weighs a ton, eats NOS tubes like popcorn, and is expensive. But when it all locks in with a given headphone, the sound is wonderful.

I had one for about 6 months several years ago. When it was good, it was very good. But it was simply too big & heavy for my crowded desktop, so I sold it. I probably shouldn't have gotten in the first place, but such is the upgrade myopia of our hobby...

 

[Monsterzero]

eats NOS tubes like popcorn

Any Idea why it went thru tubes quickly?

 

[Pharmaboy]

Any Idea why it went thru tubes quickly?

I was so busy wisecracking that I created a misimpression (sorry). The WA22 didn't blow up tubes, have tube failures, any of that. In some ways it was more obnoxious than that:

• Pretty much anyone who owned this amp admitted that the stock tubes sounded like ass & should be replaced
• But with what? Cue endless speculation about infinite varieties of NOS replacements, including some with adapters that ganged multiple tubes on one tube socket--& zero consensus about best NOS tubes (the definition of a rabbit hole)
• I bought the WA22 with a complete set of NOS tubes assembled by the 1st owner, and they sounded excellent. Except for the bass (low bass & sub-bass MIA). So I innocently began getting more tubes...
• Madness, because after replacing the input tubes ($100s), the amp sounds distinctly worse? What now? Replace the power tubes? Re-replace the input tubes?

It was a tube-swap nightmare. That's what I meant to say.

And not to be hard on the WA22 or on Woo (wonderful people, met them & enjoyed talking with them & buying my WA3 from them). The same thing can happen with pretty much any big tube amp if the owner is a tube ignoramus and has no stash of tubes collected over the years (in other words--me).

 

[Monsterzero]

Pretty much anyone who owned this amp admitted that the stock tubes sounded like ass & should be replaced

But with what? Cue endless speculation about infinite varieties of NOS replacements, including some with adapters that ganged multiple tubes on one tube socket--& zero consensus about best NOS tubes (the definition of a rabbit hole)

Madness, because after replacing the input tubes ($100s), the amp sounds distinctly worse? What now? Replace the power tubes? Re-replace the input tubes?

LOL, you just described pretty much every tube amp ever.

Crap stock tubes
Adapters?
perpetually rolling tubes, looking for a perfect combo?

You and the Glenn w/ its ten sockets would have def been a bad match

And not to be hard on the WA22 or on Woo (wonderful people, met them & enjoyed talking with them & buying my WA3 from them)

Agreed. When I first got into the hobby and owned a WA2, I used to call Mike often and just talk audio and gear. Great dude.

 

[Dawgfish]

Yes- that's my current set up. VO & Bottlehead Crack w/ speedball mod. It is a very good pairing and I might even say, a perfect pairing. The BHC really shines with high impedance headphones like the VO (it also does equally as good with my Auteur and the HD800, which I no longer own).

Agreed. The VO and BHC is a great pairing.

 

[Dawgfish]

I am in the same boat, I went through many different amps years ago then fell out of headphones. Trading for the VO has put me back in the game and My HiFiMan EF2 (while decent) Is not a great match. I recall the Bottlehead crack was a good amp with 300 Ohm Cans and its OTL, Wonder if anyone here has tried the Crack with the VO

There are many posters here that have and enjoy the VO/BHC combo including myself. It's very synergistic with ZMFs including the VO.

 

[skhan007]

I'm actually thinking about going the solid state route, as well. The BHC provides a great tube platform, although many consider it kind of "entry level" as far as tube amps go.

Curious if anyone has some solid state amp recommendations that have paired well with the VO? I've heard so far Benchmark HPA4, GSX Mini, and Gilmore Lite.

 

[Dawgfish]

I see a lot of people like Violectric or Lake People (same company) with their ZMFs including VO. I very much would like to try one.

 

[SHIMACM]

I was so busy wisecracking that I created a misimpression (sorry). The WA22 didn't blow up tubes, have tube failures, any of that. In some ways it was more obnoxious than that:

• Pretty much anyone who owned this amp admitted that the stock tubes sounded like ass & should be replaced
• But with what? Cue endless speculation about infinite varieties of NOS replacements, including some with adapters that ganged multiple tubes on one tube socket--& zero consensus about best NOS tubes (the definition of a rabbit hole)
• I bought the WA22 with a complete set of NOS tubes assembled by the 1st owner, and they sounded excellent. Except for the bass (low bass & sub-bass MIA). So I innocently began getting more tubes...
• Madness, because after replacing the input tubes ($100s), the amp sounds distinctly worse? What now? Replace the power tubes? Re-replace the input tubes?

It was a tube-swap nightmare. That's what I meant to say.

And not to be hard on the WA22 or on Woo (wonderful people, met them & enjoyed talking with them & buying my WA3 from them). The same thing can happen with pretty much any big tube amp if the owner is a tube ignoramus and has no stash of tubes collected over the years (in other words--me).

I have a Crack and 26 valves, but I've rolled over 70 different valves. And I'm talking about an amplifier that has only one power tube and one drive. I keep thinking about the nightmare that must be the Woo Wa22 with its 5 valves. LOL.

 

[huangwan]

Guys, a somewhat unusual question, but nonetheless a bit important to me (or my laziness)

Is there a tube(y) headamp with a remote available?

Pls don't throw that many stones at me. ^^

I have a Rogue RH5 which I love and it has a remote.

 

[skhan007]

I have a Crack and 26 valves, but I've rolled over 70 different valves. And I'm talking about an amplifier that has only one power tube and one drive. I keep thinking about the nightmare that must be the Woo Wa22 with its 5 valves. LOL.

LOL! The WA22 might be my next tube amp, as I'm looking for one! Heard it a few days ago and loved it. I figured that I already own pairs of vintage 6080, 5998, and 6as7g, so I'm partly there with the tube rolling for that amp. The WA22 paired beautifully with ZMF's.