Woo Audio WA6
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Upon receiving that email, I immediately replied with a whiny "I won't have to wait another 5 weeks, will I?" And apparently the answer is no. I just heard back from him regarding that issue and they're pulling one that was built for another customer* and shipping it to me tomorrow so I should see it Tuesday the 14th.
*To that customer: if you're reading this, I'm sorry. But Jack said they take care of the defective ones first.
And that, in its own right, is a little troubling. Does this type of thing happen frequently enough that they have a policy for it? Maybe that's why mine took 5 weeks instead 2. Maybe "my" amp was pulled and given to someone else who had a defective one.
Ah well, the saga's all but over now.
*To that customer: if you're reading this, I'm sorry. But Jack said they take care of the defective ones first.
And that, in its own right, is a little troubling. Does this type of thing happen frequently enough that they have a policy for it? Maybe that's why mine took 5 weeks instead 2. Maybe "my" amp was pulled and given to someone else who had a defective one.
Ah well, the saga's all but over now.
End of chapter, saga over and case closed! :happy-wavemulticolor:
The new amp arrived today, utterly flawless in appearence and in pristine condition! Much more importantly, it works, properly that is. However, it's all anticlimatic.
Five weeks of anticipation while waiting for the original one to arrive. When it did, it was defective. Another week of anticipation while waiting for the new one to arrive. Now that I have a flawless performing unit, I can safely say :drumroll-please: that I hear little to no difference between the $600 WA6 and the $6 connector on the front of my Integra Pre/Pro. Well, that's not entirely true.
The AKGs sound like absolute crap when connected to this thing. Plain and simple! You thought I didn't like them before? This picture may no longer be a joke. :angry-cussingblack:
The Denons, on the other ear (< get it?), sound spectacular, perhaps even more so than when connected to the Integra, but only by a barely-noticeable smidgen.
I'm still on the fence whether I'm going to return it or not. Part of me thinks this was a complete waste of money, for me anyway. Yet another part of me thinks since I have a system full of separates already, why stop short in the headphone amplification department?
Maybe today wasn't the best day to judge it and I certainly didn't spend very much time with it (yet) but as I said before, I would be happy if I heard a difference and ecstatic if I heard an improvement. Right now, I'm just not feelin' the love for this thing.
The new amp arrived today, utterly flawless in appearence and in pristine condition! Much more importantly, it works, properly that is. However, it's all anticlimatic.
Five weeks of anticipation while waiting for the original one to arrive. When it did, it was defective. Another week of anticipation while waiting for the new one to arrive. Now that I have a flawless performing unit, I can safely say :drumroll-please: that I hear little to no difference between the $600 WA6 and the $6 connector on the front of my Integra Pre/Pro. Well, that's not entirely true.
The AKGs sound like absolute crap when connected to this thing. Plain and simple! You thought I didn't like them before? This picture may no longer be a joke. :angry-cussingblack:
The Denons, on the other ear (< get it?), sound spectacular, perhaps even more so than when connected to the Integra, but only by a barely-noticeable smidgen.
I'm still on the fence whether I'm going to return it or not. Part of me thinks this was a complete waste of money, for me anyway. Yet another part of me thinks since I have a system full of separates already, why stop short in the headphone amplification department?
Maybe today wasn't the best day to judge it and I certainly didn't spend very much time with it (yet) but as I said before, I would be happy if I heard a difference and ecstatic if I heard an improvement. Right now, I'm just not feelin' the love for this thing.
GreatDane
Well-Known Member
I assume that you gave the W6 plenty of time to warm up(20 minutes+ with HP plugged in, volume low). Despite what some people might say, I recommend giving it at least 100 hours of use for your brain and the amp to break-in/ burn-in.Yes, brain burn-in. Leave the amp on with the HP plugged in playing music while you're at home even if you're not actually listening.
Listen to your Denon for a couple weeks or so exclusively with the W6, then go back to the SS amp. You really shouldn't hear a huge difference. The D7000 is fairly new to your ears and this makes it even more difficult to hear the subtle differences between the tube and SS amp. A wild guess is that the W6 could deliver a more dynamic bass slam. Don't be afraid to crank that D7000 to low 90's. I like a lot of strange Electronic music with insanely deep bass. My JVC DX1000 is excellent with this, very similar to your D7000. Wimpy/crappy amps can't pull it off at high volumes.
I have less than 10 recordings that I reference when comparing HPs or amps. Find some tracks that sound excellent on the D7000 and listen many times over many days with the W6 then try with the Integra.
Listen to your Denon for a couple weeks or so exclusively with the W6, then go back to the SS amp. You really shouldn't hear a huge difference. The D7000 is fairly new to your ears and this makes it even more difficult to hear the subtle differences between the tube and SS amp. A wild guess is that the W6 could deliver a more dynamic bass slam. Don't be afraid to crank that D7000 to low 90's. I like a lot of strange Electronic music with insanely deep bass. My JVC DX1000 is excellent with this, very similar to your D7000. Wimpy/crappy amps can't pull it off at high volumes.
I have less than 10 recordings that I reference when comparing HPs or amps. Find some tracks that sound excellent on the D7000 and listen many times over many days with the W6 then try with the Integra.
soundhound
Well-Known Member
Many times, it takes some time for your ears to be able to discern the sonic character of a new amp. You're more likely to hear a difference if you listen to the tube amp for at least a week then switch to the receiver than with a quick comparison. The specific recording you're using makes a difference too, with heavily compressed rock being the hardest to tell a difference.
soundhound
Well-Known Member
DIYer said:
Never thought about it, but it might very well be.
GreatDane
Well-Known Member
Should not hear a huge difference.
I think many people hype the differences between amps. I do hear differences between all of my amps, battery powered and AC. An important factor is impedance matching which often gets simplified to how the "synergy" is with a certain pairing. My Woo 3 is an OTL design so it fairs best with high impedance, like my 600 Ohm T1.
With some amp designs, opamps can be switched or "rolled" in order to change the sound. This tweak can make a very noticeable change in sound.
Some of the reasons as to why a certain HP works with one amp better than another are beyond my scope of knowledge...to be able to explain without making mistakes in my explanations anyway.
I think many people hype the differences between amps. I do hear differences between all of my amps, battery powered and AC. An important factor is impedance matching which often gets simplified to how the "synergy" is with a certain pairing. My Woo 3 is an OTL design so it fairs best with high impedance, like my 600 Ohm T1.
With some amp designs, opamps can be switched or "rolled" in order to change the sound. This tweak can make a very noticeable change in sound.
Some of the reasons as to why a certain HP works with one amp better than another are beyond my scope of knowledge...to be able to explain without making mistakes in my explanations anyway.
When the first one arrived, it just seemed logical to allow for some warm up. So I gave it about 15 minutes. No, I wasn't putting a signal through it and no, I didn't have any cans connected to it. Regardless, we all know how that turned out.GreatDane said:
So when this new one arrived yesterday, I was more than a little curious so I installed the tubes, connected the audio and power cables, turned it on, connect some phones and played a CD right away. We all know how that turned out.
Today, I did precisely what you suggested. Actually, it was more like an hour before I put the phones on my head. All I'm gonna say (for right now) is that I found a new ritual before using this thing. :happy-smileygiantred:
I think if they're brand new tubes, which is likely, then they will need a little while to settle in. Just leave it on for a day or two; I don't think 100's of hours of burn-in is necessary, but I definitely noticed a difference in the first ~24 hours with my hybrid amp + planar headphones. They were noticeably shrill right at first, and mellowed out a lot after this initial bout.
The Short Version:
I am so keeping this amp!
The Slightly Longer Version:
Having unboxed it, connected it and used it all within 5 minutes was clearly a mistake, not to mention a rush to judgement. Ample warm-up time - especially with headphones connected to it - is indeed the right thing to do.
I'll stop just short of using the word "significant" and say that there is a noticeable improvement in using this amp over the processor's headphone connector. The only real question is about its value and whether its improvement is noticeable enough to warrant spending $620.
This is my first HP amp so I can't comment on how it - or its value - compares to other amps but when it comes to this amp vs. the generic HP connector on a receiver, pre/pro or disc player, if $620 is the price of admission, I'm paying!
I've noticed this has taken the weak and tinny sounding K701s to news levels of fullness, especially in the bass. They still don't compare with the Denons and I still think there is a lot of room for improvement with these headphones but this is the best I've heard from them yet. As for the D7000s, the bass is almost too much now (not a word, Flint! I said "almost"). That only seems to be the case with exceptionally bass-heavy material. With anything else, I'd call it perfect!
I am so keeping this amp!
The Slightly Longer Version:
Having unboxed it, connected it and used it all within 5 minutes was clearly a mistake, not to mention a rush to judgement. Ample warm-up time - especially with headphones connected to it - is indeed the right thing to do.
I'll stop just short of using the word "significant" and say that there is a noticeable improvement in using this amp over the processor's headphone connector. The only real question is about its value and whether its improvement is noticeable enough to warrant spending $620.
This is my first HP amp so I can't comment on how it - or its value - compares to other amps but when it comes to this amp vs. the generic HP connector on a receiver, pre/pro or disc player, if $620 is the price of admission, I'm paying!
I've noticed this has taken the weak and tinny sounding K701s to news levels of fullness, especially in the bass. They still don't compare with the Denons and I still think there is a lot of room for improvement with these headphones but this is the best I've heard from them yet. As for the D7000s, the bass is almost too much now (not a word, Flint! I said "almost"). That only seems to be the case with exceptionally bass-heavy material. With anything else, I'd call it perfect!
GreatDane
Well-Known Member
Since having my WA3 for 5 years and reading customer satisfaction comments about Woo Audio in general, I believe Woo Audio still represents exceptional value. Tube amps under this price ($500~ $700), often have inferior build quality and simply haven't surpassed the popularity that Woo Audio receives. This isn't saying that Woo Audio makes THE best options in this price range but there aren't many others to consider IMO.
The fact that I've kept my WA3 for 5 years says a lot about my satisfaction. I've bought and sold a few other amps in that time but nothing very expensive.
When you consider that some popular tube amps cost 2 to 3 times what the WA6 goes for, I consider the WA6 a bargain. It's all in how much you value taking your HP to it's peak performance.
I was expecting the WA6 to help improve bass performance. This is what I've experienced with my WA3 when comparing to just a few SS amps that I've owned.
I love to tweak the sound that I get from my headphones and often tweak this on a CD to CD basis. A few years ago I bought the Aphex 204 processor which is not an EQ of any sort. Basically it can add low to mid bass and also upper mids to mid treble frequencies in a "fun" way.
http://www.aphex.com/204.htm
The Aphex 204 would give your 701 the bass that you've always wanted from it...and I'm not bullshitting you. I've used it on many headphones and it does this without overloading the signal and with great THD specs.
...not that you'd buy the 204 but I'm just sharing my tricks for the non EQ haters. My Behringer DEQ2496 has been working nicely also using the PEQ. I love bass and there are too many older Rock recordings, for example, that just don't have enough bass for my tastes. I'll do whatever it takes to make my ears happy. Of course none of this tweaking will work if the headphone doesn't sound damn good to start with.
The fact that I've kept my WA3 for 5 years says a lot about my satisfaction. I've bought and sold a few other amps in that time but nothing very expensive.
When you consider that some popular tube amps cost 2 to 3 times what the WA6 goes for, I consider the WA6 a bargain. It's all in how much you value taking your HP to it's peak performance.
I was expecting the WA6 to help improve bass performance. This is what I've experienced with my WA3 when comparing to just a few SS amps that I've owned.
I love to tweak the sound that I get from my headphones and often tweak this on a CD to CD basis. A few years ago I bought the Aphex 204 processor which is not an EQ of any sort. Basically it can add low to mid bass and also upper mids to mid treble frequencies in a "fun" way.
http://www.aphex.com/204.htm
The Aphex 204 would give your 701 the bass that you've always wanted from it...and I'm not bullshitting you. I've used it on many headphones and it does this without overloading the signal and with great THD specs.
...not that you'd buy the 204 but I'm just sharing my tricks for the non EQ haters. My Behringer DEQ2496 has been working nicely also using the PEQ. I love bass and there are too many older Rock recordings, for example, that just don't have enough bass for my tastes. I'll do whatever it takes to make my ears happy. Of course none of this tweaking will work if the headphone doesn't sound damn good to start with.