I'm a 51 year old native english speaker and I still haven't mastered the language as well as you. I love your videos, not only because of their informative audio content, but also because you speak so eloquently and engagingly about a topic that could easily be dry and boring. In 5 years time, you will be the best audiophile reviewer by far. Keep up the excellent work!
Gotta imagine at this point that any company willing to send their (even cherry picked) units to you, the MQA destroyer with your detailed analysis and breakdown with the 555 analyzer, has got to be feeling pretty confident. Excellent vid as always!
@@aceofspades6667 my problem is too many expensive hobbies :D I want a EQ6 tracker too; a full frame body; a new bike; a new car; etcetc But thanks though! I'll make a piggy bank for tubes too :D
It is an amazing amp! I have had mine for maybe 2 weeks now and I can't stop listening! I am using my WA22 with ZMF Verite Closed, lcdx , and Arya. I also love the preamp out into my Soloist GT. You get that tube sound injected into solid state. I have 3 different sounds with 2 amps. Each headphone sounds best each way too which is fun!
Excited to see you trying out Elex, was my first big headphone purchase. Out of curiosity are you/would you consider doing a shootout between Hifiman Ananda and Focal Elex? Both live in a similar price bracket both new and in the used market, both are quite efficient, and for alot of people living in the midi-fi sector these two headphones would be considered "endgame" if they were looking to spend
I watch these reviews, not because I'll ever be able to try, much less afford, any of this equipment, but because the music you use to "demonstrate" is spectacular. Foreground is now one of my favorites. :P
Tash Sultana - Blackbird - 7 Layers Sessions #5 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DnGPxmxVTuE.html is amazing! Thank you for your reviews.
Hi, I understand English very poorly, and unfortunately the video has no subtitles. Could you provide links to the tubes that you recommend for replacement?
Thanks for this review. I find myself visiting the Woo Audio website from time to time and I've been in contact with them. Mike at Woo Audio is a really great guy. There's two main things that have kept me from pulling the trigger on a Woo Audio tube amp and it's not the price. One is that there are very few RU-vid reviews of Woo Audio headphone amps. I can't figure out why but so it is. That's why I appreciate this review. The other is that Woo Audio is sticking with the 3-pin XLR's. Yea I get it that there are a lot of old school audiophiles that like 3-pin XLR's. I, however, want 4-pin XLR and 4.4mm Pentaconn - with the same power. Then a secondary 6.3 mm unbalanced. I mostly use 4-pin XLR but we're seeing the Pentaconn more and more as the balanced option in high-end headphones. There's no such thing as an end-game product but at the price, a Woo Audio purchase is a big decision and something one will probably own for a long time. As such I expect Woo Audio to begin offering 4-pin XLR/4.4 mm Pentaconn options to future-proof their offering.
Tube pre amp and a really great solid state power amp is the best of both worlds. On my 2 channel stereo I have an Atma-Sphere MP-3 tube pre amp that powers a pair of monoblock AHB2 power amps. That is a killer combo! On the desktop I use the Woo Audio Wa7 tube amp paired with Hifiman Aryas. On the very cheap end, the $160 Xduoo MT-604 is a fabulous tube amp, which has about 80% of the sound quality performance of the much more expensive Woo Audio amp. If you are on a budget, getting the Xduo MT-604 is a no brainer!
I am a tube preamplifier into a solid state amp guy. I had good experience with ITube2 and the Musical Paradise MP701 mk2. I have upgraded to a Cayin SC-6Ls mk2 and very happy. As a susvara owner, tube preamp into a powerful ss amp is the way to go.
I am with you on that! I love my WA22 preamp out into Soloist GT! To me it hits a sweet spot with some cans. However I do like some just on tubes and some just on solid state.
After seeing this review, I’d love to see you review the Quicksilver Audio Headphone Amp. I’ve been wondering how those two US-based hp amps would compare (obviously different output designs, but still so curious nonetheless).
I remember asking you about reviewing this unit on the desk and here we are with impressive review. Always love your demonstration on each song, very detailed. Looking forward to watch Cayin HA-6 or any Cayin product review later on. :D
Damping factor? Planar headphones have a constant impedance (a lot of them anyway). So, mathematically speaking, the voltage divider ratio (between nominal impedance, maximal/minimal impedance will be 1. Subbing this into 20log(v1/v2) will always result in 0dB difference (log(1)=0) at any set given set of nominal sound pressure level at least due to the damping factor. Yes, you'll not be able to drive insensitive planar headphones due to the voltage drop though (and that tube amps are not exactly the most current heavy output devices). The damping factor is definitely a consideration for headphones with an impedance that isn't constant across frequency.
@@brooksphillips2234 Well most likely quite poorly as tubes are quite noisy and the amount of power they require compared to solid state electronics is massive, meaning much more power supply noise as well. This would have been purely academic in nature and not so much about how they sound.
Great review! I agree that the stock tubes need to be replaced. I replaced all the tubes: 596USAF rectifier, Tungsol 5998 power, and Sylvania 6SN7WGT driver - not cheap to do this (to save some $$, I souced some of the tubes from the internet - had a couple of misses). Coupled with my Abyss Diana Phi headphones...insane sound. Just so real, detailed, and smooth. It's addicting...
Sold state & Tubes ..a flavor for everyone🥳 My DAC ( balanced output) to Little Bear passive switch box. So I get the 789 or the Loxji 20 or the Xduoo 604..to run my headphones or IEM’s. Depends on the recoding as to what gets the benefit. A great review video. Thank you 🍻
I am using WA22 as preamp to Kinki Studio THR-1 as poweramp. The combo drives my Susvara perfectly and it is the best of both worlds to me. Thanks for the great review!
Looking for a great headphone amp that has preamplifier capability but no remote is a deal killer for me as a preamp. Considering Benchmark HPA4 instead but that's a very different sound signature I'm sure...
Impressive review of this tube amp. Your demo of sounstage width and depth and tonal densisity / tambra with your descriptions covers it's characteristics quite convincingly. I built a 6DJ8 SRPP preamp with a front end multitap transformer volume control that feeds either a pair of downstream monoblock speaker amplifiers, or a transformer coupled headphone interface - essentially doing the same as this tube amplifier. Had I known this was available, I might have considered this solution rather than a custom design/build effort. Many thanks to you for adhering to both measurement and subjective listening based assessments. Seems a very good format.
I'm now choosing between wa22 and a solid state amp to drive my th909, which is super sensitive to impedence noises. I love the tube sound verr much but I'm worried about getting an impedence electric noise just like my current hybrid amp. Does your wa22 have any impedence noise problems? if it's not annoyyingly significant I would go for the wa22.
First I just want to say that your videos are exquisite. Secondly what was your setup with this tube amp, what was your DAC, where there some things inbetween etc.?
I have to disagree with what you said about its build quality. Yes, it does look sturdy but the fit does not reflect it is a well-built product. You can see misalignments on every corner.
Curious if you ever nabbed a tube amp to live with and if so which? You mentioned desiring it at the end of this video and its been quite some time since, wondering if you ever pulled the trigger oon something.
Tubes are better than transistors but electricity has nothing to do with real music so I wouldn't recommend touching either for serious listening. The ultimate in realism can only be achieved with mechanical reproduction since it's compatible with real sounds as they exist in the air. Of course I'm in all likelihood preaching to the choir here, so to speak.
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 That was a jest aimed at tubes and Woo being a term for nonsense pseudo-magic just made it irresistible. If you love the music you can only listen to what the artists have released even if it's not the best fidelity and it's what we have to do unless it's just too distorted to enjoy. The stupidity of subjective audio is the implicit assumption that you somehow know what the recording is supposed to sound like when correctly reproduced. I've stared at CDs yet was never able to determine what was on them so I could then judge the playback equipment by listening to them! Be well. ;-)
@@jozsefizsak yes but its well known that musicians like to use tubes equipment during playback recordings. Tubes do generally give a more realistic stage and timber to actual instruments. However, it is of course exaggerated in marketing speaks.
@@enjoshi-godrez8775 You're stating a belief about tubes that I don't share and I was not aware of musicians generally adhering to it although for sure some will. If we love music and explore these things in our own way, we're on the same team even when we don't agree on everything. (I wanted to get that out there so there are no misunderstandings!) ;-)
@@jozsefizsak ok, listen to good tube amplifiers as clearly the ones you're listening to don't sound like the ones I have. Disliking tube amps is like disliking pizza. There are so many variables that its pointless to blanket them all as being "not for me".
I dig your videos thoroughly. I'm a fan of your approach, it's pretty cool seeing your channel develop. Could you do a video explaining harmonics 1st 2nd 3rd etc., I hear term frequently but it's never clear to me what it means or why it's relevant?
Hi, very nice review I've also heard them at a dealer in LA driving a focal utopia and they sound phenomenal. my concern is and I used to have focal elex, don't you have any problem with the drivers of the elex? I returned mine cause after six months of using them the right driver failed. That is my experience w/ the elex. Keep up your channel and I like the way you review equipment. Nice Job
You should also review the WA5 Second Edition because that particular unit also can come with a preamp and it cost less than the WA33. It’s a fantastic unit!
A bit late to the comments but will this power the LCD-5? I am looking to get the ZMF Caldera later this year so I want to be sure this will be more than enough for both! Also intend to use this as pre-amp which is why I am leaning towards this rather than the Ampsandsound Forge and Cayin HA-6A.
Love THIS review Golden! This is why my main system uses a tube preamp on the Lampizator then goes to the solid state Mola Mola Kaluga monoblocks. It just sounds so cool. I might trade in my Pass Labs HPA-1 for this
I got mine in about 2 weeks ago and I have been missing out. I barely use just my Soloist GT anymore. It's either WA22 or WA22 preamp into GT. To me it was worth the $2500 EASY!
I was going to sell my WA-6SE and get this, but I went to the web page and see that W6-SE is also a transformer-coupled amp, with hi & lo output impedance, and is still mushy regardless of the headphone I use, still drives Arya bad, I also did try the ifi IE match, and is better bat still bad, in fact it sound exactly like a Rebel Amp with a chinese soft filer on. I don't say WA-22 is bad, I just point out that just because an amp has TC design and hi /lo output impedance, it will work with planar and easy to drive headphone.
The Arya does need more power. I prefer the Arya with WA22 preamp out into my Soloist GT. I like my lcd x like that too but I prefer my Verite Closed on WA22.
@Cotoi is have to get a better dac myself. I am using my dx300 as dac for now and it's really pretty damn good but I know there is more to be had. My next purchase is likely to be the Holo Spring 3kte. I agree that a better dac would help with more power to drive cans like the Arya.
Thank you for the great review! I currently have the Chord Hugo TT2/Mscaler combo but I would like to get a tube amp. I also have a Susvara. Can I use the tube amp (not sure which one I am getting ) as a preamp and use the TT2 as a DAC/headphone amp to power the Susvara. Would I be able to do this and get the tube sound with the power of the TT2 if the tube amp is not powerful enough on it's own? Thank you for your time and help!
Yes you could do that. I use my WA22 with my Soloist GT. Just run xlr interconnects from the WA22 preamp output into your tt2 and turn the know of the WA22 to preamp. It's very simple to do and sounds amazing! I love the Arya and lcd x like that but I prefer my Verite Closed on the WA22. I highly suggest getting a tube amp to listen purely tubes and use pream out into solid state! You basically have 3 different sound with 2 amps!
I’m learning so much from your videos. I’m selling my gear to have a similar set up to you, can I ask. I still use windows 7 and jrivers, would they be sufficient to handle all the tech. My audiophiles journey has been strictly Daps until now and recently bought a linn s3 and it’s completely changed my mission, any advice greatly appreciated
@@GoldenSound thanks for the quick response, it will just be purely for offline file listening, I’ve got an extensive collection of vinyl rips hi res and dsd. I just wondered if there is a correlation between lag and processing power and whether it would be worth upgrading to Mac Pro. It is an education in itself watching your videos: and you have a rich taste in music
It would be nice to meet you man I’m in the south west / I mean, add me on fb or insta. Over the past 20 years of meandering through pretentious reviewers you’re the first that’s made me think.. this gut soeaks honestly
really don't understand those people who say "X doesn't make real music", like do you not hear the melodic vibrations? is that not music to you? do you wish every tune be accompanied with a gaggle of rock stars or a whole orchestra? elitist pricks. (this is not a dig at GoldenSound, this is in relation to his comment around 14:08 regarding the same type of person i'm speaking of)
Sexy amp and you're clearly enjoying it's preformance. Lots of hand waving and cliches but not a single measurment to back any of them. I thought the whole point of having the apx555 is to dive into what makes things sound the way they do.
so, 5 times the cost of my Topping A90, the only way i would consider to buy it if in a blind test I found it sounds better at least 50%, otherwise no thanks
thats completely subjective. You cannot quantify what 50% better is in audio quality. Did you fail high school or have yet to finish? The way you talk give me those vibs.
@@genkifd he is getting into speakers later , its just Focal desk monitors , and considering he made a full video just on DDCs he is aware of streamers ,also Holo May has a PLL that makes direct PC connection pretty much normal