I started a new thread b/c I always feel the need to post a wall of text for some reason (sorry)
I don’t see a reason why some minor component and/ or wire switching would be a huge problem.
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What’s a general rundown of wa22 competitors? I dont know this market at all so I litteraly can’t think of another planar capable tube amp in this range with a pre-amp. Cayin are planar capable but no pre and elis is only but has a pre. Just trying to geberaly learn more about tubes in general tbh. Edit: any topology including hybrid is fine
Interested in this too.
How about Feliks amps? Anybody had ears?
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Surprised people still think of wa22 given it’s age, but at a similar price point, something that’s transformer coupled and works well with planar, and close in sq I think of the cayin ha-6a, a&s mogwai se or kenzie ovation, toolshed darling, dragon inspire iha-1 w/ lundahl, icon hp 205d, wolf ear makoyi, auris ha2 se or sf, decware taboo mk4, and then some older competitors that aren’t exactly around anymore or options that are OTL or hybrid
For a bit more money (but still under 3.5k ish) but reasonably a step ahead I think of modwright tryst, halgorythme bloc stereo se 2a3 2 x 6w, eddie current studio b or balancing act, allnic hpa-3000 gt, and a few others that might be too hard to find
Not my cup of tea but solid if you enjoy their signature/voicing
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What kind of sig do they have?
Generally a neutral but smoother and softer signature, a stage that prioritizes width over depth, great microdynamics but slightly muted macro, solid tonal density and richness, a bit slightly slower and rounded, reasonable resolving power
My personal complaints is that it can sometimes need more bite, lack control, and gets a bit too mushy for my personal tastes, but they do pair well with some specific headphones. Personally I like the echo and the euphoria the most
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Litteraly the only reason I’m interested in wa22 is because it will run LCD-R directly and has a preamp tbh. Would you say the other options listed would probabaly be better sq in general (obviously slight voicing differences asside)?
These are easily above
Slightly above
Roughly similar tier
Slightly below
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That was massively helpful. Ty.
Hello,
Does anyone have a recommendation for a Dac with Wolfson chip or Cirrus Logic apart from the Topping D30pro?
I saw the Mousai msd 192 on Massdrop but unfortunately slept through it, it would have really appealed to me.
I currently have the Cambridge Audio Dacmagic100 paired with the Little Dot 1+.
Unfortunately, it’s a bit noisy and probably needs to be repaired.
The pairing would probably be even better if the impelmentation of the Cambridge was better.
I have seen improvements for the Cambridge, but they would also cost money.
Hence the question for a better alternative.
I paired the Little Dot 1+ with the Matrix Audio ipro mini 2S but it’s just too peaky in the treble range and listener fatigue.
The Pcm filters didn’t bring any improvements either and it will go back into the living room to the hi-fi system where it does its best.
Many thanks in advance.
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Earman uses Cirrus if I remember correctly. I had their Donald dac. Not sure what your budget is but I liked it at $100. Paired nicely with a few budget tube amps. Slightly on the analytical side of neutral. Noise wasn’t an issue in my experience.
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For a bit of context, the WA22 was very recently reviewed by GoldenSound, so people have been talking about it a bit more than usual lately.
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Hello,
Thanks for the answer.
Yes, it would have looked good, but unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be available for purchase.
Budget would not be too important for now.
Lol. I found out it ran LCD-R and the video dropped like 24 hours later so interest was thoroughly piqued tbh
Some (maybe all) of the Hiby DAPs use Cirrus chips. Any particular reason you are looking for devices with specifically those chips?
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Which Hiby do you mean?
I find the sound signature somehow charmingly balanced and not too exaggerated.
It’s somehow just right before going to bed, when you read a book for 20-30 minutes or do something on your iPad.
The Hiby R5 and R6, I believe both use Cirrus, but others may as well. Don’t recall without looking it up. If you’re wanting something that’s just generally laid back and smooth for that relaxed listening situation, there may be options outside those chip implementations to consider.
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Okay,
What other alternatives do you have in mind?
For a relaxed listening session.
What budget range are you looking for, and will it be paired only with the Little Dot? Do you need preamp or other functionality?
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Hmm thought about 300$/€ approximately.Plus Minus.If it would be more it would be like that.
Preamp would not be mandatory.