So im using the WA8 that I got on loan from @FiCurious and I’m tempted to almost say it feels like the first time In quite the while that I’ve listened to music lol.
It’s so wide sounding. To be fair I’ve been using nothing but Andros for quite a while but dang this thing sounds super dope. Detailed, relaxed but engaging and real wide sounding. Layering of things too is awesome. Currently running my ksc75 on it because I’m waiting for my other headphone to arrive. But it seriously almost feels like I can justify buying the WA8 for just the ksc75 LOL
I’m curious to see how it will hold u with the LSA which is an extremely capable headphone!
You can, but honestly some of the really good tube types for the wa8 are both very hard to find and very expensive, and with the hassle it takes I’d really not bother doing it imo
Like fi mentioned, the tubes legit get pretty toasty. Infact, don’t remember if it was in their instruction manual or elsewhere but they warn u to NOT use it while having it contained inside a box etc etc. Nor pocket since it needs to dissipate the heat. It’s basically a transportable. You can take it room to room, different houses etc but you shouldn’t have it in pocket due to heat, also it’s legit heavy. Like as heavy as a brick. It’s THICC and long too. Tomorrow when I have time I’ll try to take pics for size comparison.
When it comes to interface, it’s pretty simple btw! Love that. Just plug and play
Quirks. There is one. If you turn it off while having headphones off. You will hear a loud pop. It’s not fun. Lol so I take the ksc75 off before turning it off
I never even considered tube rolling it lol
Also well for now I tried just using it with its internal dac. I think I’ll wait to connect to bifrost once my HP2 arrives. For now I’ll just mess with it as it is a little bit
Mentioned it I another post rn, but the woo Audio is really neat. It feels so rich sounding, technical and organic. That organic aspect is what I like the most. I’ve used it to preamp my speakers nos too and it’s lovely. I’ll look forward to playing with it and the LSA this coming week
Just feels like such a good blend of great technical aspects, organicness and warmth
Been testing the amp and dac a fair bit. Damn it’s leeeegit. Like it’s detail, timbre, tonality, texture and sound signature are all awesome!
At first when I started trying it out with the LSA I wasn’t really digging it because I had what’s called the two tube configuration which is fairly less warm, more neutral but as I learned SUCKS ASS. Mids are more caves in, bass isn’t as prominent and the mids legit sound grainy and as limp as Hugh Hefner without viagra. But then I switched to three tube which I was afraid wouldn’t fit the LSA as well due to me previously loving it more on my ifi diablo which is way more neutral and performance based. Nonsense this IMO is the way yo use the wa8, mids are amazing on it. It’s not as sweet sounding as the LP or crack but it’s fairly sweet sounding too! And it’s mids are more clean than those two while maintaining the sweet sound. Bass is also more elevetaded in comparison to the two tube. Treble is hmmm something I have paid enough attention to lol.
WA8 vs ifi diablo in terms of pairing with the LSA HP2. Tbh I still prefered how lively the LSA sounded with the ifi, those two were an ALMOST magical pairing. Extremely lively sound, exceptional detail with its awesome speed, timbre fully showcased. The one downfall was really the shoutiness that came from that pairing. However there is zero issues with shout or any sort of sibilance in the woo Audio, just like there wasn’t with the LP either. As someone who has only tried a more limited amount of amplifiers and dacs, I really appreciate about the WA8 that it really feels like a perfect transportable version of the LP in terms of carrying its beautiful luscious warmth but even more refined. Mids aren’t as forward as they were in the LP but that’s not an issue as it’s still very forward here while being more refined sounding. More clarity is probably main takeaway atm.
That reminds me, for what reason do we never hear about the WA11? Like everyone wants the WA8 but no one mentions the WA11, is it not as good or something? Different sound sig?
Personally I thought the wa11 was nice but nothing special. But it is good and shouldn’t be discounted. I do think it leans warmer and sweeter than the wa8, but doesn’t match the level of resolving power, microdynamics, timbre, and spatial recreation of it. It does have better punch and impact though, a bit more grip and control. Still very smooth, smoother than the wa8 imo
When speaking as a pure amp, IMO, the WA11 is quite over priced compared to the competition (especially used). I would personally rate it at a SQ level above the BX2+ and C9 (Class A SS), but its still well below something like a 428 (for solid state). I think technicaly its on a similar level to a HPA-01M but it doesnt have the specialness of the staging and slight sweetness of the 01M (which is cheaper used if you can find one). When including portable tubes I think it falls behind the C9 (Class A tube) slightly and is fairly behind WA8 and Phantasy II.
I will say I have never tried the WA11 with something like a Diana or arya where it may be a bit of a sweet spot due to its power output (honestly, most of the higher power portables aren’t very good technically IMO), but I honestly doubt I would prefer Diana V2 on it over the 01M just know how it stacks up on other stuff.
I came here to write about my experiences with changing the tube and it was cool to see my post from when I had the WA8 on loan from Ficurious and to think that I bought that same WA8 from Eskamobob! Love to see things come around like this haha.
Alright then so today the Sylvania tube finally arrived! I let it burn in a bit while I was working. AND THIS IS IT. IT’S THE FUCKING SOUND THAT I WAS WAITING FOR. As mentioned in my “what did you purchase today” post, I bought the Sylvania 6BF7 after talking to Mr. Liang from Woo Audio because even though the WA8 + RS6 dac + VC were sounding very magical indeed i couldn’t help but want something more neutral with my VC. Tbh I always need some neutrality in my life because Kpop has so much fun in the treble region that I always need it. I recieved it today and broke it in and fucking hell it’s a night and day type of difference. So base slam stays the same which is awesome as I like how viceral the WA8 can be HOWEVER there is a HUUUUGE fucking difference in terms of speed and detail. Like It wouldn’t be an exagerration if I said that the stock tube was a slower, wetter sound that had alot of bloom, borderline sloppy. In fact, I also always lowkey shaked my head when Zach from ZMF talked about the VC having a Berrylim driver and how because of that it’s got a very fast sound. Because to me the VC on the WA8 was anything but fast lol, I mean the Fostex was slow on the WA8 too but I expected that because it’s not necessarily built to be played with tubes. THE WA8 IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BEAST WITH THE SYLVANIA TUBE THO. First thing that stood out to be was a huuuuge upgrade in clarity, micro detail, general seperation, treble prominence and SPEED. Like Generally it’s a much faster sounding amplifier now that legit keeps it’s impact but without being bloomy, no more just kind of lingering there. The lower mids in particular got much thinner, but in a GREAT way as I think they were a bit congested before. The mids have become much more holographic now, a bit thinner in the lower mids (only in comparison to what it used to be) and the upper mids are very nice. It’s also been super surprising how the micro detail has improved like ALOT, it dosen’t feel like a small “oh yeah i can hear these small things more” but instead It reminds me of gear that specializes in making the micro details much more prominent and kind of the center of entertainment. Stuff like the Mest MKII, LSA, Astell & Kern dap all had a phenomenal focus on that type of stuff which made them all crazy engaging and the Sylvania tube has brought that quality dare I say on steroids to the WA8. Dare I say thaht the Sylvania tube has brought no negative aspects either, because the bass is still SIIICK like It really does not feel like it’s lost anything. The lower mids may be thinner but the midbass is still very punchy, subass is still very present and it’s just awesome! The treble tho really got such a welcomed increase in both prominence and detail that it’s been pretty dang awesome.
All in all I can comfortably say that the WA8 now kinda sways to fairly neutral with a nice bump in the bass region. It kind of feels like what the 2 tube version of it should be lol. But instead the 2 tube version is flat in terms of having essentially zero depth, zero texture, zero anything good tbh lol. @Draaly since I know u were curious about the tube change!
Been listening to the WA8 after the tube upgrade and dare I say it’s like hearing music for the first time in a long long time lol. It’s absolutely amazing sounding and one of those things that reminds you why you are into audio. It really is a complete experience and nothing short of excellence.
I’M ALL ABOUT THAT TUBE LIFE NOW HAHAHAHA. Dude come on, it’s fucking ridiculous how much a swap of tubes can change something lol. This tube has single handedly upgraded micro detail substantially it’s so night and day type of a difference and it’s so phenomenal. There’s been a few things that the tube has corrected and upgraded so god damn much for me. I had told @j.fopps before that I actually prefered the WA8 prewarmup before because it was a bit more neutral sounding with more treble that I like but now that I swapped to this tube it’s soooo damn neutral, dare I say netural bright that I totally enjoy it the most when it’s fully warmed up. The micro detail kicks in so much too! The first device that turned me towards micro detail was the A&K SR25, it just presented the small details in such a different way from anything that I had ever experienced. I would say since then however I have only experienced that In actual headphones (LSA HP-2, Mesk MKII and i’ve heard more detailed stuff like the Fostex PW but that’s just a different type of presentation to the detail not quite the same) instead of source gear but now for the first time I’m getting that FUN fucking type of micro detail from the WA8 of all things thanks to the new tube. HOLY FUCKING SHIT. I don’t know how to explain it but if anyone has heard any of the gear I mentioned it’s along those lines, the layering of all these things happening at the same time but in different places within the stage and with a certain speed too. It’s ridiculous.
It almost feels like you are hearing different parts activate in music if that makes sense, you hear some gears turning in the far back, then you hear some gears turning in the near front and at the same time something is going on in the far front and ur like WHAT, HOW IS THIS HAPPENING. It’s been fucking awesome lol. Fucking hell dude.
To detail more what the differences are between the stock tube and the Sylvania 6BF7, in terms of just soundsignature the stock tube is extremely warm with a presence of extremely rich lower midrange and midbass while the treble is extremely toned down. The presentation is fairly relaxed but surprisingly not super laid back in terms of forwardness, instead I think what makes it super relaxing is it’s extremely slowed down attack plus the fact that the upper mids and treble are very relaxed and tamed. The Sylvania 6BF7 on the other hand is fairly neutral, neutral bright even as the treble is slightly elevated. It’s an extremely, extremely energetic sound with great midbass, focus on upper mids and energetic treble. It’s not really any more forward sounding than the stock tube but due to the huge upgrade in speed, faster decay and more prominent upper mids and treble it’s way more engaging and less relaxed for sure. It’s also the first non wet sounding tube amplifier that I have now heard lol. Only had experience with the BHC for tubes but that was super wet sounding, the WA8 was extremely wet sounding too but the Sylvania tube completely swayed it to a more dry sounding tube with precision, speed that rivals any SS. IT’S FUCKING PHENOMENAL. THIS IS THE TYPE OF ACCURACY THAT YOU CAN ONLY GET WITH HIGH END AUDIO. UGHHHH FUCKING GOOD SHITTT. I FEEL LIKE I NEED TO GET THE WORD OUT THERE, UPGRADE UR WA8 TUBES PEOPLE HAHAHAHA. FUCKING HELL, so good.
Alright, I need to calm myself. Long story short, WA8 + Sylvania 6BF7 is a major upgrade and a major tilt in sound signature as it’s a neutral/neutral-bright soundsignature with a focus on micro detail/speed while of course still retaining phenomenal macro detail and all the good stuff like organicness (dry but organic), great general timbre etc, great tonal balance (but also more holographic sounding which some people might not like).
