Another stunning looking offering from Woo however at over 1Kg I'd be questioning it's portability. But they have to start somewhere and perhaps future iterations will see that weight dropping off. Maybe it's more for taking to the office or sitting on the train than walking around with it in your pocket.
I'm a huge Woo fan and absolutely love my WA22. I especially adore the aesthetics and built quality of all Woo products, down to their headphone stands. When I had my WA7 at my office it was always a statement desktop piece and an awesome conversation starter, now imagine a small exquisite tube amp instead!
However, I must say from the video and pics I don't find myself impressed by the WA8 aesthetics. To be honest I was interested in a battery powered transportable full tube amp. I have had my eyes on the
A2P TU-05 ever since it became available but am not convinced by its built quality and quality control. Nonetheless, I much prefer the visual design of the TU-05 over that of the WA8.
WA8's tube window and volume knob would have been highlight to the otherwise plain rectangular box, but both didn't convey the premium-look I always find on Woo products. If anything the tube window detracts from the overall design and just doesn't look exquisite to me.
Also, not sure if I'm being OCD or what, I find the headphone jacks weird that they are not aligned horizontally, vertically, nor centered (also the case with TU-05, and to a lesser extend the CDM and CDM is not pure tube). Some of the close-up shots also seem to suggest there are some rather rough/sharp edges on the enclosure. I hope it look and feel more impressive in-person. However, one thing I will not doubt is that it is going to sound exceptional!
For $1800 (about double of the price of the TU-05, and approaching that of the WA22!) I'm really expecting more. The price and it's relatively blend (to me) visual design make it quite disappointing for me. YMMV.