[Sound Eq]

hi everyone, i got the woo audio wa7 without the tube power supply

since mine is the solid state power supply does it mean I can only swap tubes between stock and eh gold pin tubes only, are there no other options at all to just roll tubes on the amp without buying the tube power supply

also a note i did not like Eh gold pin tubes they were harsh, and had like a ringing with my audeze lcd cans, I am looking for the best tubes that gives warmth of tubes especially in mids and add more bass than stock tubes and add no harshness at all. I really like the stock tubes all is needed is a bit more bass

is there no adaptor that allows tube rolling with just using the wa7 instead of buying a tube power supply

 

[kyle1010]

hi everyone, i got the woo audio wa7 without the tube power supply

since mine is the solid state power supply does it mean I can only swap tubes between stock and eh gold pin tubes only, are there no other options at all to just roll tubes on the amp without buying the tube power supply

also a note i did not like Eh gold pin tubes they were harsh, and had like a ringing with my audeze lcd cans, I am looking for the best tubes that gives warmth of tubes especially in mids and add more bass than stock tubes and add no harshness at all. I really like the stock tubes all is needed is a bit more bass

is there no adaptor that allows tube rolling with just using the wa7 instead of buying a tube power supply

There’s only a couple other amp tubes you can try but they’re some kind of weird 6C45 russian ones you can maybe find on eBay and no one seems to rave about them. I know it sucks to have to buy the tube power supply, but it’s beyond worth it and really the only way to get more bass out of the WA7. The only other way is if you use a separate dac and run its output RCA through a Schiit Loki hardware EQ then RCA into the WA7 analog input. Or, EQ your source in a software program like Roon. And no, no adapter I know of to roll 6C45 variants, but even if there was, 1 it’ll ruin the gorgeous looks of the WA7..2 roll the wrong tubes in and you could possibly void the warranty and damage the amp. I wouldn’t mess with all that..

 

[Sound Eq]

There’s only a couple other amp tubes you can try but they’re some kind of weird 6C45 russian ones you can maybe find on eBay and no one seems to rave about them. I know it sucks to have to buy the tube power supply, but it’s beyond worth it and really the only way to get more bass out of the WA7. The only other way is if you use a separate dac and run its output RCA through a Schiit Loki hardware EQ then RCA into the WA7 analog input. Or, EQ your source in a software program like Roon. And no, no adapter I know of to roll 6C45 variants, but even if there was, 1 it’ll ruin the gorgeous looks of the WA7..2 roll the wrong tubes in and you could possibly void the warranty and damage the amp. I wouldn’t mess with all that..

thanks for the reply, that sucks, i bought the wa7 to try different tubes, now i have to look into buying a power supply which costs more than i paid for a used wa7, dam sometimes doing your homework is a must

maybe i will be lucky to get a used tube power supply for a good offer

or maybe altogether just buy wa6, but wonder how it compares with wa7, when wa6 is used with the best tube configurations. Also the way I look at it is that investing in a tube power supply to go with wa7 is it really worth it, as I know with power hungry cans the wa7 will not cut it at all, so honestly I thought ok I d buy the wa7 just to enjoy easy to drive headphones paying moderate price, but now to invest in buying the tube power supply is it really worth it.

as for dac i am using my chord qutest, so I think in regards to dac I am covered. Also I have the loki but I simply do not like to start messing with eq again, as I am done doing that which I used to do when I first started in this hobby

 

[kyle1010]

thanks for the reply, that sucks, i bought the wa7 to try different tubes, now i have to look into buying a power supply which costs more than i paid for a used wa7, dam sometimes doing your homework is a must

maybe i will be lucky to get a used tube power supply for a good offer

or maybe altogether just buy wa6, but wonder how it compares with wa7, when wa6 is used with the best tube configurations. Also the way I look at it is that investing in a tube power supply to go with wa7 is it really worth it, as I know with power hungry cans the wa7 will not cut it at all, so honestly I thought ok I d buy the wa7 just to enjoy easy to drive headphones paying moderate price, but now to invest in buying the tube power supply is it really worth it.

as for dac i am using my chord qutest, so I think in regards to dac I am covered. Also I have the loki but I simply do not like to start messing with eq again, as I am done doing that which I used to do when I first started in this hobby

I hear ya. Tbh if you want fuller sound and the ability to drive pretty much any power hungry headphone, as well as hear the detail of the Qutest a lot better, get a WA22 2nd gen and be done with it. By the time you buy a WA7 tube power supply plus experiment with its upgrade 12AU7 variant tubes, you’ll already be close to used WA22 1st gen prices or a couple paydays away from a more end game friendly 2nd gen. I’ve owned all of that stuff so I can tell you first hand that’s the way to go.

 

[Sound Eq]

I hear ya. Tbh if you want fuller sound and the ability to drive pretty much any power hungry headphone, as well as hear the detail of the Qutest a lot better, get a WA22 2nd gen and be done with it. By the time you buy a WA7 tube power supply plus experiment with its upgrade 12AU7 variant tubes, you’ll already be close to used WA22 1st gen prices or a couple paydays away from a more end game friendly 2nd gen. I’ve owned all of that stuff so I can tell you first hand that’s the way to go.

i thought bout it, so in ur opinion the best setup for wa7 is not as good as wa22 first gen
i was just reading few reviews about w22 and I think some shared it lacked bass, i am not a bassehead but love full rich bass

so getting a used wa22 gen 1 might be a good idea

 

[kyle1010]

Correct, WA7 and tube power supply with virtually impossible to find CBS Hytron 5814a tubes using the internal dac can probably get somewhat close to a stock 1st gen WA22/Qutest combo, but the WA22 will be noticeably fuller, richer, and more controlled sounding by a mile. And if that’s not enough bass, toss in some readily available, higher gain, smoother sounding Tung Sol 5998 power tubes at ~$350 and the WA22 will rattle your earpads when called for. It’s simply in another performance bracket than the WA7. Still, I’d strongly consider 2nd gen. It has a little more power which equates to more control which you’ll definitely want if you ever get a totl power hungry planar like Abyss, LCD-4, or whatever irresistible future headphones come out.

Side note: I use a WA33 now but I never sold the WA7 with Hytrons in the tube power supply. It’s still amazingly good with efficient planars like my girlfriend’s LCD-Xs. We have his and hers nightstand rigs

 

[Sound Eq]

Correct, WA7 and tube power supply with virtually impossible to find CBS Hytron 5814a tubes using the internal dac can probably get somewhat close to a stock 1st gen WA22/Qutest combo, but the WA22 will be noticeably fuller, richer, and more controlled sounding by a mile. And if that’s not enough bass, toss in some readily available, higher gain, smoother sounding Tung Sol 5998 power tubes at ~$350 and the WA22 will rattle your earpads when called for. It’s simply in another performance bracket than the WA7. Still, I’d strongly consider 2nd gen. It has a little more power which equates to more control which you’ll definitely want if you ever get a totl power hungry planar like Abyss, LCD-4, or whatever irresistible future headphones come out.

Side note: I use a WA33 now but I never sold the WA7 with Hytrons in the tube power supply. It’s still amazingly good with efficient planars like my girlfriend’s LCD-Xs. We have his and hers nightstand rigs

so if i buy w22 2nd gen which tubes to get for a lush rich sound with good bass to suit planars like lcd4 or lcd2c, lcd2

 

[Luke-]

If you could pick one tube to upgrade from the stock tubes in the WA7 and WA7tp what would you recommend ?

I don't want to spend a fortune trying different ones just want a good all-rounder if there is one.

Thanks in advance

 

[Law87]

Correct, WA7 and tube power supply with virtually impossible to find CBS Hytron 5814a tubes using the internal dac can probably get somewhat close to a stock 1st gen WA22/Qutest combo, but the WA22 will be noticeably fuller, richer, and more controlled sounding by a mile. And if that’s not enough bass, toss in some readily available, higher gain, smoother sounding Tung Sol 5998 power tubes at ~$350 and the WA22 will rattle your earpads when called for. It’s simply in another performance bracket than the WA7. Still, I’d strongly consider 2nd gen. It has a little more power which equates to more control which you’ll definitely want if you ever get a totl power hungry planar like Abyss, LCD-4, or whatever irresistible future headphones come out.

Side note: I use a WA33 now but I never sold the WA7 with Hytrons in the tube power supply. It’s still amazingly good with efficient planars like my girlfriend’s LCD-Xs. We have his and hers nightstand rigs

wait I'm confused...I cant roll tube with WA7 second edition? I need the WA7TP to roll tube?

 

[kyle1010]

wait I'm confused...I cant roll tube with WA7 second edition? I need the WA7TP to roll tube?

If you just have the WA7 with solid state brick power supply, the only tubes you can roll are the 6C45s, and with those the options are extremely limited to basically the EH gold pins that Woo sells. This is regardless of 1st or 2nd generation WA7. Now, to have a lot more options in changing the sound, you need the tube power supply (tp). Those cost extra. With that, you can roll a bunch of different brands of 12AU7 or equivalent power supply tubes mentioned in this thread. Again, 1st or 2nd generation WA7 doesn’t matter, you’ll need the tube power supply either way.

 

[bobelton]

Following up on the dac shootout portion of this thread--I know it's been years. The Schiit Bifrost was once mentioned as a potential contender. Has anyone had a chance to compare the WA7 gen 2 dac to the Bifrost 2?

For context, I have a Loki Mini that I'd like to keep in the signal chain, but obviously can't do when using the WA7 as both dac and amp. Would getting a Bifrost 2 be an actual upgrade in sound quality, or would it only add to the cost of using a Loki with no improvement in SQ?