[atbglenn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Pieman /img/forum/go_quote.gif The chassis on the WA2 does not get overly warm. In fact no part of the amp does, tubes excepted. A bonus as far as I am concerned. I agree about the GS1K. The WA2 and GS1K go well together. Some say asthe WA2 is OTL it won't have enough power for the GS1000, wrong. It has plenty. cheers Simon

I would imagine that it has gobs of power considering it's basically dual mono. Two paralleled output tubes, two chokes, and two rectifiers. What a nice amp!

 

[JayG]

The Pieman's experience mirrors mine. I've had it on for about 4 hours straight, and while the chassis gets warm, it does not get overly hot at all. The tubes are hot, of course, but even they are not as hot as I expected them to be. I have no idea what the reviewer on cNet was talking about when he said the whole amp got crazy hot. I mean, maybe it has something to do with my room being like 50 degrees with the weather, but even with a warmer room temp., I can't imagine the chassis getting all that hot.

And yes, the WA2 shows the GS1000s who's boss, no doubt. The volume knob does have to be a little higher with the GS1000s than the HD650s, but we're talking like 10 o'clock instead of 9 o'clock. There's plenty more left in the tank after that.

 

[Drag0n]

I think those are the stock tubes?
But i see black gates in there, so is that the modded version, or no?

 

[mmwwhats]

That has to be the modded version, because the black-gates alone used in that amp retail for about $330... exactly how much Jack charges for the upgrade.

Looking forward to hearing more impressions, and to receiving my WA2 amp, which should ship this week. I also have some RCA 6AS7G black-base coming to use for rolling... let's hope this amp gives me the sound I'm looking for.

 

[Gvvt]

Sorry if I overstated the toasty-glow aspect. My listening (all-tubes) is done in a small room in a 150+ year old house in Vermont. Anything warmer than the outside temperature - 20 below at times last week - is welcome. It's warm to the touch in a pleasant way.

I think I'm hearing a significant improvement in highs after about 30 minutes each session (still probably less than 20 hours total).

Rich detailed sound, big clear soundstage. Terrific amp.

 

[JayG]

Yes, my amp has the full upgrades minus the stepped attenuator. As of now, I still have the stock tubes in. However, I have Tung-Sol 5998s, Amperex Bugle Boy 6DJ8s and Amperex Holland Treble Clef 6V4s ready to roll. I am waiting to get very familiar with the stock tubes before I do any rolling. Eventually I will purchase some other 6DJ8/6922/7308/E18CC etc to try, most likely Siemens first. I'll probably wait quite a while to get anymore 6AS7Gs since the 5998s are pretty much universally regarded as the best. If I find that the Amperex 6V4s make a significant improvement, I might try out some other EZ80s as well. Hopefully we'll be able to get a good tube-rolling discussion going with all these new WA2 owners.

I'm hoping to get some listening time later tonight, so maybe I'll have a few tidbits about specific aspects of the sound to post.

I'm hoping Jamato or Takezo or one of the other EE types around here will get a chance to check out the internal pics soon and see if they can inform us about what's been changed in the power supply. I don't have an older model to compare, but I can say for a fact that my amp has tons of power. I can't imagine any headphones it couldn't handle other than the K1000.

 

[LeMat]

I'm also about to place an order for this beautiful amp (congrat JayG ! nice beast you have now !), just waiting for the exchange rate to be more favorable for the canadian dollar... Anyway, I'm still wondering whether I should get the black gate modded version (or part of it), or get some better tubes (as the ones owned by JayG). According to you guys, which one would make the best value for money ? Unfortenately, I have to make a choice...
tx

 

[shellylh]

Sweet!

 

[JayG]

Purely from hearsay, I would think the tubes would make a bigger difference. I will let you know how big a difference they make soon, but unfortunately can't compare that to how much difference the mods make. However, you might ask Jack how much it would cost to get better coupling caps only. Those sit squarely in the signal path at the end of the circuit (if I understand correctly), and can have as big an effect on the sound as the output transformer does in transformer-coupled amps (which is a lot). And also, it would be easier to spend the money for upgrades now and buy tubes later than it would be to upgrade the tubes and then have to send the amp back later if you decided you wanted the upgrades. Also, as Jamato has said a few times in other threads, there are some caps you could request to be put in that are much less expensive than Black Gates but still a significant improvement from stock.

I can tell you that, regardless of how much better the amp will sound once I start tube rolling, the stock tubes still sound great.

 

[xenithon]

JayG - I have rolled in some 5998's and and Philips Miniwatt (Amperex made) E88CC gold pins. The next step is the rectifier - if I may ask, where did you come upon the Amperex Holland 6V4's?

 

[booboohihi]

That is a beautiful amp how's the sound on your hd600????

 

[LeMat]

Thanks for your advice JayG, it seems wise indeed to focus first on getting caps upgrades instead of tubes. Jack is ok for upgrading only the coupling section so I'll go with that. I'll manage later to put my hand on some decent 5998's and 6DJ8.
I'll still wait few days to see if the USD decide to lower then place my order (finally...can't tell how many time I changed my mind and how far I'm from my initial budget

)

 

[Vandal]

What a beautiful amp! Amazing looking and must sound like heaven, or pretty darn near it

BTW how much was the total damage? You chose upgrades too?

And tube amps do get hotter in warmer climes. My temperature in-room gets to 32 deg Celcius in summer; no a/c (Mumbai, India). Even with little tubes the LD micro tube gets freakin hot; even the chassis although not the bottom portion of it. Ambient temps matter a lot. I've checked this even with my PC.

 

[HeatFan12]

JayG

Took delivery of the WA2 a couple of hours ago and all I can say right out of the box is SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET.
The stock tubes are staying in for a bit. Like you advised earlier in the thread, I also want to get used to the sound with the stock tubes first then a rolling we will go.

I also ordered the premium parts upgrade package except for the SA. As previously stated, the amp is a thing of beauty and built like a tank. Attention to detail in every way.


Want to add that dealing with Jack has been a pleasure. Quick reply to emails and every question answered in detail. He advised four weeks and I received it with a day to spare....Excellent service......

 

[CrazyRay]