I pretty much knew I had to have it the first time I saw it, before even listening to it.
I mean, how could something that looked that good NOT sound good? A work of industrial design art.
Honestly, I wasn't even in the market for another amp, let alone a tube amp, having very recently gotten my Audio-gd NFB-11.
About 3 minutes into my first listen however, I realised resistance was futile - it was a done deal.
And I must say I am absolutely loving it.
As someone who previously had literally zero knowledge nor experience of tubes, it's a steep learning curve!
It's like suddenly I have an entirely new and exciting branch of this hobby to explore!
The amp itself is beautifully built and offers a full-bodied, powerful and detailed sound that I immediately liked.
As I spend more time with it I am appreciating the differences between it and my solid state gears, which are not as huge as I anticipated actually.
I intend to post a more detailed review in time.
So I am hoovering up as much info as I can on how these things work from a technical perspective, and it's modern application.
I now have a fair idea of what "Single-Ended Triode Class A, All Tube Drive, OTL" actually means!
The history is fascinating, and the sheer variety of tubes a bit bewildering!
At the moment I have no plans to do any rolling - loving the sound as is, changes will come later once I can appreciate the differences.
That said, I want to obtain some spare tubes for any eventualities.
Supplied tubes are 1 x Sylvania JAN 6080EC power tube and 2 x 6922 Russian Electro-Harmonix drivers.
Woo have a compatibility chart, and options seem quite plentiful for these.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DdsZyTx3CJv9_cG9kVdCGZap-AldiTsvuY4Ms1K_p3k/pubhtml
I have not yet had the time to have a good internet search for these specific models however.
I read that these are long lasting tubes, and they are working perfectly.
Initially there was a very slight hum on the right channel, and that has disappeared now by itself - signs of a successful burn in perhaps?
So my wide-ranging question is which replacement tubes would other members recommend for this amp, and where should I obtain these?
I am looking for like-for-like tubes that can serve as back ups for these, as well as recommended upgrades.
Is there a local supplier? A decent online source? Anyone got a few to spare..?
Any and all feedback gratefully received, and apologies upfront for my utter ignorance in these matters!
But hey, gotta start somewhere, and every time I listen to the WA3 I am reminded that, in my humble opinion, I've made a decent start.
And that late night tube glow whilst listening to Keb' Mo' is almost worth the price of admission all by itself... ;D
I mean, how could something that looked that good NOT sound good? A work of industrial design art.
Honestly, I wasn't even in the market for another amp, let alone a tube amp, having very recently gotten my Audio-gd NFB-11.
About 3 minutes into my first listen however, I realised resistance was futile - it was a done deal.
And I must say I am absolutely loving it.
As someone who previously had literally zero knowledge nor experience of tubes, it's a steep learning curve!
It's like suddenly I have an entirely new and exciting branch of this hobby to explore!
The amp itself is beautifully built and offers a full-bodied, powerful and detailed sound that I immediately liked.
As I spend more time with it I am appreciating the differences between it and my solid state gears, which are not as huge as I anticipated actually.
I intend to post a more detailed review in time.
So I am hoovering up as much info as I can on how these things work from a technical perspective, and it's modern application.
I now have a fair idea of what "Single-Ended Triode Class A, All Tube Drive, OTL" actually means!
The history is fascinating, and the sheer variety of tubes a bit bewildering!
At the moment I have no plans to do any rolling - loving the sound as is, changes will come later once I can appreciate the differences.
That said, I want to obtain some spare tubes for any eventualities.
Supplied tubes are 1 x Sylvania JAN 6080EC power tube and 2 x 6922 Russian Electro-Harmonix drivers.
Woo have a compatibility chart, and options seem quite plentiful for these.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1DdsZyTx3CJv9_cG9kVdCGZap-AldiTsvuY4Ms1K_p3k/pubhtml
I have not yet had the time to have a good internet search for these specific models however.
I read that these are long lasting tubes, and they are working perfectly.
Initially there was a very slight hum on the right channel, and that has disappeared now by itself - signs of a successful burn in perhaps?
So my wide-ranging question is which replacement tubes would other members recommend for this amp, and where should I obtain these?
I am looking for like-for-like tubes that can serve as back ups for these, as well as recommended upgrades.
Is there a local supplier? A decent online source? Anyone got a few to spare..?
Any and all feedback gratefully received, and apologies upfront for my utter ignorance in these matters!
But hey, gotta start somewhere, and every time I listen to the WA3 I am reminded that, in my humble opinion, I've made a decent start.
And that late night tube glow whilst listening to Keb' Mo' is almost worth the price of admission all by itself... ;D
