Woo Audio - WA234 MONO (Mk2)

Discussion in 'Headphone Amplifiers and Combo (DAC/Amp) Units' started by Torq, Mar 14, 2018.

  1. winders

    winders boomer

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    I am not defending his honor. I am calling out bullshit that is taking over this place. Pretty soon no one will want to risk posting about their stuff.
     
  2. Thenewerguy009

    Thenewerguy009 Friend

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    Yeah, I really want to know his opinion on its sound.

    The impressions of the WA234 were so negative & blase for a $15,00 amp, it made me think there was something wrong with that particular amp.

    Maybe the cables, tubes or the system at Tyll's just didn't match with it.
     
  3. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    Being completely logical...

    The guy hates spending money if it's not warranted on dacs. Why would the same person drop this kind of cash on an amp if it also wasn't warranted?
     
  4. Cellist88

    Cellist88 Friend

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    hmm though I appreciate @Torq 's time to present his impressions in an eloquent way, I find value in concise, simple impressions. Should only use the amount of words needed to convey your impressions/thoughts clearly. I guess in this case, it feels like a bit of showing off amplifier porn than talking about the sound. I don't like reviews like twister6 ....where it takes 3 whole pages to get the sound impressions...talking about secondary things like packaging/aesthetics and stuff.

    @winders I totally understand your sentiment about SBAF at this current time. Its more like I don't want to post any impressions about anything recently because I don't feel like putting up with shit just to justify my position. Justify it to people who haven't even listened to the gear.

    Anytime it gets over a certain "pirate" price range, the first reaction seems to be tarring and feathering here.

    I still have a distaste in my mouth of people dismissing the WM1A as a dap, without having even listened to it. Especially in pairing with the andros. There are some senior members that agree with me that its clearly a step up from the ZX2 when used in balanced, but they won't speak up/post impressions because its just tiring to do so.

    To prove my impressions, I had to send my DAP over to a trusted member, who's impressions I think are still misleading in putting the WM1A as being equal to the ZX2 when read in the thread. I also think senior members are wrong at times but they just won't accept it. An example is @marvey 's review of the zx2 with the andromeda in the 4-way comparions, rating it at 10 for self-noise...like I don't know how thats possible. It hisses like crazy?

    Also remember members being questioned with the ZDT jr. which wasn't their cup of tea. They had to go through a thorough questioning even when they were very clear on their impressions, and ultimately their impressions were downplayed compared to Senior members.

    I don't even feel like posting about my Empire Ear Phantoms, because I'll probably get tarred and feathered within people jumping to the conclusion its not good value or sonically different from the Andromedas, etc. I'm hoping that one of the "members" can post impressions for me instead as if they like it, It'll count for something. That's why I also don't bother to post any zx300 impressions now, because who cares if its not from one of the senior members.

    That said, it severely limits the range to a handful of products which may not be to everyone's liking.

    That said I have to say many of the recommmendations on this site have been rather disappointing.

    DAPs

    ZX2 as a dap is not the best and only at its best with the andromedas....which is not ideal because the hiss is so loud.
    QP1R- Most overrated dap. Sterile sound, that wheel is was a mess....it was a half baked product.

    IEMS- Andros are the king....no other iem matters! a bit close minded if anything is touted better. Its a great IEM, but wouldn't say its the best.

    Dacs-

    Schiit- Heard them multiple times...Still not convinced of any of their products, except the Yggdrasil A2 recently....though it still sounded a bit sterile. Modi Multibit/Bifrost Multibit were a very disappointing listen and I still don't get the hype, but i guess when people are asking for high quality at pirate prices....what is there to recommend.

    LH Labs- I remember getting on zerodeefex nerves calling it a shit company, and calling him out in being biased for LH labs and trying to paint their efforts and Larry in a more positive light. I guess Everyone finally accepted they are shit and I'm glad to see them get tarred and feathered at every turn esp with their new "updates". Products are outdated and I felt the ZX2 sounded better with the andros by a far margin.

    Finally an alternative to schiit comes in the Soekris/RME. RME just get completely shit on with a one minute listen/drama of not asking a senior member of "his Feelings/impressions" on the matter with being drunk as an excuse.

    Amps-

    Eddie Current Period. No other amp matters...because its just the bestest. You should save up for that. else

    T3....for price/performance- I have to say my experience with this amp has been lukewarm.

    Massdrop amps fill the rest....but you know...you'll still be considered in Mid-fi purgatory until you move up the ladder.

    ETC.........i can probably summarize the whole site in a single post which is imho, a problem. That being said, I do enjoy the high quality content and impressions. I just think it has to be a bit more open and considerate without choking people down.

    What I do enjoy the most here is the community and certain members I have gotten to know well. I can always ask for help/guidance/ trust they will give me the best advice/comparisons they can on gear that I haven't heard. I guess all that magic happens via PMs.

    An analogy would be to instruments. For example, if someone likes how a vuillame sounds, they will always have a preference for it. I personally find them to great instruments, Best performance/price, though they have a particulary nasally french sound. I know people who love it will discount the Stradivarius, grofiller, guadaginni, tononi, and other instruemnts, saying perhaps they are not too dark and to their liking. Why bother paying millions for them when you can get a vuillame in the low to mid 6 figures? They will probably preach it, but you know....when things are better, one does not have to justify the cost. I would choose any of those instruments anyday over vuillame if given a choice any day. And when someone wants to share why and that magic, I think we should be open to it like @Torq . At the end of the day, Lets not all be like ricers, thinking we can find good performance/price ratio by pimping up on honda/nissan gtrs and fool ourselves that it'll be a koenigsegg one:eek:ne.

    Same goes with bows. Anyone who likes french bows like sartoris will not like english hill bows, who will not like german bows. The truth is they have their strength and weaknesses and we are all biased. I remember having a loan of 95k Sartori cello bow, and I asked another colleague of mine to try my new bow. She played couple notes and was like....this bow sucks....my bow is infinitely better. I laughed and I told her, do you know it one of the best sartori bows in the world? SHE Begged to try it again and tried to understand why, and after playing more, she was heaping praises about it....not that i believed her anyhow. I guess one would know the subtle differences if one was sensitive enough and trained to do so.
     
  5. Melvillian

    Melvillian Friend

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    I’m sorry Cellist but I can’t agree with most of what you’re saying. You refuse to provide impressions because your feelings get hurt when people don’t agree, and then you turn around and talk about the site being too one note with gear recommendations? Marv didn’t like the RME, so f'ing what???? Everyone else acted like it was the end of the world. How is that his fault? And how does that make the RME not a legitimate alternative?

    People need to grow thicker skin.
     
  6. winders

    winders boomer

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    And some people need to be a little less acerbic.
     
  7. Cellist88

    Cellist88 Friend

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    I am discouraged to provide impressions because they don't matter in the grand scheme. IT has nothing about "feelings" because I could care less what others think because gear is bought for personal musical enjoyment, which for me is about 45 minutes max a day....or sometimes even less. I don't own the majority of the "recommended" gear here and all that matters is my enjoyment. I think peope should get that in their heads.

    You should look at the campfire andromeda thread, where it was written by a "senior" member, that the WM1A was crap with the andros. I'm sorry, but that's just wrong. Only when I lent my WM1A to him, he changed his opinion, but still said it was equivalent to the zx2, which is just....wrong. Why the hell do I have do lend gear out to correct an impression, when the impressions given were false? Impressions are still questionable like/...wm1a was hissless, quiet....which is also not true, because I still hear a fair amount of hiss, just by plugging the earphones in. The loan was a fairly long one and I had to harass them to send my gear back in the end as well. I think @Vansen + @brencho agree with me on the wm1a...Brencho actually having moved on from the ZX2 to the WM1A, and preferring it by a margin saying he probably can't go back to the zx2?

    I'm just pointing out instances where senior members can be wrong....including self noise for zx2 being rated 10 from a scale of 0-10. That's not even up for debate....it hisses quite a lot when paired with the andros in the review. I guess it doesn't matter when you listen at earblasting volumes where you can't hear the hiss with loud genres, but with solo piano playing/string playing, its unbearable.

    Whole point is....people shouldn't just look to be acerbic and be looking to tar and feather people on this site as if its "the culture" in here. Everyone has biases and can be wrong at times.
     
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2018
  8. Mithrandir41

    Mithrandir41 Friend

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    Chang/sbaf has always been this way. Why are people getting shocked and hurt? It's really nothing new, bruh.
     
  9. insidious meme

    insidious meme Ambivalent Kumquat

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    I feel like a bunch of posts will be soon moved to a different part of the forums in a very short time...
     
  10. Hands

    Hands Overzealous Auto Flusher - Measurbator

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    We all know everyone skips straight to the boning. No one watches the lead up.
     
  11. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    That's funny. It was always my understanding that the 1A was good and had less of that dark organic tonal balance of the 1Z. This is from the amalgamation of several impressions of senior, middle, and newer members. I have not heard the 1A yet because I think it would probably want to buy it if I did.

    Perhaps you shouldn't take it as if the entire world is against you when one or maybe two people disagree with you?
     
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2018
  12. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    My guess is mediocre output transformers. Output transformers are arguably the most important part (and should be the most expensive part) of a transformer coupled tube amp.

    Am I surprised that the DNA Stellaris sounds as good as it does? Nope.
     
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2018
  13. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    I'd like to point out that there is Audiokarma, Audio Circle, and Computer Audio. They are friendlier places... open to newbs... without bias... I think.
     
  14. BillOhio

    BillOhio Friend

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    Well now I kind'a want to hear this amp.
     
  15. winders

    winders boomer

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    I don't want to change the culture here. I just think things have gone a little too far in that there is too strong a tendency to crap on what you don't know. It's as if a certain core group here hasn't heard about it or heard it, it probably sucks so we are going to shit all over it because we don't trust anyone else's opinion. Skepticism is good and healthy but it can be taken too far.

    All I am suggesting is to reel that in a bit.....
     
  16. dmckean44

    dmckean44 In a Sherwood S6040CP relationship

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    I think it's plenty fair to skeptical of stuff you haven't heard since there's so much crap out on the market. If it's good, bring it to meets and get it into the loaner program.
     
  17. dllmsch

    dllmsch Friend

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    Well of course "senior member"s impressions matter more cuz they have posted tons of shit and have the record of not being a deaf. If you are too afraid to post because your opinion doesn't sound with the opinion of a "senior member". Why not become a senior member yourself? You don't get there by not posting impressions tho. tbh I'd much rather read argument about sound/gear than the fest happening in this thread.
     
  18. GoodEnoughGear

    GoodEnoughGear Evil Dr. Shultz‎

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    While I dislike the puerile caustic sauce that seems to be de rigueur among a certain core group, I think concluding that the opinion underlying it is invalid because I don't like the way it's dished out is shortsighted. I know the dicksauce keeps a good share of randos away as well. That said, it's charm only goes so far and it only serves a small few when it's overused.
     
  19. Galm

    Galm Still looking for Little Red Riding Hood

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    Except it's 120 pounds and worth over 16,000 dollars in this case :p

    Torq's not coming back... I think we should move on to the next thing now as no one else has experience with this thing...

    I really liked this because he was writing it from a perspective of ownership. When I was looking at dacs his reviews gave me the best impressions of what it was like to own one day to day. You could always ctrl + f to the impressions once they were written.

    All the "fluff" he wrote about finish, styling, modes, and background noise are all things I've wanted to know when making purchases. It helped me with both Yggdrasil and DAVE.
     
  20. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Personally, I think @brencho could have been easily ignored.

    Healthy skepticism is a good thing. It's not unwarranted here. When did it become an SBAF custom not to opine skepticism? Especially for an obvious piece of audio jewelry from a manufacturer with a mixed record here? This isn't Six Moons.
     
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2018

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