Woo WA5-LE

[George Prentice]

I have been a long time Woo owner, WA6, then WA6-SE for about ten years. I read about the Focal Utopia headphones, but was concerned that my equipment was not up to the task. I went ahead anyway. I was very happy with the result. The Focal are fast with much better bass and really blow away my older headphones. I still like my Beyerdynamic T1s, but they are at a different level of performance. Well, you know how this goes... since I got such an improvement from contemporary headphones, what would happen if I upgraded my Woo Amp? I was concerned that I was already at such a high level of performance that the $5K wouldn’t be worth the small incremental improvement. As you all know high end gear requires break-in... I don’t have to wait for days to pass to conclude the upgrade is absolutely worth it. The upgrade was not remotely subtile . The improvement is somewhat like moving from a thin un-amplified source to a dedicated amplifier. The WA6-SE sounds thin across the spectrum in comparison. I guess this is how a pursuit can stay intriguing for a lifetime. Oh no... now there are about $4K of possible tube upgrades... but how could that possibly be significant when the amp is already operating at such a high level? Hmmm, guess audiophilia is why it is called a disease.

[Antonmb]

Congratulations. I haven’t heard the W5 yet but it must be awesome.

[Audiophilehi]

Congratulations George, I’ve always lusted after the WA234-MONO Headphone/Intergrated Amplifier but to rich for my blood.

[Formerly YB-2]

Congratulations on not only your WA5-LE, but your Utopia headphones, as well. I found the Clear/WA6 combination to be excellent, so can imagine just how much better your Utopia/WA5-LE must be. Happy listening.

[PMCH]

I have Focal Utopia headphones also and love them with a tube amp. I was using a Woo WA22 with the stock tubes but found I prefer the Ayon HA-3. I never tried the WA5-LE but it seems similar to the Ayon being a single ended triod with a separate power supply.

[PHC1]

I’ve enjoyed a pair of Focal Utopia for a few months and had many lengthy listening sessions with various headphone amplifiers. In the end I found them “too accurate” and “perfect” sounding, aka “clinical” for my taste. I did sell them in the end.

I prefer the slightly more colored and euphonic response of the hand crafted ZMF Auteurs in African Blackwood these days. Perfection and listening bliss.
I typically settle in to a comfortable chair to listen to them through all the tubage of the PrimaLuna HP dialogue integrated that has a straight through tube headphone driver.

At the computer and for more casual listen I prefer the lighter weight and very musical and slightly euphonic presentation of the HD600 cans and Woo WA6 with 13EM7 and 274B Sophia rectifier tube upgrades. The combo still blows me away with its budget musicality.

It is all personal taste dependent of course and the reason there are thousands of options out there for every taste and budget. Enjoy the Utopia and the WA5-LE!

[doggiehowser]

I recently borrowed a Chord DAVE to try out with my Utopia and I reckon it’s a good balance. It is tonally richer than the dcs Bartok.

[Formerly YB-2]

Originally Posted by PHC1

............Woo WA6 with 13EM7 and 274B Sophia rectifier tube upgrades.

Am also a fan of the Sophia Elec 274B in the Woo WA6. And, their 6SN7 with the Woo tube adapters.

[George Prentice]

I have really been enjoying the amp and headphones. I could tell the stock tubes were a bit etched and that tube upgrades would probably soften and add sophistication. So I ordered upgraded driver tubes and a pair of Sophia 274B... the next day, I realized the real heart of the amp was the 300B. So after some reading went for the Takatsuki 300B, so all told $3,000 in tube upgrades. They have done what I suspected they would do, big jump in musicality, so engaging... mesmerizing. At one point shortly after getting the amp the LCD 2’s sounded the best... then with some time and the new tubes, the Focal Utopias completely dominate, great detail and complete seductive musicality. It has been fun listening to different headphones also. So just for fun and completeness I ordered a set of Sennheiser 800 s; they seem to be the sound staging champs. I knew that first upgrade was a mistake. hmm, this has really gotten out of control. Well, I am enjoying the journey.

[Antonmb]

Yup, you’re definitely out of control - but as long as you’re enjoying the ride[emoji3]