Woo Audio WA8 Review - Head-Fi TV

In this video, we take a look at the brand new WA8 Eclipse portable tube headphone amplifier from amplification aficionado Jack Wu of Woo Audio. A pure all-tube design for use on-the-go? Yes, please.

[@Alexandra-Rex]

If you need to pee, please do it before recording :P

[@afrog2666]

lol xD

[@afrog2666]

Maybe it keeps him on his toes :p

[@frank_tank]

When I listen to Louis Armstrong on my system he is not only with me but when I hit pause he pours wine into my glass.

[@rubenevensen2948]

I'm very interested in trying this with my HD800S, as i've found that i prefer it with the richness that tubes provide. Current gear is Cayin iHA-6 and iDAC-6 with little tubes in the dac. When they warm up, it changes the sound dramatically. I've never been so satisfied with any head-fi system i've had. It's simply a stunning pairing. The downside is that it takes hours for the tubes to warm up fully, so i'm looking for a full tube amp atm. Thanks for all the great videos!

[@jamiesmith6838]

I was there. I remember that Louis Armstrong demonstration ! 👍 I've also equally, even more so enjoyed Elvis Presley on Technics full digital system.

[@Smood47]

Next time could you also talk about the downsides of it and how it compares to other tubes in its price bracket? Thanks.

[@HiFiGOAudio]

Excellent review!! Love the Wooaudio products!!

[@Riencore]

Just like everything else Woo Audio has made, this thing is beautiful. I own a WA7 Fireflies and have loved every second I've spent listening to it. I don't have much need for a portable amp and it's a bit out of the price range I'd be willing to pay, but I'm definitely impressed with the design of the WA8.

[@daikuone]

Wow, a much different review than my experience listening to this at THE Show Newport with the Sennheisers. I found the WA8 very strained on dynamic passages with Rock music, so much so, that I immediately switched to a different Woo product that was much better. Maybe there was something wrong with the setup at the show, but thought I would share a contrasting experience.

[@afrog2666]

What was the source? Could be the recording or the source.. Just a thought.

[@forthosewhodare7325]

Just another overpriced, overhyped junk from woo. $1900 for that? are u kidding me! Thats a Chord Hugo TT price range. The Hugo TT will blow this toy out of the water!

[@asuww1995]

yeah u remembered to make vids on the wa8 jude, awesome! we talked at canjam with rudi n the gang. nice meeting u

[@Bluebair]

When will we know what this mystery flagship headphone is???

[@Mickice]

Measurements say tubes are worse, ears say tubes are better. $1,799us

[@Jossienheimer]

tubes are *different. there is no better

[@SuperKenjis]

Tube Amps have a g higher noise level, but their "warm" sound is subjectively very appealing. Objectively "worse" Subjectively "better" In many cases, not all, of course.

[@Jossienheimer]

Yes you can. In any case: amplifiers are made to Amplify sounds, so if youre spending Schiit Ragnarok money on something that doesnt have lots of power/amplification abilities to begin with, then its missing the point. My E12 was 100 dollars and it can put out a Watt and sounds awesome for its price. Powers Mad Dogs and HE500s effectively

[@JohnnyFriendly]

+Hapster Hap No, for two reasons. Firstly, there is a difference in the way a tube amp conditions the sound vs the way a solid-state device does. Or to put it another way, solid-state "warmth" is different to tube warmth. EQ-ing a solid state device will not result in a tube sound, only a variation of the original solid-state sound. Secondly, user EQ is a corruption of the original recording. EQ settings should only ever be done in the recording studio. This is a decision made by the audio engineers & musicians, not the listener. By applying EQ, the listener is artificially changing the recording. A tube amp does not do this. It only conditions the sound a certain way; it does not alter or manipulate the frequencies artificially the way EQ does.

[@Jossienheimer]

Who fucking cares. Whatever happened to it being about music? If i want more bass or more treble for the sake of my i dont know, *enjoyment*, then why is it such a terrible thing? I don't think EQ devices have a sticker that says no fun allowed

[@helgar791]

And what he means by "self noise" is generally termed the "noise floor" in the audio world. It would then be said that a good component has a "low noise floor". Some exemplary components would be said to have a "vanishingly low noise floor".

[@ManuSaraswat]

I'm so so so jealous of you..the best thing I own is Sennheiser Momentum in ears.., i keep craving for these products but being just a college freshman..i can't afford all these along with my college fees..i really wish i could someday get a great setup like you guys..or at least a decent one

[@dennisting9736]

thanks for the quick upload!!

[@diabloii4549]

The headphone Jude is talking about at around 4:20 is the Utopia?

[@davidliddell5716]

love the nw-zx2

[@jameschung6557]

Do we really need this chunky brick? I mean I like Woo Audio and their quality, but this one is huge for traveling. Why not just take a chord mojo? Most portable DAC solution ever.

[@victorcheung2868]

Is that the utopia ?

[@NiTheGod]

is the background real or fake?

[@sajahatra]

Hey jude, i have a hifiman he 400i.. Just want to know a good desktop amp for my headphone? And is it worth upgrading to audeze le8?

[@mrjakobt]

I use a Audiolab M-Dac. It's a bit pricey, but I also use it to drive my JBL LSR308 and LSR310s Monitor System. In my opinion it's definitely worth it.

[@sajahatra]

thanks!

[@twowheelsatatime]

Nice!

[@TheBurleybrawler]

Anyone tried this with Fostex TH900? Curious if it's better than Chord Hugo?

[@TechDoneRight1]

rather get the chord hugo

[@ciaprisoner]

it's the size of a masons brick, not very portable.

[@CephBacon]

fits in a satchel.

[@邹凯文-n7z]

No balance output!

[@thatdirtymichiganmusician1038]

Anyone else not understand why you wouldn't just plug your headphones into your phone instead of all of this?

[@mrjakobt]

The sound quality is a lot better and some headphones can't even be driven properly on a Phone, because their impedance is simply too high.

[@mrjakobt]

The sound quality is a lot better and some headphones can't even be driven properly on a Phone, because their impedance is simply too high.

[@mrjakobt]

The sound quality is a lot better and some headphones can't even be driven properly on a Phone, because their impedance is simply too high.

[@isildurjb]

A lot of high end headphones are high impedance and need more volume to drive them, just got sennheiser HD600 and my blackberry has no chance. Also the headphone amp is higher quality than the one built into your phone

[@thatdirtymichiganmusician1038]

jonathan boreham Got it..but what's impedance?

[@Nephilim-81]

Agh. Take my money. Just take it. 😳

[@josephBo]

n1

[@sumit3175]

porta tube sounds better than this.