Woo Audio WA6 SE Headphone Amplifier

The WA6, Given Its Own Power Supply

The Woo Audio WA6-SE is the WA6 with the power supply moved out of the box. It is a single-ended triode, Class-A, all-tube design, transformer-coupled at the output. There are no transistors, integrated circuits or semiconductors anywhere in the circuit.

Splitting the design across two chassis is the whole point of the SE. The transformer and its filtering sit in their own die-cast case, well away from the audio circuit, and the result is an amplifier with a very low noise floor for you to listen past.

Two 13DE7 driver and power tubes do the amplification, with a single 5U4G handling rectification. Woo moved to the 13DE7 in April 2017 for the second generation. First and second generation tubes are not interchangeable, so buy for the one you own.

Built by Hand in New York

Every WA6-SE is wired point to point rather than laid out on a circuit board. A custom 80-watt toroidal transformer feeds the supply, and each channel gets its own filter choke, so neither side borrows current from the other when the music gets busy.

Silver-plated wire in Teflon jackets carries the signal, and the interstage coupling is direct. The chassis is die-cast aluminum with an anodized finish, in black here and in silver if you prefer. The volume knob and the power button are machined aluminum too.

The amplifier chassis measures 6 inches tall, 5.5 wide and 13 deep, and weighs 12 pounds. The power supply matches it at 10 pounds. It runs on global voltage, anywhere from 100 to 240 volts, so it works wherever you take it without a converter.

Who Is This Amplifier Best For?

• You own high-impedance dynamic headphones — the high and low impedance outputs cover anything from 8 to 600 ohms, so a 600-ohm Beyerdynamic and a 32-ohm planar both get what they need.
• You want the WA6 sound with a quieter background — moving the power supply into its own chassis is the single change, and a lower noise floor is what you hear for it.
• You enjoy tube rolling — the design is self-biasing, so swapping the 13DE7s or the 5U4G needs no measurements and no adjustment.
• Two people listen at once — there are two quarter-inch outputs on the front, one high impedance and one low, and both are live.
• Your headphones end in a balanced plug — the WA6-SE fits quarter-inch jacks only, so a balanced-terminated pair needs an adapter, or the fully balanced WA22 instead.

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Two pairs of gold-plated RCA inputs sit on the back, with a source switch on the front, so a DAC and a CD player can both stay plugged in. A short umbilical joins the power supply to the amplifier. Headphones go into whichever front jack suits their impedance.

Give the tubes a minute or two to warm up before you judge anything, and leave some open space above both boxes, because a Class-A tube design runs warm by nature. An AC power cord and interconnects are not included, so plan on supplying your own.

Pairs Well With

Building your system? Here are some great companions for the WA6-SE:

• Headphones: High-impedance dynamic headphones are the classic match — see our Headphones.
• DAC: A quality source makes the most of an amp at this level — see our Digital-to-Analog Converters.
• Cables: You will need RCA interconnects and a power cord — see our Interconnect Cables and Power Cables.
• Audio Rack: Two chassis need a stable, ventilated home — see our Audio Racks.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is this different from the standard WA6?

The power supply moves into a second chassis of its own, away from the audio circuit. Everything else follows the same single-ended triode, all-tube design.

Which tubes does it use?

Two 13DE7 driver and power tubes and one 5U4G rectifier. The first generation used 6DE7 driver tubes, and the two are not interchangeable, so check which generation you have before ordering replacements.

Will it drive planar headphones?

Woo rates it for most dynamic and planar magnetic headphones from 8 to 600 ohms, and the impedance switch sets the output to match.

Do I need to bias the tubes after a swap?

The design is self-biasing. Fit the new tubes, switch on, and let them warm through.

What voltage does it run on?

Global voltage, anywhere from 100 to 240 volts, without a converter.

What is the warranty?

Woo Audio covers the WA6-SE with a three-year limited warranty.

See It in Action

HeadphoneAddict reviews the WA6-SE. This is the first-generation amplifier, whose only difference from the model here is the 6DE7 driver tube in place of the 13DE7:

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