I was dumbfounded to see this photo from RMAF, showing off the $15K combo of Woo 234 monoblocks, which is able to use 2A3, 45, or 300B with both speaker and headphone outputs. The Abyss planar 'phones at $5500 costs a little more than Stax SR009 even. Anybody tried either product?

woo234 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Edited October 15, 201312 yr by Jon L

Abyss sounds pretty good...much better than I expected.  The bass in particular is just great.  Treble is pretty horrible.  Maybe the most open sounding ortho.  I'd never pay that asking price though. 

 

I expect the Woo to sound pretty 'meh'...jack of all trades, master of none. 

The first problem with that amp are the tubes used, 6SN7 and 2A3/300B are all fine tubes but should not be used together.  The 6SN7 just doesn't have what it takes to drive the DHT's properly.  Why this combo is so widely used just goes to show why most of high-end audio is just the same crap done over and over and over again.  The 6SN7 would be a fine input tube (though the ECC's are more modern and better) and then something else to drive the DHT's.  A cheap one in current production is the ECC99 which was designed for this role.  The Russian version would also work. 

 

Second issue are the transformers used by Woo.  In every Woo product I've taken apart the transformers are dirt cheap garbage.  Seriously, anybody thinking the Woo Wee is better than a Stax SRD-7 is just delusional.  In a simple amp such as this the quality of the transformer is paramount so I wouldn't settle for anything less than a bifilar wound C-core, done by somebody who knows what they are doing. 

 

Lastly the power supplies.  This is Woo after all so we all know the power supply is fucked.  Rectifier tube run way past its rating to help people believe rolling them makes a difference? 

Am I the only one who this that the mere idea of a monoblock amp for headphones is the very definition of unnecessary overkill?

Am I the only one who this that the mere idea of a monoblock amp for headphones is the very definition of unnecessary overkill?

 

But how could you justify then the price of $16 500? 

Am I the only one who this that the mere idea of a monoblock amp for headphones is the very definition of unnecessary overkill?

Overkill is the Case's motto. Unnecessary overkill would be a quad-mono balanced thing at 40K. Probably someone is working on it.

Am I the only one who this that the mere idea of a monoblock amp for headphones is the very definition of unnecessary overkill?

 

That's irrelevant to woo, because people are still going to buy them; in fact, I know there are buyers already lining up in the Chinese market to get this when available.

Isn't "MOAR Power (aka. overkill)" the motto of the DIY community here? So, I don't see that as any problem.... problem is is the circuit up to snuff... well Birgir certainly doesn't think so... but that's not going to stop those suckers with thick wallets.

They're a bargain, because you're buying the monoblock speaker amps, and they drive headphones too...

 

The old headroom blockhead was a pair of monoblock headphone amps connected by a faceplate...

A cheap one in current production is the ECC99...

 

and this is why it isn't used

YAY TEAM OVERKILL!!!1!

That's irrelevant to woo, because people are still going to buy them; in fact, I know there are buyers already lining up in the Chinese market to get this when available.

Isn't "MOAR Power (aka. overkill)" the motto of the DIY community here? So, I don't see that as any problem.... problem is is the circuit up to snuff... well Birgir certainly doesn't think so... but that's not going to stop those suckers with thick wallets.

 

We are all for overkill when the goal is better performance.  Making some lackluster circuit seem impressive to stupid people isn't really our thing...

 

and this is why it isn't used

 

Yup, people used 6n6's instead of unknown origins instead... well that or 6SN7's...

Good points… but I guess I didn't make myself that clear. I see superficially how things go in the DIY session here, with overkills such as the T2, but I'm all for it, for a simple reason: it seems that those things are done to push the envelope and see how far you can go mostly for the fun of it, and this makes all the difference.

 

To me this is the polar opposite of the audience which something like that Woo seems to cater to. Which, I reckon, is made of people who take this hobby way too seriously in a sort of laughable way. The way it advertises and works it's "monoblockness" is completely different to that old Blockhead, to a point where it in my opinion just gets ridiculous.

 

It's quite difficult to explain what I think about this (heck, I'm not all that clear about what I think), but I think that this is precisely where all the bullshit and snakeoils operate, you know? It's a fertile field where they just grow and grow, get together with people's ego and just keep getting worse. Like things you see in audiophile forums all the time... ludicrous claims about burn-in, 5 grand power cables, spending 500 bucks on a portable amp to use with a mediocre in-ear and so on.

Edited October 15, 201312 yr by Leonardo Drummond

No, it's more than that.  Overkill in the amplification also allows for more headroom, and more linearity and less distortion at normal listening levels.

 

But yeah, there's probably a certain amount of "let's see what this baby can do" to it, too. 

In every Woo product I've taken apart the transformers are dirt cheap garbage.

 

Of all Woo amps I owned, all of them have transformers made by Hengda.

 

http://www.hktdc.com/manufacturers-suppliers/Sichuan-Chongzhou-Hengda-Electronic-Factory/en/1X044VIX/

Good points… but I guess I didn't make myself that clear. I see superficially how things go in the DIY session here, with overkills such as the T2, but I'm all for it, for a simple reason: it seems that those things are done to push the envelope and see how far you can go mostly for the fun of it, and this makes all the difference.

 

To me this is the polar opposite of the audience which something like that Woo seems to cater to. Which, I reckon, is made of people who take this hobby way too seriously in a sort of laughable way. The way it advertises and works it's "monoblockness" is completely different to that old Blockhead, to a point where it in my opinion just gets ridiculous.

 

It's quite difficult to explain what I think about this (heck, I'm not all that clear about what I think), but I think that this is precisely where all the bullshit and snakeoils operate, you know? It's a fertile field where they just grow and grow, get together with people's ego and just keep getting worse. Like things you see in audiophile forums all the time... ludicrous claims about burn-in, 5 grand power cables, spending 500 bucks on a portable amp to use with a mediocre in-ear and so on.

 

 

Nah, I get you.  You are saying Head-Case is about overkill done right: better design, better parts, more quality, refinement, and a lot of learning along the way... it's what DIY is all about.  This monoblock amp, on the other hand, is everything that is shit about the audio world: put lipstick on a pig and all the dipshits line up for that fucking lipstick.

Of all Woo amps I owned, all of them have transformers made by Hengda.

 

http://www.hktdc.com/manufacturers-suppliers/Sichuan-Chongzhou-Hengda-Electronic-Factory/en/1X044VIX/

 

Exactly and that's the stuff you buy on ebay when you need the cheapest transformer money can buy...

Nah, I get you.  You are saying Head-Case is about overkill done right: better design, better parts, more quality, refinement, and a lot of learning along the way... it's what DIY is all about.  This monoblock amp, on the other hand, is everything that is shit about the audio world: put lipstick on a pig and all the dipshits line up for that fucking lipstick.

 

Exactly, yes. I wouldn't go so far as to call that Woo a piece of crap on my own because I know nothing about electronics, but the issue is that I'm convinced it was designed from scratch as a monoblock - but for the "OMFG it's a monoblock for headphones, I'll sell my car to get one" factor, and not because such a construction is a necessity at the performance levels intended, even if it ends up helping. The monoblockness should be a means, not an end, and the impression I have is that it's an end as a marketing piece to those who take it too seriously and get caught up in all the bullshit.

 

If such a product were to be developed here, I reckon it would come after a lot of experience and collaborative learning, with a lot of fun along the way, that a monoblock is the way to go, even if it's kind of disguised (such as the Blockhead that Grawk mentioned).

 

And Dusty, I know (well, I used to drive my JH13s with the GS-X at home ), but that's what I meant by it ˆ!

The problem with that is the lack of benefits from using monoblock headphone amps.  With speakers it makes a lot of sense as moving the signal over long interconnects works much better than long speaker cables. 

Good to know, Birgir, thanks. Proves my point. This isn't made because it's better, only to impress.

My amp seems to do all the wrong things: 6SN7 driving 300B, cap-coupled output...  But I think it sounds glorious.   I wonder if it is just the same thing as a Woo.  After all, it uses the same tubes!  Perhaps the WOOl is being pulled over my eyes/ears.

Fairly sure your amp has a transformer output.  300B's don't work well as OTL's...

I was dumbfounded to see this photo from RMAF, showing off the $15K combo of Woo 234 monoblocks, which is able to use 2A3, 45, or 300B with both speaker and headphone outputs. The Abyss planar 'phones at $5500 costs a little more than Stax SR009 even. Anybody tried either product?

woo234 by drjlo2, on Flickr

I was dumbfounded as well. Reminded me of the Jecklin float picture that everyone posts 

remember when Nik had this amp custom built for his R10's and it was considered the ultimate in insanity?

 

 

And Dusty, I know (well, I used to drive my JH13s with the GS-X at home ), but that's what I meant by it ˆ!

 

Holyshit this is my kind of excess. I love it.

the ultimate in insanity is a pair of krell master reference monoblocks driving stax headphones.

or he6's, your choice.