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Jackula
1743
Nov 13, 2017
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Been looking for a new amplifier for my HD6XX, trying to move away from tubes as it's caused me enough headaches to want to switch to a rich (read: non-neutral) sounding solid-state. I have been eyeing the Heron5 for awhile but my main interest is in a EC Black Widow, it will be my end-game amp, but that is out of stock until next year, so I'm considering getting this as a stepping stone as the performance will be very close. Before anyone asks, this is a huge upgrade from the Jot, it's not even in the same league considering the original MSRP was $2k and it was still considered good value. Anyone who knows me knows I don't put a budget on audio, I'd rather good sound than a Tesla - as long as my wife gives the approval. At $600 it's a steal but $130 shipping is a tad pricey! Now only if the wife will say yes...
ProfessorPat
380
Dec 19, 2017
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JackulaThis comment, followed by a lot of reviews that echo this sentiment just made me buy a used one... Hopefully you all didn't talk me into wasting my money on something I end up hating. I will angrily glare at this post for a while and do absolutely nothing about it if so. Be prepared for that.
Jackula
1743
Dec 19, 2017
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ProfessorPatHaha, well I hope you'll like it then :) USPS stuffed up the shipping, according to tracking it's been to 3 different continents across the globe and I'm still waiting!! I just hope it comes in one piece when it finally does arrive. I've been dying to write a comparison review to my WA6SE, at one point I almost gave up since the parcel was weeks late and my local dealer had 25% off the Violectric V281. I didn't know about the Heron5 until I stumbled on a discussion on it versus the EC Black Widow, then confirmed with Craig (the guy who builds the ECBW) that the Heron5 is probably the next best choice when it comes to musicality.
ProfessorPat
380
Dec 19, 2017
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JackulaThat's annoying. USPS is pretty unpredictable with international stuff. Sometimes it's without a hitch, others... You obviously know. Good luck with it. Airist's packing seems solid, but unfortunately, mail gets abused. Is it at least moving in the right direction?
I've never heard a Woo, but I'm sort of in that, "I still want the sound of good tubes... without the tubes" area now, which sounds a lot like where you're coming from. Everybody is definitely painting it to be a lot of what I'm looking for, but we'll see. The Black Widow definitely does look like it would be to my liking, but I can't see myself owning one of these at retail, let alone anything Craig sells. His amps have always proved interesting to me, but out of reach. Had the ZDT Jr been less of a big question mark, I may have owned something with an EC badge at least. The Heron seems like it should cover me pretty well for quite some time if all of these reviews hold up though.
I've never heard a Woo, but I'm sort of in that, "I still want the sound of good tubes... without the tubes" area now, which sounds a lot like where you're coming from. Everybody is definitely painting it to be a lot of what I'm looking for, but we'll see. The Black Widow definitely does look like it would be to my liking, but I can't see myself owning one of these at retail, let alone anything Craig sells. His amps have always proved interesting to me, but out of reach. Had the ZDT Jr been less of a big question mark, I may have owned something with an EC badge at least. The Heron seems like it should cover me pretty well for quite some time if all of these reviews hold up though.
Jackula
1743
Dec 20, 2017
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ProfessorPatI think we'll be seeing a massdrop edition of the ECBW sometime next year. This is A) Craig told me he's working on a new design for the Black Widow that will be cheaper to make and easier to mass produce. 2) it is in Craig's interest to offer his BW amp at the lowest margins possible, he's not in it for the $$$, and 3) I got multiple endorsements from MD staff when I suggested this was a possibility "next year".
My parcel is now showing as being processed at my local postie, it should be at my doorstep any day now, hopefully today!!
My parcel is now showing as being processed at my local postie, it should be at my doorstep any day now, hopefully today!!
ProfessorPat
380
Dec 20, 2017
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JackulaWell there go my hopes of stopping at the Heron for a while. Maybe I’ll still stop... we’ll see how things go after actually hearing the Heron. Seller says he’ll be shipping it out today or tomorrow. Haven’t seen any shipment notices yet, so probably not today :/
Jackula
1743
Dec 20, 2017
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ProfessorPatI got it 2 hours ago! :)
Initial impressions it's better than my WA6SE stock, but with my upgraded tubes it wins out in some areas but loses out in others.
Initial impressions it's better than my WA6SE stock, but with my upgraded tubes it wins out in some areas but loses out in others.
ProfessorPat
380
Dec 20, 2017
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JackulaNo idea where the WA6, or any Woo gear falls on the sonic ladder for me, but that seems promising given what I have heard about them. Should be a solid step forward for me even at the stock WA6SE level if impressions of that hold up against reality.
Looking forward to a more detailed analysis after you get a little bit of actual time with it though. I’m curious to how a few things pan out relative to reviews I've read...
Looking forward to a more detailed analysis after you get a little bit of actual time with it though. I’m curious to how a few things pan out relative to reviews I've read...
TiffanyPoodleslide
1402
Dec 21, 2017
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ProfessorPatYou can definitely get a decent start with Woo by picking up a WA6 on the cheap- check out the eBay, check the FS section over at headfi.org.
It's a nice starter tubie of the Woo line, a classic that still sounds just fine even now.
Won't set you back as much as the SE will, can give you a taste of it, and usually resells at a reasonable price that can act as seed cash for your next move upward on the Woo ladder.
:)
ProfessorPat
380
Dec 21, 2017
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TiffanyPoodleslideNever have been interested enough to really look at Woo too seriously so far, but a used WA6 may happen at some point nonetheless. I'm reluctant to dig any deeper into tubes than I have already, as they definitely get expensive in a hurry (and can lead to unnecessary tweaking and money-pitting trying to squeeze more out of things rather than enjoying them). Woo has always been enough of a mild interest though, that I'll definitely keep used ones in mind. I've yet to actually hear a OTC headphone amp in any capacity.
For now, I'm waiting to see what the Heron does for me, and this potential MD Black Widow is interesting as well, so two potentially fantastic SS amps are higher priority for the time being.
For now, I'm waiting to see what the Heron does for me, and this potential MD Black Widow is interesting as well, so two potentially fantastic SS amps are higher priority for the time being.
Jackula
1743
Dec 22, 2017
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TiffanyPoodleslideThe demand seems pretty good for Woo, trying to sell my WA6SE now but have had 5 different people tell me they're too broke for Christmas. Guess I might have to wait a few weeks :P
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