Woo Audio WA7d Fireflies Discussions | Drop

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Woo Audio WA7d Fireflies

Audiophile

FULL DISCUSSION

theupandcomingcorey

Jan 23, 2015

Had to get in on this one. DAC reviews aren't that great, so getting the standard WA7. Definitely not spending 300+ on a power supply either.

Jan 23, 2015

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AudioMan612

218

Jan 24, 2015

theupandcomingcoreyI don't know if you meant those things as two separate ideas, but the PSU doesn't affect the DAC, it affects the amp. I missed my chance to hear the new PSU last year at T.H.E. Show in Newport, as I didn't realize that Woo had to leave early, but I've heard good things about it. 300 isn't too bad considering the quality of it (not to mention the glass top), not that the solid-state one is by any means a slouch. The built-in DAC is not bad. It's not at the level of the headphone amp, but I'm glad Woo went this way. The amp is more important than the DAC, which can always be upgraded later. I used the built-in DAC for a year and was fine with it.
I'm currently trying to figure out if Woo will still allow people with older WA7's to buy the new tube power supply at a discounted price as opposed to $649. They were basing it off serial number before. I'd love to get one, but I just can't spend any more money on audio gear for a while.
Edit: Looks like I can get it for $399 still. Well, that will have to wait unfortunately.

Jan 24, 2015

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theupandcomingcorey

Jan 24, 2015

AudioMan612Wasn't implying the power supply affected the DAC. Was trying to say that I heard the built in DAC isn't that good, so I would be better off with a separate DAC. And then I was just adding on thst I wouldn't be spending 300+ on a power supply.

Jan 24, 2015

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AudioMan612

218

Jan 24, 2015

theupandcomingcoreyAh alright. It's not that the DAC isn't good. It's that the DAC is not as high-end as the amp. I would say that the DAC is probably on par with DAC's costing around $200, give or take a bit. That said, yeah, it's not too hard to upgrade to a better DAC. I use the one built into the Woo for a year until I upgraded to my Grace m920, and that was only because of the drop. In terms of importance / effect on sound quality, speakers/headphones > amplifier > DAC > cables. I think in general, most audio devices that do multiple things are built around one of those things, with the others being included for convenience, but not at the same level of the main function for the sake of making a product more affordable (and those extra functions can often not be used to allow upgrades). Heck, I have three boxes on my desk that have DACs and headphone amps built-in (NAD D 3020, Woo Audio WA7, Grace m920), but I'm only using the DAC in one of them, and the headphone amps in two.
Above all though, you'll enjoy your purchase, I'm sure :).

Jan 24, 2015

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