Visiting the Woo Audio room at any audio event is a secret delight of mine. They offer so many tube amplifier options for personal audio that the sheer number of variations on the theme provide an easy hour and a half layover for any trek through the multiple floors that make up any hifi show. They also tend to do their own thing. The full room is exclusively them (however at AXPONA this year they also partnered with MA Recordings) and packed with analog goodies that really showcase a varied but steadfast approach to high fidelity, tube sonics.
Much of the recent shift for the company comes in the form of the WA23 LUNA singled ended amplifier, which features a slightly different external look than most of the NY-based company’s aesthetics, historically speaking. Along with 6C45 tubes in the input section and 2A3 for the power stage, the volume pot has been updated to the super fancy Alps RK50 potentiometer along with color changing LEDs across the front panel.
There was also a very special gem hidden in the back in the form of a custom, one-off STAX model, laden with a heavy metal housing. Paired with the Woo ES8 Electrostatic headphone amplifier, the top tier sound fully embodied end game status among its peers and competition alike.
Of course, the line from Woo ins’t all just huge, big watt amps. Over the years, they expanded to a few more “portable” options with the WA8 and WA11. They are able to be transported from say, a workstation to home, but likely only the smaller WA11 Topaz would likely tread into a backpack or shoulder sling for on-the-go usage.
Overall, it turned out to be another great stop at AXPONA 2023. I’ve always been a huge fan of both Woo’s rock solid industrial design and their ability to deliver tube sound both with clarity, tightness in the low end and still leave a little room for the romance of analog. Well done.
You can also check out our recent review of the new Woo Audio Phantom DAC Cable that pairs nicely with a computer/tube amp setup.
More Info: Woo Audio
