Woo Audio WA6: power output and what it will drive

The Woo Audio WA6 is a desktop amplifier at $1099. It delivers 580 mW into 32Ω and 460 mW into 300Ω, which ranks it 100 of 280 for raw power among the sources in this database.

Measured at 100 dB SPL it has comfortable headroom on 557 of the 567 dynamic and planar headphones catalogued here, enough but not generous on 8, only marginal on 1 and not enough power for 1. Single-ended triode with an output transformer, published across five loads — unusually complete documentation for a valve amp.

Specifications

What it actually puts out

TypeDesktop amplifier

Price$1099

Power into 32 Ω580 mW

Power into 150 Ω536 mW

Power into 300 Ω460 mW

Power into 600 Ω400 mW

Output impedancenot published

Output noisenot published

Comfortable headroom on 557 of 567 headphones (98%) · short of power on 1

Provenance

Where these numbers come from

The manufacturer publishes 580 mW into 32Ω, 550 mW into 60Ω, 590 mW into 120Ω, 460 mW into 300Ω, 400 mW into 600Ω. The rest of the table is worked out from those.

Derived rows hold output voltage steady, as an amplifier does (method).

Source: wooaudio.com, wooaudio.com.

Load	Power	Status	How it was arrived at
32 Ω	580 mW	Published	the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load
60 Ω	550 mW	Published	the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load
120 Ω	590 mW	Published	the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load
150 Ω	536 mW	Derived	worked out between two published loads, holding output voltage linear between them
300 Ω	460 mW	Published	the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load
600 Ω	400 mW	Published	the manufacturer publishes this figure at this exact load

Matching

Against 40 well-known headphones

Easiest to hardest to drive, with headroom at a 100 dB SPL peak.

Headphone	Impedance	Sensitivity	Needs	Headroom	Verdict
Shure SE846	9 Ω	114.0 dB/mW	0.04 mW	+36 dB	Comfortable
64 Audio U12t	12.6 Ω	108.0 dB/mW	0.16 mW	+32 dB	Comfortable
Shure SE215	17 Ω	107.0 dB/mW	0.20 mW	+32 dB	Comfortable
Moondrop Aria	32 Ω	107.1 dB/mW	0.19 mW	+35 dB	Comfortable
Audeze LCD-X 2021	20 Ω	103.0 dB/mW	0.50 mW	+29 dB	Comfortable
Truthear Hexa	20.5 Ω	103.1 dB/mW	0.49 mW	+29 dB	Comfortable
Sennheiser IE 200	18 Ω	101.6 dB/mW	0.69 mW	+27 dB	Comfortable
Sony MDR-7506	63 Ω	106.0 dB/mW	0.25 mW	+33 dB	Comfortable
Meze 99 Classics	32 Ω	103.0 dB/mW	0.50 mW	+31 dB	Comfortable
Focal Clear MG	55 Ω	104.0 dB/mW	0.40 mW	+31 dB	Comfortable
Philips SHP9500	32 Ω	101.0 dB	0.79 mW	+29 dB	Comfortable
Focal Utopia	80 Ω	104.0 dB/mW	0.40 mW	+31 dB	Comfortable
Meze Empyrean	32 Ω	100.0 dB	1.0 mW	+28 dB	Comfortable
Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020	9 Ω	94.0 dB	4.0 mW	+16 dB	Comfortable
Etymotic ER2SE	15 Ω	96.0 dB/mW	2.5 mW	+20 dB	Comfortable
AKG K371	32 Ω	99.1 dB/mW	1.2 mW	+27 dB	Comfortable
Audio-Technica ATH-M50X	38 Ω	99.0 dB/mW	1.3 mW	+26 dB	Comfortable
Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X	48 Ω	100.0 dB/mW	1.0 mW	+27 dB	Comfortable
Audeze LCD-2 Classic	70 Ω	101.0 dB/mW	0.79 mW	+28 dB	Comfortable
Grado SR80x	38 Ω	98.0 dB/mW	1.6 mW	+25 dB	Comfortable
Sennheiser HD 560S	120 Ω	100.8 dB/mW	0.83 mW	+29 dB	Comfortable
HiFiMAN Edition XS	18 Ω	92.0 dB	6.3 mW	+17 dB	Comfortable
HiFiMAN Arya Stealth	32 Ω	94.0 dB	4.0 mW	+22 dB	Comfortable
Dan Clark Audio AEON 2 Closed	13 Ω	90.0 dB/mW	10 mW	+14 dB	Comfortable
Audeze LCD-5	14 Ω	90.0 dB/mW	10 mW	+14 dB	Comfortable
Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω)	250 Ω	102.0 dB/mW	0.63 mW	+29 dB	Comfortable
HiFiMAN HE400se	25 Ω	91.0 dB	7.9 mW	+18 dB	Comfortable
HiFiMAN Sundara	32 Ω	92.0 dB	6.3 mW	+20 dB	Comfortable
Dan Clark Audio Stealth	23 Ω	90.0 dB/mW	10 mW	+16 dB	Comfortable
Fostex T50RP MK3	50 Ω	92.0 dB/mW	6.3 mW	+19 dB	Comfortable
AKG K702	62 Ω	92.9 dB/mW	5.1 mW	+20 dB	Comfortable
ZMF Verite Closed	300 Ω	99.0 dB/mW	1.3 mW	+26 dB	Comfortable
Sennheiser HD 650	300 Ω	97.8 dB/mW	1.7 mW	+24 dB	Comfortable
Sennheiser HD 800S	300 Ω	96.8 dB/mW	2.1 mW	+23 dB	Comfortable
Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (250Ω)	250 Ω	96.0 dB	2.5 mW	+23 dB	Comfortable
Audio-Technica ATH-R70X	470 Ω	98.0 dB/mW	1.6 mW	+24 dB	Comfortable
ZMF Atrium	300 Ω	96.0 dB/mW	2.5 mW	+23 dB	Comfortable
Abyss AB-1266 Phi TC	50 Ω	88.0 dB/mW	16 mW	+15 dB	Comfortable
Sennheiser HD 600	300 Ω	91.8 dB/mW	6.6 mW	+18 dB	Comfortable
HiFiMAN Susvara	60 Ω	83.0 dB	50 mW	+10 dB	Comfortable

Noise

Will it hiss?

The manufacturer does not publish an output noise figure for this source, so there is no hiss estimate here. If you have a measured figure, the hiss calculator takes it.

Damping

Output impedance and the one-eighth rule

The manufacturer does not publish an output impedance for this source. Without it, nothing here can say how this source will behave with a multi-driver in-ear.

With a measured figure, the checker works out the consequence.

A figure exists, but the maker did not publish itNeither Woo Audio's product page nor its own WA6 owner's manual contains an output-impedance line; the manual's specification block covers headphone impedance, frequency response, power, SNR, THD and input impedance only. A third-party listing (Sound & Vision) gives “Output impedance: 30 to 60 ohms”. That is not a Woo Audio publication and is not used here. If it is anywhere near right, this amplifier would reshape the frequency response of anything below about 250Ω at the low end of that range and below 500Ω at the high end — worth knowing before pairing it — but not worth printing as though the maker had said it.Check it yourself: wooaudio.com

Cheaper

The cheapest thing here that does the same job

Source	Type	Price	Into 300 Ω	Output impedance	Output noise
FiiO KA11	USB dongle	$29	22 mW	0.7 Ω	1.7 µV
JDS Labs Atom+ (2nd gen)	desktop amplifier	$99	272 mW	0.7 Ω	1.99 µV
Schiit Magni Heresy	desktop amplifier	$99	410 mW	0.25 Ω	1.5 µV unverified

Of the 280 sources here, 81 do everything the Woo Audio WA6 does as a headphone output: reach 100 dB on every headphone it reaches. The cheapest of them is the FiiO KA11 at $29, against this one’s $1099 — $1070 less, and a USB dongle rather than a desktop amplifier.

The cheaper one also publishes an output impedance and a noise figure, which the Woo Audio WA6 does not — so on the paperwork it is ahead, not merely level.

This counts the headphone output only; inputs, converters, the volume control and the build are outside it.

Alternatives

Compared with its closest rivals: vs Aune S17 Pro EVO · vs Gustard H20 · vs Gustard H26 · vs SMSL VMV P2 MK2 · vs Violectric V222.

Compare any two or match your own headphones. Every Woo Audio source here.

Woo Audio WA6: power output and what it will drive

What it actually puts out

Where these numbers come from

Against 40 well-known headphones

Will it hiss?

Output impedance and the one-eighth rule

The cheapest thing here that does the same job

Other desktop amplifiers at a similar price

Gustard H26

SMSL VMV P2 MK2

Schiit Mjolnir 3

Violectric V222

Gustard H20

Aune S17 Pro EVO