Wu Audio's WA7 Fireflies: A High-End DAC and Tube Amp Combo
It's time to review one of my favorite recent purchases, Wu Audio's WA7 Fireflies, a USB DAC and tube amp combo that's sure to impress even the most seasoned audiophiles. This product is about time that I reviewed it for you guys, so let's dive right in.
Amping Up Your Listening Experience
Amps are great because some headphones require quite a bit more juice to get the full depth of sound quality that you want from them. In contrast, DACs (digital-to-analog converters) convert digital signals to analog and improve your sound quality and volume output of whatever you're listening to. While many devices come with built-in DACs, they often don't deliver the same level of quality as a high-end DAC like the WA7. That's where this product comes in – designed for music enthusiasts who want top-notch audio quality.
Compact yet Powerful Design
The WA7 has a very compact footprint, making it perfect for those with limited desk space. Its cube design and brushed aluminum body give it a sleek, high-end look that's sure to turn heads. But don't let its size fool you – this thing is built like a tank. The pure glass top encasing the tubes adds weight and protection, ensuring that your listening experience remains uninterrupted.
Additional Features
One of my favorite features of the WA7 is how well it integrates with other products in its category. For example, I've found that it perfectly complements my iMac, which shares a similar design aesthetic. The subtle glow from the tubes when powered on adds a touch of sophistication to any room, and it even looks pretty cool with the lights off.
Inputs and Switches
The front of the WA7 is simple yet functional, featuring a large volume dial, 3.5mm, and quarter-inch headphone jacks. On the back, you'll find USB, RCA inputs, a source switch on the right, high and low switches to determine how much power is used for your headphones, a power adapter input, and an on/off switch. This amp is capable of powering almost any pair of headphones, making it a versatile addition to any music enthusiast's setup.
Performance Review
I had the opportunity to test the WA7 with my Sennheiser HD 700s, which were a new experience for me. As open-back headphones, they require more juice than closed-back models like I've used before. But what struck me was how well these performed – truly next-level listening. The soundstage created by these headphones is incredible, allowing you to visualize the placement of instruments and vocalists with ease.
The WA7 delivers clean audio with virtually no background noise, making it perfect for those who want an immersive listening experience. Vocal separation is also impressive, giving you a clear sense of individual instruments within your music. I've tried the WA7 with other headphones like the V-Moda Crossfade M100s and in-ears like the RHA T10iS, and while results vary, the overall quality remains consistent.
A Word for Audiophiles
The WA7 is not something that will be picked up by your average person. This is hardcore audiophile gear that requires a serious investment of time and money to fully appreciate. However, if you take sound very seriously, this is an excellent choice. With its top-notch design and performance capabilities, it's sure to elevate your listening experience to new heights.
And That's It
That's my review of the Wu Audio WA7 Fireflies – a product that's left me with mixed emotions but ultimately impressed. If you're interested in learning more about this product, I'll have links down below in the description for you guys to check out. Until next time, it's your average consumer peace...
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhat's going on everyone it's average consumer and you guys might have noticed in some of my older videos that i had an interesting cubed object on the left side of my desk well that's woo audio's wa7 fireflies and i think it's about time that i reviewed it for you guys so let's not waste any time let's get right into it alright guys here we have wu audio's wa7 fireflies a usb dac and tube amp combo and amps are great because some headphones require quite a bit more juice to get the full depth of sound quality that you want from them as for dax they're also known as digital to analog converters and to those who aren't sure what a dac does in the simplest terms i can provide it converts digital signals to analog and through your amp it'll improve your sound quality and volume output of whatever you're listening to now dax are found in just about every music playing device like your computer phone or even ipod if you still use one of those but they aren't that great in quality this is where something like the wa7 comes in the wa7 has a very compact footprint in the world of high-end heavy duty dax and it features a cube design in a brushed aluminum body with a pure glass top encasing the tubes for protection which also adds quite a bit of heft to it although small this thing is by no means light which is good as it'll stand firmly wherever you place it one of my favorite things about its design and its aluminum body is how perfectly it fits with other products that i currently have on my desk like my imac another neat little touch is the slight glow you get from the tubes when it's powered on and it even looks pretty cool with the lights off now let's talk about the inputs and switches you'll find on this the front is pretty simple with a large volume dial a 3.5 millimeter and quarter inch headphone jack in the back you'll have your usb and rca inputs a source switch on the right and below you'll have a high and low switch to determine how much juice is used to power your headphones you're also going to have a power adapter input and of course your on and off switch now this thing is a high end amp so it'll be able to power just about any headphones you come across now outside of being aesthetically pleasing this thing is quite a beast in the performance department during my testing i got to try this out with the sennheiser hd 700s and let me tell you this is some next level listening the hd 700s are open back headphones and this was my first experience with open back headphones and i've gotta say i was very surprised and impressed the surprise came from these actually being open to sound and what i mean by that is these aren't meant to isolate sounds from the outside or keep the sound from the headphones inside either now what this does is create an amazing sound stage when listening and for the folks not familiar with the term soundstage the sound stage will give you the ability to visualize the placement of musical instruments and vocalists and any sounds you'd hear in your music that feeling of being at a concert or a live band is definitely achievable with these the best way i could describe it is if i were listening to music with other headphones with these i felt like i was actually in it now because of this i feel like i have to go get a pair of open back headphones to add to my collection for some home listening of course now back to the performance of the wa7 paired with the hd700 it really did feel like i was at a concert when listening to certain tracks and the wa7 provides really clean audio with virtually no background noise and of course with something like the hd700 vocal and instrumental separation is pretty damn good now the wa7 isn't only good with super high end headphones like the 700s i've tried them with a few of my favorites as well like the v-moda crossfade m100s and even some in-ears like the rha t10is and i found that i had an awesome listening experience with whatever i threw at them now the wa7 isn't something that'll be picked up by your average person this is some pretty hardcore audiophile gear but if you take sound very seriously this is definitely a good investment from a looks and performance perspective now if you guys are interested in these i'll of course have links down below in the description for you guys to check them out now i have to let you guys know that this is my first experience with a really high-end dac and amp so i'm not really sure how it compares to others in its category but it's absolutely safe for me to say that these have been a nice upgrade from my regular listening experience but that about wraps it up for this video guys hopefully you enjoyed it if you did be the cool guy that gives it a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel for more content from me and i'll catch you guys in the next video till then it's your average consumer peacewhat's going on everyone it's average consumer and you guys might have noticed in some of my older videos that i had an interesting cubed object on the left side of my desk well that's woo audio's wa7 fireflies and i think it's about time that i reviewed it for you guys so let's not waste any time let's get right into it alright guys here we have wu audio's wa7 fireflies a usb dac and tube amp combo and amps are great because some headphones require quite a bit more juice to get the full depth of sound quality that you want from them as for dax they're also known as digital to analog converters and to those who aren't sure what a dac does in the simplest terms i can provide it converts digital signals to analog and through your amp it'll improve your sound quality and volume output of whatever you're listening to now dax are found in just about every music playing device like your computer phone or even ipod if you still use one of those but they aren't that great in quality this is where something like the wa7 comes in the wa7 has a very compact footprint in the world of high-end heavy duty dax and it features a cube design in a brushed aluminum body with a pure glass top encasing the tubes for protection which also adds quite a bit of heft to it although small this thing is by no means light which is good as it'll stand firmly wherever you place it one of my favorite things about its design and its aluminum body is how perfectly it fits with other products that i currently have on my desk like my imac another neat little touch is the slight glow you get from the tubes when it's powered on and it even looks pretty cool with the lights off now let's talk about the inputs and switches you'll find on this the front is pretty simple with a large volume dial a 3.5 millimeter and quarter inch headphone jack in the back you'll have your usb and rca inputs a source switch on the right and below you'll have a high and low switch to determine how much juice is used to power your headphones you're also going to have a power adapter input and of course your on and off switch now this thing is a high end amp so it'll be able to power just about any headphones you come across now outside of being aesthetically pleasing this thing is quite a beast in the performance department during my testing i got to try this out with the sennheiser hd 700s and let me tell you this is some next level listening the hd 700s are open back headphones and this was my first experience with open back headphones and i've gotta say i was very surprised and impressed the surprise came from these actually being open to sound and what i mean by that is these aren't meant to isolate sounds from the outside or keep the sound from the headphones inside either now what this does is create an amazing sound stage when listening and for the folks not familiar with the term soundstage the sound stage will give you the ability to visualize the placement of musical instruments and vocalists and any sounds you'd hear in your music that feeling of being at a concert or a live band is definitely achievable with these the best way i could describe it is if i were listening to music with other headphones with these i felt like i was actually in it now because of this i feel like i have to go get a pair of open back headphones to add to my collection for some home listening of course now back to the performance of the wa7 paired with the hd700 it really did feel like i was at a concert when listening to certain tracks and the wa7 provides really clean audio with virtually no background noise and of course with something like the hd700 vocal and instrumental separation is pretty damn good now the wa7 isn't only good with super high end headphones like the 700s i've tried them with a few of my favorites as well like the v-moda crossfade m100s and even some in-ears like the rha t10is and i found that i had an awesome listening experience with whatever i threw at them now the wa7 isn't something that'll be picked up by your average person this is some pretty hardcore audiophile gear but if you take sound very seriously this is definitely a good investment from a looks and performance perspective now if you guys are interested in these i'll of course have links down below in the description for you guys to check them out now i have to let you guys know that this is my first experience with a really high-end dac and amp so i'm not really sure how it compares to others in its category but it's absolutely safe for me to say that these have been a nice upgrade from my regular listening experience but that about wraps it up for this video guys hopefully you enjoyed it if you did be the cool guy that gives it a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel for more content from me and i'll catch you guys in the next video till then it's your average consumer peace\n"
