WOO AUDIO WA7 Fireflies Pure Class-A Single-ended Vacuum Tube Headphone Amplifier & 32-Bit/192kHz Digital to Analog Convertor Owner’s Manual Please review this manual before operating your WOO AUDIO™ product. tm ©2013 WOO AUDIO Inc. All rights reserved. www.wooaudio.com Rev 1.2.
Important Safety Information CAUTION: Amplifiers are shipped without the vacuum tubes installed. The end user must install the tubes, taking great care to install them correctly in the appropriate sockets. Incorrect installation will result in serious damage not covered by the warranty. Turn off immediately in the event of malfunction! Should you notice smoke or an unusual smell coming from the equipment, turn it off immediately. Continued operation could result in injury.
Table of Contents IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 OVERVIEW 4 GETTING STARTED 6 QUICK INSTALLATION 9 OPERATIONS 12 FAQ - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 13 WARRANTY AND SERVICE 14 PRODUCT SPECIFICATION 15 REVIEWS 16 tm ©2013 WOO AUDIO Inc. All rights reserved. www.wooaudio.com Rev 1.2.
Overview The WOO Audio WA7 “Fireflies” Amp/DAC is a combination of high performance vacuum tube headphone amplifier with a built-in USB Digital-to-Analog Converter. It employs a pure tube design, utilizing 6C45 tubes in a class-A, single-ended topology, with transformer coupled outputs. No semi-conductors used in the entire signal path. The D-A converter is designed to be capable of up to 32-bit/192k sampling rates. Pure data integrity is maintained while it is transmitted via standard high speed USB 2.
Features: o Handmade output transformer with Nickel Alloy core o 32-Bit, 192kHz high resolution playback o Ultra-low jitter USB 2.0 runs on Asynchronous mode o High and low impedance output facilitated via toggle switch on back panel o Open load protection will automatically engage to prevent the amp from damaging when no headphones are plugged in o Multi-functional switch for USB input, RCA input, and RCA output via D-A.
Getting Started What’s in the box? ② ① ③ ⑤ ⑥ ④ ⑦ ① Umbilical DC Power Cord ② Micro-fiber Polishing Cloth for glass and metal cleaning ③ Anti-slip silicone rubber glass pads (4pcs) ④ External Power Supply ⑤ Tube Protection Glass ⑥ WA7 Fireflies Amplifier * USB, AC power cord, and inter-connection cables are not included. ⑦ 6C45 Matched Pair Tubes tm ©2013 WOO AUDIO Inc. All rights reserved. www.wooaudio.com Rev 1.2.
Front Panel ⑦ Volume control for headphone outputs ⑧ 3.5mm or 1/8” mini In-Ear-Monitors 7 headphone jack 8 9 ⑨ 6.35mm or 1/4"headphone jack Top Panel ⑩ Tube sockets for 6C45 vacuum tubes Please pay close attention to vacuum tube installation alignment marks! 10 ⑪ USB 2.0 digital input ⑫ RCA analog input Back Panel ⑬ Input-output switch RCA –RCA analog input USB – USB 2.
External Power Supply DC power connection External Power Supply AC power connection 13 11 14 12 ⑪ Umbilical cord socket (female) ⑪ AC power inlet ⑫ Power LED light ⑫ Fuse box slow blow fuse, 400mA@115V or 200mA@230V Connections The WA7 Firflies can be connected in one of the following ways. A USB 2.0 RCA line-out to active monitors Computer B RCA line-out to power amp RCA RCA CD player or analog source C USB 2.0 Computer tm Digital-to-Analog Convertor ©2013 WOO AUDIO Inc.
Quick Installation Installing tubes Align the tube in the tube socket according to the RED arrows 20 Umbilical Power Cord Installation Connecting the Amplifier unit Align the female plug to the DC input connector. The “arrow” marking on the plug should face up when it is properly oriented. Insert the plug into the socket and turn the locking ring on the plug until fully tightened. tm ©2013 WOO AUDIO Inc. All rights reserved. Hold the tube firmly, slowly inserting it down into the socket.
Installing the AC power cord (customer supplied): Plug the power cord into the AC inlet; see ⑬ in the above diagram. The AC inlet socket is a standard IEC type. You will need to obtain the correct type for your region if it not supplied with your order. European U.S. U.K. Installing Tube Protection Glass: Do not hit the tubes by the glass. The glass is heavy. Handle with both hands. Powering Up To power up on the WA7 Fireflies, flip the power switch ⑯ to the “I” position.
Using the Asynchronous USB 2.0 port: The WA7 Fireflies offers a USB 2.0 port ⑪, refer to the above diagram, which is compatible with Windows or Mac OS computer. Installing the USB driver *These steps only apply for Windows 7. 1. Plug in the USB 2.0 cable to the WA7 Fireflies and your computer. 2. Install the WA7 Fireflies Driver from the downloaded file from http://www.wooaudio.com/drivers/wa7-fireflies-driver-1.01.zip 3. Unzip the downloaded file. Locate setup.exe file and run it. 4.
Operations NOTE: Only one headphone output is operational at a time. When both headphone jacks are plugged in, only the ¼” output is operational. DO NOT o Turn on the amp before properly installing ALL tubes and power supply. o Block vent holes of the power supply. o Use tubes that are not approved by Woo Audio. o Align the male plug to the DC input connector. The arrow marking on the plug should face up when it is properly oriented.
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions Computer cannot find the WA7 Fireflies USB DAC. o Check USB cable connection and make sure the cable is USB 2.0 compatible. o See “Installing USB driver” section for configuration. No sound is coming out of the headphone jack. o Check you have selected the correct position of the Input-Output switch. Check input connection. Check computer USB output setting if USB input is used. No sound is coming out of the mini headphone jack.
Warranty and Service Woo Audio warrants this product free from defects in materials and workmanship for one (1) year from the original date of purchase. The tubes are warranted for 30 days unless otherwise stated. In the event that your Woo Audio product requires servicing, please contact us directly to receive return instructions. Please do not discard original packing materials.
Product Specification Model: WA7 Fireflies Headphone amp design Single-ended, class-A, transformers output Power supply Linear external high-performance power supply Tubes used One matched pair of 6C45, one tube per channel USB receiving chipset: C-Media 6631 DAC chip TI PCM5102A 32-bit chip Sampling Rate: Up to 32-Bit, 192kHz Inputs: 1 Asynchronous USB2.
Reviews The WA7 is one of the few home headphone amps that sounds great with full-size and in-ear headphones. - Audiophiliac This is possibly the most linear DAC and headphone amp I've heard. -Positive Feedback The Woo reaches DEEP, and is POWERFUL. It’s everything you want it to be and just a tad more … because it’s so damn sexy you feel like you stole it from the future somehow. -Humanovation Appreciable about the WA7 was that whatever headphones or IEMs I used with it, the performance was consistent.
Woo Audio is committed to continuously improve its products. We therefore reserve the right to improve on our design without notice. tm ©2013 WOO AUDIO Inc. All rights reserved. www.wooaudio.com Rev 1.2.
