Woo wa22 or ifi ican pro or mjolnir 2

Hi all,

Forgetting about price (or assuming they can be bought for about same price), which of the three amps would you recommend? There seems to be very few reviews/impressions available on the wa22 (even on HF all I find are comparison to wa2 or wa6). The ifi thread here doesn't really compare against mjolnir 2 and vice versa (unless I missed it while reading through).

Thanks,

Edit: I will listen primarily with HD800 and HE1K. For now I will use the Chord Hugo as the DAC, but later this/next year I plan on getting a Gungnir Multibit (or even stretch my budget for a Yggdrasil). The Hugo would then be relegated to travel use.

 

Assuming that you're using the headphones in your signature, I have found the mjo2 with NOS tubes is impressive with the he1k and hd800 (my 800 has the SDR mod). The mjo2 is dynamic and punchy as hell and with some good tubes you'll also get some finesse. Woo amps have always presented too glossed over for me. I have not heard the ican pro, sorry.

 

Here is an update. I went ahead and bought the Mjolnir 2 sight unseen (or rather unheard) here in China. I've been able to hear the ifi from a shop here to compare, as well as a Cayin iha-6 solid state amp.

For the last few weeks, I've been playing around with the Mjolnir, trying out a few different tubes (only a few, didn't want to fall down that rabbit hole). With stock tubes, the Mjolnir had better micro-detail (I think here at SBAF it's called plankton) but the slam, clarity, and extension (both upper and lower) were weaker. Swapping to EH 6922 tubes did not make any improvements (different sound signature but not better).

With GE 5760 NOS tubes, things got much better. Slam and low end extension improved tremendously. Bang for buck, these tubes are the best. JW WE396A rated tubes made the most (and best) difference. The clarity and upper register extension improved without being overly harsh/bright. These tubes were absolutely noise free and barely microphonic (better than any other tubes I've tested). With these tubes, I'm absolutely satisfied with the Mjolnir 2 and for now, my GAS is in check.

I'm confident my main weak point now is the Hugo DAC. I'm very impressed with Schiit right now, so looking at either the Gungnir Multibit or Yggdrasil.

Thanks to SBAF and members here for directing me to Mjolnir and Schiit!

 

Had a pair of HD800S and Mjo2 with a few different tubes and ultimately Philip mini watts and JAN Amperex USA 7316 were my favourite. I found that the combo could resolve differences between tubes fairly easily.

EQing made a good deal difference as well and much cheaper than rolling tubes.

 

pro ican has Xbass. imo, with hd800, bass boost is mandatory. the xbass is all analog, no dsp which is very cool.