[Andykong]

What is the advantage of using two umbilical cords?

Separating the high-voltage and low-voltage will reduce the ripple effect from interference, internal as well as external. Clean power requires attention to detail.

 

[msq123]

I sure hope so, but we are still months away from a marketable product, and finding a good reviewer with appropriate traffic and profile to cover this amplifier would be difficult. That is understandable because sending a massive amplifier like this back to Zhuhai after the review process will be tedious.

You should take a look at Convince Me Audio on YouTube. Koji reviewed Ha-300 mk2 and was the only reviewer who bothered to roll all three set of tubes and explore various possibilities with that amp.

I can’t wait to try this myself, hope you have it at canjam London.

 

[project86]

You should take a look at Convince Me Audio on YouTube. Koji reviewed Ha-300 mk2 and was the only reviewer who bothered to roll all three set of tubes and explore various possibilities with that amp.

I can’t wait to try this myself, hope you have it at canjam London.

I spent a bit of time on the HA-300 as well.

 

[Wes S]

I spent a bit of time on the HA-300 as well.

You should definitely be chosen to review one. I have always found your reviews spot on and very helpful.

 

[Andykong]

You should take a look at Convince Me Audio on YouTube. Koji reviewed Ha-300 mk2 and was the only reviewer who bothered to roll all three set of tubes and explore various possibilities with that amp.

I can’t wait to try this myself, hope you have it at canjam London.

Thanks for the lead, I'll check this out when we have a review sample available.

 

[ThanatosVI]

I spent quite some time at the Cayin booth this year.
My brother was intesifely auditioning the Ha-2a and Ha-3a, meanwhile I was checking out the Soul 170Ha.

I always liked the Cayin headamp designs, but the Soul 170Ha is definitely the prettiest one so far.

The "bad" news is, that it can only run the KT170 and is optimized for this tube alone. It would drive other KT tubes way too hard.
That means there are zero options to tube roll the power slot. (Still options for the driver and rectifier tubes)
However Cayin gave something in return.
The amplifier offers Ultralinear and Triode Mode, just like the Ha-6a and on top a dynamic <-> soft sound signature switch. So even though you can't tube roll as much, you can still adjust the sound on the fly.
And who knows, maybe there are some tube manufacturers working on their KT170 versions, now that they become more popular.

Sound wise I liked the amplifier, very visceral and dynamic with the Susvara.
However it was very loud at the booth, which made me switch to the Liric II. With the latter I played around with all the Switches and sound configurations. Certainly something one could spend days exploring.

Unfortunately it was a few walking minutes away from the competition and therefore basically impossible to compare to similarly priced amplifiers. However I don't think it has to hide from direct comparisons.

It's probably my favourite non 300B amplifier

 

[ThanatosVI]

Off topic but still worth sharing imo.
Cayin also presented their 30th Anniversary Pearl series. This devices are BIG! Both physically and in terms of sound

The amplifier

The DAC

And the CD Transport

Also the integrated Soul 170 Pendant

I'm a big Fan of the recent designs, even if the Pearl series is priced out of my league

 

[Newsee]

Cockpit view

Driver view

Rearview

Sus view

 

[jamato8]

You can do a lot to shape the sound just with the rectifiers and input tubes.

 

[Bkido]

This amp was my absolute highlight of the show. The one thing at the show that I'd have insta bought if possible. Demoed it with my Mod House Tungsten DS and they've never sounded better. Absolute driver control with a nice touch of warmth with amazing detail, stage and definition. Can't wait for the final release.

 

[DarKu]

Hi guys
You might want to check our High End Show Munich 2024 report, Cayin just won our Best Of Show award with their U-170HA amplifier, this thing rocked our world! I hope we can review it in the usual fashion and pit it against competitor amplifiers. I don't remember the HiFiMan Susvara massaging my eardrums so strongly...the power in this one felt unlimited. Impressive won't be right word, it was Legendary!

 

[Andykong]

The Cayin Soul 170HA debuts in Mainland China today at Shenzhen Headphones Expo 2024. This is a 3 days events starting 9 am today (17 May), I had a brief audition before the crowd of audience arrived, and took some photo for the benefits of those who can't attend this event. Yes, that's 99.9% of this community.

We have setup the HA-300mk2 and 170HA side by side with the same source and headphones (HiFiman Susvara), visitors can compare the two amplifiers conveniently. While the 170HA is bigger and heavier, it actually occupied less desk space. The photo with the 8 series stack side by side is a good reference. If you have a deep table, you can use the 170HA as DeskFi setup without a lot of trouble.

I have tried Susvara, the photo recorded the volume I was listening, I set the 170HA to Triode/Dynamic when listening to the High Life of Jazz at the Pawnshop. Yes, I am very impressed but I'll leave the impression to users and reviewers.

I have also tried two pairs of IEMs to explore the compatibility, with the Hotel California from Hell Freeze Over, the Sony IER -Z1R plays well at 11 o'clock volume, and the UM Mest2 at slightly over 10 o'clock, low impedance in both case. I use Ultralinear with IER-Z1R, Triode with Mest2, can't hear background noise with both IEMs but show and events environment are very noisy so not the best place to verify background noise.

 

[Deceneu808]

I'm curious about the official specs on this.

 

[Billy Kueek]

I was going to buy the HA-300 MK ii when I mentioned it in Cayin FB group and was told to wait for the 170HA. OMG! This amp is mighty, majestic and beautiful! I am searching for the specs and the prices and hoping to read or watch a comparison between the 2. I hope it’s price will be within reach.

 

[ThanatosVI]

I was going to buy the HA-300 MK ii when I mentioned it in Cayin FB group and was told to wait for the 170HA. OMG! This amp is mighty, majestic and beautiful! I am searching for the specs and the prices and hoping to read or watch a comparison between the 2. I hope it’s price will be within reach.

Price is ~7500€ incl VAT in germany.
Therefore I'd expect ~6000$ excl. VAT in the US