I first became aware of the Cayin brand some years ago as a neophyte to the Head-Fi hobby when a friend bought a C5 portable headphone amplifier. Driving a pair of Beyerdynamic DT880 250 Ohm headphones, this svelte and well built powerhouse performed brilliantly, to my surprise it must be said. It was the best of it's kind then, making comparable Fiio offerings seem anemic by comparison, and it remains a contender now. Fast forward to present day, and Zhuhai Spark Electronic Equipment Company, better known as Cayin for the past 20 years, has rightly...

It’s a wonderful thing to have the fact that one is never too old to learn something new emphatically proven, and even better when it is totally unexpected. My new Solo Ultra Linear was both unexpected and has proven to be quite an education. I’ve a fair amount of experience with high fidelity gear of all kinds, having been an enthusiastic audiophile since my late ‘teens. The spark was rekindled after a long hiatus about 3 years ago, when I discovered this thing now commonly dubbed “Head-Fi”. This rabbit hole has been slippery and deep, and the...