CAYIN iDAC-6 & CAYIN iHA-6
REVIEW

Intro
While Cayin to westerners have been more known for their portable gear lately, they have been making serious DAC’s, CD players, and speaker amps for a very long time. A while ago I had purchased from a website the Cayin HA-3. It is a DAC/AMP combination with tons of power and a small tube inside. I had really enjoyed that piece of gear and it lasted in my stable for quite some time. I wanted to review it but didn’t believe it was appropriate because I had the the wrong voltage and had to use a step up transformer. Without being aware of how much of it’s sound quality was being affected by the situation I just kept most of my impressions under wraps. Quietly, I was very much on the look out for new desktop equipment from Cayin and since they had won me over with their portable C5 I had really nothing but high hopes for the Chinese manufacturer. If I could place a house sound on them, I would pretty much say they like clean, and clear, but musical which is something most of us can appreciate. Fast forward to now and I have been privileged have a chance to hear their latest desktop solutions.
These units go so hand in hand, with so many similarities, that a separate review for each one would seem a little repetitive to me so I would rather combine them.
Both units are meant to be reference quality. As with the previous products, they intend to punch high in performance without raping your wallet; yet this time they desire to add value in features as well as sound quality. Are they successful? Well before I make a judgement call on such serious pieces of gear, let me be acquitted from any thoughts you may have of me being a seasoned “know it all” audiophile. While I have been fortunate to try a lot of gear, I mainly go for what sounds right to me as most of us should, since personal audio is so…personal.
BUILD, FUNCTIONALITY, AESTHETICS & SPECS
These little suckers don’t take up much desktop space at all but are imposingly dense little masses of solid construction. The substantial chassis is made of an aluminum alloy with all of its bolts and screws (the few that there are) hidden underneath the units and in the back where all of the interconnection takes place. Conveniently, the power buttons are on the front which is a simple but no-brainer placement that for some reason a lot of manufacturers refuse to incorporate. Around the power button is a neon-whitish-blue light that lets you know the units are powered on but have a safety feature of blinking first before its ready. The knobs are both wonderfully sized and similar to all of the buttons on the faceplate are of a shiny finish. They rotate with a polished and smooth resistance on the i HA6. Dialing in your ideal volume is as easy as it gets. The i DAC -6, though similar in appearance, has a knob that rotates with less resistance but soft clicks to enable exact option selections since it is a dual functioning component.
CAYIN iDAC-6
The DAC uses two AK4490 chipsets and each chipset will work for for a single channel. It is a truly balanced DAC that fully exploits the potential of both chipsets, which when researched is supposed to have less distortion and yeild great results compared to ESS sabre chips etc. More can be found on the matter here (
https://hifiduino.wordpress.com/2014/12/07/akm-verita-4490-dac/). There are 5 digital filters that you can use. Inside are also 4 6N16B vacuum tubes at the buffer stage that work when using the DAC in balanced mode and RCA mode. While using balanced outputs it only uses the tube out put stage.
It is highly versatile allowing one to select just about every option of inputs. The OLED display will reflect your choice of options.
layout:


From left to right -
You have the previously mentioned power button. There is a OLED screen that displays your various selections. Underneath that LED screen is a Source button, Timbre button, and Line/Pre button. To the right of that button is a volume control if you select the ‘Pre’ function.
Options:
Source button | USB, OPTICAL, COAXIAL, and AES |
Timbre button (RCA only) | Transistor, or Vaccum Tube |
Filter knob | Sharp, Slow, Short Delay, Short Delay Slow, Super slow |
Phase knob button | Normal, Inverted |
SPECS:
Price | $999.00 USD |
Output level | RCA 2.2V RMS |
Frequency Response | 20Hz~30Khz |
THD+N | Tube - 0.8% ; Transistor: 0.004% |
USB Capability | DSD - DSD64, DSD128 / PCM - 32bit/384khz |
AES/EBU/Coaxial | PCM: 24 bit/192kHz |
Optical | 24 bit/176.6kHz
|
CAYIN i HA-6
The amplifier is of a quadruple circuit with fully discrete components and a fully balanced design with independent power supplies to each channel. It is designed to not only be capable of powering any headphone with a lot of headroom, but also properly match various impedances making it an excellent all-in-one solution. Even sensitive earphones will yield little to no noise when music is not playing. The iHA-6, simlar to the DAC-6 has been designed with practically everything taken into consideration. Literally all I could ask for would be a bass boost button on it but that is not really standard on desktop gear this serious. It’s small footprint size, solid build, and tons of power make it almost the ideal amp for just about any situation on paper and in practice.
Layout:


Left to right-
The power button is on the left and right next to it are the source (balanced and unbalanced), Current, an Gain buttons. In the middle are three headphone jacks: Balanced left (also for low impedance headphones), a Balanced Right (for High impedance heapdhones), and a 4pin balanced connection. To the right of that is the volume pot which rotates with a very smooth resistance that enables you to easily find your listening level.
Specs
Price | $999.00 USD |
Power SE | 1100mw + 1100mW (High Current, RMS,RL=32ohms), 2200mW + 2200mW (low current, RMS, RL=32ohms)
|
Power Balanced | 5000mW+5000mW (High Current, RMS,RL=32ohms)
7000mW + 7000mW (low current, RMS, RL=32ohms)
|
Frequency Response | 10kHz~80kHz(0.5dB) |
THD+N | ≤0.02% (1kh, RL=32ohms) |
S/N | ≥105dB (single ended), ≥ 110dB (balanced) |
Input Sensitivity | 620mV (High current, High gain) |
Max Output | 60W |
LISTENING IMPRESSIONS

During my listening I did get to pair the DAC with some other amps, but for the most part I had the iHA6 hooked up to the i DAC to get a really good impression of thier performance together. These units are obviously intended to be paired together and sonically they match each other in what seems to be an inseparable marriage until the end. The high-end or 'reference class' market is a tough place for a manufacturer to enter into. Not only are most audiophiles buying gear to get the most from the recording but undeniably find pleasure in picking apart the sonic attributes of the gear before them. I recently had some close friends over for dinner and as I explained to them how much the headphone gear costs on my table they had a hard time pulling their face muscles into conforming to their normal expressions. They were not only surprised by the price but also the sound. The reality is that to the already underwhelmed but ‘high-fidelity’ acquainted listener who usually has a lot of high maintenance demands, being wowed is a rare treat. Needless to say, the stack has it’s work cut out for it. But just as the above build quality is very much to and possibly above standard for its price, so is the sound quality and I pretty much place bets on it not wowing the listener but bringing them into the reality of what they should be expecting their gear to sound like should they venture to or beyond this Cayin stack.
Basically, a great point of reference is what this set up is. The moniker ‘reference’ denotes a standard of fidelity and tuning that can be used to judge others by. Plugging my headphones into them for the first hour was a relief because I was hoping it not only looked clean and professional but sounded so. Have you ever seen a person walking a dog and the dog looks just like the owner? Well I picture Cayin representatives to be dressed up in a suit but with a cocktail in their hands. Sharp (acute), slightly edgy with pizzaz, serious, but able to take a joke or two.
Listening to Flying Lotus’ - “Until the quiet comes” through the balanced out and HD800S was about as thin, splashy, and non-pleasant as it gets but either switching the song or the headphones made a lot more sense. That song is poorly mastered with way too much sibilance but switching over to a more forgiving headphone like the Kennerton Vali’s and they owned that song with a very tight and clean bass hits, lovely midrange balance that is neutral but not too thin with a precise timing that while a little on the fast side is neither too offensive or high-handedly harsh in tonality.
iDAC-6
Most recently I have had the revelation of the transparent yet analog sound of non oversampling DACs. In a recent shoot out between my
Geek Pulse Infinity in the 1.0 chassis and matching LPS vs the
Stockholm v.2 I found the cheaper NOS DAC to out perform it in realism. It brings the vocalist not only closer, but clearer with better dimension. I quickly sold my pulse infinity DAC and purchased an MHDT Stockholm v.2 because there seemed to be something of a digital wall in between me and the music where as the Stockholm freed up the music to be more realistic. I will not confess the ‘6’ to sound more euphonic or natural. In fact both of theseCayin units are on the more neutral and precise side of the coin, however the music sounds unhindered and clear. So much so that I would count on it winning me over just as much as the Stockholm did but in a different way. While the NOS R2R DAC warmed me up to the music it lacked a bit of precision and the bass was not nearly as controlled. Though I can depend on the iHA-6 to produce a solid low end the iDAC-6 is just as responsibly free of trimmings usually associated with over-extra warmth. Looking back at that set up and the MSRP of the pulse infinity and LPS vs the i DAC here with me during this time, I can say with full confidence that this is the more complete set up. The i-HA6 will literally laugh at the balanced headphone amp of the pulse gear and the iDAC is more transparent overall and from memory when I used the Stockholm as a point of reference.
Please forgive me in advance for not separating the inseparable through-out this review.
The iDAC-6 in comparison to my similarly (slightly more expensive ) metrum acoustics musette: Like mentioned before and after this I do really appreciate what R2R DACs bring to the table in regards to natural tonality yet in this case I actually prefer the iDAC-6 for a few reasons. If a DAC is too warm or a little overdeveloped in the midrange and not fast enough by even just a little, it can mask the intelligibility of a voice or texture of an instrument. I personally prefer the Metrum musette’s smooth treble but even more so prefer the Cayin’s speed and neutrality in the midrange. Ideally I would prefer somewhat of a middle ground or the marriage of their individual strengths but when forced to pick it is the i-DAC 6 just slightly. The Cayin renders music less biased and sounds more flat but forces the details more with a slight tendency towards edgy in comparison while never really crossing over. The cayin also also gives a little more ‘hear through’ factor for the recording but does sound a little less analog. Part of the reason the metrum may sound slower though is because it is reported to improve with a better power supply. Pairing the Musette with the Cayin iHA6 did make for a more inviting sound and is less fatiguing overall and with the HD800S it was more ideal than the Cayin duo all things being considered without losing too many details. Take the Kennerton Vali though, and the iDAC-6 basically made that headphone a dream whilst the Musette added that extra midrange warmth that for even a midrange lover like myself found to cripple the headphone.
The DAC is decently spacious but don’t expect a super deep or wide image. Instead expect to hear a clean and transparent rendering of your music that is a little less warm and graceful than it is tidy and resolved. It has a good, clear treble, neutral midrange, and tight bass.
Both
I did take the HD800S and use the timbres and filter adjustments to try and mimic what plugging it into my tube amp would do. DAC filter settings usually yield small differences. The differences were sensible yet subtle enough to be practical. Of course it is not enough not turn it into an HD850 or anything close. No matter the current setting, the timbre setting, or the filter setting you still have a bright set up. Even though the treble texture is neither hard, glaring, or grainy yet clear with all of the details present. I much prefer tubes on this headphone and would love to see how the Cayin HA-1A MK2 would pair with it. I would say that Cayin’s new desktop solution is very detailed but not brutal. I recall when I had the HA3 receiving a pm from a gentleman who asked me if it had the signature “CAYIN Sparkle”. I told him it did a little bit but this may be more up his alley and If I were him looking for a total package I would not look further.
iHA-6
The iHA-6 amp is very much in line with that kind of tuning. It is a powerhouse of clear and neutral sound that does everything with a touch of purity yet nothing in excess and as well performs with a neatness that matches its counterpart.
The dynamics from the single ended out put of the iHA-6 are fair and it is a lot more punchy than the Airist Audio Heron 5(an amp I find too soft in attack) but less full bodied and meaty than my Nuprime HPA-9. Take a double leap up in price to my Trafomatic Head 2 and I have a slower sound that is a lot more natural, less engaging, less bright, with a similar transparency yet better with higher impedance headphones than the iHA6. The iHA6 has a lot more power, and while less dynamic and punchy, it has a slightly tighter bass with a faster, flatter, slightly edgier solid state sound. Neither are lush but they still sound vastly different. Comparing the two together really shows me how capable the iHA-6 is in some areas technically, especially in clarity.
The reality is that plugging just about any headphone I had here into the balanced jack offers better pop and dimension bringing it to really gripping level of punchiness yet still being clear with focused transients. I have learned my lesson about a nicely built single ended amp sounding a lot better than a poorly designed balanced amp, however it truly is the case here where I believe the balanced section sounds better to my ears. I will go on record saying that this is pretty much about as transparent as I have heard an amp. My memory cannot legitimately conjure up a more transparent piece of headphone powering. To make a ‘winner takes it all’ kind of amp Cayin would simply need to add more depth, tonal density, and attention to micro-dynamics to flesh out the recording more realistically. To recap what I have mentioned earlier about the Nuprime having more body, I neglected to mentioned in the same frame of mind that the iHA6 is the more clear and vibrant sounding amp and can awaken sleepy headphones. Surprisingly though, and for the price I would place the Nuprime as an excellent piece of gear, just outdone overall by the sincere efforts of Cayin on this one.
To forewarn, I can see how someone will be fatigued during long listening sessions with the wrong headphone though as again, it is not the lyrically waxed and romantic kind of sound. There is much to appreciate about the this amp being slightly airy with good space and a benevolently graceful treble. Honestly, for a solid state amp this should be highly considered as a good endgame purchase at a great price, given you find this tuning up your alley for what headphones you have.
BOTH
Another thing to note is that switching the inputs via the source button on the DAC reveal the RCA from the iDAC-6 to sound just as good, if not a little cleaner at times than the balanced output of the iDAC-6. I have two solid silver interconnection pairs made by the same manufacturer with practically the same specs except for the RCA cables being a little longer so simply pressing the source button enables me to hear the tube output stage of the balanced section vs the single ended transistor stage of the DAC. To my ears the tube warmth is noticeable and welcomed with certain songs. It was able to slightly trim off some fatigue during some sessions. But as to be expected, the transistor stage is audibly free of that tube distortion. Also the single ended RCA’s to the balanced jack of the amp showed no loss of fidelity or volume because of it’s thorough design. This effect, though it reads like I am describing the DAC mostly, is due to the way the iHA6 takes the RCA inputs and phases the signal properly to balanced in away that will suffer no loss of sound quality.
Small but noteworthy gripe: The DAC’s balanced output is tube output only.. The RCA output is the versatile output stage allowing you to use both tube and transistor. When you look at the specs above it seems that it would be more logical to have the lower distortion on the balance output stage. Based on that I would have rather had the RCA outputs be vacuum and the XLR outputs be the transistors. If someone wanted to use a tube amp they could be possibly doubling the distortion. Though tube amps are usually single ended this may not be as much of an issue and again RCA makes sense there but some amps, like mine, have XLR inputs though they are not truly balanced. For this reason I send the RCA’s to my Trafomatic Head 2 via transistor mode. Usually a balanced amp, (not the Cayin iha-6) sounds best when being fed from a truly balanced DAC via the XLR’s but in this case you will have to hear the tube sound.
Someone reading this is going to think
“ well get to the part of what timbres etc you used and with what headphones”. I must confess here in a little bit of a let down that though I found the slower filters to be more aggressive, I really liked to just set it and forget it at either the slow filter or the sharp one because again, while they work and do change the sound, I heard more significant changes from plugging my headphones in the appropriate socket with the correct current setting. The filters to me are more like slight changes in the mood of the same person. The individual still will be who they are but they may give the same answer with a different way of saying the same thing…close to reference. I did noticed while listening that when I had it on the super slow filter I wanted to turn it back to slow because I felt a little more listening fatigue.
CAYIN iDAC-6 sum-up: Extremely versatile and precise piece of gear that is honest and is of the neutral and balanced way of listening. It is clear with and transparent with the filters and sound adjustment options slightly modifying the listening experience. It has pleasant and slightly spacious sound with good resolution and details. Slightly flat and a little bit bright for someone coming from the NOS camp but it is appreciably a clear, and no nonsense piece of gear with tight bass, and good treble texture.
CAYIN iHA-6 sum-up: Very powerful and transparent piece of gear that gains some attack when used balanced. At a meet, the HE6 had ‘nuff headroom and the HE1000, while still airy didn’t sound to harsh in the treble. Since that bass is tight and controlled, it’s sound is clean without too much harshness, and it is musical without too much aggression, you gotta respect it as a very serious piece of gear. For a solid state it has a decent soundstage and can great details, and a fast sound.
HEADPHONES
because the iHA-6 DAC is made for this and this alone!
Audeze LCD2.2F
Loosely preferred: Balanced, High gain, low current, slow filter, transistor mode.
The Stack adds an untarnished sort of presentation to the LCD where it gains some control but for some reason loses a hint of it’s enchantment. I felt the pairing was decent but largely preferred my Trafomatic Head 2 for adding some emotion and body to the LCD2 as well as depth. Probably not the best idea to compare a 2500 tube amp to the i HA6 but I am reaching for a reference to describe my preference(that rhymed yo!). Most will find the LCD2 to be engaging but I got a little bored of it sometimes no matter the amp pairing, wanting more macro and micro dynamics. I feel the extra helping of speed from this combo makes me loose a bit of body weight. I believe the LCD2 is balanced very well but can sound a little meshy, especially in the treble on busy songs and I didn’t really hear the Cayin helping this out. I sometimes find that while the LCD2 sounds very nicely balanced it can use a bit of attack from an amp but a lot of extra power usually doesn’t help as much as the right amp itself. Hearing the LCD2 on the Decware Taboo MKIII at put a smile on my face that would be the definite choice over the iHA6 for the Audeze. This pairing is good, clean, tight and airy yet not so magical because it doesn't assist the LCD2's lack of layers. When used balanced I experienced less of a leap in performance than with the other cans. Let me admit that most of these impressions are for a couple of reasons: One I don’t find the LCD2 super scalable as much as I find it picky, and 2 because I really had hard time preferring this combination to the Omni and i HA6 pairing which in short won my appeal even though the midrange of this combo is still the more believable. Since the Cayin Stack isn’t a meaty, full bodied sound it is a decent pairing but I have heard better. Not really bad though and works fairly well on most songs, especially since the bass firms up a bit and the transients are clean.
Omnis


Mostly preferred: Balanced, High Gain, High current, slow filter, transistor mode.
Excellent pairing here. However, the Omnis have a tendency to sound a bit forward in the upper midrange all while placing the vocal a little distant positionally. Well, the Cayin has a slight tendency to make the upper midrange prominence of the Omni more noticeable. Where the paring excels is in the bass performance and speed. The Omni needs a lot of power for the bass to pick up in speed, and also not just power but the bass of the gear feeding it needs to be relatively quick and precise. The IHA6 and DAC6 combination deliver on those fronts without leaving any scraps behind. Also this pairing really opens up the Omni to show how technically capable it really is. Previously, and on lesser DAC’s I found the Omni to only be decent at details, plug them into these babies and you will most definitely hear a high fidelity sound worthy of the close to 3k total(for all three pieces). Since the Omnis have plenty of tonal weight the overall richness of timbre with this combination is as lifelike as I have heard them, albeit with the aforementioned upper midrange boost. Listening to the Omnis through the balanced out of the iHA6 and the Nuprime is night and day. Furthermore I find it a much better pairing than the Airist Audio Heron 5 which has a smoother treble, and wider soundstage but is less detailed, has even less tonal weight, and much less punchy. The Heron had a preferable balance from mids to highs but the textures seemed to disappear when going to it from the IHA6.
Kennerton Vali


Mostly preferred: Again better balanced. High Gain, low current, low impedance jack, S.D. Slow filter for a hint of crispness.
The Kennerton Vali is an excellent sounding headphone on most fronts. It is pretty fast but has a little bit of extra decay so though an amp a little slower than the IHA-6 would work fine, it still needs to not not add any extra decay and be quite precise. A dry amp will actually work fine with this headphone. Dry simply means no extra decay or that the decay is unnaturally cut short and there is some trimming to be done with the Vali. The Vali has a tunefully pleasurable amount of bass that can be held back by other amps and the IHA-6’s tightness plays favorably for the Vali. The three together (6,6,KV) perform admirably in the bass with solid slams and punches. I initially thought the Nuprime HPA-9 was a better pairing, but that was for a few songs and also when the Vali is used single ended. Balanced however, the Cayin is clearly the better amp for the Kennerton. It helps it image more precisely and doesn’t hinder the soundstage, yet doesn’t really stretch it out either. I would say that amp/dac matching the Vali is pretty important and you could stop right here and have a wonderful 3 piece rig. With my Musette NOS R2R DAC feeding the IHA-6, the already euphonic Vali becomes too thick while the IDAC-6’s clean and slightly poised nature brings the Vali into a more perfected tuning, that while slightly fatiguing for the long haul in force and vibrance, is a lot harder to fault.
HD800S

High impedance, low current, right jack or balanced, slow filter, tube timbre.
I actually like the clarity of this pairing and find it to do best balanced. The separation is better as so is the dynamics when used balanced. The balanced jack of this amplifier and pairing bring the dynamics up quite a few notches. I actually don’t prefer the transistor section over the of the iDAC-6 when paired with my Trafomatic HEAD 2. It is most definitely not going to take the bright sound and finesse it up like a TOTL tube amp does but all of the spaciousness and details are not by any means held back. I would more like to think that amps that are more spacious are enhanced spaciously (to my liking) and this stack is a good reference. I could see some calling this pairing a little thin compared to a top of the line OTL tube amp, or even my trafomatic head 2 being a better pairing since it adds more body to the lean and spritely sounding S.I personally prefer a darker sounding pairing since I think the HD800S is a bright headphone. The iDAC6 transistor mode has sharper details and when switching to vacuum, the tones still sound very similar but are less fatiguing for extended listening.
Modded Pioneer HRM-7

Sounds best balanced again and does great with lo gain.
This is by no means a popular headphone. It is fairly sensitive and easy to power. When turing the music off and the volume very high I heard no noise from either pieces of gear. If I can toot my own horn a little bit I would say that it is the best sounding headphone for my tastes under 300 usd. It is supposed to be able to take a lot of power before distorting and it can for sure but also at 45 ohms and a decent sensitivity it shouldn’t need high power to sound better, yet it very much does sound better balanced through the cayin IHA6. The bass is very tight, the midrange is flat and I get to hear my mod from a very neutral amp and DAC combination with absolutely no hiss or distortion enabling me to trust what I am hearing when modding these headphones.
CONCLUSION
iHA-6
After having the Heron 5 here, the Nuprime HPA-9, the Cavali Liquid Carbon, and the Infinity all around the same price and performance expectations. I can easily say that I only can legitimately say my Trafomatic HEAD 2 is above it in performance for most areas. As for the rest mentioned, this amp is the executioner; the slayer of all before it in performance and at 999USD gets a whole hearted recommendation. When reviewing things I simply say “I prefer” and don’t carry on about it being the best of this or that; or carrying on about it taking me to another place etc etc because by nature I am more of a realist. I am really considering how, after my most recent purchase I can fit this amp into my stable as an ‘end game for now’ solid state amp since it performs so well and so clearly. I conclude it to be very much reference and is most definitely able to reach at a higher MSRP than it is listed for making it an exceptional value.
iDAC-6
This DAC is very much transparent. While it doesn’t offer the deepest and most lyrically warm and natural sound it is very impartial and paired well with every amp and headphone I had it with. I am very glad to admit it doesn’t have that digital wall that my other DACs have had. It is vibrant without the hard and unnatural glare and when paired with other TOTL gear I hear still a wonderful clarity and a neutral, no bull-crap sound that is able to reveal most of what that gear can do. An individual was interested in my DAC that I had for sale and I recommended to them this one instead based on his gear. That isn’t to talk about my honesty but the iDAC-6’s because it's worth a recommendation even at my own expense.
BOTH
I
cannot, with a clear conscience,
not recommend this gear since they performed flawlessly for the two months they were here. Their build, price, features, design, and sound quality should earn CAYIN a solid foot hold in this tier of audio gear as I believe these entries should be referred to when people make comparisons. After waiting to hear the new Cayin desktop gear for some time I can honestly say the did not disappoint. Excellent gear for sure.
Gear used during review period:
CAYIN iHA-6
CAYIN iDAC-6
Nuprime HPA-9
Airist Audio Heron 5
Trafomatic Head 2
Metrum Musette
27"iMAC 5k retina display
Apex Teton (from TTVJ)
HiFiMan He1000 (from TTVJ)
Kennerton Vali (tour unit)
HD800S
ZMF Omni
Pioneer HRM-7 Modded
Audeze LCD2.1
JVC DX1000 not mentioned but actually a great pairing
Solid Silver RCA interconnects
Solid Silver Pailics XLR interconnects