[24phun]

I've been lurking here for the past couple of weeks. I am desperate to add some tubes between my Benchmark and 701s. Over at Agon, they're all up on the Cayin (which are sold through dealers, and there's plenty of dealers over there. Coincidence?).
Over here, there are a couple of vocal Doge fans, but nary a mention of the Cayin. Has anyone actually tried BOTH?
I am limiting my choice to these two for several reasons, so please don't muddy my waters - they have finally cleared for me! The Cayin offers more outputs that I don't need, but looks quite a bit nicer, IMHO.
But sound is the bottom line here. Your input, puhleeze!

 

[cotdt]

Doge is a proven amp so it is less risky. Check out this:

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=241432

and of course the Doge 6210 thread that is now been closed.

 

[24phun]

Yep, I read that. You are one of the vocal supporters I mentioned, so I know YOU like the Doge. The Cayin has a very good reputation over there (on the other board, over there...) - have you HEARD it?
And if no one has heard both, is it ethical to order both - knowing that one would be returned? (I know, I could keep both, but I don't like having "stuff" that I don't use, and I can't use 2 headphone amps at once!)

 

[cotdt]

what is the model of the Cayin you are talking about? Cayin makes a lot of tube amps, after all. Buying both is of course the best, but you lose money on the shipping. These tube amps weigh 20 pounds or more.

 

[24phun]

Sorry- my bad.
Cayin HA-1A is what I'm considering, vs.Doge 6210.

 

[cotdt]

Looks like more or less the same amp as the Doge: 12AX7 driving the EL84. Except I think the Doge looks better.

 

[24phun]

1. What's inside those boxes on top? I've never seen a picture that showed the gizzards inside those!
2.Cotdt, can I infer you haven't heard the Cayin Ha-1A?

 

[cotdt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 24phun /img/forum/go_quote.gif 1. What's inside those boxes on top? I've never seen a picture that showed the gizzards inside those! 2.Cotdt, can I infer you haven't heard the Cayin Ha-1A?

no, i have not heard the Cayin HA-1A (i don't think anyone here has) but they use the same tube complement and both use two separate dual-triode driver tubes, which leads me to think that they also use a similar design. inside those boxes are the power transformer, choke, and the two output transformers:

 

[24phun]

I assume I'm looking at the output transformers in your pic? Is there a toroidal lurking under the other box for power?
If so, then as you say,it is certainly a VERY similar design!

 

[sant430]

I have the Cayin HA-1A but haven't heard any Doge. I love the synergy with my 701s and the Cayin. I kept looking for an amp to truly drive the AKGs since my earmax pro, and supermacros seemed underpowered for the HPs. After hearing the Cayin, I'm done looking for amps now. I also enjoy how they sound with my Darth Zebras.

 

[MaloS]

HA-1A works nicely with the k701 I gather (from the a bit of impressions at the meet).

 

[hugz]

i've heard the cayin HA1 and its nice. never heard it with k701. to say it's untested is incredibly unfounded. it's a very popular amp

i prefer the ming da mc66-ae but largely because it's nice and warm and tubey

the cayin doubles as a speaker amp

 

[24phun]

Yep, there's nothing "untested" about the Cayin - we're not breaking any new ground here! That is not a concern.
I am not looking for a warm sound, although with the right (wrong?) tubes, I would think almost anything's possible.
Thanks for the replies - there certainly are a lot of folks with 701s and Cayins that are happy, so I'll give it a go.

 

[sacd lover]

What about the Woo 6 or some of the Space Tech Lab headmps. These amps are also transformer coupled and drive the low impedence 701's very well. The Singlepower Extreme is OTL but has more than enough power to drive any headphone with ease.

www.wooaudio.com

www.space-tech-lab.com


Here are some pics of my SE-6AS7G ....

Here are some pics of my Extreme ....

 

[24phun]

There are a lot of great amps out there - I chose these two (Chinese) amps mainly because of the tubes they use - I already own a good assortment to try. Also, in the case of the Cayin, there are MANY 701 owners that report excellent synergy between the two.

I hope you folks know that most people do not have a row of headphone amps lined up. This makes you

a little bit....er....ummm - "different".