Cayin HA-300MK2 (2022) TOTL Transformer coupled Direct Heated Triode Tube HeadAmp (Page 91)
- Thread starter Andykong
- Start date
I’ve considered buying tubes from the guy in Vietnam but was always a bit nervous. Given the choice, I’d always buy new production tubes. Buying new production Western Electric WE300b tubes was an easy decision with the 5 year warranty.
Sampajanna
100+ Head-Fier
Nice. You cannot go wrong with these. I am rolling 6sn7 in my new dac… As for the Cayin, my personal favorite so far is the the TS-vt99 with woo adapters. really nice. I do listen to the cans, but not as often or as intensely as my A rig, so that is about as far as I go on drivers for it. Lots of those vt99 tubes around for cheap too. But you won’t be disappointed with those metal base eitherSomebody is selling 5 matched 6SN7W metal base tubes on eBay for USD 2,700 and helpfully will take and record measurements before shipping!
Anybody ever heard the Phi TC with stock and superconductor cables with the HA-300? Is it worth upgrading? I always stuck with the stock cable with my Diana Phis.
Oh man honestly I don’t, I did have one blow up on me(didn’t physically blow up) so I had to buy another one… the guy sold me one at a huge discount though.
tdx
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2008
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Speaking of which, if the WE 300s are considered excellent sounding, safe to buy new production 300B tubes, what would be the equivalent for 6SN7s? I'd like to upgrade the stock tubes of my HA300 Mk2 but I'd rather go new production tubes and I'm not sure which ones are considered best.
skylinekursk
100+ Head-Fier
Interesting how it performs versus Auris Nirvana...
I had ha6a for few month it was very good amp but not on the level of Nirvana...definitely
I had ha6a for few month it was very good amp but not on the level of Nirvana...definitely
I switched to a v2 version of the Abyss 1266 Phi TC headband and have 7-8 hours of listening with the HA-300. The bass dynamics and clarity on hi-res EDM, modern bass heavy pop, R&B, and hip hop are majestic. They are more comfortable on than they look. I had no issues with comfort or fit.
The stock cable sounds fine but it’s too long for my liking at 2.5m and the inflexibility and cable separation between the mini XLR and XLR connectors make it difficult to manage. It keeps slipping down the side of my Herman Miller office chair and getting caught in it.
I don’t think it’s worth buying a superconductor cable, from what I read it adds warmth and fills in the mids a bit but the HA-300 is doing that anyway so why buy a dog and bark yourself.
Why is the Susvara better than the Abyss 1266 Phi TC with the HA-300? Because it’s more versatile across music genres and gets closer to what the 1266 Phi TC can do to blow your socks off than the other way round.
If you listen to Leonard Cohen’s You Want It Darker on the Phi TC, it’s hopeless. The bass skewed tuning, pumped up sound stage, and hollowed out mids wreck his voice. The Susvara and HA-300 make Leonard Cohen’s raspy, gravelly, deep, octogenarian voice sound other-worldly.
However, give the Susvara Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories in hi res and it delivers superb bass, just not quite as dynamic and show-stopping as the 1266 Phi TC.
If you are going to buy one pair of TOTL headphones for the HA-300, I’d go with Susvaras, Diana Phi, HE1000SE, Utopias, and HD800s in that order. I’ve owned and sold the last 4 of those. Headphones like the 1266 Phi TC, HE-6, and K1000 all do something better than any other headphone with the HA-300 but you have to be listening to the right music and in the right mood.
The Sennheiser HD540 should get an honourable mention for being the best bang for your buck all-rounder. The is one on auction on eBay UK with a starting price of £89.99. It’s has a refreshingly old-school bass-lite sound with exceptional clarity and is light as a feather on your head.
The stock cable sounds fine but it’s too long for my liking at 2.5m and the inflexibility and cable separation between the mini XLR and XLR connectors make it difficult to manage. It keeps slipping down the side of my Herman Miller office chair and getting caught in it.
I don’t think it’s worth buying a superconductor cable, from what I read it adds warmth and fills in the mids a bit but the HA-300 is doing that anyway so why buy a dog and bark yourself.
Why is the Susvara better than the Abyss 1266 Phi TC with the HA-300? Because it’s more versatile across music genres and gets closer to what the 1266 Phi TC can do to blow your socks off than the other way round.
If you listen to Leonard Cohen’s You Want It Darker on the Phi TC, it’s hopeless. The bass skewed tuning, pumped up sound stage, and hollowed out mids wreck his voice. The Susvara and HA-300 make Leonard Cohen’s raspy, gravelly, deep, octogenarian voice sound other-worldly.
However, give the Susvara Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories in hi res and it delivers superb bass, just not quite as dynamic and show-stopping as the 1266 Phi TC.
If you are going to buy one pair of TOTL headphones for the HA-300, I’d go with Susvaras, Diana Phi, HE1000SE, Utopias, and HD800s in that order. I’ve owned and sold the last 4 of those. Headphones like the 1266 Phi TC, HE-6, and K1000 all do something better than any other headphone with the HA-300 but you have to be listening to the right music and in the right mood.
The Sennheiser HD540 should get an honourable mention for being the best bang for your buck all-rounder. The is one on auction on eBay UK with a starting price of £89.99. It’s has a refreshingly old-school bass-lite sound with exceptional clarity and is light as a feather on your head.
Toonartist
Formerly known as dAndis67
This may or may not be of any use to you but just in case.
I also use a long cable in the office as I change from sitting to standing a lot for drawing. I also have a Herman Miller chair. What I do is run the cable directly under the desk using velcro slings. I cut a few 10cm lengths of cable tie velcro and staple them to the underside of the desk. Spaced out from the point where the amp comes from with the very last one being where the chair is.
It keeps the cable out of the way so you have a clear desk etc and is easy to remove from the velcro slings after I finish working. The headphone cable literally comes out from under the desk where my waist is and straight up to the headphones. You can easily adjust the slack and let the cable hang at various points and quickly draw more cable or reduce it.
Hard to explain but if you need it, I'll take a pic to show if you think it maybe useful.
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That’s a good idea for keeping cables tidy and preventing tangling. Thanks!
My impression fit with your headphone ranking and description, with the exception of Diana Phi which I haven't tried with HA-300 or HA-300MK2. Susvara is also my choice of reference demo for HA-300 when the budget is not a concern.
Not sure if Meze Elite and Kennerton Thror/Rognir are accessible to you, they are my next-best planars after Susvara with HA-300/HA-300MK2.
By the way, glad to witness another HD540 converted HeadFier. They are really worth checking out.
brokemember
Head-Fier
@Andykong would you happen to know the length of the umbilical cord?
I believe the original HA-300 umbilical cord was 90cm. I don't know the length of the cord with HA-300MK2 but should be able to find out as Cayin will have a big booth at the Hong Kong Audio-Visual this weekend (5-7 August 2022), I'll be there at the booth. will report after the show.
brokemember
Head-Fier
Could you also enquire if they sell that umbilical cord in other lengths — looking at the website was not really helpful.
Thanks
Sorry, we didn't make the umbilical cord in our factory, we custom order from a cable supplier in bulk, so we can't offer a custom version of the umbilical cord. There is a Contact us section on the Cayin website, you can drop an email to the technical support for product information, and service support for warranty, repair, and support services such as replacement components or accessories.
Alternatively, if you have consulted your Cayin dealer regarding the local retail price (after tax) and date of availability, you can consult your dealer for detailed product information that is not listed on the website, the dealers are meant to be the first contact point on local sales activities.
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