[Rowethren]

Yeah, I had no room for volume like step 1 was already moderate and in the night almost loud using RCA-SE, little hiss when I replaced all valves but not really annoying at all, sound was really great. (I feel you @Rowethren)

I expect to have room with HA-3A and get the level of resolution I had with HA-6A using the right valves. Compared to the Kinki THR-1 the HA-6A had next level of resolution, clarity, speed and dynamics. I usually use EQ with THR-1 but not needed with the HA-6A as the bass was great and with the perfect quantity with GL KT88.

If they ever release HA-6A MK2 with 64 steps and a few improvements for hiss/hum, Cayin will sell it like churros.

My intention was to get HA-300 MK2 but I just can't risk to get 4500€ amp and not being able to use it with such easy to move HPs like D8KP

I have to admit I didn't realise the HA-6A only had a 24 step volume control. That really doesn't seem enough considering the power it has. The jumps between steps must be huge.

 

[joseG86]

I have to admit I didn't realise the HA-6A only had a 24 step volume control. That really doesn't seem enough considering the power it has. The jumps between steps must be huge.

They really are, I'm used to it tho, with the Kinki I rarely go past 9 o'clock imagine such beast haha

 

[Daiyama]

It is absolutely fascinating to what level the Auteur has been pushed by the combo Roon -> HQPlayer (Upsampling to DSD256) -> Topping D70 -> Cayin HA-3A (Tungsram E80CC, Fivre 6V6G, Sylvania 22DE4). I have way more technical capable systems (Cayin iHA-6 + HE1000V2 or Highamp AntaresV3 + StaxSR009) but non of them is so engaging.

and that said from me, a guy who was always into technicalities above all else.

 

[Wes S]

Yeah, I had no room for volume like step 1 was already moderate and in the night almost loud using RCA-SE, little hiss when I replaced all valves but not really annoying at all, sound was really great. (I feel you @Rowethren)

I expect to have room with HA-3A and get the level of resolution I had with HA-6A using the right valves. Compared to the Kinki THR-1 the HA-6A had next level of resolution, clarity, speed and dynamics. I usually use EQ with THR-1 but not needed with the HA-6A as the bass was great and with the perfect quantity with GL KT88.

If they ever release HA-6A MK2 with 64 steps and a few improvements for hiss/hum, Cayin will sell it like churros.

My intention was to get HA-300 MK2 but I just can't risk to get 4500€ amp and not being able to use it with such easy to move HPs like D8KP

I have no issues (plenty of play) whatsoever with the 41 steps of volume control on my HA300mk2 using my VC's and Atticus. I am sure there would be not issues with the D8KP as well, and I imagine that pairing would sound incredible.

 

[joseG86]

Modified my order for Silver as son-video is going to receive units in the next days, if the VU meters were orange..... Beautiful

I wonder, where do you guys get E80CC and 22DE4?

 

[Daiyama]

The photo does not look like it will have orange LEDs.

Source for Tungsram E80CC I can highly recommend this shop from Ukraine: ebay
or here for Philips E80CC: tonefactory

Edit: for the 22DE4 ebay seems to be quite "empty", but the stock RCA is not a bad choice according to domiji, he actually prefers them.

 

[Louisiana]

I wonder, where do you guys get E80CC and 22DE4?

Maybe the best source for you:
https://radio-antigua.com/
Buy local

Right now they are all sold out, but he always gets some in again, just write to him

 

[joseG86]

Maybe the best source for you:
https://radio-antigua.com/
Buy local

Right now they are all sold out, but he always gets some in again, just write to him

Ya he's my friend but as you said, all sold out, thanks anyway!

 

[Andykong]

After taking a long break, I finally return to my computer and lurk around quietly. Turns out I didn't miss my Facebook but I miss this forum.

I spent a few days checking out discussions and PMs. I read a lot of greetings and support, more than I deserved. Thank you all sincerely. I'll respond to all the PMs "briefly" if they are not outdated or resolved already. However, I can't cover the questions of discussion that were addressed to Cayin or me in various product threads during my absence, so please pardon my silence if you have @ me in this thread but I didn't get back to your question after I resume duty.

By the way, 2023 will be a fascinating year for Cayin, with lots of exciting ideas queueing up for their 30th Anniversary, COVID makes it impossible to drop by and check out these new developments in person, but l am looking forward to them.

 

[Toonartist]

Welcome back!

 

[Andykong]

The photo does not look like it will have orange LEDs.

Spoiler

Source for Tungsram E80CC I can highly recommend this shop from Ukraine: ebay
or here for Philips E80CC: tonefactory

Edit: for the 22DE4 ebay seems to be quite "empty", but the stock RCA is not a bad choice according to domiji, he actually prefers them.

Yes, I can confirm the VU meter of silver HA-3A has while LEDs, like the black HA-3A.

 

[ThanatosVI]

After taking a long break, I finally return to my computer and lurk around quietly. Turns out I didn't miss my Facebook but I miss this forum.

I spent a few days checking out discussions and PMs. I read a lot of greetings and support, more than I deserved. Thank you all sincerely. I'll respond to all the PMs "briefly" if they are not outdated or resolved already. However, I can't cover the questions of discussion that were addressed to Cayin or me in various product threads during my absence, so please pardon my silence if you have @ me in this thread but I didn't get back to your question after I resume duty.

By the way, 2023 will be a fascinating year for Cayin, with lots of exciting ideas queueing up for their 30th Anniversary, COVID makes it impossible to drop by and check out these new developments in person, but l am looking forward to them.

Welcome back, your rich input to discussions was missed!

Hope you had a very pleasant time off

 

[Pashmeister]

When the crafty bug bites me, I’ll probably pick up a tube of amber stained glass paint and give my HA-3A VU meters a warm glow. Seems the easiest way to go about it.

 

[Andykong]

One of the biggest differences between Solid-state and Vacuum tube amplifiers is that you should not listen to your tube amplifier at an unconnected input setting. I don't know the exact technical term but I have described this as an “Open-loop” condition in other Cayin tube amplifier threads. You’ll hear excessive noise when you audition your tube amplifier at open loop condition. I know this sound crazy because we always assume that when we didn’t connect anything to the amplifier, we’ll reduce interference from other equipment and listen to the amplifier only. This is exactly what happened with the Solid-State amplifier, but the input and output impedance of vacuum tubes makes it a totally different story.

In a particular sound system, when external interference in open-loop conditions is applied to both Solid State and Vacuum tube amplifiers, the solid-state amplifier will involve components that are typically at fairly low impedance ratings, something between several KΩ to 10KΩ, especially with IC-based components that are widely used nowadays. The low impedance rating makes them almost immune to interference. On the other hand, the input impedance of the vacuum tube amplification circuit will raise to 40~100+ KΩ. The high input impedance will amplify the interference and becomes audible. Theoretically, if we determined, we can lower the input impedance of the tube amplifier to a much lower value (but still higher than the input impedance of the Solid-State amplifier) but that will compress the dynamic, and music will lose its liveliness. That explained why you won’t hear any noise with Solid State amp in open-loop conditions but you hear relatively loud noise with a tube amp in open-loop conditions. Even in closed-loop conditions, interference can still enter the system, but at a much lower level. Interconnects with good shielding will help to reduce the interference from entering your audio system through.

For this reason, if you want to evaluate the noise condition of your tube headphone amplifier, you should connect a DAC or CD player as your music source to the tube amplifier properly, power off the source, and then select the corresponding input on your input amplifier. With this, you are listening to your amplifier in Closed-loop condition: assuming you are using a pair of properly-shielded cables when you connected the cable between your DAC and amplifier, you have established a grounded connection that can shield the amplifier from external interference through the input connectors.

Last but not least, because of the nature of amplification in a vacuum tube amplifier, they are more prone to RF interference and ground noise, and the overall noise floor is indeed significantly higher than solid state amplifiers. Newcomers probably will never imagine how far we need to go in order to debug the interference when you use a high-power vacuum tube amplifier. Based on my experience with HA-1A, HA-300, and HA-6A users in this forum, some of the unexpected sources of interference are:

• PC noise (motherboard, switching power supply, cooling fans, ....) that travels from the USB cable to the USB-DAC
• CPU or Graphic card operates at a high utilization rate.
• LED backlight of your fancy keyboard
• Dimmer control of the lighting in your bedroom

With these examples, you probably can imagine the list can go on and on forever. . Our concern is to control the noise to the level that it won't get in your way when you listen to music practically. However, if you turn off the music and deliberately "look for" noise from your vacuum tube amplifier, you'll find it very easily. This is like deliberately reducing the signal-to-noise ratio of your amplifier in order to make the noise audible. This reminded me of a case that an oversee customer complained he can hear a humming noise from the output transformers of his Cayin speaker amplifier. We tested his unit again and we found it clean and meeting our standards, after a lengthy communication, we found out that he use a pair of stethoscopes to test whether the transformer is silent.

I am not trying to falsify the observation of any user regarding excessive noise with their vacuum tube headphone amplifier, I just want to put the noise problems in the right context, and keep an open mind when you debug your system. After all, I hope we can appreciate the magic and the constraints of a vacuum tube headphone amp at the same time.

 

[nieveulv]

After taking a long break, I finally return to my computer and lurk around quietly. Turns out I didn't miss my Facebook but I miss this forum.

I spent a few days checking out discussions and PMs. I read a lot of greetings and support, more than I deserved. Thank you all sincerely. I'll respond to all the PMs "briefly" if they are not outdated or resolved already. However, I can't cover the questions of discussion that were addressed to Cayin or me in various product threads during my absence, so please pardon my silence if you have @ me in this thread but I didn't get back to your question after I resume duty.

By the way, 2023 will be a fascinating year for Cayin, with lots of exciting ideas queueing up for their 30th Anniversary, COVID makes it impossible to drop by and check out these new developments in person, but l am looking forward to them.

Hoping its an iha-6 upgrade........iha-7 that comes in black