[chezzer]

Thank you. I am looking at this and HA-6A as well for planars.

Unless you need more power I would go for the 3a, which planars

 

[Leto Dal]

Runs Meze Elite perfectly, unless you want to throw stuff like HE6SE or Susvara at it, you should be good with HA-3A. Got it with ZMF Caldera in mind myself.

 

[Contrails]

Unless you need more power I would go for the 3a, which planars

LCD3 Pre fazor and LFF code X.

 

[domiji]

The Cayin HA-3A drives my HE1000 v2 perfectly - they have 35 Ohms and 90db sensitivity.

Does anyone know how the HA-3A drives the DCA Stealth or Expanse with 23 Ohms and 86-87db?

 

[Deleeh]

@Leto Dal

I see you are hanging around the Cayin threath.
My fault?

Wanted to ask you what is your impression now that you have heard the Euforia and Cyain HA 3A?
Preference for the Cayin or Euforia?

Hope you are happy with either amp?

 

[Leto Dal]

@Leto Dal

I see you are hanging around the Cayin threath.
My fault?

Wanted to ask you what is your impression now that you have heard the Euforia and Cyain HA 3A?
Preference for the Cayin or Euforia?

Hope you are happy with either amp?

Bit of your all fault, but yes yours too

From my understanding it comes down more to the tubes used than to the initial amp in this case. I found that Euforia Evo had slightly more resolution and warmth with stock tubes vs ha-3a with stock tubes, which sounded more dry and neutral, but very slightly so. With new tubes on ha-3a the amp got more resolution and warm tonality that I was searching for than Euforia Evo and I think I am just at the start of my tube rolling game with it. I cant say much about the tube rolling options on Euforia Evo I am pretty sure there are great options too, but the tubes are more expensive for Euforia, so I decided to keep the Ha-3a. To me both amps got very similar value, though I don't know, if Euforia got higher celling with proper tubes than Ha-3a For me the fact that I can drive plannars more effortlessly and roll tubes at lower cost with Cayin made it a keeper for now. Both AMPs are great though.

 

[Renexx]

Bit of your all fault, but yes yours too

From my understanding it comes down more to the tubes used than to the initial amp in this case. I found that Euforia Evo had slightly more resolution and warmth with stock tubes vs ha-3a with stock tubes, which sounded more dry and neutral, but very slightly so. With new tubes on ha-3a the amp got more resolution and warm tonality that I was searching for than Euforia Evo and I think I am just at the start of my tube rolling game with it. I cant say much about the tube rolling options on Euforia Evo I am pretty sure there are great options too, but the tubes are more expensive for Euforia, so I decided to keep the Ha-3a. To me both amps got very similar value, though I dont know Euforia got higher celling with proper tubes than Ha-3a For me the fact that I can drive plannars more effortlessly and roll tubes at lower cost with Cayin made it a keeper for now. Both AMPs are great though.

The tube ceiling for the Euphoria is definitely higher but at the costs of holygrail prices. The stock psvane tubes really limit the Euphoria.

Can you hear a different staging capabilities when tube rolling with the Cayin ?
As resolution and staging I don't hear big differences on the Cayin while the Euphoria changes it's staging with different tubes quite noticeable.

 

[Leto Dal]

The tube ceiling for the Euphoria is definitely higher but at the costs of holygrail prices. The stock psvane tubes really limit the Euphoria.

Can you hear a different staging capabilities when tube rolling with the Cayin ?
As resolution and staging I don't hear big differences on the Cayin while the Euphoria changes it's staging with different tubes quite noticeable.

Only tested my first set of tubes (that are probably still burning in) with HA-3A with 2 more sets of more expensive tubes incoming, but nope I think the stage didn't change much. I will make a small write down, when more tubes come in and I had my fun with those. The biggest upgrade so far was discovering the upscaling option in Roon though, subjectively the resolution became twice as high lol.

 

[Deleeh]

Bit of your all fault, but yes yours too

From my understanding it comes down more to the tubes used than to the initial amp in this case. I found that Euforia Evo had slightly more resolution and warmth with stock tubes vs ha-3a with stock tubes, which sounded more dry and neutral, but very slightly so. With new tubes on ha-3a the amp got more resolution and warm tonality that I was searching for than Euforia Evo and I think I am just at the start of my tube rolling game with it. I cant say much about the tube rolling options on Euforia Evo I am pretty sure there are great options too, but the tubes are more expensive for Euforia, so I decided to keep the Ha-3a. To me both amps got very similar value, though I don't know, if Euforia got higher celling with proper tubes than Ha-3a For me the fact that I can drive plannars more effortlessly and roll tubes at lower cost with Cayin made it a keeper for now. Both AMPs are great though.

I'm glad I could help you with alternatives that are useful.
Even though I might be to blame .

No seriously, if we look at it objectively, it's absolutely okay and your arguments are conclusive.
And if that's what you intended to use for various headphones, it's fine.
The Ha 3a has been found to be good by Zach so I think it will fit with your expected Caldera.
Other users here confirm that as well.

Nothing against Feliks the tubes for the operation are simply enormous.you really have to look and be patient and also have luck.not everyone can do that.
I waited a good year to find 5998 tubes at a reasonable price.
The fact that Feliks is now getting competition is good for the business, too. Maybe they will rethink their tube design so that it becomes more attractive again and can pass as an equal to Euforia.

The Euforia is also really good and entertaining if you get various tubes at reasonable prices and is also for many tube hares somewhere a criterion that the availability is guaranteed.

Have fun with your Cayin.
I will probably want to join the Cayin gang in the course of the year.

 

[Leto Dal]

I'm glad I could help you with alternatives that are useful.
Even though I might be to blame .

No seriously, if we look at it objectively, it's absolutely okay and your arguments are conclusive.
And if that's what you intended to use for various headphones, it's fine.
The Ha 3a has been found to be good by Zach so I think it will fit with your expected Caldera.
Other users here confirm that as well.

Nothing against Feliks the tubes for the operation are simply enormous.you really have to look and be patient and also have luck.not everyone can do that.
I waited a good year to find 5998 tubes at a reasonable price.
The fact that Feliks is now getting competition is good for the business, too. Maybe they will rethink their tube design so that it becomes more attractive again and can pass as an equal to Euforia.

The Euforia is also really good and entertaining if you get various tubes at reasonable prices and is also for many tube hares somewhere a criterion that the availability is guaranteed.

Have fun with your Cayin.
I will probably want to join the Cayin gang in the course of the year.

If you do, you might want to take a look at the French distributor of Cayin products mentioned earlier, the experience was very good on my end so far, aswell as the communication. The pricing is way lower than German retailers and they are even willing to go down with the pricing further if you reach out directly. As for me I might return to Feliks products one day, for now I think its the right call to gain more experience with tube rolling with more affordable tubes, and improve the chain with a new DAC, before stepping up the game one day

 

[Renexx]

Only tested my first set of tubes (that are probably still burning in) with HA-3A with 2 more sets of more expensive tubes incoming, but nope I think the stage didn't change much. I will make a small write down, when more tubes come in and I had my fun with those. The biggest upgrade so far was discovering the upscaling option in Roon though, subjectively the resolution became twice as high lol.

I'm right now in trying Roon as trail period. I didn't find that upscaling option yet. I will take a look

Tubes in the Cayin all scale the same. It was strange for me to not hear big differences aside from tonality.
So going for an expensive pair of G73R might not be worth it for this amp but tuberolling is still addictive. Lots and lots of choices for tubes in 12au7/6v6....

 

[betula]

I finally got my 3A back from the dealer, it took them two weeks to replace some internal fuses. (Apparently one week was waiting for the fuses to arrive.) The amp is working now and sounds as wonderful as ever, but the dealer didn't fix the led light around the power button which is still not working. Small thing but annoying after waiting two weeks and potentially sending the amp back again for a led fix further down the line. At least for a few weeks finally I just want some listening!

The sound is sublime. So spacious and so clear with a wonderfully natural tone.

I don't know how big of a difference the tubes make on the Feliks Euforia, but to my ears different NOS tubes make a big enough difference on the HA-3A. Sure, it is mostly tonality, from a more neutral sound to warmer options, but some other aspects change as well. The Mullard 12AU7 for sure sounds more dense/richer than the RCA 12AU7, but the RCA is clearer and a bit airier. Same goes for the 6V6s I tried so far. The RCA and Fivre 6V6 have bigger space than the Brimar 6V6. The RCA again is perhaps the most neutral and clearest, the Fivre has great spaciousness and clarity too, but it is a hint warmer. The Brimar is the warmest so far with a slightly smaller space, but it is also has the richest and sweetest tone. I consider all of these NOS tubes as clear upgrades compared to the stock JJs. (The stock JJs are ok.)

I am still experimenting with combinations and the choice also depends on my mood, but all of these NOS tubes are great. I prefer the Mullard from the 12AU7s, but having the RCA is a great option if I want a more neutral tone. From the 6V6s I really love the Brimar's warmer sweetness, especially with vocals but the Fivre is also a very nice option if I want a little more space while retaining a little warmth.

The choice and combinations of 12AU7s and 6V6s is literally endless, in my opinion it could be enough to keep someone entertained for many years even with only one amp. I only owned SS amps before the 3A, some of those were even more expensive than the 3A but I have to say the 3A is my favourite amp I have owned so far.

 

[Rowethren]

I have been playing around with the Cayin HA-3A with my Verite Closed for a while now and interestingly I have come to the conclusion I prefer the sound on low gain. It seems to tighten up the bass a bit and gives a little bit more sparkle at the top end.

I guess even though the high gain setting is designed for 300ohm headphones it still comes down to personal preference at the end of the day. I wonder if the high sensitivity of the Verite Closed plays a role in it as well.

 

[heyguyslol]

I have been playing around with the Cayin HA-3A with my Verite Closed for a while now and interestingly I have come to the conclusion I prefer the sound on low gain. It seems to tighten up the bass a bit and gives a little bit more sparkle at the top end.

I guess even though the high gain setting is designed for 300ohm headphones it still comes down to personal preference at the end of the day. I wonder if the high sensitivity of the Verite Closed plays a role in it as well.

This is very interesting to hear. I'm fairly new to tube amps and I've been sticking to the recommended impedance setting of the can specs, mainly because of concern of potentially damaging them. I've heard dynamic drivers are a bit more robust and are difficult to dmg w/ the except of Focal as they've had issues w/ driver failures but planar magnetics are another story.

Maybe my ignorance and paranoia is misplaced and if so I'd love to hear from more experienced tube owners on whether or not this is a valid concern.

 

[betula]

Sensitivity affects more, how easy it is to drive the headphones than impedance. The impedance switch on the 3A is recommendation only. As always, follow your ears.