[mudguardiain]

I have requested a replacement again, hopefully he will oblige, not heard back yet.

 

[mudguardiain]

I did contact Andy but unfortunately he says he unable to help with warranty issues. Hopefully my dealer will be helpful although last time I asked about a replacement he was not forthcoming. If anyone else knows of a contact ar Cayin who may be able to help me resolve this I would be grateful.

 

[Andykong]

It first went back to my dealer about three months ago, after waiting around three weeks I was told it was a tube issue & I asked them to return it and I would put new tubes in, since then it was had a Gold Lion and a Reflektor tube go bad, both in the same socket. I returned the Gold Lions & was informed one tube was reading around 50% of the original power, had only been used for around 50 hours I reckon. They believe there must be a problem with the amplifier. It is now going back to the dealer again for what is likely to be another lengthy period with out an amplifier. I am not fortunate enough to be able to afford two amps so I will be with out a system again. It’s extremely frustrating, I really like this amp & prefer it to any solid state I have tried, just wish it was more reliable. Sadly has left me disillusioned & wondering if I should have kept my Icon amp, never had a single issue with that one.

Contacted dealer first but also Cayin to see if they could help move things along, ideally I want a replacement given the amount of time I have been unable to use it

I can't provide much assistance with repair service, whenever users confirm that their amplifier has any hardware problem, I always advise the users to contact their dealer, or the service support team of Cayin at service@cayin.cn. I am not an Engineer and I can't solve hardware problems.

If you want to contact Cayin directly regarding your repair arrangement, you can drop an email to service@cayin.cn.

I can't comment on whether a replacement is the appropriate arrangement, this is out of my scope.

 

[mudguardiain]

I have emailed service but have not had a reply unfortunately. Hopefully my dealer can sort this although when I have suggested a replacement I have not had much joy. I bought this as an ex demo & have offered to pay the difference for a new amp but this was dismissed. I just concerned I will be without the amp for a prolonged period whilst it’s fixed. It took three weeks to get the amp back last time, & this was only because I requested it back & purchased some tubes myself ad I was told it was a tube issue. The warranty tubes took another 8 weeks to arrive, does not fill me with confidence for getting a quick repair.

 

[betula]

I can't provide much assistance with repair service, whenever users confirm that their amplifier has any hardware problem, I always advise the users to contact their dealer, or the service support team of Cayin at service@cayin.cn. I am not an Engineer and I can't solve hardware problems.

If you want to contact Cayin directly regarding your repair arrangement, you can drop an email to service@cayin.cn.

I can't comment on whether a replacement is the appropriate arrangement, this is out of my scope.

Fair enough.

I have emailed service but have not had a reply unfortunately. Hopefully my dealer can sort this although when I have suggested a replacement I have not had much joy. I bought this as an ex demo & have offered to pay the difference for a new amp but this was dismissed. I just concerned I will be without the amp for a prolonged period whilst it’s fixed. It took three weeks to get the amp back last time, & this was only because I requested it back & purchased some tubes myself ad I was told it was a tube issue. The warranty tubes took another 8 weeks to arrive, does not fill me with confidence for getting a quick repair.

I feel you, but warranty repairs unfortunately can take long for different reasons. 3 weeks turn around is actually not bad. With other brands and other issues, it can easily be 3 months sometimes. Let's hope your dealer will be more helpful as it is not the first time the issue surfaced.
I think, by law the dealer has 6 months to either replace or repair the product. Most dealerships are more helpful than that, but that is a curtesy and unfortunately cannot be a requirement. They must strive to please customers though, as the word of bad experience spreads quickly, so hopefully they will sort it out for you shortly.

 

[mudguardiain]

Fair enough.

I feel you, but warranty repairs unfortunately can take long for different reasons. 3 weeks turn around is actually not bad. With other brands and other issues, it can easily be 3 months sometimes. Let's hope your dealer will be more helpful as it is not the first time the issue surfaced.
I think, by law the dealer has 6 months to either replace or repair the product. Most dealerships are more helpful than that, but that is a curtesy and unfortunately cannot be a requirement. They must strive to please customers though, as the word of bad experience spreads quickly, so hopefully they will sort it out for you shortly.

I guess I have been lucky in the past, Melco replaced a failed hard drive in less than two weeks including shipping, Burson sent me replacement Op Amps in under a week from the other side of the world. I will see what happens with my dealer next week but if I am not offered a replacement & Cayin are unable to support this then sadly I will have to look elsewhere for another amplifier.

 

[Deleeh]

I have emailed service but have not had a reply unfortunately. Hopefully my dealer can sort this although when I have suggested a replacement I have not had much joy. I bought this as an ex demo & have offered to pay the difference for a new amp but this was dismissed. I just concerned I will be without the amp for a prolonged period whilst it’s fixed. It took three weeks to get the amp back last time, & this was only because I requested it back & purchased some tubes myself ad I was told it was a tube issue. The warranty tubes took another 8 weeks to arrive, does not fill me with confidence for getting a quick repair.

Hello,
it is really abnormal that your amplifier swallows tubes.
Which section of the tubes is affected?
6v6,12au7 or the rectifier?
Is only one type affected or all of them with 50% life after a short time?
Spontaneously I can think of either a transformer problem, which I don't think is the case, or a defective component such as a resistor or electrolytic capacitor.
There is not much that can be done except to have it professionally repaired.
In the end, it's worth it for you too.
The only thing you can check would be the fuses to see if they are in the right place and have the same value.
There may be a fuse with a higher value.
But again, I don't think that's the problem.
3 weeks is actually quite okay if Cayin repairs it.
So I think as long as you have the warranty you should claim it, even if it's stupid for you to be without an amplifier for so long.
It won't fix your problem if it's not repaired, such things are always very annoying and I'm always very sorry for the person affected.
On the subject of tubes themselves, it can't be that tubes lose so much life after a short time when they are new and even if they are new.
If they do, then the affected tube draws too much current, or gets too much current.
The tube can withstand this, but it is not good in the long term.
I therefore think that there is a technical problem which is probably also abnormal.
Your appliance may have been working normally when you got it and only became noticeable later.
Unfortunately, this is not something you can control.
If it is repaired in the end, you will also help Cayin to improve its quality assurance.

 

[mudguardiain]

Hello,
it is really abnormal that your amplifier swallows tubes.
Which section of the tubes is affected?
6v6,12au7 or the rectifier?
Is only one type affected or all of them with 50% life after a short time?
Spontaneously I can think of either a transformer problem, which I don't think is the case, or a defective component such as a resistor or electrolytic capacitor.
There is not much that can be done except to have it professionally repaired.
In the end, it's worth it for you too.
The only thing you can check would be the fuses to see if they are in the right place and have the same value.
There may be a fuse with a higher value.
But again, I don't think that's the problem.
3 weeks is actually quite okay if Cayin repairs it.
So I think as long as you have the warranty you should claim it, even if it's stupid for you to be without an amplifier for so long.
It won't fix your problem if it's not repaired, such things are always very annoying and I'm always very sorry for the person affected.
On the subject of tubes themselves, it can't be that tubes lose so much life after a short time when they are new and even if they are new.
If they do, then the affected tube draws too much current, or gets too much current.
The tube can withstand this, but it is not good in the long term.
I therefore think that there is a technical problem which is probably also abnormal.
Your appliance may have been working normally when you got it and only became noticeable later.
Unfortunately, this is not something you can control.
If it is repaired in the end, you will also help Cayin to improve its quality assurance.

Many thanks for your message.

It is the right channel power tubes that keep going bad. So far the original stock tube, a Gold Lion & a Reflektor tube have all gone bad causing noise & distortion. My concern is the time scale for repair, three weeks would be ok if it actually gets fixed, which clearly it was not when first returned , plus I had to buy replacement tubes myself as warranty replacements were not available. The warranty replacements took over 8 weeks to arrive which concerns me, how long will a more complex repair take? I am hoping Cayin service can help, I messaged a few days ago, hopefully I will get a response soon.

 

[fullbass]

I have similar problems with my left channel. It starts to make noises and crackles over time. No matter what tubes I change. Usually these crackles can only be heard in silence, between tracks, etc. But it's still unpleasant.

I have another tube amp, in a different room, in a second sound system. I connect it in the same conditions, with the same wires. Zero noise and abnormal crackles.

 

[mudguardiain]

I have similar problems with my left channel. It starts to make noises and crackles over time. No matter what tubes I change. Usually these crackles can only be heard in silence, between tracks, etc. But it's still unpleasant.

I have another tube amp, in a different room, in a second sound system. I connect it in the same conditions, with the same wires. Zero noise and abnormal crackles.

My Icon HP8 never had any issues in the same system so I am sure it’s amp related. I guess tube amps can be more problematic. I am considering switching back to solid state just for the convenience. From the selection of amps I have had experience of, the Violectric V340 has impressed me the most. In an ideal world it would be good to have both amps, my wallet disagrees

 

[LXMc]

My Icon HP8 never had any issues in the same system so I am sure it’s amp related. I guess tube amps can be more problematic. I am considering switching back to solid state just for the convenience. From the selection of amps I have had experience of, the Violectric V340 has impressed me the most. In an ideal world it would be good to have both amps, my wallet disagrees

Sorry to hear about your experience so far, that would be quite frustrating. I have also had some brand new tubes go bad on me very quickly but for now I'm just considering this bad luck with tubes as I know they can be finnicky things and it has not been as consistent as what you've described.

Out of curiosity, why did you switch from the Icon HP8? This amp was the main contender when I decided to purchase the HA-3A.

 

[mudguardiain]

Sorry to hear about your experience so far, that would be quite frustrating. I have also had some brand new tubes go bad on me very quickly but for now I'm just considering this bad luck with tubes as I know they can be finnicky things and it has not been as consistent as what you've described.

Out of curiosity, why did you switch from the Icon HP8? This amp was the main contender when I decided to purchase the HA-3A.

The Icon is a fantastic amp & their customer service is very good. Sadly it did not drive my HE1000 as well as the Cayin, for other headphones I am sure it may be a great amp.

 

[WailingBanshee]

I guess I have been lucky in the past, Melco replaced a failed hard drive in less than two weeks including shipping, Burson sent me replacement Op Amps in under a week from the other side of the world. I will see what happens with my dealer next week but if I am not offered a replacement & Cayin are unable to support this then sadly I will have to look elsewhere for another amplifier.

Yikes! I haven't had my amp for very long but no issues so far *knock on wood*. I agree that companies such as Burson have very good after-sales service. I bought directly from them and dealt with them accordingly when I had issues.

In your current situation I think the complicating factor is that you bought a demo unit from your retailer. Hate to say it but you're at the mercy of the retailer's good will.

In any case, I hope they get to bottom of your issue. It really sucks to be completely cut off from your desktop audio system.

 

[mudguardiain]

Yikes! I haven't had my amp for very long but no issues so far *knock on wood*. I agree that companies such as Burson have very good after-sales service. I bought directly from them and dealt with them accordingly when I had issues.

In your current situation I think the complicating factor is that you bought a demo unit from your retailer. Hate to say it but you're at the mercy of the retailer's good will.

In any case, I hope they get to bottom of your issue. It really sucks to be completely cut off from your desktop audio system.

It’s a frustrating situation. I have messaged my dealer over the weekend to see if he will allow me to pay the difference for a new model, last time I suggested this he dismissed the idea, not sure why.

 

[Andykong]

Many thanks for your message.

It is the right channel power tubes that keep going bad. So far the original stock tube, a Gold Lion & a Reflektor tube have all gone bad causing noise & distortion. My concern is the time scale for repair, three weeks would be ok if it actually gets fixed, which clearly it was not when first returned , plus I had to buy replacement tubes myself as warranty replacements were not available. The warranty replacements took over 8 weeks to arrive which concerns me, how long will a more complex repair take? I am hoping Cayin service can help, I messaged a few days ago, hopefully I will get a response soon.

To verify whether you are having an amplifier circuit problem or a vacuum tube problem, you need to check the filament voltage of the right channel power tube, on top of recording the voltage level during operation, you need to find out if there are any spikes or dips at extenuated circumstances.

This is why I try not to go into details of hardware repair or support service with users on PM or public forums because in most cases, the solution is out of reach to the users or even local dealers. I know nothing regarding the technical resources of your local dealer, therefore I can't comment on what they have done in the past or what they are going to do in the future with your amplifier, but in my humble opinion, sending the amplifier back to our office and let our Engineer examine the amplifier is a viable means.

I noticed you have quoted "Melco replaced a failed hard drive in less than two weeks including shipping, Burson sent me replacement Op Amps in under a week" as a reference point when you express your discontent with the turnaround time during repair. To be honest, while I feel your pain because of the amplifier failure, and have gone beyond my scope of work to contact related support staff to assist, I must say these are unfair and unmeaningful comparisons. Sending components to enable user replacement is very different from shipping a hefty amplifier back and forth, especially in countries where you need to go through customs service. If I send you a set of resistors and capacitors that can rewire the filament voltage power supply, will that solve your problem? No, it wouldn't, it will only create more problems and more complaints. The fact is, the warranty service probably takes longer than 3 months to ship the amplifier back to China by sea and then ship it back to you via the dealer.

The biggest chuck of MTBR (Mean Time Between Repair) is not the responsiveness of Cayin, the logistic arrangement (both in terms of time and cost) is the biggest share of the grief. Yes, we are not doing our best when we put efficiency over user satisfaction and rely on our dealer to lower the warranty/repair cost and to keep our product at a competitive price, but can we compare the MTBR of an Italian sports car (niche market product) against MTBR of consumer electronics or 3C products that are a lot more competence in the supply chain (because they own multiple warehouse and support center worldwide)