[krude]

could you show me a example of this please, could be something I missed myself


sorry but I cant recommend anything just yet, im burning in a whole bunch of power & voltage tubes on the amp so its not being tested in a like for like comparision, where the other tubes are the same so I can hear the difference of just one tube change, in the future I will post about my impressions of all of these tubes.

There are some decent options on ebay at the moment. Hifishark ill be doing some rolling myself in a few weeks after we move house.

 

[tinariwen]

Completely separate post, anyone has any experience with Mullard 12au7? Also anyone tried 12at7 or 12ax7 of any description?

I’ve got the Mullards. Smooth mids, rolled off but sweet treble. Bass not bloated, doesn’t extend all the way down. The soundstage also loses a lot of height, so it feels like two blobs either side of your head.

I remember reading somewhere that a company in the US got a tonne of them for a good price, and then created an artificial scarcity by driving the prices up and claiming that they’re gods gift in 12AU7s. Everyone bought the hype and the price increases followed suit.

They’re good, but not worth the price imo. The Sylvanias do a better job and retain more detail, more bass impact and better highs.

 

[krude]

I’ve got the Mullards. Smooth mids, rolled off but sweet treble. Bass not bloated, doesn’t extend all the way down. The soundstage also loses a lot of height, so it feels like two blobs either side of your head.

I remember reading somewhere that a company in the US got a tonne of them for a good price, and then created an artificial scarcity by driving the prices up and claiming that they’re gods gift in 12AU7s. Everyone bought the hype and the price increases followed suit.

They’re good, but not worth the price imo. The Sylvanias do a better job and retain more detail, more bass impact and better highs.

Awesome, thank you for solid info

 

[tinariwen]

Has anyone compared the HA-6A to any of the ampandsound amps? I’ve got a feeling that they probably follow the Feliks Euforia sound sig, which is to say more neutral with good extension, so akin to solid state.

The HA-6A for me is more of a chameleon with that tube rolling and various settings, but I do love the look of those ampandsound amps. Not easy to come by in the UK though

 

[Newbman123]

Just got a used cayin HA6a which I believe was bought late in 2021. I am loving it for most things but somehow I think it lacks that attack that I have heard in another amp(Auris euterpe with 6sn7 tubes replacing the 3cc83 stock, which my friend did say have compressed dynamics with the stock 3cc83). I was wondering if there is any other tube combination that will do this for me? Sadly I do not see the 6sn7 in the recommended tubes list. I am new to tube rolling so I am not really sure about these things. I saw quite a few posts listing that the sound was made warmer but I saw none that addressed bass attack and immediacy. My current setup is as follows : Phone ->Dethonray honey -> Cayin HA6a(KT 88 stock in high impedence mode tried in both UL and TR modes) -> HD650(SE). I am awaiting cables for my holo spring with a singxer su2 as a ddc, so cannot check with that setup yet . Also have the atrium coming in, not sure if that will help.
Any help would be much appreciated

 

[ThanatosVI]

@Andykong The Design of this new amp looks great. Resembles the 25th Anniversary amp aesthetically.
https://cayin.com/produkt/cayin-soul-170-kt-170-roehrenverstaerker/

Can we get a pure headphone amp with that Design?
Edit: Talking about aesthetics here. I find it visually pleasing.

 

[iFi audio]

Can we get a pure headphone amp with that Design?

KT170s are a bit much for headphones, but some folks here on HF use their tough cans with speaker amps, so who knows right ?

 

[ThanatosVI]

KT170s are a bit much for headphones, but some folks here on HF use their tough cans with speaker amps, so who knows right ?

I actually meant the aesthetic design not the tube choice.
Like how the 25th Anniversary amp and this new "Soul" look like.

Actually KT170 is an incredibly bad choice with the current russia Situation, as there is only Tung Sol producing it (it's a new design from Tung Sol after all)

 

[Newbman123]

Umm, guys I made boo boo while removing the tubes and forgot to mark which pin goes where. Can someone send a spec for this? I am unable to find any online.

Edit: Just realized there is a notch there that protects me from my stupidity......

 

[tinariwen]

Just got a used cayin HA6a which I believe was bought late in 2021. I am loving it for most things but somehow I think it lacks that attack that I have heard in another amp(Auris euterpe with 6sn7 tubes replacing the 3cc83 stock, which my friend did say have compressed dynamics with the stock 3cc83). I was wondering if there is any other tube combination that will do this for me? Sadly I do not see the 6sn7 in the recommended tubes list. I am new to tube rolling so I am not really sure about these things. I saw quite a few posts listing that the sound was made warmer but I saw none that addressed bass attack and immediacy. My current setup is as follows : Phone ->Dethonray honey -> Cayin HA6a(KT 88 stock in high impedence mode tried in both UL and TR modes) -> HD650(SE). I am awaiting cables for my holo spring with a singxer su2 as a ddc, so cannot check with that setup yet . Also have the atrium coming in, not sure if that will help.
Any help would be much appreciated

I found the PSVane KT88 and RCA Clear Tops to be the most solid state like, with faster transients than the supplied setup.

Neither compare well to a more neutral, faster tube amp (in terms of speed, transients, detail etc). I haven’t heard the Auris, but the difference between the Cayin and the Feliks Euforia is pretty stark, with the Euforia being the faster amp. It pairs far better with the new ZMF Atrium, whereas I preferred the Verite Closed on Cayin as it softened the attack somewhat. I think the Atrium and Euforia hits a Goldilocks zone for me

 

[iFi audio]

Edit: Just realized there is a notch there that protects me from my stupidity......

Yep, it should be there and is very helpful

I actually meant the aesthetic design not the tube choice.
Like how the 25th Anniversary amp and this new "Soul" look like.

Understood, thanks for that clarification

 

[RobSF]

Any view on the HA-6A driving the HEDDphone?

 

[busseysound]

I am now the proud owner of an HA-6A! Listened to many, many amps at the recent Chicago CanJam and my favorite was the HA-6A (even over the 300). Moving up from an MJ2, so I have lots of 12AU7 tubes to try as well. So excited! Got it from the friendly folks at ZMF.

 

[Andykong]

Just got a used cayin HA6a which I believe was bought late in 2021. I am loving it for most things but somehow I think it lacks that attack that I have heard in another amp(Auris euterpe with 6sn7 tubes replacing the 3cc83 stock, which my friend did say have compressed dynamics with the stock 3cc83). I was wondering if there is any other tube combination that will do this for me? Sadly I do not see the 6sn7 in the recommended tubes list. I am new to tube rolling so I am not really sure about these things. I saw quite a few posts listing that the sound was made warmer but I saw none that addressed bass attack and immediacy. My current setup is as follows : Phone ->Dethonray honey -> Cayin HA6a(KT 88 stock in high impedence mode tried in both UL and TR modes) -> HD650(SE). I am awaiting cables for my holo spring with a singxer su2 as a ddc, so cannot check with that setup yet . Also have the atrium coming in, not sure if that will help.
Any help would be much appreciated

The Dethonray honey is a DAC/Amp? No fixed voltage line out? What is the volume setting on Dethonray honey and HA-6A when you listen to HD650? I suspect the high output of your source (DAC supposedly) has limited the dynamic of the HA-6A when you need to maintain the system at low-noise, non-clipping conditions.

You only need a pair of RCA cables to connect the holo spring to HA-6A, you can skip the DDC initially. RCA interconnect are widely available in hardware stores at a very low cost, maybe you can get one pair for the short term and check out the Spring + HA-6A before you do any tube rolling.

By the way, if you want to test the attack of your system, HD650 is not the headphone I'll recommend.

 

[Andykong]

@Andykong The Design of this new amp looks great. Resembles the 25th Anniversary amp aesthetically.
https://cayin.com/produkt/cayin-soul-170-kt-170-roehrenverstaerker/

Can we get a pure headphone amp with that Design?
Edit: Talking about aesthetics here. I find it visually pleasing.

I actually meant the aesthetic design not the tube choice.
Like how the 25th Anniversary amp and this new "Soul" look like.

Actually KT170 is an incredibly bad choice with the current russia Situation, as there is only Tung Sol producing it (it's a new design from Tung Sol after all)

Unlikely we'll develop a headphone amp in this design because the HA-300, HA-6A, and HA-300MK2 have more or less set a brand face for Cayin tube headphone amplifier. Our forthcoming tube headphone amplifier will adopt a similar design to maintain the brand value.

There is no such thing as a bad choice because there isn't any choice to start with. you either give up this product opportunity or you just do your best and hope for the best. Fortunately, the 120/150/170 projects are well received and Cayin is well rewarded both financially and through brand advancement.