[rulerofrecords]

From my understanding. If the tubes are glowing the fuse is ok. The problem is in signal path before the driver tubes or at amplifier tubes stage. May be simple contact disconnect in XLR to RCA switch button. Did you try XLR and RCA input? And also did you play with 6.3mm, 4.4 mm and XLR output button and connectors? Even without signal, did you hear the some extra noise On headphone when turn the volume up? If yes, so the amplifying stage is fine, means the signal is not coming to the preamplifier/ driving tubes stage. Assuming you was in right headphone output and input (my guess)? Did you try to connect and disconnect RCA input at working amp with headphone in? You should hear the loud pop noise when disconnect or connect. For me it looks like wrong or faulty connection issue. Regards, Kim

I did try most of that, RCA - XLR switch etc etc - what I did hear was a very slight hum. Yeah I'm not gonna speculate here. Only thing that does already bother me that the dealer I bought from is not sending the amp to Cayin in Germany for service - but to some "tube guy". I do not like that ...

 

[rulerofrecords]

Ouch too bad to hear this !

that sounds to me a lot like The HT fuse has blown up.

have you changed the fuse on the power supply board inside the amp ? ( not the one under the power cord )
for 220V it should be something like 250ma slo-blo, if I recall correctly ? maybe @Andykong can confirm
I think you should have a spare one in the box with the documents

let's hope it is only that !

did you try some tube rolling before the sound was gone ? which kind of tubes have you tried ?

No did only change the fuses located at the power socket. Not sure which one of the two type of fuses provided was the right fuse to use here. Tried both to no effect. Hard to tell/see what the state of the individual fuse is, if it is really blown. I would never dare to get my hands on something like the supply board, or the entrails of a tube amp in the first place. So now I'm not sure which fuse to place where - or which fuse to place at the power socket location???

 

[ThanatosVI]

EL37, RT6189, stock rectifier (GE rectifier hard to get in Europe)

Are those direct replacements to the Standard tubes?
From a technical spec perspective?
Hopefully those aren't the source if the damage.

I did try a couple of settings before sending it in. I did not try the stock 12Au7 as one of those had already gone kinda bad on the previous owner Thanatos (he told me beforehand)

Well it came like that from the dealer, but its not defect just a little noisy. So using that one would have been perfectly fine.

I did try most of that, RCA - XLR switch etc etc - what I did hear was a very slight hum. Yeah I'm not gonna speculate here. Only thing that does already bother me that the dealer I bought from is not sending the amp to Cayin in Germany for service - but to some "tube guy". I do not like that ...

Well the "tube guy" makes sense.
Warranty is non transferable on Cayin products.

Therefore the dealer is responsible to provide you a working unit or refund your money, but he can't get it fixed from Cayin under warranty.
That means everything he is doing now, is on his own cost.
Also it might be better that way, if he would send it to Cayin it would take months until you receive it back.

 

[Gizmo1k]

does anyone have a copy of the manual in pdf? i'd prefer to have the manual to read electronically.

 

[19844]

First day with cayin HA-6A I very like it. My came with JJ 12au7 no hiss with Hek2 triode and ultralinear Mode very useful

 

[ThanatosVI]

First day with cayin HA-6A I very like it. My came with JJ 12au7 no hiss with Hek2 triode and ultralinear Mode very useful

Enjoy, it's a beautiful amplifier.

I wonder how it compares to the McIntosh MHA200.

 

[TeNeT]

Hello, hope all are well!

I am new here. I am in search of a new HP amp, and after looking at many others; I have ended up on the HA-6A as top contender for my purchase!

I am interested in hearing how other owners feel about the amp. Especially if you have heard the Auris HA-2SF, which is my runner up. I wrote a preview (in a sense) based on what I read here (all 52 pages), on the Auris HA-2SF thread, and on manufacturers websites.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/auris-ha2-sf-vs-cayin-ha-6a.958117/

btw I really admire the owners here who stuck through the growing pains of this amp. You cleared the way for people like me! lol.

 

[TeNeT]

does anyone have a copy of the manual in pdf? i'd prefer to have the manual to read electronically.

I looked for one online but they do not seem to have one for this model on site. They do have one for the HA-300.

I was wanting to look something up. Does anyone know; is it ok if you switch EL34/KT88 mode without switching tubes? Not that I really want to do that, but I am almost certain I will at some point, forget to switch it after changing tubes lol. Will it damage the amp if this happens?

 

[Gr3g277]

I looked for one online but they do not seem to have one for this model on site. They do have one for the HA-300.

I was wanting to look something up. Does anyone know; is it ok if you switch EL34/KT88 mode without switching tubes? Not that I really want to do that, but I am almost certain I will at some point, forget to switch it after changing tubes lol. Will it damage the amp if this happens?

The amp will not explode if you forget don't worry

the switch is for optimizing the operating points for the tube types, I don't know exactly what it does, but I speculate it is adjusting bias and maybe plate voltage.

that said, if you leave the switch on the kt88 position and put some el34 on, you may shorten the life of the tube by asking it too much.

so, yes better be careful, if you care about the life of your tubes, but it is not the end of the world if you forget to flip the switch for an hour.

ah yes, better flip the switch when the amp is turned off as well !

 

[atya35mm]

Quick one to the Empyrean owners out there, do you prefer to use XLR or the 1/4 inch output of the Cayin? I think it will be higher output from the XLR however the Empy isn't too hard to drive, so perhaps the 1/4 inch is better? Currently contemplating getting an Empyrean as my second headphone so keen to get your inputs.

Thanks a million.

 

[Andykong]

Quick one to the Empyrean owners out there, do you prefer to use XLR or the 1/4 inch output of the Cayin? I think it will be higher output from the XLR however the Empy isn't too hard to drive, so perhaps the 1/4 inch is better? Currently contemplating getting an Empyrean as my second headphone so keen to get your inputs.

Thanks a million.

It probably is related to music genre as well. If you listen to a lot of vocal, with only one or two instruments in the background, single-ended connection will offer a more focused presentation, with the singer right in the middle of attention. If you listen to symphony, live jazz band, or more complicated music with multiple instruments, the strength of channel separation will come into play and the balanced connection will work better.

In addition, music that demands transient and control will be better off with balanced connection because of extra current, but if want to have an laid back and easy listening afternoon, use single-ended.

So balanced vs single-ended is more then higher output power. I think its worth getting both 6.35mm and XLR4 (or 4.4mm) cable when you acquire Empyrean.

 

[atya35mm]

Thanks Andy! I actually just received the Empyrean today, which came with single ended connection. Currently connecting directly to Dave and after one hour of listening and absolutely loving it. It might not have the perfect timbre, and bass is bit boomy etc but for casual listening while working it's so enjoyable.

The channel separation like you said isn't as good when compared to Susvara connected to HA6A via XLR, but that's a different beast altogether, and I'll use that set up for more critical listening.

Will try later tonight when I fired up the HA6A on the SE output, and be on the lookout for the XLR cable.

 

[ThanatosVI]

Thanks Andy! I actually just received the Empyrean today, which came with single ended connection. Currently connecting directly to Dave and after one hour of listening and absolutely loving it. It might not have the perfect timbre, and bass is bit boomy etc but for casual listening while working it's so enjoyable.

The channel separation like you said isn't as good when compared to Susvara connected to HA6A via XLR, but that's a different beast altogether, and I'll use that set up for more critical listening.

Will try later tonight when I fired up the HA6A on the SE output, and be on the lookout for the XLR cable.

The "boomy bass" settles in with burn in and gets tighter.
It's still a slightly elevated bass but improves in quality with burn in

 

[19844]

I have some noise from my PC by USB port it's silent when I use notebook as a source so I'm looking for streamer that work with HA-6A without noise. Can anyone recommend please?

 

[atya35mm]

The "boomy bass" settles in with burn in and gets tighter.
It's still a slightly elevated bass but improves in quality with burn in

Burn in might not be an issue as I got the Empyrean used, probably 2 years old.

I said boomy, but maybe it's just the quantity of bass is a lot more compared to the Susvara setup, where it's tight and lean. I'm enjoying the different presentation to be honest, boomy or not at the end of the day it's just different and I like the variety since I listen anything from classical music, to acoustic jazz to EDMs. I'm beginning to see why some people here have >3 pairs of headphones, hopefully I'll stop at 2.

Listening on the Cayin, my impression so far, when compared to the Susvara, I feel like listening to music on the Susvara is like experiencing a high end deconstructed desert, and it keeps on activating the analytical side of my brain especially when placement of vocals / instruments is so distinct and real and so easily separated. The Meze is just good old plain vanilla chocolate ice cream and reminds me of when I was enjoying music on a consumer headphone before getting into this hobby.