[Faber65]

Andykong, I am going to visit Munich high end show this May , will Cayin be there with headphone amps???

https://www.whathifi.com/us/news/high-end-munich-2020-show-cancelled-due-to-coronavirus

 

[Articnoise]

I tested it at CanJam in Shanghai with the Meze Empyrean and to me it did sound amazing.
Quite good in micro and macro dynamics, deep bass, a little forward mids (as expected), but I don't know how much the final result had to be given to the cans, which are phenomenal to my ears, and the amp.
For sure that pairing was very very good.
I am just struggling to find an open shop where to go with my music, DAC and cans to test it better and decide whether to start saving money for it or not.....

I’m pleased to hear that you liked the Meze Empyrean driven by the Cayin HA-6A. I have listen to the Meze Empyrean on the HA-300 and didn’t like the paring, not even a little. To me the HA-300 matched much better together with Focal Utopia.

I love the look of the Cayin HA-6A and the price is quite a bit lower than the HA-300, which is too coloured and slow IMO. Do you know if the amp you listen to was switched to triode or ultra linear, and the sonic difference between the two?

 

[Relaxasaurus]

My initial impressions:

HFM Arya:
Amp appears to be dead silent. Great build quality on the outside looks to be happening on the internals as well. That said with the planars I wasn't impressed to the level I was testing out other tube amps at Canjam. I liked what I was hearing but it wasn't like the feeling I experienced plugging the Aryas into an Auris Euterpe ($1700) and a Manley Absolute ($4500).

Senn HD6XX:
Wow! Now we're talking. The same near dead silence but with juicy tube amp goodness. Mids are pretty much perfect to my ears. What I'm hearing really makes me want to invest in an HD800.

Triode mode takes the edge off and sounds like a typical tube amp with rounded off edges. Ultra-linear mode sounds more like a solid state amp, more powerful, impactful, and details are retained up top. I'm glad both are there depending on the music you're listening to, but I generally prefer triode mode. I've been listening more & more making notes for the full review

 

[OctavianH]

Please continue to share your thoughts and also specify the rest of your setup. This product is, for sure, one of the most interesting new comers.

 

[Faber65]

I’m pleased to hear that you liked the Meze Empyrean driven by the Cayin HA-6A. I have listen to the Meze Empyrean on the HA-300 and didn’t like the paring, not even a little. To me the HA-300 matched much better together with Focal Utopia.

I love the look of the Cayin HA-6A and the price is quite a bit lower than the HA-300, which is too coloured and slow IMO. Do you know if the amp you listen to was switched to triode or ultra linear, and the sonic difference between the two?

I don’t know the HA-300 so well or, at least, I don’t want to express an opinion without having listened the two amps in the same moment with the same headphones.

What I can tell you is that the HA-6A is definitely not a laid back amp. Andy allowed me to play with the switch mode of the amplifier ad-libitum and for a relatively long time (to be at an exhibition), and my impression were that even if the triod mode was more colored and the mids were definitely more forward than in ultra linear mode, the amp did not lose the dynamics and the precision.
That was the main feature that impressed me most.
Also the detail retrieval was very good too, and I cannot say that it was only because of the cans, as those cannot play something that doesn’t come out from the amp.
in a further talk with Andy defined the HA-6A as a “modern” tube amp.
A versatile amp that may be suitable for a wide range of musical styles, including some modern electronic music.
I think he was right
How much my feeling was true and linked to the emotional side of my brain rather than the rational? I don’t know, and that’s one of the reasons I want to listen to it again in a more relaxed situation with the headphones that I normally use at home (Focal Clear, Aeon close back, HD650).

 

[Faber65]

Here

Auris Euterpe ($1700) and a Manley Absolute ($4500).

Here in China the Euterpe is sold for USD 3000 and the Manley for 5500. While at the current exchange rate the price of the HA-6A is USD 1990.

 

[GU1DO]

My initial impressions:

HFM Arya:
Amp appears to be dead silent. Great build quality on the outside looks to be happening on the internals as well. That said with the planars I wasn't impressed to the level I was testing out other tube amps at Canjam. I liked what I was hearing but it wasn't like the feeling I experienced plugging the Aryas into an Auris Euterpe ($1700) and a Manley Absolute ($4500).

Senn HD6XX:
Wow! Now we're talking. The same near dead silence but with juicy tube amp goodness. Mids are pretty much perfect to my ears. What I'm hearing really makes me want to invest in an HD800.

Triode mode takes the edge off and sounds like a typical tube amp with rounded off edges. Ultra-linear mode sounds more like a solid state amp, more powerful, impactful, and details are retained up top. I'm glad both are there depending on the music you're listening to, but I generally prefer triode mode. I've been listening more & more making notes for the full review

Please don't forget to do burn in for at least 50-70hrs before any critical listening , can't wait to see how the review will go on

 

[MSA1133]

This was a super pleasant surprise! The HA-6A easily ran the power hungy ABYSS 1266 TCs with no issues in both TR & UL modes! On High Impedance, the volume knob was at 11 O'Clock and the dynamics, bass response/impact and volume were extremely satisfying. This was fed from my PC -> Hugo 2 -> RCA cables -> Cayin HA-6A. I'm inexperienced with Tube Amps, however, this setup drew a big grin on my face. A quick 10 minutes session before bed turned into something else!

 

[Andykong]

Unboxing is up. My first video so be gentle :]



Trying to get my hands on some other headphones and/or equipment to see how it performs with different gear. If you're in the NYC area and want to either loan me or be in the review msg me.

A very enjoyable open-box for Cayin HA-6A, its very informative and yet you have captured the excitement very well, good job indeed.

 

[Relaxasaurus]

A very enjoyable open-box for Cayin HA-6A, its very informative and yet you have captured the excitement very well, good job indeed.

Thanks Andy! I really enjoyed unboxing the amp, and listening to it even more

I did have some questions for you regarding the HA-6A:

1. Is the volume pot the same aluminum shielded 24-step pot in the HA-300?
   
   
2. Aside from the audible hiss for sensitive headphones how did you guys get this tube amp so quiet?
   
   
3. I'm trying to get a more lush, mid-forward sound out of the HA-6A. Are there any tubes you or the engineers recommend for this route?
   
   
4. Do you recommend we change out the 12au7 tubes first before either the EL34/KT88 tubes to alter the sound signature? I know you mentioned this for the HA-300 in its thread.
   
   
5. I saw Cayin posted some Coronavirus updates in the above mentioned thread, curious if the same halt of production applies to the HA-6A's April release date. We want everyone overseas to take as much time and safety as possible so we understand if there's a delay.

Thanks for the wonderful support and information so far. Cayin has been killing it with their headphone amp offerings the past couple of years.

 

[Relaxasaurus]

Just a quick update, was hoping to post my review today but truth be told I still wasn't satisfied from the sound coming out of my planars. I read around quite a bit and decided to pick up some Mullard 12au7 tubes (in addition to EL34 tubes of the same brand). They finally arrived today, and what an enormous change in sound signature compared to the stock Eletrco-Harmonix! I guess I'm officially a tube roller

I'm grinning ear-to-ear and completely in love with this amp. Will get back on the camera asap

 

[SonnyMarrow]

Just a quick update, was hoping to post my review today but truth be told I still wasn't satisfied from the sound coming out of my planars. I read around quite a bit and decided to pick up some Mullard 12au7 tubes (in addition to EL34 tubes of the same brand). They finally arrived today, and what an enormous change in sound signature compared to the stock Eletrco-Harmonix! I guess I'm officially a tube roller

I'm grinning ear-to-ear and completely in love with this amp. Will get back on the camera asap

I look forward to the full review! Do you know what the actual output impedance is at the lowest setting? The Cayin page says 8-64 ohms, which might be too much for the 32 ohm headphones I just purchased.

 

[Relaxasaurus]

I look forward to the full review! Do you know what the actual output impedance is at the lowest setting? The Cayin page says 8-64 ohms, which might be too much for the 32 ohm headphones I just purchased.

I'm not sure myself! At the time of purchase there was no manual fully translated in English for Cayin to include. Is there another way to find this out?

 

[GU1DO]

Just a quick update, was hoping to post my review today but truth be told I still wasn't satisfied from the sound coming out of my planars. I read around quite a bit and decided to pick up some Mullard 12au7 tubes (in addition to EL34 tubes of the same brand). They finally arrived today, and what an enormous change in sound signature compared to the stock Eletrco-Harmonix! I guess I'm officially a tube roller

I'm grinning ear-to-ear and completely in love with this amp. Will get back on the camera asap

Cant wait for your impressions and review , i am looking for a tube amp and it is mainly between this amp and its big brother , i am leaning toward this one because it has more tuning options though i wish it can power my HE6se

 

[SonnyMarrow]

I'm not sure myself! At the time of purchase there was no manual fully translated in English for Cayin to include. Is there another way to find this out?

Yeah but you'd need a resistor and a mulitimeter, which is a hassle.