Good stuff! Just out of curiosity, I would love to hear your thoughts on the Cayin HA300mk2 (off the shelf model) if you don't mind. The sound is insanely good, but now you have me wondering about custom options again. . . I was looking to go custom before the purchase of the Cayin, but decided not to go that route after hearing all the good stuff Zach (ZMF) had to say about the HA300mk2. I don't know anything about amp design, so I was not to sure about the custom route, and that was another reason I went with the Cayin. Honestly, I am in love with the sound and I am using some Elrog ER300B and RFT 6SN7 (welded plates with ceramic spacers) and can't imagine it getting any better, but again you have me wondering. . .did I make a bad purchase? If you or anyone in this thread thinks it can sound better than this for a similar amount of money with a custom option, I would really love to know, and thanks for your time!
I will say this from my own experience, the Cayin HA300mk2 with my upgraded NOS tubes included of which has cost me of total of around $4,800 all together, absolutely smokes my last amp the Pendant SE and it's not even close. So, I was thinking that was a pretty good deal for what I am hearing, but again I am really interested in how a custom 300B amp would compare.
Don't misunderstand.
Just because Zach says the Cayin is good doesn't mean anything.
If Zach said something like that, I would read between the lines.
Which means that the Cayhin amplifier goes very well with the Zmf headphones.
That's all he's saying, Zach would never say it would be as good with other headphones.
Would also be counterproductive for him pessimistically.
With the Cayin amp you have, I would say you have a good one, most of the bugs from the Mk1 series have been fixed or even improved.
So no need to panic.
The Mk 1 has been slightly discredited because it was a lot of money for what it offers.
Similar to the Mcintosh mha 200 it sounds good but with the unity gain pot Mcintosh drove the amp to the wall and upset many.
Homemade amps don't necessarily sound better than the over-the-counter ones and vice versa.
It tends to depend more on the skills of the builder and the know how he has and how it was implemented.
Choice of components, type of concept, etc....
These are far more important aspects that determine how good an amplifier will be.
The result can be better, worse or the same.
But with people like Lord gwyn it is hard to say because there are only a handful of people who can enjoy his good work.
It has to be said that his parts selection, which I have roughly skimmed, is very good.
And he approaches it very differently than industrial manufacturers who go for the low cost principle.
He can afford to do that and his results speak for themselves in all areas.
Therefore, one can safely assume that a built amplifier in his range where 2500$ costs also annoys the large manufacturers who cost 5000$. The size order of the amount of money is now freely invented.
It's just to show that something like this is possible but not a must.
The best way to compare it is to have Lord gwyn's amplifier one day and compare it with your Cayhin and judge for yourself.
That would be the best and most sensible thing to do.
I wouldn't let anything else worry me now.
I also admire Lord's work and am fascinated by it and a little envious that I can't do it myself, because I would like to be able to do it.