[grizzlybeast]

Cant wait to read up on this amp. 
 
Right now seems prime time with there being  a lot of good designs to choose from no matter what price range you 
are in. 
 
I wish I could compare this to my TH2. 
 
As it is I will get to compare my iha6 to the ican pro

 

[gr8soundz]

Same here. Been waiting to order a TOTL (for me) amp but can only choose one.
 
Looking at the Cayin as well as the Milo, MicroZotl2, and a few others. Haven't seen any gushing reviews for the iCan Pro and still waiting for reviews of the Milo but early impressions look good.
 

 

[Andykong]

I am looking forward to John's review as well.

We have a brief HA-1Amk2 review in a printed audio magazine in Hong Kong this month.

 

[gr8soundz]

So a print magazine review is physically available before an online review gets posted......
 
Any chance we can get a (translated) copy of your review posted here?
 

 

[gr8soundz]

Now I'm concerned that reviews aren't being posted because (perhaps) the amp isn't so great.
 

 

[project86]

My review is extremely positive - it's the most fun I've had with a piece of gear in quite some time. Tube rolling is the name of the game with this amp.
 
I can't speak for other review sites but Part Time Audiophile is in the midst of finishing up show coverage, which really slows down the regular review postings. It's not an ideal situation but the editor does it Part Time (hence the name) and can't always get everything up as quickly as we might like.
 
But generally speaking I actually think I like the HA-1A MK2 more than the iHA-6, at least on some ways. iHA-6 is the quintessential Solid State amp - clean, neutral, super powerful, and runs just about any headphone well. HA-1A MK2 is not as technically satisfying, nor is it as powerful, but with the right tubes can sound so rich and dynamically alive in the way that tube amps are known for. But it's VERY dependent upon tube choice so you can go different directions with it as needed. 

 

[gr8soundz]

  My review is extremely positive - it's the most fun I've had with a piece of gear in quite some time. Tube rolling is the name of the game with this amp.
 
But generally speaking I actually think I like the HA-1A MK2 more than the iHA-6, at least on some ways. iHA-6 is the quintessential Solid State amp - clean, neutral, super powerful, and runs just about any headphone well. HA-1A MK2 is not as technically satisfying, nor is it as powerful, but with the right tubes can sound so rich and dynamically alive in the way that tube amps are known for. But it's VERY dependent upon tube choice so you can go different directions with it as needed. 

 
Any chance you could post the text of the review (or perhaps a PM)? I'm guessing your under commitment but had to ask anyway. Don't think PTA.com will post it anytime soon; its been on their what's next list since Sept 9.
 
If not, can you tell me if the amp has a lot of noise/hiss with low impedance headphones? I know it has several impedance settings but specs show a full 1% THD which concerns me.
 
I like the look and power specs of the amp though and plan to stick with tubes (or hybrids). I'm in desperate need of a better amp (using a Schiit Vali 1) and have been waiting to press the order button on the Cayin for almost a week now. But I may end up with something else since I barely know what I'd be ordering.
 

 

[project86]

Bottom line, the amp is very tube dependent. It can change signature in drastic ways with tube swaps, so you can tailor the sound to your liking or to fit your source/headphones. It will never quite get the transparency of an Eddie Current type uber-amp but at $999 I wouldn't expect it to. 
 
I don't get any noise with headphones save for IEMs which aren't the focus here anyway. Grados are fine though, Audio Technica, VMODA.... trying to think of any other sensitive headphones I have. The Sony MDR-1A is pretty sensitive and it works fine too. But the best sound on amps like this tends to be higher impedance cans as well as planar models.
 
I realize it's kind of a blind buy at this stage, until more feedback shows up. Which I think will eventually happen. The original HA-1A had a good following for many years and this is by the same designer so I think it's a safe bet. However you may not want to be the early adopter until more reviews start popping up. I understand. 

 

[sergemur]

Bottom line, the amp is very tube dependent. It can change signature in drastic ways with tube swaps, so you can tailor the sound to your liking or to fit your source/headphones. It will never quite get the transparency of an Eddie Current type uber-amp but at $999 I wouldn't expect it to. 

I don't get any noise with headphones save for IEMs which aren't the focus here anyway. Grados are fine though, Audio Technica, VMODA.... trying to think of any other sensitive ......

How would you compare it to Icon Audio HP8 mk2 and La Figaro 339 with TH800S and Beyer T1? Thanks!

 

[project86]

I only have T1 and HD800 here, no HD800S yet. And I've never heard the La Figaro 339. I owned the old Darkvoice 339SE for quite some time, but I don't know how that compares. 
 
Having said that, I think the HA-1A MK2 is more versatile than the Icon. It's amazingly variable based on tube choice though, so I can make the Cayin sound pretty similar to the Icon, or vastly different depending on the glass used. 
 
Icon is a beautiful sounding amp though, no doubt. Tough choice there. It does respond well to tube upgrades but doesn't end up sounding completely different as the Cayin does. Icon changed the HP8 since I heard it though, adding the big copper piece on top and changing a few other things around - along with a price increase. So I don't know if there were some audible improvements as part of the deal.
 
Both are good choices, hard to say which is best. 

 

[gr8soundz]

  Bottom line, the amp is very tube dependent. It can change signature in drastic ways with tube swaps, so you can tailor the sound to your liking or to fit your source/headphones. It will never quite get the transparency of an Eddie Current type uber-amp but at $999 I wouldn't expect it to. 
 
I don't get any noise with headphones save for IEMs which aren't the focus here anyway. Grados are fine though, Audio Technica, VMODA.... trying to think of any other sensitive headphones I have. The Sony MDR-1A is pretty sensitive and it works fine too. But the best sound on amps like this tends to be higher impedance cans as well as planar models.
 
I realize it's kind of a blind buy at this stage, until more feedback shows up. Which I think will eventually happen. The original HA-1A had a good following for many years and this is by the same designer so I think it's a safe bet. However you may not want to be the early adopter until more reviews start popping up. I understand. 

 
Thanks for the info.
 
Would I need to change all 5 tubes or are only 2 tubes used for output?
 

 

[project86]

There's a pair of input tubes, a pair of driver tubes, and then the single PSU regulator tube.
 
First step is to replace the Cayin branded input tubes as that makes the largest improvement. Even spending a little on modest tubes is a big deal. 
 
Then comes output tubes which have a big impact as well, but the stock selection of EH tubes is not bad at all. You can stick with them and be happy with solid performance, until down the road when you want to mess with it further.
 
Lastly the regulator tube - Cayin ships a NOS Tung Sol tube and I didn't mess with it. 12DT5 is not a common tube and they say their choice is already excellent so I didn't bother.
 
 
 
So bottom line: you can spend $25 to start and be good to go for a while. Or you can spend hundred and replace 4 out of the 5 tubes. Whatever works for you.

 

[wadi]

  There's a pair of input tubes, a pair of driver tubes, and then the single PSU regulator tube.
 
First step is to replace the Cayin branded input tubes as that makes the largest improvement. Even spending a little on modest tubes is a big deal. 
 
Then comes output tubes which have a big impact as well, but the stock selection of EH tubes is not bad at all. You can stick with them and be happy with solid performance, until down the road when you want to mess with it further.
 
Lastly the regulator tube - Cayin ships a NOS Tung Sol tube and I didn't mess with it. 12DT5 is not a common tube and they say their choice is already excellent so I didn't bother.
 
 
 
So bottom line: you can spend $25 to start and be good to go for a while. Or you can spend hundred and replace 4 out of the 5 tubes. Whatever works for you.

 
Would you prefer this over iha-6 for planars and high impedance Sennheisers?

 

[gr8soundz]

Finally ordered the Cayin. Hope it sounds as good as it looks.
 
I'm less concerned with appearances but at least the looks parallel the price. Also, from the couple of blurry pics I could find, the internals appear to be as well designed as the original.
 
Will post impressions once it arrives.
 

 

[gr8soundz]

  There's a pair of input tubes, a pair of driver tubes, and then the single PSU regulator tube.
 
First step is to replace the Cayin branded input tubes as that makes the largest improvement. Even spending a little on modest tubes is a big deal. 
 
Then comes output tubes which have a big impact as well, but the stock selection of EH tubes is not bad at all. You can stick with them and be happy with solid performance, until down the road when you want to mess with it further.
 
Lastly the regulator tube - Cayin ships a NOS Tung Sol tube and I didn't mess with it. 12DT5 is not a common tube and they say their choice is already excellent so I didn't bother.
 
 
 
So bottom line: you can spend $25 to start and be good to go for a while. Or you can spend hundred and replace 4 out of the 5 tubes. Whatever works for you.

 
So the two 12AU7 are the input tubes (sometimes referred to as ECC82 or E82CC)? Correct me if this is wrong.
 
Searched online but can't confirm: will a matched pair of 6922 (E88CC or ECC88) tubes work as replacements for them?