[FanaticSankey]

@Andy Kong, is the Gold Lion 12AU7s still the top pick for tube rolling ? Also, has anyone tried the PSVANE 12AU7 with the HA1A ?

 

[Sunset1982]

has some of you guys running the cayin with the hifiman aryas? wondering if this has enough power for a good synergy...

How can I identify the MkII version vs the original? whats the difference between them? ist the cs-1a the same as the ha-1a mkII?

 

[casimirobukayo]

Hello, is this the correct input tubes for cayin ha-1a mk2? Replacement for the 12au7 tubes? Thanks

 

[c3po]

Hello, is this the correct input tubes for cayin ha-1a mk2? Replacement for the 12au7 tubes? Thanks

Yes: see below : go for a matched pair to prevent channel imbalance.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/12AU7

 

[Sunset1982]

I bought a used HA-1A MKII (CS-1H here in Germany) and listened today with my RME ADI-2 DAC, with the Cayin on stock tubes. So far it sounds good, but the treble is a bit too harsh/sharp for me, which is a bit fatiguing for my ears.

Would the tube upgrade to the Gold Lion 12AU7 and the Gold Lion EL84 bring a smoother treble or what tubes would be suggested for a smoother treble?

 

[muths66]

I bought a used HA-1A MKII (CS-1H here in Germany) and listened today with my RME ADI-2 DAC, with the Cayin on stock tubes. So far it sounds good, but the treble is a bit too harsh/sharp for me, which is a bit fatiguing for my ears.

Would the tube upgrade to the Gold Lion 12AU7 and the Gold Lion EL84 bring a smoother treble or what tubes would be suggested for a smoother treble?

i using motorla ecc82 and goldlion el84 now. Very happy.

 

[casimirobukayo]

What is better for 12au7? Gold lion or Psvane? & How do they compare? Thanks!

 

[beardyweirdy]

I have just purchased the HA 1 mk 2 and I am getting lots of noise on all but lowest impedance (using 420 Ohm ADX 5000)
Is this normal?

 

[Andykong]

@Andy Kong, is the Gold Lion 12AU7s still the top pick for tube rolling ? Also, has anyone tried the PSVANE 12AU7 with the HA1A ?

Gold Lion 12AU7 is never the top pick for tube rolling, its a my recommended upgrade tube because it is widely available current product tube and offers noticeable improvement at affordable price. There are lots of better choice among 12AU7 family, but they tends to be more expensive, and you probably need some time to find out the sound signature and strength of different tubes before you make up your mind.

 

[Andykong]

Hey all you HA-1A MK2 owners: A friendly reminder that this amp has preamp outputs that sound fabulous. In addition to headphone usage, I'm running the Cayin's preamp outputs to a 25 wpc power amp to Harbeth P3ERS speakers in a nearfield setup... and the sound is to-die-for good. I mean, HOLY **** good.

If you have a power amp and speakers (or powered speakers) around, you owe it to yourself to at least try out the Cayin's preamp outputs.

Few years back, Cayin had a joint promotion project with Adam active monitor, we used HA-1A MK2 as preamp pair with Adam A5x as a complete desktop system, I had tried that setup briefly and it sounded very good to me.

 

[Andykong]

has some of you guys running the cayin with the hifiman aryas? wondering if this has enough power for a good synergy...

How can I identify the MkII version vs the original? whats the difference between them? ist the cs-1a the same as the ha-1a mkII?

This is the original HA-1A, it had similar form factor with Mk2, but without the wood panel, only 1 set of headphone output but with speaker terminal on the back, so you definitely won't mistake it as the MK2.

 

[Andykong]

I have just purchased the HA 1 mk 2 and I am getting lots of noise on all but lowest impedance (using 420 Ohm ADX 5000)
Is this normal?

I am not surprised if you said high impedance is noisier than low impedance setting, but its the other way round, so it worth checking out again. Do you have other headphones? low impedance planars maybe?

 

[beardyweirdy]

Hi andy
No other headphones.
Why is there so much noise and hissing?

 

[c3po]

Hi andy
No other headphones.
Why is there so much noise and hissing?

Hi,
Can you give a clearer description of the noises as it will help give advice.

generally if you want whisper quiet, no noise, go solid state as soon as you enter the world of tubes you are now in an enviroment of increased background noise.

Pops, Crackles, whistles are usually down to Valves, cleaning contacts by side to side re-insertion may help, the ALPS pot can be noisy too but a blast of canned air into the ALPS gaps can help.
Valve noise is also a reason why many people upgrade or even just change the valves to newer ones.

people don’t chose valve amps for a Quiet Background but for the less clinical sound they produce

 

[casimirobukayo]

What is better for 12au7? Gold lion or Psvane? & How do they compare? Thanks!