[PopZeus]

This amp is on sale at drop at 50% off msrp. I would be all over this but I have no room at my desk and I just got the TA-84. If any folks have heard both of these amps, I’d be curious to know what the differences are. Both use almost the same tube configuration, though one is OTL and the other is TFC.

 

[jojothewhale]

I have 2 of the ha-1A mkii… they are awesome! My favorite amp actually…good for all headphones! I had the ta-84 but returned it… it sounded ok… I must have had a bad one because sound kept cutting out through the rca’s and there was huge pops and cracks all the time… I thought my zmfs were gonna blow up …. So I couldn’t take a chance … the build although solid was kind of cheap with the switches on the back just were really cheaply made and seemed to be an afterthought … the Cayin is built great!

 

[PopZeus]

I’m

I have 2 of the ha-1A mkii… they are awesome! My favorite amp actually…good for all headphones! I had the ta-84 but returned it… it sounded ok… I must have had a bad one because sound kept cutting out through the rca’s and there was huge pops and cracks all the time… I thought my zmfs were gonna blow up …. So I couldn’t take a chance … the build although solid was kind of cheap with the switches on the back just were really cheaply made and seemed to be an afterthought … the Cayin is built great!

Yeah, the obvious differences are in the visual domain. The HA-1A just looks more stylish and better built. Also over 3x as heavy and maybe 2x bigger? lol. If it actually sounds much better than he TA-84, then moving over from OTL to TFC might be immaterial to the sound quality. Now I'm wondering how tube rolling impacts the HA-1A compared to other TFC designs...

 

[jojothewhale]

I’m

Yeah, the obvious differences are in the visual domain. The HA-1A just looks more stylish and better built. Also over 3x as heavy and maybe 2x bigger? lol. If it actually sounds much better than he TA-84, then moving over from OTL to TFC might be immaterial to the sound quality. Now I'm wondering how tube rolling impacts the HA-1A compared to other TFC designs...

Yeah believe it or not the footprint prob takes up the same amount on a desk but the Cayin is taller obv… I took out the 12au7’s in the Cayin and replaced them with new stock Mullard’s and it sound great so I didn’t go any further… the ta84 I put mullard 12au7 and el84s and it sounded good ….just with my unit I was getting all the loud pops and cutouts so had to return…but those tubes are good rolling tubes the 12au7 and el84s

Two things about the Cayin … it has a ton of power actually even higher for high impedance 300 ohm headphones… and also the ability to change the impedance on the transformer affects the sound for each headphone and is cool to play with to get a different sound… so it’s adaptable to low impedance planars and dynamic drivers …

 

[Mageborn23]

I have a question I saw this half off on drop and I have a Hiby R8ii with a 3.5 and 4.5 out if I want to connect it to this would I buy a cable like this? Not this one exactly of course

 

[jojothewhale]

I would assume you would be better/safer with a 3.5 to dual rca…. The 4.4 balanced is converted to rca in that one .. but you just have to be careful not to throw too much voltage to it… considering the Cayin is single ended it only needs 2v (3.5)from dac not 4v (4.4)… I don’t know I don’t like to mess with conversions out of the dac

 

[Mageborn23]

I would assume you would be better/safer with a 3.5 to dual rca…. The 4.4 balanced is converted to rca in that one .. but you just have to be careful not to throw too much voltage to it… considering the Cayin is single ended it only needs 2v (3.5)from dac not 4v (4.4)… I don’t know I don’t like to mess with conversions out of the dac

The dac has specific line outs a 4.5 and a 3.5 line out the cayin has looks to be double ended

 

[PopZeus]

I'm hesitant to bother messing with balanced sources for tube amps unless sound quality (or the amp topology) "demands" it. Easier to stick with SE interconnects and not overly complicate things. Though most tube amps, even a lot of the high-end ones, stick with RCA inputs.

 

[jojothewhale]

The dac has specific line outs a 4.5 and a 3.5 line out the cayin has looks to be double ended

Yeah so you would use dual Rca to 3.5 mm —not dual rca to 4.4mm

 

[Mageborn23]

Yeah so you would use dual Rca to 3.5 mm —not dual rca to 4.4mm

Ok thanks

 

[ChristoT]

Hi guys! In your own experience, which device was effective in dealing with the hiss of the Cayin Ha-1a- an iFi AC iPurifier, iFi DC Blocker or a power cable upgrade?
I got to try an AC iPurifier in my setup and it significantly lowered the noise floor but the hiss is still there, just quieter. As a surprising side effect, it also sharpened nicely the imaging but my main goal remains handling the noise.
I realize that this largely depends on the individual conditions of the various electrical systems but I figured it’s still worth it checking out what has worked for other people. Thanks!

 

[jojothewhale]

In my case the hiss I had came from the stock 12au7 tubes replaced them and not a sound since dead quiet… but definitely try different outlets and power strips which you may have already tried … also use decent cables I use worlds best cables for rcas (25-35 bucks) and they have good shielding never had a problem with noise with any of my stuff

 

[ChristoT]

In my case the hiss I had came from the stock 12au7 tubes replaced them and not a sound since dead quiet… but definitely try different outlets and power strips which you may have already tried … also use decent cables I use worlds best cables for rcas (25-35 bucks) and they have good shielding never had a problem with noise with any of my stuff

Thanks for the reply, jojo. It’s great that you’ve managed to handle the noise so well. That’s why I’m not giving up. Besides the addition of the AC iPurifier, do far I’ve also changed the tubes to Gold Lion, noise-capped all unused outputs and inputs and I’m using Audioquest Golden Gate for RCA interconnect - all that significantly reduced the noise but there’s no denying that the amp is still the hissiest little creature I’ve ever owned. Cheers!

 

[jojothewhale]

Thanks for the reply, jojo. It’s great that you’ve managed to handle the noise so well. That’s why I’m not giving up. Besides the addition of the AC iPurifier, do far I’ve also changed the tubes to Gold Lion, noise-capped all unused outputs and inputs and I’m using Audioquest Golden Gate for RCA interconnect - all that significantly reduced the noise but there’s no denying that the amp is still the hissiest little creature I’ve ever owned. Cheers!

Is there a hiss when you don’t play any music and turn up the volume… does it get worse?… or there’s just a steady hiss all the time regardless of anything ?

 

[ChristoT]

Rolling up and down the volume knob doesn’t affect the hiss volume.