Lohb
Headphoneus Supremus
No issues for me . I often test the 2 different headphone ports character for synergy with cans when its on.
New tube amp: the Cayin HA-1A MK2
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c3po
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Hi.
Standard practice is just turn Volume down and change headphones over (its also Better Keeping Valve Amp for increased stability of sound).
There are only a few Amps where powering off is recommended, if using Jack connections e.g. SPL Phonitor 2.
Hope this helps.
Guys, I just noticed this past few days. The tubes in my Cayin do not shine as brightly as one another. V3 and V5 appeared to be dim, there are some light, but not as bright as the other three. Is there something wrong with my amplifier or it is normal.
c3po
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Hi a lot of the light is actually coming from decorative leds under the valves to enhance the ‘glow’. I have one led that’s completely off and other folks have mentioned faulty leds after a while.
For this decorative Led failing issue there will be no Sonic effect.
Thanks for the answer c3po, it will surely gives me a good night sleep.
Thanks C3po for the prompt answer. On top of turning down the volume to zero before changing your headphone, it is important to insert the headphone jack firmly into the socket. Don't hesitate and stop in the middle. The socket is around 3cm long and if you stop at 2cm and leave 1cm uninserted, there is a risk that the right channel signal will overlap with the ground signal and caused serious interference or short circuit.
C3po is right, it can be a bad LED connection.
On the other hand, Cayin, as an experienced vacuum tube amplifier manufacturer, have developed a list of test to examine the condition of a vacuum tube before we used it in our amplifier. We are quite sure our QA list is very effective given we are using hundred thousands of tubes per year, but brightness of a vacuum tube is not one of the test items. The filament must be light up and visually recognisable, but we don't need to evaluate the brightness of filament even with matched pair design. So if this happen with a new amplifier, even when one vacuum tube is not as bright as the other, it is not necessarily a problem as long as it function properly. However if you are using NOS tube or the amplifier has been used for a long time, then brightness can be an indicator of a aged tube.
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@Andykong I was told from my local mainland China dealer that this model is most likely no longer being made due to parts shortages. Is this true? I was all ready to buy this one as my entrance into the Cayin world, and now it seems like I cannot get one. Whats your take on the situation?
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@Andykong Thanks for your suggestion. The China Cayin representative did get back to me and let me know they are in production again and will be shipping in a few weeks, but only the export version, however it seems they would allow me to order direct from them. My local dealer cannot get it (export version) so I will have to order direct from Cayin for this model. The HA6A my dealer can still get it, so I will go through him to order. Yes, I will probably order both as I have more than one room I want to have listening in.
Glad you have both sorted out. Buying two different Cayin tube amplifiers at the same time is definitely true love, we are flattered.
If we include both speaker based and headphone based amplifier, we have around 40 different amplifiers (pre, power and integrated) in our CURRENT product line. If you missed one production lot and need to wait for next round of production, it will take a while before we rotate to that model again.
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As it turns out my amp buying journey is not yet complete, I am also looking at the integrated models for my 2-Channel setup. I am probably going to end up with the DALI MENUET SE and will need a good amp to drive them. If you know of anyone who has paired a Cayin with those, let me know.Glad you have both sorted out. Buying two different Cayin tube amplifiers at the same time is definitely true love, we are flattered.
If we include both speaker based and headphone based amplifier, we have around 40 different amplifiers (pre, power and integrated) in our CURRENT product line. If you missed one production lot and need to wait for next round of production, it will take a while before we rotate to that model again.
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John @ Cayin did mention that if we don't get a unit from this batch, the next batch for the Chinese market will be at the end of the year, so we will be placing our order this Friday so we can get one.Glad you have both sorted out. Buying two different Cayin tube amplifiers at the same time is definitely true love, we are flattered.
If we include both speaker based and headphone based amplifier, we have around 40 different amplifiers (pre, power and integrated) in our CURRENT product line. If you missed one production lot and need to wait for next round of production, it will take a while before we rotate to that model again.
What kind of music do you listen to?Sometimes I pair my ha1a mk2 with Yamaha 1000 + Dali mentor menuet. It sounds amazing. But if you listen hard rock genres take a look at another speakers. IMO
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Jazz, Classical, New Age, Blues, Vocals, Some Chamber music, no hard rock.
The little Dali is a very refined speaker, Hard rock will probably push it too hard. If you were to consider keeping the Dali and change the amplifier instead, consider a Cayin CS55A vs CS88A, you can use the amplifier at Triode mode for most genre, and use Ultralinear for Hard Rock, that will offer an extra push to your Dali Menuet when needed.
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