[Mr.Tom]

Hi all, I got to listen to one of these today, and I was a little blown away by it's Beautiful tone, and Very Solid Bass. It's more TubeY than my Valhalla or Lyr. Sort of makes my Schiit gear sound thin and SS. I know it should sound better @ 4x the cost, but I'm surprised there are little to no reviews on this site.
 
Is it just the fact that its only got two tubes, and cost $1600.? 
 
Anyone else hear a HH-1, and liked it??
 
I'm going to get a used one off the bay for around $800.(ASAP).

 

 

[Mr.Tom]

None of you Golden ears have an opinion?

 

[Hifi59]

None of you Golden ears have an opinion?

I heard the Cary at a headphone meet recently. It was good and provided more power to my LCD headphones than the specs for power would lead you to believe. It had a great bottom end but the high end was smeared compared to my Burson Soloist. Soloist more transparent with superior PRaT. Maybe it was the stock tube in the Cary. Not sure. I liked it overall though but not for its asking price.

 

[jhljhl]

Cary Audio HH-1 amp has a somewhat warm sound signature like a WA2 with the stock tubes.  Slightly narrower sound stage but has some more depth about on par imaging (with the same 6922 tubes used) but deeper and tighter bass.  However it hasn't quite the transparency as with the gec 6sa7 can bring in the WA2 even with the pinch waist 6922 I installed in the HH-1 but it is quite close. 
 
The stock tubes are a little bland.  Put in pinch waist 6922 and imaging, transparency and dynamics increase noticeably.  Some nice micro details coming through.  Bass is richer and deeper because of the hybrid design I assume.  It has a relatively neutral mid-range maybe slightly warm with pw 6922 tubes.  The HH-1 does not receive as much attention as there is a lot competition at this price range and I think Cary is more well known for stereo amps. 
 
Has power enough for lcd-3f. Enjoyable with the hd800 and hd650 too. Need more time to evaluate though especially tube rolling.

 

[JTori]

Man, couldn't agree more. A very capable amp, and built like a tank. There is no substitute for conservative design. In my experience, power supply can be a differentiator. And, the the Cary is way over-specced. Couple that with good component quality and circuit layout and you've got a winner. I'm impressed with its sound quality: rock-solid bass, midrange bloom and extended highs. Having owned (briefly) a Schiit Lyr2, I can say this is leagues ahead. Additionally, for many years I owned a CAD-300sei. It was a beautiful amp, which drove my HD650s and RS1s magically. I'd put this in the same sphere.

 

[nutsfortubes]

Just got mine new for less then $600.00.

 

[Mr.Tom]

Just got mine new for less then $600.00.

how do you like it??

 

[nutsfortubes]

Got to listen to for about 2 hours today. I think it is a well voiced amp. Well Balanced sound, lots of low end punch but not bloated, mids are silky but not over ripe, highs are not etched. sound stage is spot on I use Sonny Rollings Way Out West MFSL CD and the trio is rock solid in place. Also on Nat King Cole After Midnight when Sweets Edison blows his horn I knew it was him with out reading the liner notes. Listen with Hifiman 400i cans.
Esoteric SA-10 SACD player through a CJ PV-8 preamp.

 

[nutsfortubes]

Ordered these from Jim McShane he is the best. Will have them Friday.
From his website.
Genalex Gold Lion E88CC/6922 - in stock! Read this customer report: "I installed the 6922s in my Blue Circle BC-24
hybrid amp a week ago when they arrived. As I put more hours on them, the bass has lessened and the tubes became
more balanced, yet retained their smooth character. After a week's worth of playing, I'd say that they are quite extended
without being bright, punchy without being bass heavy, detailed without etch, and ever so slightly warm without being sluggish.
Oh, and the midrange is excellent! Finally! A premium 6922, every bit as good as the best NOS - at a fraction of NOS prices!
$44.50 ea., $89.50/matched pair, $92.50/matched pair with balanced triodes.