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Cayin HA-1A Tube Headphone Amplifier
There may be a better headphone amplifier out there, but I haven't heard it. The HA-1A from Cayin is a tube based design that offers the refinement and body you'd expect from a thermionic device, but with extension, power and control you might not. An impedance matching selector allows more accurate matching to different headphones, optimizing performance. Further enhancing versatility, the HA-1A allows you to select between single ended triode mode and ultralinear with each offering its own character. Ultralinear offers a bit punchier and more extended bass, triode operation is a bit warmer and sweeter; it’s fun to change to suite your mood or the music.
It's one hell of unit and I recommend it highly. Oh, by the way, the thing is gorgeous! The picture doesn't begin to do it justice. Its hand made and has the exquisite finish quality of a diamond ring. Just about everyone I’ve spoken with who has spent time with the HA-1A has fallen in love. Careful, you will too!
“The HA-1A breathes life and light into music in a way that transistors— and many tube amps—simply cannot. It makes musicians sound here, not there. This is what SET can do: not transport you to the recording venue, but transport the performers to your living room… Immediacy, intimacy—nothing can top tubed SET. Those experts who opine that all hi-fi sounds “electronic” haven’t spent much time around SET tube amps. I doubt that the HA-1A works its magic by fooling with phase relationships or blending channels. What it does, it does naturally: expand the soundstage so that it floats outside, not inside, one’s cranium. The effect is not as natural as listening to a good pair of loudspeakers, but the experience is enjoyable on its own terms. The HA-1A has a way of making headphones sound less like cans (British slang for headphones) that is downright…uncanny. And the HA-1A did bass—rich, full, tuneful, tight bass. I’ve always thought my Sennheiser HD 600s sounded a little thin and bass-shy. Such is not the case. The HA-1A may be the best thing that’s ever happened to headphones. Of course, you’ll need a good CD source to reap the maximum benefits, but the sound quality I heard was extraordinary. You can have more than a taste of high-end bliss for relatively little money—champagne sound for beer-budget bucks. Man, you gotta hear it!” Sam Tellig, Stereophile June, 2006
Overview:
* Two EL-84 tubes are used for class A S.E. amplification.
* One 12AX7 and one 12AU7 are used in the preamplifier.
* The toroid power transformer and EI audio transformer are specially manufactured for CAYIN and designed for low magnetic leakage, wide frequency response and low impedance.
* Can be used as a high quality preamplifier (14dB)gain.
Specifications:
Weight: 7kg
Dimensions: 5.25”W x 12”D x 9.25”H
Power consumption: 60W
Headphone Section:
Input impedance: 22K Ohm
Output impedance: 6 Ohms – 300 Ohms, switchable
Power output: 1W Triode RMS
Input sensitivity: 320mV
Frequency response: 25Hz-30kHz
THD: 1%
S/N ratio: 88dB
Channel balance:0.5dB
Integrated Amplifier:
Input impedance: 22K
Output impedance: 8
Power output: 1.2W RMS, Triode,2.2W RMS, Ultralinear
Input sensitivity: 320mV
Frequency response: 25Hz-30kHz
THD:2%
S/N ratio: 85dB
Channel balance:0.5dB
Preamplifier:
Input impedance: 22K
Frequency response: 15Hz-40kHz
THD: 0.8%
Output: 2000mV (Max 4000mV)
S/N ratio: 82dB
Total gain: 14dB
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