[fishski13]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fairbanks /img/forum/go_quote.gif Tungsram are good tubes if you get the older ones made in Austria.The ones made in Hungary aren't that good.Other tubes to try are RCA and GE and if your budget permits it then Amperex,Mullard,Telefunken etc....Mind you the NOS tubes will outlast the Russian made tubes so it's worth the extra cash.

good to know re: the Tungsrams.

PACE

 

[El Cucuy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wil /img/forum/go_quote.gif The bass on the 990 seems a tad more accentuated and i reckon that the 880s are slightly more neutral and transparent, but both are good cans. I actually like the 770s ( the old skool version ) cos its a very fun pair of cans to listen to. I use a tube amp for my speaker setup as well..Almarro 318Bn coupled with Acoustic Zen Adagios. Although i use my cans more...

Way to go on ther Almarro amp. I really like their work and the 318B is a little monster amp that shames many costing a great deal more money. I'd love to see more people become more aware of them.

Nice mention at Sixmoons.com: 2007 favorite discoveries
And the review of it at the same venue: Almarro 318B review

 

[Michael10]

I don't want to call this a review because I haven't listen to the Cayin enough to really review it. I have had it for a week and have probably listen to 3 or 4 complete CDS. My impressions are:

(1) Using stock SENN 650s and an old Cambridge Audio CD player (I think it is a D540 but I am not sure), my opinion is that the Cayin is different. Listening to vocals (Etta James and Tracy Nelson who was the vocalist with Mother Earth), I thought the sound was excellent.

(2) I didn't notice any hiss over the 650s except when I first turned on the amp. Then I heard a hum that lasted for about 15 seconds. Someone with more sensitive ears (I am 59 and have some slight hearing loss -- typical for my age) might hear more of a "tape" hiss.

(3) I was less impressed with the sound listening to some Jazz instrumentals. Kind of Blue was good (lush?) and very enjoyable, but the Prestige Profiles disc of Eric Dolphy (Prestige Profiles, Vol. 5) was less impressive. But to be honest this is a disc that I have mixed feelings about. The first cut "Out There" is difficult for me to connect with. The second cut "On Green Dolphin Street" sounds much better on the Cayin than some of the other more experimental tracks.

(4) Compared to my Headroom Micro and my Headphone AE-2, and the headphone output on my NAD C162 pre-amp, I would characterize the Cayin as more rounded, more lyrical, and slower (I can't believe I am using these terms but that is my impression). I think pairing it with a better CD player (my Music Hall CD-25) will result in an improvement. I am also going to swap out the tubes.

I like the tube sound but just don't know if it is the best for all music. I don't think I would pick the Cayin if I listened to much rock. Blues, vocals, classical, and most jazz would be the genres that I think would work well with the Cayin. I would also like to be able to compare the Cayin with the Doge.

If you want to try Cayin products, I would suggest corresponding with Dan at:

www.blackbirdaudio.com

He was a pleasure to work with and provided a lot of information on various Cayin amps. I ended up buying a used Audio Research Reference 1 pre-amp because I got a very good price but several dealers recommended Cayin and I think it is a brand to consider if you are looking for a tube pre-amp, amp, or integrated amp. I need to have separates with my Vandersteen subs so the integrated amps usually won't work for me.

I just noticed that Dan had a post above mine. I didn't even realize he was on this board.

 

[LDuncan]

Michael thanks for the review, keep updating your impression. Have you tried the cayin with any classical music yet?

 

[Jon L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishski13 /img/forum/go_quote.gif i've replaced the stock EH EL84 with Sovteks - initially very disappointed, but after 48 hrs. or so, i much prefer these to the EH. NOS Tunsgrams are next on my hit list. PACE

Hmm, doesn't EH EL84 look exactly like Sovtek EL84 (not EL84M)? They should be the same tube from same factory..

 

[fishski13]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon L /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hmm, doesn't EH EL84 look exactly like Sovtek EL84 (not EL84M)? They should be the same tube from same factory..

yes, this appears to be the case. to clarify, i'm using EL84M.

PACE

 

[fishski13]

trying to keep this thread alive, but i have a genuine question/informal poll.

which impedance setting do you prefer, for which phones, and triode or ultralinear.

1. 6-32
2. 33-64
3. 65-120
4. 121-200

me:
3 - K701 - triode

- 1 & 2 are a bit lumpy and shut-in from top to bottom
- 3 & 4 are more open, more detailed and have a more dynamic swing. 4 is brighter and has more tube noise compared to the other three.
- i prefer the triode mode for its better tone.

PACE

 

[ezside]

I just got mine about a week ago & it's sounding awfully nice. The only minor complaint I have is occasional noise I'm assuming is tube-related that appears at odd moments & disappears just as mysteriously.
Quote:

which impedance setting do you prefer, for which phones, and triode or ultralinear. 1. 6-32 2. 33-64 3. 65-120 4. 121-200 me: 3 - K701 - triode

I haven't really played that much w/the settings (still just letting it run in a bit) but so far I like 2 & triode w/my DX1000s. I expect that that is likely to change when I start rolling tubes.

 

[Michael10]

I think I have my amp set to the highest impedance (all the way to the left when facing the amp). I seem to have less noise with all three sets of phones that I have tried (Senn 650, AT AH-900, and Etymotic ER-4S.

I also have a question, which tube is in the back of the amp and which in the front. I think the 12AX7 is in the front and the 12AU7 in the back? Am I correct. I don't have a schematic in my manual that I can find.

I put the following tubes in the amp:


U.S. Made JAN Philips NOS-5751JAN 1 23.95 Testing = Low Noise and
5751 Microphonics (+$4.00)
JJ / Tesla EL84 / 6BQ5 JJ-EL84 1 15.95
BLACK SABLE Sovtek BSCT-12AX7LPS-SO 1 49.95
12AX7LPS


But I have just ordered

5751 RCA, NOS/NIB black plate 2 mica with extra supports, good balance
and section match, low noise tested

and

12AX7 mislabel RCA

I also ordered 4 pairs of match EH 6922 for my Audio Research pre-amp. I got these from Jim McShane. I will keep you posted on my results.

I also ordered a new pair of SENN 595's for use with my portable solid state amp. Good price through Amazon. I want Denon W5000 or ATH-W5000 (is that the right model number but can't spare the change right now).

I also almost purchased new cables for my 650s but just couldn't do it.

Opinions on tubes or phones. I am still listening mainly to jazz but moving into classical.

Also, I am going to be home (out patient surgery) most of next week and I am ready to listen to some music and have someone bring me something good to drink (tea?). It is bad when surgery looks like a vacation.

 

[ezside]

Turns out that a fair bit of the noise that I was blaming on the Cayin's tubes was coming from the Nordost Red Dawn cable that I was using between it & the DAC. I replaced it with a nice shielded cable & things quieted down nicely...

 

[fishski13]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ezside /img/forum/go_quote.gif Turns out that a fair bit of the noise that I was blaming on the Cayin's tubes was coming from the Nordost Red Dawn cable that I was using between it & the DAC. I replaced it with a nice shielded cable & things quieted down nicely...

i had some intermittent buzzing that i also attributed to a tube issue that became constant. i switched out the VD Power3 cable i was using with the stock, an unshielded and a DIY PC, and in all cases, the noise disappeared. reinserting the VD only brought back the buzzing demon (no thread crapping please!). the amp is now absolutely quiet with my prefered VH Audio Flavor 2 PC. maybe this amp is just really sensitive to cabling.

PACE

 

[Michael10]

fishski13

What is your opinion of the benchmark DAC1?

 

[fishski13]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael10 /img/forum/go_quote.gif fishski13 What is your opinion of the benchmark DAC1?

i've owned it for a year now and continue to be impressed. the DAC1 replaced a Naim cd3.5 and i have no regrets. it sounded great in my all Naim hi-fi then, and so it does now in my current rig.

i would recommend replacing the stock shielded power cord with an unshielded one. i have a Naim PC ($25) and a VH Audio Flavor1 ($50 DIY) that are both unshielded that i prefer. the shielded PC lacks a bit in PRaT and dynamics, and sounds a bit shut-in and boring in comparison. i'm also using a "rounder and fleshed out" Oyaide PA-02 cable with Furutech connectors for ICs to feed the Cayin, and the same via balanced out to my Krell amp. the Oyaide complements the DAC1 nicely with it's warmer balance and colorful tone - almost "tube-like", if you will.

PACE

 

[ezside]

Bunch of NOS tubes came today:

1. a pair of Westinghouse-branded 5751s (3 mica black plates that I suspect are actually GE)
2. a 2 mica Tung-Sol 5751 with gray plates
3. a Mullard M8136 (12AU7)
4. a pair of Bell & Howell branded 12AU7As that I think are actually Mullards, too)
5. an RCA-branded 12bh7 with long gray plates
6. an RCA folded-anode black plate 12BH7

and last but not least, a nice matched pair of Valvo EL84s. Let the rolling begin!

 

[Michael10]

I posted earlier that I had switched out the stock tubes for:

U.S. Made JAN Philips NOS-5751JAN 1 Testing = Low Noise
Microphonics
JJ / Tesla EL84 / 6BQ5 JJ-EL84 1
BLACK SABLE Sovtek BSCT-12AX7LPS-SO 12AX7LPS

I noticed some improvement in sound. I then ordered from Jim McShane on his recommendation the following two tubes -- I didn't replace the EL84s.

5751 RCA, NOS/NIB black plate 2 mica with extra supports, good balance
and section match, low noise tested

12AX7 mislabel RCA

I think the sound is much improved with the RCA NOS. No noise at all and a much richer sound -- finally makes classical great on the Cayin.

EZSIDE, where did you score your tubes?

More later.