I was lucky enough to try ha-6a side-by-side with ha-3a during my purchase of the amp. I was very keen on getting the ha-3a due to its size for my desktop setup, but that changed once I tried the ha-6a.
Imho, ha-6a is definitely the better sounding amp with more options for tube rolling (can be seen as a cons as you're more likely to spend more down the rabbit hole lol).
I've tried a few different ones, but ultimately preferred the RCA. I need to go back and listen more, however. Plus, it depends on what tubes are matching with it. I'm not sure that there is one tube is perfect for all scenarios.
Excited to try my first tube upgrade on the Cayin. Went all out with the Telefunken G73-Rs; figured my recent high-end tube amp purchase deserved a TOTL tube. Will update after they come in and I give them a good listen.
I know a tube seller who had a full case of those. Sold them cheap to another seller who sold them at market price, making an extremely good profit. :^( . . . :^)
Added some power tubes SE KT88-STs. Finally getting close to the sound signature I like; interesting as I now prefer TR over UL using the KT88 vs stock EL34 (as I find the treble to be too piercing using UL). With stock EL34 I almost always used UL mode.
Anywho, I’m going to let this setup settle in and down for a few months before I research upgrading my DAC. Right now, I feel like I could use a bit smoother of a sound with the same technicality and detail retrieval. Perhaps a higher-end R2R (e.g., Yggy, Pontus 2, Spring) may do the trick?
Added some power tubes SE KT88-STs. Finally getting close to the sound signature I like; interesting as I now prefer TR over UL using the KT88 vs stock EL34 (as I find the treble to be too piercing using UL). With stock EL34 I almost always used UL mode.
Anywho, I’m going to let this setup settle in and down for a few months before I research upgrading my DAC. Right now, I feel like I could use a bit smoother of a sound with the same technicality and detail retrieval. Perhaps a higher-end R2R (e.g., Yggy, Pontus 2, Spring) may do the trick?
Yo, great setup my friend, I wonder how they compare to GL KT88....
I found my definitive and endgame dac with Pontus II using 1.0 firmware (you have 2 more firmwares with dif sound signature so I consider it total endgame)
I can definately recommend the Yggdrasil, it is smooth yet not damped over like some excessive smoothed over gear, it still retains the vibrancy and detail of real music and with its very natural sound no one finds it fatiguing (I am speaking about the Yggy A2/OG, you can read online how the LIM & now MIB differ from it) will be a giant upgrade from the Mojo 2 (which I actually have as my OTG usage).
You never did tell us what the G73-Rs sounds like, im especially interested in how it sounds versus other top popular 12AU7s.
To my ears the biggest change was in clarity. I didn’t use the HA-6A with the stock 12AU7s for very long; so honestly, not much of a reference to base a comparison. Rather, “well that’s a lot more clear and punchy” came to mind. With the stock rectifiers and power tubes, I personally considered the G73-Rs to be “too sharp” for my tastes. This was balanced by switching to a KT88. Listening was done on a ZMF Caldera.
Added some power tubes SE KT88-STs. Finally getting close to the sound signature I like; interesting as I now prefer TR over UL using the KT88 vs stock EL34 (as I find the treble to be too piercing using UL). With stock EL34 I almost always used UL mode.
Anywho, I’m going to let this setup settle in and down for a few months before I research upgrading my DAC. Right now, I feel like I could use a bit smoother of a sound with the same technicality and detail retrieval. Perhaps a higher-end R2R (e.g., Yggy, Pontus 2, Spring) may do the trick?
Hello everybody, I am a new member of the forum and I come to introduce my chain: Source occupy a macbook pro, from dac a rme adi-2 dac fs, amplifier a cayin HA-6A and headsets the exquisite Susvara. The cayin I have with the gold lion KT88s of power stage and some tungsram in the pre-stage. I bought some Mazda Nos to replace the tungsram but they haven't reached me yet. As soon as I get there, I'll report the change in the sound.
Greetings
Cayin will debut the following product at the 2023 China Guangzhou International Headphone Expo (16-17 December 2023). I'll be traveling to Guangzhou to check out these new products and we shall provide more information about these new products after the Guangzhou event.
Just ordered the HA-6A and a bit overwhelmed reading through the pages on tube replacements. Going to be primarily running my Meze Elite and perhaps sometimes my Elysian Annihilator/Symphonium Crimson. I've seen various recommendations like the KT88s, Gold Lion 88s, KT88-ST and really not sure what direction to go. Googling some of these tubes as well, I'm not sure what sites are reliable and I'm a little worried I'd be ordering the wrong thing. Can anyone recommend and shoot some links for 2 x 22DE4, 2 x AU7EH and 2x EL34EH?
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SE KT88-STs. Finally getting close to the sound signature I like; interesting as I now prefer TR over UL using the KT88 vs stock EL34 (as I find the treble to be too piercing using UL). With stock EL34 I almost always used UL mode. 
