[HiFiWar]

Well, it's really hard to test the Cayin 8 against the Ferrum ERCO 2 since switching between them is not a seamless process - going to do my best. Interestingly, with the Cayin 8 on high gain and the ERCO 2 on high, they share approximately the same volume position with a comfortable listening level, around 1130 o'clock. I'm comparing them both in solid-state mode to make it fair using my Susvara, most recent revision. I get more mid-bass from the ERCO 2, but more sub-bass from the Cayin 8. The mid-bass on the Cayin 8 is more forward than the ERCO 2. These have two completely different DAC chips and setups, but surprisingly they sound somewhat comparable. The vocals on my mids test song are forward and extremely clear on the Cayin 8. The highs are more pronounced on the ERCO 2 and the vocals are slightly more distant. Female vocals are also more prominent on the Cayin 8. Distorted guitars on the ERCO 2 sound sick and the high-hats in the background come across cleanly with some excellent vocal reproduction. Guitars are less pronounced on the Cayin 8 as are the high-hats. Using a song to specifically test for sibilance and highs, the Cayin 8 is pretty sharp on this song, which is pretty typical, and the cymbals are a little recessed in the background. The cymbals on the ERCO 2 are less recessed, and the sibilance is still there, but less sharp. It's an overall better highs presentation on the ERCO 2 for my preference. The soundstage and imaging on the CAYIN 8 is excellent, putting the instruments exactly where they should be and providing a large soundstage without feeling distant. The ERCO 2 is pretty similar here with more pronounced guitars, but with a smaller soundstage - imaging remains on par.

These systems are pretty close in price and perform pretty close as well. The big different here is that the ERCO 2 is an all-in-one box, which is truly impressive how it performs for its size. It also doesn't have a tube option and the Cayin 8 looks significantly nicer. Additionally, the ERCO 2 requires an adapter to use a 4-pin XLR cable, while the CAYIN 8 does not. The filters on the Cayin also provide a little more tuning ability. So, if you need a simple AIO box, the ERCO 2 is pretty great and provides similar power to the Cayin 8. If you are cool with the 2-box (or 3) system, the Cayin 8 is very good. Now I just need to decide which one to keep...or maybe I'll keep the RME - choices, choices, choices. Leaning towards the Cayin 8 at the moment.

 

[Erick Muller]

Looking forward for an in-depth review of this amp and it's accompanying new DAC in conjunction to see if this combo would be a worthwhile upgrade.

 

[Andykong]

I gotta wonder, if hyper mode makes it sound better, then why have a button for it at all? Why not just make that the default? Who is the person choosing less quality on a $1k amp?

I have it on hyper with low gain at around 1 o'clock, 3 o'clock would be way too loud for me on my test songs, except for one quiet one. I'll post more comparisons and tonality when I have some free time later.

@HiFiWar I moved this dialog to iHA-8 for the benefit of other Headfiers who might be interested in this headphone amplifier.

The concept of Hyper mode originated from the N30LE DAP, what we had in mind was to put aside the practicality, drive the circuitry to its engineering limit, and maximize the audio performance. When N30LE hit the market, the feature was very well received, to the level that they believe HYPER mode is the only choice for N30LE. I keep saying that this is a matter of preference and synergy (with earphones and choice of music). We are now half a year after the N30LE launch, and we have started to see some users voice up that they found other modes more in line with their taste, or they can't use Hyper mode with a particular headphone/earphone.

The Hyper mode improves the technicality of the amplifier, but better technicality is not always a winner, especially after you use the amplifier for a long duration. Sometimes you need the last drop of technicality when you pair it with a particular headphone, or when you play a very complex Symphony Orchestra. However, when you want to appreciate the mode and emotion of a simple music piece, something as simple as folk guitar backing up a female vocal, you want to put musicality as the priority of this playback.

Hype mode and standard mode complement each other, and having a choice at your finger tip is the biggest advantage of iHA-8.

 

[Polky74]

I have two doubts about the new iHA-8 and the differences with the old iHA-6.
1) Does it also have the possibility of being set with current amplification? (like the iHA6)
2) Is it also equipped (like the iHA-6) with an internal balancer that balances the signal of an unbalanced source allowing balanced headphones to be connected to it?

Thanks.

 

[justin Montagano]

How many volts is this amp able to deliver? I'm thinking of buying the cayin for the tungstens. Thank you

 

[Z_Showmaster]

How many volts is this amp able to deliver? I'm thinking of buying the cayin for the tungstens. Thank you

In Hyper mode, swing goes to +-15v.

 

[Hoondarrh]

How many volts is this amp able to deliver? I'm thinking of buying the cayin for the tungstens. Thank you

From the calculations, seems like voltage is right around 20 (in Hyper) based on the provided numbers.

 

[Andykong]

I have two doubts about the new iHA-8 and the differences with the old iHA-6.
1) Does it also have the possibility of being set with current amplification? (like the iHA6)
2) Is it also equipped (like the iHA-6) with an internal balancer that balances the signal of an unbalanced source allowing balanced headphones to be connected to it?

Thanks.

iHA-8 converts the single-ended intput to balanced before feeding the signal to subsequent amplifcation stages. If you check out the functional diagram of iHA-8 in the opening post, you'll find the single-end to differential conversion process, and I have highlighted the process below for your reference.

the iHA-8 does not have a current mode like the iHA-6. We have compared the current mode setting and Hype mode setting in the iHA-8 prototype, and we prefer the Hyper mode setting, so we decided to replace the current mode feature with the Hyper mode.

For the record, the iHA-6 does not feature current amplification. We have a current mode setting that allows the user to set the output to High Current or standard current. You can receive the output of the amplifier as a zero-sum game when you increase the current output, the voltage output will be reduced, so we merely adjust the "mix" between voltage and current. This must not be misunderstood as current amplification offered by brands such as Questyle, Bakoon, or Enleum (HPA-23rm).

The Hype mode, on the other hand, can increase the current output of the amplification without decreasing the voltage output. We achieve this by changing the power supply condition, something that we can' achieve with iHA-6 high current mode.

 

[Erick Muller]

From the calculations, seems like voltage is right around 20 (in Hyper) based on the provided numbers.

Seems about right, just enough for what Ryan recommended for Tungsten. And again if people are reporting that Jot2 can run Tungsten fine, this amp should be able to do so too, as long as you are listening at reasonable levels, otherwise, get a speaker amp.

 

[Polky74]

the iHA-8 does not have a current mode like the iHA-6. We have compared the current mode setting and Hype mode setting in the iHA-8 prototype, and we prefer the Hyper mode setting, so we decided to replace the current mode feature with the Hyper mode.

For the record, the iHA-6 does not feature current amplification. We have a current mode setting that allows the user to set the output to High Current or standard current. You can receive the output of the amplifier as a zero-sum game when you increase the current output, the voltage output will be reduced, so we merely adjust the "mix" between voltage and current. This must not be misunderstood as current amplification offered by brands such as Questyle, Bakoon, or Enleum (HPA-23rm).

The Hype mode, on the other hand, can increase the current output of the amplification without decreasing the voltage output. We achieve this by changing the power supply condition, something that we can' achieve with iHA-6 high current mode.

Precisely for this reason what you are saying, I had already discovered, by doing tests, that for headphones that require a lot of current such as the Hifiman HE6, the iHA-6 expressed more power and a better experience with the standard current setting. However, by setting the High Current mode too many watts were lost which were useful for driving the HE6s better. Will this also be the case for the new Hyper mode? Will it be preferable with headphones like the HE6 compared to the standard mode or will the power decrease significantly with that too? Thank you.

 

[Z_Showmaster]

Precisely for this reason what you are saying, I had already discovered, by doing tests, that for headphones that require a lot of current such as the Hifiman HE6, the iHA-6 expressed more power and a better experience with the standard current setting. However, by setting the High Current mode too many watts were lost which were useful for driving the HE6s better. Will this also be the case for the new Hyper mode? Will it be preferable with headphones like the HE6 compared to the standard mode or will the power decrease significantly with that too? Thank you.

The early impressions of @HiFiWar with his Susvara should clarify whether iHA-8 meets the requirements.

I have it on hyper with low gain at around 1 o'clock, 3 o'clock would be way too loud for me on my test songs, except for one quiet one.

 

[Polky74]

The early impressions of @HiFiWar with his Susvara should clarify whether iHA-8 meets the requirements.

I read that we talk about listening volume, but driving headphones isn't just about making them play loud... there are much more important things than volume in driving headphones. You can have very loud volumes but still have an empty sound, with little dynamics, little bass, etc.. etc.. just the volume is not enough.

 

[Z_Showmaster]

Not very sure how we can help you more in our notes, other than to say iHA-8 does the big Hifimans justice in every way.

See if you can get a listen around.

 

[Polky74]

Not very sure how we can help you more in our notes, other than to say iHA-8 does the big Hifimans justice in every way.

See if you can get a listen around.

Maybe I didn't explain myself well since my native language is not English, but my question was different... I wanted to know if using the Hyper function with the iHA-8 was preferable or not when used with headphones that require a lot of power (HE6/Susvara), as the iHA-6 (which I own) doesn't seem to benefit from using the high current setting with that type of headphones. I hope I explained myself better.

 

[mfgillia]

Seems about right, just enough for what Ryan recommended for Tungsten. And again if people are reporting that Jot2 can run Tungsten fine, this amp should be able to do so too, as long as you are listening at reasonable levels, otherwise, get a speaker amp.

Alternatively, get one of Cayin's OTC headphone tube amplifiers with more power available at higher impedances.