[HiFiWar]

Review is up: https://bytes-bull.com/2024/04/04/cayin-8-stack-iha-8-idac-8/ - overall a great system with a couple of flaws. Excellent value for what it offers though.

 

[Erick Muller]

Review is up: https://bytes-bull.com/2024/04/04/cayin-8-stack-iha-8-idac-8/ - overall a great system with a couple of flaws. Excellent value for what it offers though.

Really good review.

I'm not sure if it was in the review but did you try running the amp and the dac their pre amp mode?

 

[Andykong]

The i-Series iHA-8 is in action at Canjam Singapore 2024. If you were attending the event, you can check them out at booth F11-F14.

 

[HiFiWar]

Too bad you don't have the Wandla.
Cayin vs Ferrum stack would have been a nice comparison

I have them both. The 2x as expensive Ferrum stack didn't bring much extra to the table other than a better user interface, more power, a smaller/cooler form factor, and amp speaker outputs. Sound quality is pretty similar. I guess it's up to you if that worth $4k instead of $2k.

 

[droptables]

@HiFiWar are there any of your headphones that don’t synergize with the iha-8?

 

[Hoondarrh]

@Andykong Any update on the black finishes?

 

[HiFiWar]

@HiFiWar are there any of your headphones that don’t synergize with the iha-8?

If there are, I have yet to find it. The Cayin-8 stack is highly competent and the tubes on the iDAC-8 allow sharper headphones to be tuned warmer. That said, the Cayins are currently boxed up while I test the RME ADI for review. Therefor, they haven't gotten a ton of play time lately with some of my newer headphones like the R10, Redphone, or Grado. I'm not sure when my Caldera will come in either, but if I still have the Cayin stack then, I'll run it off them. Pendant SE will be interesting to try tubes from the RME and the iDAC-8 as sources as well.

 

[realmccoy]

Review is up: https://bytes-bull.com/2024/04/04/cayin-8-stack-iha-8-idac-8/ - overall a great system with a couple of flaws. Excellent value for what it offers though.

I find this part very strange for a reviewer to say
“Oddly, the RCA outputs are on the iDAC-8, not the iHA-8, despite it being a DAC without any headphone outputs. ”

DAC is a digital to analog converter, so it should have RCA and/or XLR output, or is it just me? I had to stop there cause that’s a big question mark on my head lol

 

[ThanatosVI]

I find this part very strange for a reviewer to say
“Oddly, the RCA outputs are on the iDAC-8, not the iHA-8, despite it being a DAC without any headphone outputs. ”

Seems like the Reviewer is a newbie that didn't grasp the functionality of DACs and amplifiers yet.

RCA outputs certainly should be on the DAC.
Only if the headamp also has preamp functionality it would have RCA pre outs