Cayin Audio, you keep outdoing yourself. When every release from these innovators is expected to be a revolution, N8II had to break significant new ground. This tube or solid-state flagship music player achieves exactly that, with upgrades on every front. N8II plays with a deftness of touch to dynamics, realistic distances and imaging, plus a soundstage bathed in a gentle light that is at the same time detailed but never fatiguing. Headfonics heard N8ii up Cayin's tube DAP game. It went right onto Headfonia's Recommended Buys list. Twister6 heard "Cayin take their original N8 DAP to a whole new level ... beyond of 'everything but the kitchen sink'". Ear Fidelity declares it a "masterclass of a DAP", with "tube and Class A a game changer". Dual ROHM BD34301EKV DAC chips make their debut in N8II and portable audio, fronted by a full Google Play Android 9 operating system. That all feeds Cayin's new timbre selector that applies to both balanced and single-ended discrete amplifier outputs. [See Product Desc. For More] Four years in the making since Cayin's original N8 made history as the first portable tube music player ever, N8II achieves what its predecessor couldn't even have begun to dream of. It doubles up on its 6P1 tube complement in its small signal gain stage, packing two of Nutube's direct-heated dual triodes for true balanced, differential, operation from either its 4.4mm or 3.5mm outputs.  N8II's Nutubes can be turned on or off on both outputs to match your listening preferences. If you choose to bypass tubes, signal direct from the DACs runs to the power stage, benefitting your gear that loves the precise, clean detail associated with transistors. READ ALSO DAPs have gone down the tube Taking inspiration from Cayin's tube/solid-state C9 portable amplifier, N8II's differential analog design relies heavily on common-mode rejection to serve as a clean, transparent – but never sterile – flagship reference with 125dB of signal-to-noise ratio. A marvel of miniaturisation, N8II packs C9's discrete power stage, operating in switchable Class A or Class AB to put out up to 1,200 milliwatts. This bias system ensures the output of watts that are supreme in quality – a result of individual transistors being turned on and operated where their open-loop linearity is optimal to further push distortion down. Cayin leave you the ability to boost N8II's operating voltage beyond 7 volts, further ensuring transistor linearity while guaranteeing headroom for large dynamic swings on bigger cans that need it. However, it's not only about the quantity of power, but more importantly the quality. Signal integrity is key. N8II's volume control remains fully analog, eschewing a lossy digital control thanks to JRC's NJW1195A resistor ladder part, implemented only after the gain stage. Any attenuation is kept far away from the delicate output signal from new ROHM DACs – of which Cayin's implementation has been key. READ ALSO C9 – nothing is too extreme for Cayin BD34301EKV decodes DSD as a native 1-bit stream without PCM processing, owing to N8II's external analog volume control. ROHM's flagship chip's ability to output analog in current, pushing distortion figures down and upping tuning potential via N8II's extensive current-to-voltage I/V converter, also cannot be overlooked. This small-signal segment beginning from the ROHM DACs has been overbuilt for a music player. But what might be considered extreme elsewhere, is only expected from Cayin. Currawong says "N8II is for people who must have the best DAP of its kind, regardless of the cost".  ROHM's input signal processing via dither and advanced clock handling, plus a chip layout that's been streamlined for silent operation, are also talked up. N8II's FPGA feeds a pristine I2S signal to the dual DACs, after which they are upsampled by up to 32 times before being converted according to ROHM's linear-phase digital filters. Cayin have deployed the perfect Google Play-based Android 9 UI to feed every imaginable kind of content to its shiny new digital sub-system hardware. Direct Transport Audio bypasses otherwise mandatory sample rate conversion of stock Android. So play Tidal 16X MQA, Qobuz and Hi-Res Lossless Apple Music as the file was originally encoded with full confidence, with no undue digital tampering. The flexibility yielded by Cayin's Snapdragon 660 CPU and 6GB of RAM running optimised Android 9 is phenomenal, and fully at the service of N8II – Head-Fi's most advanced and complete music player in 2022. Those wanting more horsepower yet from Cayin can look at C9 as a potential stacking option from N8II's balanced line-outs here, browse Cayin's other revolutionary products here, or view all our other music players here.

Cayin Audio's famed amplification packs up to join you back on the road with the launch of C9, featuring 4.4mm and 3.5mm inputs and outputs. Headfonics praise it to the roof as it "revitalises tubes on the go, a traditional niche in our hobby that seems to be forgotten", going on to name it Best Portable Amp of 2021. This battery-powered, tube and solid-state hybrid lands in time for use on your office desks and in hotel rooms, establishing your reference headphone listening anywhere you so choose. [See Product Desc. For More] C9 is a fully-balanced, truly differential amplifier built upon the essentials establishing a device as basically thoroughly engineered. READ ALSO The full blow-by-blow story of C9's technical innovations A high operating voltage of more than eight volts and a reliance on discrete parts for over 90 per cent of the design means C9 is not only capable of putting out over 4 watts per channel, but also ensuring it is the cleanest, most linear kind of signal possible. Achieving 125dB of signal-to-noise ratio would not have been otherwise possible in a discrete design, with all the benefits that brings, without exacting layout. The input section exists on the popular Nutube. C9's dual timbre circuit revolves around two of Korg's fluorescent triodes or toggled solid-state FETs, the philosophical transistor alternative. READ ALSO C9 blurs the line with desktop amplifiers The delicate input signal is then passed to a discrete solid-state output stage that can be switched between working in pure Class A mode or Class AB. Built with individual transistors of Cayin's choosing allows great control over tuning and an innately linear open-loop circuit, with minimal negative feedback, to be fashioned, while producing genuine current for demanding headphone loads. C9 is a brute in ballet shoes, confirmed by the big volume pot controlling dual precise MUSES resistor ladder attenuator parts occurring after the driver stage, kept far from the input signal for maximum integrity.  Line outputs from Cayin's own N7, HiBy Music's R6III plus R2R RS6, and iBasso Audio's DX320 will never be better pampered than via C9. Use it in a mobile stack acting as the platform for Hedd's HEDDphone® – absolutely recommended, says Ear Fidelity – MYSPHERE 3.2, Rosson Audio Designs, plus almost any ABYSS or HIFIMAN, to shine. "And while DAPs come and go", Twister6 believes "C9 should last you a while to enhance any source you pair it up with". Headfonia say it "should really be the first amp to look at to get four completely different sound signatures that's simply impressive". See how Cayin's design chops translate to their desktop amplifier offerings here, or view our other DAC and amplifier offerings here.

"Anticipated but unpredictable" is the slogan that fronts Cayin Audio's N3 Pro tube music player, and isn't that an apt statement. This actual Raytheon JAN6418 vacuum tube entry-level music player from Head-Fi's tube specialists packs a dual operation (triode or ultra-linear) mode from its 3.5mm output. [See Product Desc. For More] That's before you want to enjoy the detail its 4.4mm solid-state output unearths from dual AKM4493 DAC chips. The switch from emotion to precision is stark. The expectations that follow from the entry tier of portable players completely surpassed. READ ALSO DAPs just went down the tube with Cayin's N3 Pro Sheer versatility had Headfonia impressed. Headfonics "noticed just how many different IEMs I was trying with the N3 Pro's various timbre modes just to see which came out on top". The Headphone List recognised Cayin's need to innovate again. Naturally open, tube mode isn't shy passing high-frequency information. It's perfect for opening up the sound of Acoustune's HS1300SS and HS1695TI, Campfire Audio's Solaris 2020, DUNU's Luna, Grado Labs' Hemp Headphone, Ikko Audio's OH7, Sony's IER-M9, and even the Empire Ears Legend X and Valkyrie II. It's a story that sells itself before its sound does, another on Cayin's long list of firsts told in the form of 10 pages that you can read here. Not content to say they offer the first vacuum tubes in a music player, the ability to toggle amounts of negative feedback via triode and ultra-linear mode is unsurpassed and documented separately here. Also look at N3 Pro's flagship N8 brother here, browse the rest of Cayin's offerings here, or check out the rest of our music players here.

By popular request – iBasso Audio send DX300 and DX320 further down the tube with their balanced Nutube 4.4mm Amp14 amplifier card. Twister6 loved "fine-tubing" the sound! Building on Amp13, and the clamour for a balanced version on the back of its success, iBasso have come up with another Nutube module capable of swinging twice as much output voltage for bigger Focal and Fostex headphones.  iBasso's DX3XX series is a great platform to launch a design as ambitious as Amp14, with its dedicated analog section battery and extra chassis space for an uncompromising audio circuit put to great use here. Amp14 is the natural evolution for DX320, its strong liquidity and air the natural complement to one of Head-Fi's most detailed music players – despite its Nutube's cathode input providing strong immunity to Wi-Fi and external interference, in a reference implementation of Korg's direct-heated triode. [See Product Desc. For More] Placed at the voltage gain stage where it will yield the biggest sonic impact, the small output of Amp14's Nutube then gets boosted by Toshiba FET buffers. The differential stage begins there while preserving the square law function of the Nutube, and grants the voltage section enough juice to drive the rest of Amp14's solid-state output stage.  DX320's dynamic range is maintained through two NJR NJU72315 digitally-controlled analog volume parts. The fully balanced, differential, Amp14 is additionally able to count on common-mode rejection plus adequately applied negative feedback for more linearity and less distortion and noise. The separate 2,000mAh analog battery aboard the DX3XX line supplies the backbone of power for Amp14's high operating voltages, with clean, individual DC power sections for crucial parts of the module including a 14 volt supply for the Nutube's anode. Dual Texas Instruments OPA1622 op-amps make up Amp14's power stage with operating voltages of 8 volts, such that higher impedance transducers are given the swing necessary to perform. A dedicated 4.4mm line-out section on Amp14 also supplies DX320's excellent small signal to an outboard amplifier. Such is expected of a high-performance iBasso Amp14 module that yields excellent distortion and noise specifications, while capturing the romance of tubes in DX320. ichos-reviews says Amp14 completes iBasso's family of amp cards with its natural timbre. Also view Amp13 here, all of iBasso's other portables here, and our music player catalogue here.

If you're going to add a tube to a circuit then put it on the input, and that's exactly what Audio-Technica have done with their hybrid AT-BHA100 headphone amplifier. Four ECC83S tubes take care of voltage gain, leaving the heavy lifting to a solid-state power stage built from discrete components. [See Product Desc. For More] With balanced connections back and front, AT-BHA100 promises source and especially headphone versatility from the Audio-Technica stable and beyond, those from Focal, Rosson Audio Design, Sennheiser and ZMF Headphones also being present. Alternatively, share the fun and listen with a partner through the use of two single-ended outputs each with their own volume knob! Tuned with a reference sound flat from bottom to top with beautiful sparkle in the highs, this is one infinitely pleasing listen your headphones will never tire of. We've been impressed by Benchmark Media's DAC3 supplying AT-BHA-100's signal. Also check out the rest of Audio-Technica's catalogue here, or view our other amplifiers here. 

Adding scale and stage to Feliks Audio's impressive Echo II is Elise. Tube character abounds but never enough to take away the life-like realism of actual music in this OTL amplifier in single-ended triode format, based on the 6SN7 driver stalwart. You'll struggle to dispute Elise's quality at portraying an orchestral piece of work, or its magic synergy with Audio-Technica, Sennheiser or ZMF Headphones. Give it one listen, or many. Rarely will a single piece of gear fit as many sources, genres or set-ups. [See Product Desc. For More] Its mids are liquid and forward, great to address any flaws still present in your flagship cans. Warm, natural and wholesome even harmonic sound dominates – a direct result of Elise's single-ended Class A topology. The holy grail of all bias schemes isn't undertaken lightly, and new current sources ensure Feliks Audio's classic single-ended triode amplifier runs stably fully biased at all output levels. This is a decidedly low-distortion affair in an inherently linear amplifier given high tube operating voltages and current. Transconductance increasing with bias current is optimal. And while tube imaging, emotiveness and liquidity is de facto, Elise always sounds natural and fully transparent. Indeed, despite its mid-range vivacity, a massive audio bandwidth is guaranteed given its output transformer-less OTL construction. Literally nothing separates you from your music. Pairs of 6SN7 and NOS 6N13S tubes power your headphones directly, without any chunk of iron in the signal path.  Elise champions frequency extension – the fast, deep bass and airy, open highs from the best OTL associations to perfect phase reproduction and respectable damping factor – therefore. Long tube operating lifespans come courtesy of improved thermal management and more efficient passive cooling driving up to 60 per cent lower operating temperatures in the incumbant, versus its predecessor. Really, it's never only about the parts, and Elise is further proof boasting a new tube cathode heater and power supply design derived from the flagship Euforia. Great design nous gives a premium, Polish-built amplifier the platform to perform quietly and transparently.  Whether you go up or down, you'll be served browsing the rest of Feliks Audio's offerings here, or all our other DAC & amp options here.

Purity of sound is everything that Feliks Audio is about, and Euforia EVO is the full realisation of that legacy. This uber-revealing output transformer-less OTL tube amplifier built on the CV-181 (6SN7 derivative) unearths every detail in your music. Now with a 4-pin XLR output for balanced connections, EVO bears similar upgraded parts broadly carried over from the Feliks Euforia Anniversary Edition. EVO is a Headfonics pick for hours of fatigue-free listening, a Headfonia Recommended Buy, and "wildly recommended" by Ear Fidelity. UPOCC copper wiring in the signal path, enhanced coupling capacitors and a power transformer with great AC line performance come as standard. EVO sets a new benchmark of stock transparency that will serve you well with many an Audio-Technica, Sennheiser or ZMF Headphones. Feliks present the Euforia line its latest, timeless, new member ... in a beautiful satin gloss black finish packing sound quality that will remain unrivalled for years. [See Product Desc. For More] As another single-ended triode amplifying in Class A, EVO remains fully transparent and yet never overbearing in its presentation of detail. Natural and wholesome even harmonic sound dominates – a direct result of EVO's single-ended Class A topology. The holy grail of all bias schemes isn't undertaken lightly, and rock-solid current sources ensure Feliks Audio's flagship OTL runs stably fully biased at all output levels. This is a decidedly low-distortion affair in an inherently linear amplifier given high tube operating voltages and current. Transconductance increasing with bias current is optimal. And while tube imaging, emotiveness and liquidity is de facto, EVO always sounds natural and fully transparent. Certainly, a massive audio bandwidth is guaranteed given its output transformer-less OTL construction. Literally nothing separates you from your music. Pairs of transparent CV-181 drivers and NOS 6N13S tubes power your headphones directly, without any chunk of transformer iron in the signal path.  This Feliks champions frequency extension – the fast, deep bass and airy, open highs from the best OTL associations. Phase reproduction in the audible human hearing range is stellar, and dynamics crash especially potently bottom to top, rivalling even the best solid-state competition. Boasting a new 4-pin XLR connection, EVO eschews the headphone cable adapter you might have used with its predecessors, powering your flagship cans even more directly in the spirit of maintaining total purity. This makes the case of EVO being the only amplifier you need – at least, till you aim for the extreme Envy... Whether you go up or down, you'll be served browsing the rest of Feliks Audio's offerings here, or all our other DAC & amp options here.

If HA-6A and HA-300 MKII were amps you would argue for, HA-3A is the one that's impossible to argue against. Cayin Audio managed to wrap a single-ended Class A 6V6 tube amplifier into a compact A4 sized package, for desktop headphone versatility. Weighing in at just over 10KG, not one gram is wasted with Cayin packing their famed power and output transformer iron into even the smallest member of the pack. It immediately leapt onto Headfonia's Recommended Buys list for a reason. HA-3A is Headphone Guru's "slice of heaven", bringing the benefits of transformers designed and built in-house to meet the demands of modern headphones – both planar-magnetic and dynamic, high or low impedance. [See Product Desc. For More] Flexibility might be the first topic discussed with the lightweight and compact HA-3A, but compromise in quality was never an option. Cayin's point-to-point wiring is de facto again for signal integrity, and the EI core output transformers utilise their shape to take the transparency of 6V6 power tubes out beyond the human hearing range. These power tubes popularised by their use in Gibson and Fender electric guitar amplifiers are run in single-ended Class A. Linearity is a given through the holy grail of bias operation, even at this price point, while tube operating voltages allow for large operating points. Distortion is below even the threshold of HA-3A's bigger HA-6A and HA-300 MKII brothers – clipping theoretically only occurring beyond the former's maximum power envelope.  And any distortion will be of the even-order variety expected of tube amplifiers, for a smooth, warm and holistic sound. 25AX4GT tube rectification rounds out a fully-regulated linear power supply built around Cayin's in-house toroidal power transformer. In there is Cayin's promise – for low cost of entry, weight and size, the flagship trappings of HA-3A are impossible to deny. A regulated linear power supply, Class A bias, high tube operating voltages, low capacitances, even-order harmonics and EI core output transformers ensure Cayin's baby of the bunch gets mentioned over similarly-priced solid-state competitors, and even higher-priced tube alternatives. For those shopping with limitations to size and weight, HA-3A absolutely sounds like an offering without limitations. Particularly if Audio-Technica, Sennheiser and ZMF Headphones are your typical port of call.  As for those without space or weight constraints, make the HA-6A and HA-300 MKII your first candidates, or view Cayin's other offerings here and our other desktop amplifiers here.

There is always something futuristic about R2R, so the R2R EF400 is not exactly out of type for HIFIMAN whose spirit for innovation spurred them to develop this DAC/amp. It's on Headfonia's Recommended Buys list as "one of the best all-in-ones". Headfonics concur EF400 is a huge crowd pleaser. It's an Audiophilia Star Component. Taking the company's discrete R2R Himalaya DAC and slapping on a 4.4 watt per channel amplifier, EF400 is HIFIMAN's claim that they are all you'll need to run a complete personal audio chain on your desktop. [See Product Desc. For More] EF400 wildly outperformed Ear Fidelity's expectations who didn't expect HIFIMAN's pedigree at building great headphones to extend to an amplification system. It's the best Audiophile Heaven can recommend today. Disregarding its entry-level standing, this diminutive powerhouse is a statement of technological ambition from China's leading headphone manufacturers, changing the game by equipping all levels of Head-Fi with an extremely capable source.  HIFIMAN originally developed its discrete Himalaya R2R for its portable bluetooth gear. But ever one to dream, Fang Bian's team strapped its technology to original DSP work carried on a FPGA and a massive toroidal linear power supply, before stepping back to marvel at their progress. The promises EF400 make in terms of fidelity and power output are not small. Head-Fi has paid attention when Himalaya decodes up to 24/192 PCM ala typical R2R – NOS (non-oversampling). That's double the feat because the precision demanded in exact resistor values – for the buttery, natural and resolving ability that R2R DAC topology is known for – goes up. For an entirely different sound otherwise, EF400's grants users the ability to switch from NOS to oversampling mode, for the cleanest possible result. That scrubs any last distortion and artifacts beyond the audible human hearing range, claiming over 115dB of signal-to-noise ratio. That's signal that sees EF400 output in fixed voltage via line XLRs and RCAs, in the sense of a conventional DAC. But HIFIMAN – famous for its immensely challenging Susvara and HE6 – challenge you to bring its balanced headphone outputs to bear. A full balanced, differential, Class A/B amplifier swings plenty of signal voltage and backs that signal up with a power stage bristling with current, to claim a mighty 4.4 watts of power. That's power beyond measure but HIFIMAN says it's always better to have more than you need. So EF400 can go about driving the likes of their headphones, plus any HEDDphone, Sennheiser or ZMF Headphones, with tons of headroom, and no worry at all.Throw any headphone at EF400: you won't regret it. Also, view our other offerings from HIFIMAN here, or our other amplifiers here.

For OTL tube manufacturers Feliks Audio, the route to the top of Head-Fi's hill ran contrarian with massive output transformers – and still proved to be the Envy of everyone. A flagship powerhouse amplifier, its design centered around famed 300B tubes. While Echo II to Euforia had proven to be delicate, pure and low-powered affairs, there is nothing subtle about the construction of Envy. Feliks set out to build the ultimate tube amplifier pushing over 5 watts of Class A power at clipping. Effortlessly able to drive Susvara – in fact lauded by Ear Fidelity and Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity as the best headphone amp they've heard HIFIMAN's flagship through – Envy is a true statement of ambition by these prolific Poles. Headfonia warn it'll be the Envy of you after electing it to their Recommended Buys list. And Headfonics call it an essential demo if you want to elevate any elite flagship headphone. [See Product Desc. For More] As you'd expect of a statement amplifier, Envy can have no weaknesses. Depending on output transformers for brute power, this Feliks flagship still retains all the purity that this brand has come to be defined by. It's a champion of frequency extension both up and down; chunks of iron in the signal path or not. Running in single-ended Class A to preserve the all-important even order harmonics triode enthusiasts crave from such topologies, Envy is inherently linear. Its high operating voltage and high bias means that its entire circuit operates stably with zero feedback. That's aided by the use of 300B tubes providing Feliks Audio access to square law and load-line characteristics to push distortion down from the drawing board. Triode plate impedance also means that any clipping is soft and graceful, veering from harshness. Running in the open loop doesn't stop Envy from producing enormous frequency extension up to 100Khz at -3dB. The preservation of high-frequency triode transparency is certainly no mean feat without the aid of negative feedback. Meanwhile, the finest coupling capacitors and its large output transformers sees low frequencies plumb down to 8Hz – truly subterranean levels, for a tube amplifier of any sort. WATCH ALSO Timelapse: the painstaking hand-assembly of Envy This Feliks frequency extension pays off in truly flat phase reproduction in the audible human hearing range, for impactful bass and realistic portrayal of musical images. Dynamics are life-like and on par with the best solid-state amplifiers. Indeed, none of the resolution Feliks Audio has been associated with from its OTL work has been lost in Envy, bearing uber-revealing CV-181 drivers from Psvane. But users wanting to squeeze the final drops of detail have the opportunity to build this behemoth in its Performance Edition, featuring UPOCC point-to-point copper wiring, and upgraded 300B power tubes from Electro-Harmonix to Full Music for the ultimate signal path. Inside and outside, Envy is a prestige product that belongs in a reference Hi-Fi rack. Its balanced pre-amplifier outputs allow you to operate it just that way into a full-sized, stereo power amplifier, passing through the entire 6SN7-300B stage and out through the rear. Definitely place Envy somewhere prominent: you won't be able to tear yourself away from gazing upon its beautiful wood build, nor hearing this pinnacle, for long. Otherwise, seek Feliks Audio's other OTL builds if you're looking for a smaller footprint here, and our other amplifiers here.

Nutubes return to iBasso Audio, bigger and better through Amp13 for DX300 and DX320. The size and power supply afforded by their flagship music players allowed iBasso to take this tube design to new heights. That extra circuit board space has allowed Korg's sixth-generation Nutube direct-heated triode to achieve new levels of signal-to-noise ratio, transparency and output power. Holding its own even against its balanced Amp14 sibling, iBasso's Amp13 brings plenty of even-order harmonics to sweeten synergies given its single-ended operation throughout. Eschewing bridge-tied load operation means Amp13 also outperforms its counterpart into low impedances. Headfonics confirm Amp13 does all the above, offering the liquidity tube lovers desire. Musicality won out for Audio-Ph. Upgrading to iBasso's mature Nutube tech was totally worth it to Audiophile-Heaven. [See Product Desc. For More] Placed on Amp13's voltage gain stage where it will yield the biggest sonic difference, this Nutube's small output then gets boosted by a Toshiba FET buffer. This preserves Amp13's direct-heated triode square law, and grants it enough juice to drive the rest of the solid-state output stage.  READ ALSO DAPs have gone down the tube iBasso built Amp13 with dual 3.5mm outputs. The hybrid Nutube section directly feeds Amp13's low noise, low output port (2.5Vrms) for sensitive IEMs. Meanwhile, an intermediary solid-state driver stage gets added for the high output port (4.1Vrms) to push Focals and Fostexs needing more gain. DX320's dynamic range spec is maintained through NJR's NJU72315 digitally-controlled analog volume part, and iBasso hide yet another trick up their sleeve: forcibly driving the ground signal of Amp13 to increase output power and reduce noise. The separate 2,000mAh analog battery aboard the DX3XX line supplies the backbone of power for Amp13's high operating voltages, with four clean, individual DC power sections for crucial parts of the module. The anode packs 21 volts of supply, while eight volt output rails continue to maintain excellent open-loop linearity before negative feedback. Such is expected of a high-performance iBasso Amp13 module that yields excellent distortion and noise specifications, while capturing the romance of tubes in DX320. Also view Amp12 here, all of iBasso's other portables here, and our music player catalogue here.

Cayin Audio’s HA-300 MKII is upon us, to ensure the modern headphone enthusiast can continue to enjoy the magic from historic 300B tubes with any headphone. Important refinements over its predecessor include a MUSES72320 resistor ladder electronic volume control part. This preserves signal-to-noise ratio and channel balance down to the ALPS-controlled encoder's lowest level – perfect for however much, or little, travel you need. A 4.4mm output ensures yet more headphones can be plugged in via Pentaconn’s ubiquitous connector for transformer-balanced operation. With headphones having developed leaps and bounds since the turn of the decade, Cayin guarantee their latest and greatest flagship keeps up with the times. That was exactly as Headfonics discovered, such that any can thrown at it performed in ways not thought possible. [See Product Desc. For More] HA-300 MKII has been built again as a Class A single-ended triode amplifier to preserve the all-important even-order harmonics audio enthusiasts crave from such topologies. But Cayin's flagship remains a truly reference device. The direct-heated magic from Genelex PX300Bs – bearing the Gold Lion mark of quality – continues to provide Cayin with access to square law, load line and graceful soft-clipping triode functions at the drawing board to push down distortion without the crutch of negative feedback.  HA-300 MKII's high tube operating voltage ensures excellent open-loop linearity and additionally reduces the need for negative feedback. Clean power is supplied by a physically separated power supply built around a massive toroid. A choke input in tandem with a huge smoothing capacitor locks stable, quality, DC power in place without sag, post 22DE4 tube rectification. Indeed, power supply regulation is thorough, extending beyond typical small signal regions to encompass even the power stage and high-voltage sections of the amplifier. Huge EI-core output transformers with reinforcing shielding are wound in-house to Cayin’s exact spec for frequency extension at the extremes, lowering impedances and providing immense inductance for the lowest bass reproduction, plus great top-end transparency owing to their shape. Custom-built AudioCapX MultiCap coupling capacitors upgraded for MKII's signal path are also ideal for passing low frequencies and extending bass down to 10Hz. Phase reproduction in the audible human hearing range remains stellar as a result, with taut dynamics and impactful slam – not the wooly affairs of yesteryear's transformer amps. That high bandwidth gets delivered into any working personal audio transducer, with HA-300 MKII's output transformers allowing it to drive low-impedance, low-sensitivity planar-magnetic headphones balanced via 4.4mm and 4-pin XLRs pushing up to 6 watts on the front. That potent Class A power can even be switched to speaker terminals on the rear to drive high-impedance, high-sensitivity passive speakers from the likes of Rogers, DeVORE Fidelity or Zu Audio. What's crazier is this brute in ballet shoes produces next to no hiss into sensitive earphones via 4.4mm ... a true feat, barely imaginable, till this point. There is therefore almost no scenario in which you can't enjoy this HA-300 MKII behemoth. Or, employ a different Cayin specialist that you can browse here, and view all our other amplifiers here.

The star of the entry level demands your attention. Feliks Audio's Echo II defies what you'd come to expect from a beginner tube amp, blurring the lines between solid-state energy and natural tube tonality. Audiophile-Heaven rates Echo II one of the best introductions to OTL amplifiers. You'll want to test this out as your first amp for certain – pair this with a high-impedance headphone from Audio-Technica, Sennheiser or ZMF Headphones, and you're off to audio nirvana via the lively, energetic performance Echo II particularly excels at! [See Product Desc. For More] Coloured yet correct, there's still a tonal evenness throughout that means you can trust this is the way your music was meant to sound. Its ability to drive planar magnetic headphones has improved further, with increased power output offering more flexibility and synergy with such low-impedance transducers than ever before. The same is true of source selection, with three RCA inputs to choose from. Echo II's massive audio bandwidth is a plus at this price point and comes courtesy of an output transformer-less OTL construction. Affordability, it appears, is no excuse to compromise pure performance in Feliks Audio's books. With a pair of 6N6P and 6N1P tubes driving your headphones directly without a chunk of transformer iron in the signal path, there's literally nothing standing between you and your enjoyment of music. Here's a lesson of legacy technologies done right – already, the single-ended Class A nature of Echo II means you'll enjoy the audio gains from the holy grail of bias schemes, without paying an arm and a leg for warm, natural and wholesome even harmonic sound. You'll be able to see the explore what these traditional principles are capable of doing pushed to their maximum higher up Feliks Audio's line-up here, along with all our other DAC & amp options here.

Another Cayin Audio amplifier that lends you multiple variety. This mid-tier EL34 HA-6A with the top-tier sound gets praised by John Grandberg on Darko.Audio for its multiple flavours and way of excelling with all of them. The ability to roll between EL34 and KT88 power tube variants is special in the world of tube headphone amps. With 19 possible options split across HA-6A's driver and power tube permutations, these choices ensure Cayin's versatile champ is a tube roller's delight thanks to an unrivalled ability to customise the final sonics. No other amp let's you swap HA-6A's stock EL34s for Tung-Sol's 6L6GC STR – the "best modern example" of a model Justin Weber has gone on record calling the "greatest American power tube that ever existed".  Even a sonic hybrid between an EL34 and a KT88 surfaces through Genalex's Gold Lion KT77, like Tung Sol's 6L6 made newly under the quality control of New Sensor Corporation. And great driver tubes show up in JJ's ECC802S, long-plates that have been compared favourably to legendary Mullard and Telefunken options. In a direct shoot-out, even without the extra dimension tube rolling grants, one pundit gave HA-6A the upper hand over the previous usual suspect in class, Woo Audio's WA22. [See Product Desc. For More] Depending on your power tube choice, HA-6A has the ability to dump up to 4.5 watts per channel of pure Class A power into your cans, but that's just the beginning of the story. Large EI core output transformers built in-house to Cayin's spec means it's not just brute force but also finesse ensuring great, clean frequency extension at the bass and treble extremes – otherwise a weak point in other tube amplifiers. Meanwhile, a loosely wound EI core power transformer ensures greater AC line performance over a conventional toroid, avoiding saturation plus the negative impacts caused by the latter's high magnetic flux. A choke input in tandem with smoothing capacitors locks stable, quality, DC power for HA-6A in place without sag, post 22DE4 tube rectification. Running EL34s in either triode or ultra-linear mode, or aftermarket KT88s via a switch on the back, yields multiple pairings. Swap to taste, for perfect sound quality with your beloved TOTL headphones from Audio-Technica, Focal, Sennheiser and ZMF Headphones. Equip with an Element series DAC from Matrix Audio for Roon Ready and Tidal streaming. Make the step further up yet with Cayin's flagship HA-300B MKII here, browse the rest of Cayin's gear here, or check out our other amplifier options here.

Stax Audio's premier new hybrid tube/solid-state energiser is an earspeaker lover's heaven. With all the brawn necessary to drive the frightening proposition that is the SR-007 MKII, electrostatic aficionados will nevertheless equally enjoy the subtlety of an output stage fronted by the ubiquitous 6SN7 tube model and its variants. [See Product Desc. For More] SRM-700T takes a step back to allow the music to breathe, in a wide open and airy soundstage even by Stax standards. It's a different sonic outlook to the zealous SRM-T8000 and its vigorous SRM-700S sibling, worth exploring with every earspeaker to appreciate the nuances the oldest electrostatic headphone company can unearth. Also think about building a pseudo-full size earspeaker system with SRM-700T operating as a pure power amplifier. Front your system with Benchmark Media's DAC3 and HPA4 – Head-Fi's most precise pre-amp volume control – for that. While you're reading up, browse all Stax's other offerings here, or our other DAC/amps here.

The little desktop DAC that could. Cayin's iDAC-6II keeps up with the digital times by upgrading its silicone to ESS Sabre ES9028Pro level. This future-proofing meets the decidedly vintage, though. Opt to employ the tube analog output stage Cayin thoughtfully builds in, to enjoy the best of the past and the future. Excellent refinement of the technology at hand saw Headfonics remark on the iDAC-6II's ability to improve almost any system with its clean, sweet presentation. You'll be able to see everything from Cayin here and all our other DAC options here.

Power hasn't come in a more potent package than Cayin Audio's little desktop iHA-6. Up to seven watts per channel promises to drive every headphone with aplomb, including HiFiMAN's notorious HE-6, Arya and Susvara, plus all Dan Clark Audio FKA MrSpeakers. [See Product Desc. For More] With the ability to improve based on the quality of sources, building blocks for a fantastic desktop rig begins from the iHA-6, said John Grandberg for Innerfidelity. Its 95 per cent discrete design counts on modern power FETs to push some serious power into any pair of cans – this is not an overstatement. Power is not to be confused for loudness here. You'll be able to benefit from the inherent low internal gain typical of any Cayin discrete circuit to drive both the Focal Stellia and HE-6, plus everything in between, in the optimal range of iHA-6's volume control. For anyone familiar with what that means, it's a big deal. You'll also be able to see everything from Cayin here and all our other DAC & amp options here.

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