Cayin

The headline of BTC-2 might be its Bluetooth 5.1 LDAC, aptX™ HD and aptX™ Low Latency wireless inputs and outputs, but that doesn't quite cover all the functions that Cayin Audio's new desktop hub offers. With its ability to also act as a S/PDIF DAC from your TVs and game consoles, accept phono line inputs from turntables and transmit that signal to your wired earphones, headphones and amplifier, BTC-2 really could be the heart of your digital incomings and outgoings. [See Product Desc. For More] In its most basic function, Cayin's newest Bluetooth gizmo receives your stream in either LDAC or some of Qualcomm's new aptX codecs, before decoding that via a separate ESS Technology DAC and outputting in balanced 4.4mm to your headphones. But, change BTC-2 to accept analog line-inputs from your turntable, or S/PDIF in. Then proceed to switch modes and enjoy as Cayin's DAC within spits out converted analog to your traditional gear! It's a fantastic way to enjoy the sound of vinyl with your personal audio, for example. And while you may not use all the features now, never say never when BTC-2's has got you covered in the future. Check out the rest of Cayin's catalogue here, or view all our other Bluetooth devices here.

Designed by Cayin to fit C9 while keeping both style and functionality. The backplate has vented grilles for heat dissipation while you enjoy hours of pristine playback time offered by the incredible C9.

If you think you know how C9II sounds because it's a Class A tube/solid-state hybrid portable amplifier, Cayin Audio asks you to think again. The successor to the genre-defining C9 throws in local feedback adjustment around dual 6P1 Nutubes as well as its discrete solid-state output stage. That’s before anode voltage adjustment allows Cayin to reinvent the rule book, once again. It enters Headfonia's Hall of Fame for that. In its rawest form – with the barest minimum error correction around its Nutube voltage gain and transistor output stages – C9II is an exercise in circuit purity. It's a simple circuit that outperforms any complex one, especially in portable form factor. With Hyper mode, where operating voltage and bias gets pushed to the linear open-loop maximum, and full balanced differential operation, Cayin equipped C9II with the means to operate at its maximum in every possible mode of operation. [See Product Desc. For More] The vast majority of an amplifier's tuning comes from its initial input and voltage gain stages. Here, we see how far Cayin have come since C9 was released in 2021. A listener's ability to adjust every parameter including tube anode voltage and the feedback loop around Nutubes means up to five potential sonic signatures are possible. The operation of C9II's Gen 5 Nutube circuit in Classic mode reduces negative feedback to a bare minimum, increasing immersion with a simpler and faster circuit that avoids time lag and transient intermodulation distortion. Distortion figures also increase on paper but are of a low-order variety that is less jarring to the ear, compared to the complex intermodulation associated with unabated feedback levels. READ ALSO The full blow-by-blow story of C9II's development Here is where a good old linear open-loop circuit based on immaculate parts gain matching raises the victory flag. And that's before Class A bias and high operating voltages come into play, setting up C9II for success. You can even play with Nutube anode voltage for very audible sonic outcomes.  Throughout, C9II allows linearity specs to remain respectable even without error correction, because there are less errors to correct in the first place. Cayin's biggest asset in that regard comes from differential, balanced operation, where common-mode rejection enters the picture to amplify signal and block off non-linear distortion and noise.  While 6P1 Nutubes are always going to be the star of the show, and adaptable to sonic preferences and tastes, don't ignore C9II's solid-state input either.  Four channels of single-ended Class A Toshiba JFETs work in quasi-complementary fashion. Just NPNs, without PNP mismatches, plus even-order harmonics and square law make for a totally unique differential circuit in a portable set-up. Once you find your ideal match from five possible permutations, the input signal passes through JRC's MUSES 72320 resistor ladder volume controls – kept far away from the input and implemented only after the driver stage to preserve fragile small-signal integrity and excellent signal-to-noise ratio. This preserved resolution is handled all the way by a discrete transistor signal path. C9II's design is more than up to the task of preserving the signal – mere op-amp ICs need not apply. Instead of wasting their input stage advancements by entrusting the analog job to commercial ICs, Cayin's labour of love continued into its discrete, differential, output stage for common-mode rejection. C9II's driver section counts on all the benefits that come with a discrete FET & bipolar design – low open-loop gain and the resultantly lower negative feedback necessary, high slew rates, current-handling and unity gain stability.  Cayin's headphone power amplifier section is inherently stable without going into oscillation caused by too much gain product. The utmost attention is paid throughout. Differentiating itself from even other amplifiers that cling to op-amp layouts seeking THX-certification but with inordinate amounts of gain and feedforward/feedback, C9II's linearity remains excellent already in the open-loop, owing to its high operating voltages and bias. Those ensure individual transistors are working in optimum condition. Distortion and noise are kept low, without resorting to the excessive use of negative feedback. Cayin designed a true-balanced differential amplifier to further improve C9II's linearity, and you can count on common-mode rejection at its best whenever you plug in via 4.4mm preserving its resolution. It's an output stage that's direct-coupled to improve low-frequency performance, and C9II audibly plumbs the lowest bass depths. With the extension down low, phase reproduction in the audible human hearing range for taut, hard-hitting and life-like dynamics is excellent. At the tip of the power stage's spear, large bipolar devices work in parallel emitter-follower configuration to ensure excellent beta and current-handling for good reason, reaping the full benefit of Cayin's quad of 18650 batteries outputting direct DC and working without voltage boost conversion. These power transistors are linear enough in the open-loop, running fully biased and at high operating voltages, that they can be removed from the feedback loop with the push of a button. The reduction in feedback to simple local quantities innocuously just controlling small-signal gain means sound becomes all the more natural. A faster, simpler and more responsive circuit is just able to present musical information in a more effortless way.  Capable of following the impedances of the Empire Ears Raven, Odin and Legend Evo down low, Cayin's tradition building amplifiers that provide actual power as proper voltage sources into halving resistances continues with C9II. This is Cayin's latest exercise in old-school linear amplification brought away from the shackles of heavy hardware and into a portable future – with nary a compromise in sound, and adapted to manage the increasingly complex crossovers flagship IEMs represent. The versatility C9II yields in tuning options is only acknowledgement by Cayin for how much the portable audio market has grown. This Nutube hybrid promises to adapt to and improve your ever-changing transducers and portable sources, making you the chef that is in full control of the flavour of your audiophile nourishment. For much, much more detail into the portable technological advances C9II heralds, check out Cayin's full development story here plus the rest of their gear here, and all our other portable amplifiers here.

This is Cayin's first release of a 4.4mm balanced cable with 0.78mm 2-pin earphone connectors.  8-wire 28AWG hybrid cable + Unidirectional Crystalised OFC (30 Core Wire )+ Silver Alloy (30 Core Wire) Heat-shrink curling, over-the-ear design High quality gold plated connectors (resist oxidisation & corrosion) Plug: Gold plated brass 4.4mm Designed for the Cayin YB04, compatible with most earphones with 2pin connectors.

Carrying high fidelity audio signal with superior ductility and flexibility.// FEATURES- Sharp yet flexible, we choose premium material for every single cable and craft it with special annealing and recrystallization process- Strong tensile strength proven by conducting a series of professional test to ensure long-time usage in practical conditions- High quality gold-plated connectors that are resistant to corrosion or oxidation// SPECIFICATIONS- Conductor count: 24-core- Wire count: 8-wire- Cable: 8-core 6N Single Crystalized Copper

If HA-6A and HA-300 MKII were amps you would argue for, HA-2A is the one that's impossible to argue against. Building on HA-3A's success, Cayin Audio again wrapped a single-ended Class A NOS tube amplifier into a compact A4 size for the desktop ... but reduced size, weight and cost at the same time! HA-2A does that, but it's no OTL pussycat despite its reduced size and weight. More than anything, Cayin's baby of the bunch brings the benefits of output transformers designed and built in-house to meet the power requirement 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-2A, but compromise in quality was never an option. Headfonics say "HA-2A is a very endearing and well-equipped compact tube amplifier for space-conscious audiophiles". Cayin's point-to-point wiring is de facto again for signal integrity, and HA-2A's EI core output transformers surpass even HA-3A's, extending signal out to 50Khz. That frequency extension up high will already yield great improvements in HA-2A's mid-range and treble compared to HA-3A, with Cayin's latest preserving phase response in the human hearing range that much better for superior sound-staging, dynamics and imaging precision. Mixing fidelity that was once the domain of Output Transformer-Less (OTL) amplifiers in the same desktop footprint as iDAP-8 and iDAC-8, with actual power – all while reducing in price – is a true feat of Cayin.  The sense of value doesn't stop there, with premium New-Old Stock (NOS) valves – US-production Amperex ECF-82/6U8 driver and 17BF11 power tubes from the 1950s – included. Operating the ECF-82/6U8 only as a triode unlocks load line and soft-clipping functions at the drawing board. Their presence at the voltage gain stage is significant, where the majority of an amplifier's final sound signature is defined. HA-2A's novel implementation of the composite designs of both these driver and power tube types make for very interesting transfer characteristics and distortion curves. Still, linearity is a given through the holy grail of bias operation, even at this price point, while tube voltages allow for large operating points. Measured distortion is below even the threshold of HA-2A's bigger HA-6A and HA-300 MKII brothers.  And any distortion will be of the even-order variety expected of single-ended Class A amplifiers, for a smooth, warm and holistic sound. In there is Cayin's promise – for low cost of entry, weight and size, the flagship trappings of HA-2A are impossible to deny. Class A bias, high tube operating voltages, low capacitances, even-order harmonics and premium EI core output transformers ensure HA-2A gets mentioned over similarly-priced solid-state competitors, and even higher-priced tube alternatives. Even its power transformer is a loosely-wound EI core for greater AC line performance over a conventional toroid, avoiding saturation more naturally plus the negative effects of the latter's high magnetic flux and coupling between primary and secondary windings. Even for those shopping with limitations to size and weight, HA-2A's power supply is fully regulated and 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.

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.

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. Tube rectification rounds out HA-3A's 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 fully-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.

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.

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.

After the flagship N30LE music player that ended up receiving rave reviews for leashing AKM's vintage AK4499EQs to tubes, Cayin Audio are back with a valve iDAC-8 DAC/pre-amp that repeats the feat with the new AK4191EQ – AK4499EXEQ tandem. AKM's flagship digital ecosystem makes the claim to be the top dog among chips today, and iDAC-8 counts on that as it outputs via a quad of 6H6b-B tubes ... or its alternative, selectable solid-state path. Sophisticated, open and airy, there's a refined flavour imparted on top of iDAC-8's neutral yet forgiving transparency. Cayin intends for iDAC-8 to be used in tandem with their matching iHA-8 and iDAP-8. Its I2S and AES/EBU inputs certainly allow it to be a wonderful intermediary in digital-to-analog conversion duties.  iDAC-8 makes for a wonderful tube or solid-state pre-amp too. No matter how well its AK4191EQ's 64-bit digital filters and volume control perform, Cayin didn't opt for half-measures here. A JRC NJW1195A analog volume control is built in to avoid any digital loss, to preserve the resolution of iDAC-8 at any attenuation level. [See Product Desc. For More] A modern-day DAC is so much more than its DAC chips, and Cayin have gone the extra mile in hope of everyone seeing the extent of their efforts.  They ensure the very best platform for Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM)’s resurgent flagship DACs to make their mark. Back on their feet with a clean slate, AKM started afresh expanding the basic footprint of a single DAC chip IC into three separate parts – to similarly multiply capabilities by a factor of three. AKM’s AK4191EQ DSP is the brains of the operation, receiving pristine I2S clocking and data from Cayin's MCU. Aboard, AK4191EQ’s delta-sigma modulator takes advantage of its expanded, dedicated, silicone footprint to lay claim to the title of the first chip IC working at seven bits. These seven single-bit modulators flow on into Cayin's AKM 4499EXEQ DACs, one for each channel and built with a single purpose in mind: to turn the interpolated, noise-shaped, digital data it receives into the most precise analog waveform possible afforded by its large footprint. Silicone size matters when it comes to a great DAC IC, and AK4499EXEQ has it. Enabled by much more exact, matched resistors and capacitors aboard for precise DC single-bit decoding, plus dynamic element matching that is less burdened by switching errors – granted by parts accuracy from a bigger footprint. Any conversion errors from AK4499EXEQs outputting in current manifests as DC offset, and not total harmonic distortion, that is easily filtered out. Current analog outputs are expected of any source claiming to be high performance. Cayin's current-to-voltage I/V section follows these AK4499EXEQs, befitting of more expensive DACs and indeed chips that output analog in current for best distortion performances. Four 6H6b dual-triodes follow, divided into two separate pairs that each take care of balanced and single-ended outputs respectively. That's to implement each output specially, with Cayin paying particular attention to iDAC-8's RCAs – with which you can feed their Single-Ended Triode tube amps HA-2A, HA-3A, HA-6A and HA-300B particularly confidently bypassing the latter's input transformers for a cleaner, shorter signal path. These single-ended tubes operate in parallel and supply voltage gain in the stage where they will make the greatest sonic impact, before getting boosted by a Vishay FET buffer. This transistor preserves triode square law, and lowers output impedance to 60ohms granting iDAC-8's RCAs enough juice to drive downstream amplifiers. This low output impedance also ensures there's no risk of a high-pass filter forming with the input resistance of another amp. And to further prevent any loss in low frequencies, large coupling capacitors sit at iDAC-8's output to extend its full-range reproduction capably to 5Hz at -3dB. Phase response is therefore excellent in the human hearing range, preserving taut and fast bass. Its high frequencies also soar above 100Khz for preservation of pinpoint musical imaging, should you ever use this overachiever in a stereo speaker system. Its built-in analog pre-amp also keeps dynamic range high, even when you listen soft. These little elements in the signal path hint at Cayin's typical attention to detail. Its overbuilt power supply announces their extravagance in material cost building an affordable compact DAC. An over-specified 45 watt toroidal transformer, nearly 30,000 uF of filter capacitance, linear voltage regulators, dedicated tube and solid-state output supplies plus low-dropout regulators complete this mini-masterpiece of ambitious engineering. You'll want to connect as many of your digital sources as possible to iDAC-8. I2S compatibility is guaranteed via Cayin's own iDAP-6 and iDAP-8, as well as AES/EBU from Matrix Audio's Element S and iFi Audio's NEO Stream. CD players enjoy AES/EBU and coaxial RCA connections. And even TV audio benefits from its tube stage via optical. Check out the matching family iHA-8 and HA-2A for iDAC-8 today. Or, view the rest of Cayin's gear here, and our other desktop items here. 

A local file storage controllable by remote mobile app, Cayin's IDAP-6 outputs optimal digital signal to your downstream DAC. Pampering your precious DAC pays dividends: hear the difference in a clean AES/EBU output or I2S common to Cayin but also other Chinese DACs, such as Denafrips. Ask us about compatibility with your DAC today. You'll be able to see everything from Cayin here and all our other DAC & amp options here.

iDAP-8 isn't just a music server, streamer and transport: it's a totally modern computing solution that has the advantage of sounding good to boot from Cayin Audio. This Android 9-based network hub with Google Play Store aboard packs a Snapdragon 660 CPU as a show of maturity. iDAP-8 supports its smart UX with a FPGA that generates pristine I2s that are fed to digital outputs over HDMI and AES/EBU. Built as a matching addition to Cayin's iDAC-8 and iHA-8, all of iDAP-8's 128GB internal music storage, Hi-Res Lossless Apple Music and Tidal native Android streaming apps and network-based NAS audio can be accessed via HiBy Music's HiByCast and HiByLink. [See Product Desc. For More] Cayin leverages the vast leaps in consumer technology to deliver an OS that's super easy to use on iDAP-8. Streaming music has never been such a joy, and rarely has it sounded so good either. That's because, under the hood, iDAP-8 remains a very, very serious audiophile product. An overkill 45 watt toroidal transformer is the centrepiece of another crazy Cayin linear power supply, thoroughly regulated to provide the best platform for network music. Even while Wi-Fi and ethernet inputs, Bluetooth, USB port, SD card plus 2.5" SATA hard drive slot for optional 4TB expandable storage might get noisy, iDAP-8's signal path never does.  Its Snapdragon 660 processor receives your streams, including Apple Music and Tidal feeds that are protected by Direct Transport Audio preventing Android resampling. HiByCast screen mirroring helps you control iDAP-8's incomings and outgoings at a glance via your Android or iOS device from the comfort of your couch. Cayin's FPGA then processes the data and spits out pristine I2S with the help of dual Accusilicon oscillators providing bit, master and word clock references. These then get passed along to a I2S output via HDMI for a matching pin-out standard to iDAC-8, Matrix Audio, Denafrips and Wyred 4 Sound connections. Or, typical S/PDIF reliability can be found in the form of 110ohm AES/EBU to a dCS Lina, or 75ohm BNC plus RCA connectors. Android's flexibility and ease are not lost on Cayin as a modern company. But now, they carry out the due diligence to place proper hardware and audiophile sensibilities at your disposal in iDAP-8, for a complete solution with a vast variety of digital devices. Check out the rest of Cayin's devices here, or view the rest of our desktop gear here.

Cayin Audio are back with their tiny but mighty, discrete Class A solid-state amplifier that could. iHA-8 returns these tube whizzes to the transistor fold, providing almost 20 watts of Class A power in a compact desktop form factor perfect for any Focal up to HIFIMAN. Don't judge Cayin's solid-state marvel by its size. iHA-8 plays with the same microdynamic, vibrant zeal that charges up notes and brings your music to life, typical of this company's best Class A solid-state work. A 75 watt power supply, discrete FET construction biased into Class A plus optional Hyper Mode's huge operating voltage allows you to throw any low-impedance headphone at it in total confidence. [See Product Desc. For More] iHA-8's newly-added 4.4mm headphone output adds to the convenience of a member of Cayin's new desktop family together with iDAC-8 and iDAP-8. If you're tempted to plug IEMs in, its resistor ladder electronic volume control control keeps noise low. Indeed, these precise controls preserve signal-to-noise ratio and channel balance down to iHA-8's ALPS-controlled encoder's lowest level – perfect for however much, or little, travel you need. Because, it's easy to play it loud, but everyone knows it's in playing back tiny sounds that is the litmus test of a powerhouse capable of outputting as much power as iHA-8. Transparent at any volume setting down low as much as up high, with virtually perfect channel-matching, this Cayin behemoth exposes detail buried deep around the noise floor of your music. You'll want to hear it all given iHA-8's linearity – what goes in at the input, comes out amplified the same. To support the signal-to-noise excellence of dual NJR MUSES72320 high-tech volume controls, Cayin resort to the old school of Class A bias, and high operating voltages. The latter can be further boosted to over 30 volts at the push of iHA-8's Hyper Mode button. Already, iHA-8's FET voltage and power amplification brings a tube-like square law function to reduce distortion at the drawing board. Throughout it all, Cayin's individual transistors are kept in their sweet spot and ideal range of operation for best open-loop linearity. They don't rely excessively on the band-aid of negative feedback to correct errors, because there are so few.  In fact, iHA-8 relies on a novel mode of gain control, only adding it as part of the feedback loops sitting around this amplifier's output stage. Excessive open-loop gain is something Cayin absolutely can't be accused off here, allowing you to climb up your volume knob for the best dynamic range performance.  Again, this benefits iHA-8's quiet performance. Cayin's input stage – where the majority of any amp's sonic signature is defined – is built on Toshiba's ubiquitous 2SK209 JFET. Famed for its low noise as a driver, these JFET's serve another purpose: allowing Cayin to direct-couple iHA-8's power stage.  Frequency performance is therefore virtually flat, running 10Hz up to 80Khz and plumbing bass depths so that phase response in the human hearing range is preserved, for fast bass, outstanding dynamics and impactful precision. Meanwhile, high frequencies climb as expected from anything claiming to be high-fidelity. iHA-8's input JFETs run in parallel to output the current needed to drive the large capacitances of Cayin's 24 beastly Vishay MOSFET amplifier devices adequately. The wide bandwidth yielded preserves phase, and adds spatial cues, imaging and treble ambience. iHA-8's abundance of power transistors are mounted on copper bus bars while the chassis gains heat-sinking compared to its predecessor. This heavy hardware allows these MOSFET buffers to keep cool and operate at temperature equilibrium. That way they are able to handle the most current on top of withstanding abundant voltage – useful as Cayin's Hyper Mode comes to mind. The high count of output transistors ensures immense current-handling for good reason, to reap the benefits of a typically-overbuilt Cayin power supply with a 75 watt toroidal transformer at its heart, 50,000 uF of filtering capacitors, ultra-fast recovery rectification and voltage supply regulation throughout – even to iHA-8's power stage. All this leads to Cayin's ultimate voltage source to date – once more capable of the feats of powering ABYSS Headphones' AB1266 Phi TC, Audeze Headphones' LCD-5, Dan Clark Audio plus HIFIMAN's HE-6 and Susvara on a budget. But crucial signal path optimisations mean this brute also wears ballet shoes to elevate any other real-world load. Be it a Fostex, Focal, Final Audio, HEDD Audio or ZMF Headphones, there's nothing iHA-8 cannot tackle ... even IEMs like Subtonic Audio's Storm. Make Cayin the centrepiece of a do-it-all desktop headphone rig feeding it via their own iDAC-8, HIFIMAN's EF500 or Matrix Audio's Mini-I Pro 4. It's that good. If you'd like to explore the tube route, HA-2A awaits you here, as do the rest of Cayin's valve amplifiers here. Otherwise, browse the rest of our desktop amplifiers here.

***Estimated to arrive first week of Feb, 2024. Material: Nappa Leather Dimensions: 205 x 195 x 66 mm Internal Storage Size: 182 x 173 x 48 mm Weight: 642grams Strap included in purchase  

Designed for the CAYIN N3 Pro. 

Cayin Audio's N30LE flagship proved so popular, they shrunk it down into a mini-me. Introducing the N3 Ultra, the entry-level tube music player with dual JAN6418 valves that yield warm, liquid sound to both single-ended and 4.4mm balanced outputs.  Baby Cayin's strengths are clear to Twister6. Headfonics says Ultra "is a huge setup from the older 2021 N3Pro version". Dual AKM AK4493SEQ DACs help bring N3 Ultra's concept into the future. Its tubes then sweeten Cayin's decoded analog. Ear Fidelity writes it's "wildly recommended ... it's just that good", praise which was echoed by Headfonia and ichos-reviews. Not content to just extend tube timbre to its balanced outputs, Cayin also adopted N30LE's dual modes to give N3 Ultra the same Classic and Modern tube flavour options. Working its JAN6418 pair either as a triode, a pentode, or turned off entirely, yields clear, audible differences that lets you find the perfect synergy with your transducers. This swappable tube signature then flows on to powerful solid-state output buffers capable of driving the low impedances of your IEMs and headphones. The evolution from Cayin's original N3Pro kick-started a tube DAP genre and indeed inspires flagships these days. But Head-Fi's foremost innovators show us first never follows, staying ahead of the curves with guaranteed hits like N3 Ultra. [See Product Desc. For More] N3 Ultra is so much more than its DAC chips, which as Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM)’s resurgent AK4493SEQs deserve a mention as lowering power consumption and performing better than their predecessor's metrics. Where N3 Ultra really begins to impress is the presence of its pair of JAN6418 tubes – each taking care of one channel. READ ALSO The past, present and future of Cayin tubes Placed at the voltage gain stage where it will yield the biggest sonic impact, the small output of these pentodes makes its presence heard on all four analog outputs by popular request – 3.5mm single-ended phone out, 4.4mm balanced headphone out, 3.5mm single-ended line-out and 4.4mm balanced line-out. Indeed, N3 Ultra is a huge upgrade. It throws out the lossy DAC digital volume control of its Pro predecessor – catastrophically located in the signal path before the tubes back then, already diminishing dynamic range performance before the arrival of the precious decoded analog at arguably the noisiest section of its circuit. Never again. N3 Ultra incorporates a JRC NJW1195A electronically controlled analog volume control only far AFTER its tube gain and right before its power stage, where its quality can be showcased. This resistor ladder volume control comes only after the voltage drivers, kept far from the input signal for maximum integrity, and the best signal-to-noise performance. READ ALSO DAPs have gone down the tube Cayin count on the square law function of N3 Ultra's JAN6418 to push down distortion at the drawing board. The huge operating voltages of this valve section, and their Class A operation, in a portable player means that open-loop linearity exceeds virtually every other non-tube DAP ... at any price. The signal that goes in, comes out amplified the same. You'll hear from N3 Ultra the kind of effortlessness yielded only by high operating voltages, Class A bias and the non-existent capacitance of tubes. These factors allow minimum negative feedback to be applied, as what enters Cayin's JAN6418s has little error that needs correction. You can focus on the music in either Classic or Modern – the latter working each JAN6418 as a pentode – tube modes, knowing that you're hearing back the track close to the way it was recorded. The single-ended operation of Cayin's valves emphasises even-order harmonics for natural, engaging and warm sound. And the small quantity of tube feedback means distortion remains low order, rather than complex intermodulation. N3 Ultra's highly-linear small signal is then converted to balanced and flows into the player's differential solid-state output stage. These op-amp buffers give Cayin's prodigy the grunt to drive lower impedance IEMs and headphones like Focal perfectly. In this way, you can bask in the natural allure of tube sound, and still trust your player to act as a proper voltage source, packing low output impedance and high damping factor.  READ ALSO N3 Ultra's development story You'll want to get your music aboard N3 Ultra, and Cayin build in a Snapdragon processor as well as lightweight, non-streaming Android skin to keep operation bloat-free. Microphonic control is well in place around N3 Ultra's tubes – learnt from generations of Cayin tube music players – and abundant heatsinking is applied around them to keep rising temperatures away from critical components. As evidence by N3 Ultra, Cayin don't build entry-level players. Each release is over-built to stand up to the rigours expected of it, and beyond. Check out the rest of these innovators' releases here, or view our other music players here.

Third time's the charm for Cayin Audio with N6III. They've perfected the formula for the ideal Android 12 platform – one music player that truly will keep up with all your audio needs. The trilogy continues with the C201 module built around eight Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC chips to yield neutral, high-resolution playback, which you will start your N6III journey. After that, continue to develop the ecosystem with new DAC/amp motherboards that are subsequently released. It's easy for another Cayin to follow in the footsteps of the N6