Cayin iHA-8

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.