Cayin HA-1A Headphone amp

[tony]

Anyone have experience of this unit. Mulling over this and also trying to convince my financial controller that it would make the living room look nice. That conversation has not gone well. I checked out reviews online and it gets very positive views.
I think it looks kinda strage with the valves hidden in the box but its the supposed quality of the unit that attracts me.

http://www.cayin.de/english/ha1a.htm

[Ivor]

... and also trying to convince my financial controller that it would make the living room look nice...

No no... it would make the living room "quiet".

[tony]

Hehe I never thought of that angle. Ah thats what hifi forums are for: Pracital advice to deal with difficult situations.
Thats sorted the most difficult part of this process. I just need to get some feedback on the device now. That should be much easier.

[Frankie Lee]

Have to say, that looks absolutely gorgeous. What sort of price? What are you going to plug into it?

[tony]

I think it looks nice but thats not why I decided to go for it. I had been looking at the little dots and they would have suited my cyrus system better in terms of the size. The little dot wouldnt look out of place but this will be a bit bulbous. Fryderyk put me onto it and after investigating I decided that maybe for once just try and go the whole hog and get a high end unit(for me that is). All reviews seem to suggest it is special and a leap above the little dots.

Sources will be cyrus cd8x downstairs and marantz cd63Mkii Ki Signature in the study(mini cavelet). I have no dac. It will probably end up in the study and that may bring on a need to upgrade the marantz but i dont want to raise even the vague notion of that with my financial controller at this point as I do not need anymore kicks in painful regions. More than likely the sound will be just fine for me as I am coming from nothing.

On the price, it is coming from the states so cant give a figure for the moment but will let you know when I get it. Generally the cost seems to be $850-875 in the states and it seems to be approx €1000 in europe.

[paulb]

http://www.china-highend-hifi.com/prod011234122.htm never got anything from them....maybe someone on the forum did....but it is half price and you wouldn't need the transformer (yellow most of them...your financial controller wouldn't be happy with that will she?)

[tony]

I will wait until I get mine in the door to confirm price and if all works out ok it might not be a million miles from that but will see. If that site is legitimate that seems a great price compated to any other avenue I checked out. The english is very poor on it and some of the links dont work. I got a link for a french site for the little dots I think you got it Paul but when you went to pay a 17.5% sales tax was added to the price and then postage costs of approx €35-40 if memory serves me right. If someone orders from that site and gets it delivered for €505-600 that would be good. Do you want to test it? Personally looking at the site it ordering could be a disaster or work out great having said that I could have problems with the us company as well.
FC would blow a gasket if I used an industrial yellow tranny in the house.

[Ivor]

FC would blow a gasket if I used an industrial yellow tranny in the house.

a ladyboy?

[DancingPriest]

FC would blow a gasket if I used an industrial yellow tranny in the house.

Hate to say it buddy but she has to draw a line somewhere. Start off by leaving some 'literature' lying around to break your intentions to her gently........

[DancingPriest]

This is going to be hard on the kids.........