Cayin - HA-1A MK2

I spotted the Cayin HA1A mk2 on the HZ website and considering the price and reviews on the web, decided to purchase it . Now i am sure I have made the right decision.
Ive tried various headphones on the amp including the Audeze LCD X, Sen. HD800S, Dan Clark Aeon 2 Noire, Hifiman Edition XS & Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro. I have found that all of them sound great on this amp. As a standard across all the headphones, there is a warmth and richness to the sound. Maybe, its just my ears, but i find the tracks to have a tad more detail than listening directly from my A&K Kann ultra or Cayin N3ultra.
With regards to the LCD X, considering its a low impedance planar, the HA1A surprisingly delivers a pleasing sonic experience.
The additional; bonus of having a 'Phone A'& 'Phone B' option adds to the feature of this amp. While some reviews state that the difference in sound is minor between the 2 headphone outs, I find that there is a significant change in soundstage between the 2 in which Phone A gives a wider soundstage while Phone B gives a more intimate presentation. If you are looking for a budget Tube amp with great sound, this is the amp for you. You will fall in love with it.

This is only my 2nd tube amp, & I am very impressed. It has changed the sound in a way I was not expecting.

Its not adding warmth or mid-bass or reducing highs. Its not blurring details. If anything its making details more pronounced.
But its making those details lot more bearable. It’s a wonder that how can details & treble be more forward yet not offensive. I guess its buttressing them, adding harmonics and the end product is very refined & sweet & crispy.

Think of a harsh passage in music. Its kind of edgy, flaky, rough, broken up. Sharp particles stick out & pierce your ears. This Cayin is applying an Ayurvedic balm on that harsh sound. Its filling up the gaps, smoothening, bonding together and refining. And the overwhelming ingredient used is pure honey!

Reducing treble with a simple EQ generally reduces harshness but also details. And the brighter a headphone, the harsher its likely to be. But amazingly on this Cayin, playing with EQ and increasing the treble of HD800S, Klipsch HP3 & Hifiman Ananda did not increase the harshness, just amicable details.

Its like a dynamic EQ but on a completely different level. That comes in where the tones are and is not static just boosting a band or flattening peaks. This is way way more capable & beautiful.

Tubes are said to add Harmonic distortion. I say its blasphemous to call it “distortion”, call it sweet harmonics.

Basically dismiss & disregard “Audioscienceteview” and similar numpties who obsess over EQ & Frequency Response.