Cayin
HA-300MK2 Vacuum Tube Headphone Amplifier
$4,399.00 USDThe HA300 MK2 is a Class A, single-ended triode vacuum tube headphone and speaker amplifier that pushes the envelope of tube amplification when it comes to practicality, performance, and refinement.
TUBE AMPLIFIER HOLY GRAIL
The Pursuit of the Direct Heated Triode (DHT)
Direct heated triode (DHT) is the tube amplifier holy grail. DHT refers to triode tubes that use the cathode as the filament to heat up the cathode directly. This minimalistic approach offers stellar dynamics and transients.
The Irresistible 300B
300B is the most renowned and sought-after DHT because of its dreamy tonal characteristic. The HA-300MK2 uses a matched pair of Gold Lion Genelex PX300B low-noise audio triodes as power output tubes. These tubes deliver a natural and realistic sound with impressive frequency extension.
Beautiful and Durable Design
The HA-300MK2 features a brushed aluminum-magnesium alloy front panel, which provides strength and corrosion resistance. The panel is black anodized for added durability and scratch protection. The chassis and transformer pots are treated by Cayin's proprietary 14-round crafting process composed of scratch, spray, sanding, and baking. The high gross final finishing endows a refined and delicate texture while protecting the amplifier from years of long service.
Less Is More: A Simple Circuit Design
Single-ended triode (SET) amplifiers use a single triode vacuum tube to produce amplification without splitting the music signal into parts. A pair of driver tubes amplifies the signal voltage so that the 300B output tube will perform its amplification in a linear fashion.
Cayin has developed many 300B-based SET amplifiers, and 6SN7 is always the first choice for a driver tube. The HA-300MK2 uses a matched pair of Tung-Sol 6SN7GTB tubes to complete the two-stage SET amplification.
TUBE REGULATED POWER SUPPLY
2-Box Design
The HA300MK2 uses a two-box design. The outboard power supply minimizes ripple effect and offers clean, low-noise power to the amplification circuit. The multi-tube regulated power supply circuit feeds power to different amplification stages independently.
New Old Stock (NOS) Rectifier Tubes
The HA-300MK2 uses 4x NOS 22DE4 tubes from RCA, one of the best versions of 22DE4 available in the tube market. Unlike output tubes, rectifier tubes don't involve heavy lifting load, and can last very long with deteriorating. Plus, there is no matching requirement; they can be replaced on a per-piece basis.
Power Supply Transformer
The outboard power supply is driven by a high-inductance, high-efficiency toroidal power transformer, which Cayin designs and winds in-house.
PREMIUM VACVUUM TUBES
Driver tubes: Tung-Sol 6SN7GTB (matched pair)
Output tubes: Gold Lion Genalex PX300B (matched pair)
Recitifer: NOS RCA 22DE4 x4
A specially designed vacuum tube shielding cage protects users from touching red-hot vacuum tubes during operation.
TRANSFORMER-COUPLED DESIGN
Balanced Driven from Single-Ended Triode Amplifier
The 300B SET output drives a pair of proprietary output transformers, supporting both headphones and speakers. The secondary winding of the output transformers provides an alternative phase and compose a balanced output, enables balanced driven from an SET amplification circuit. Both single-ended and balanced headphone output are "original" outputs from the transformers. With a pair of EL Transformers, the HA-300MK2 delivers a natural and realistic sound across the frequency range.
In-house Designed and Wound Transformers
With a pair of EI Transformers, HA-300MK2 delivers a natural and realistic sound across the frequency range. Cayin designs and winds the all transformers in-house.
THIS IS ALL YOU EVER NEED
Impedance Matched Phone Out
Optimized output to handle headphone loading according to three headphone impedance settings:
- Low (L): 8Ω~64Ω
- Medium (M): 65Ω-250Ω
- High (H): 251Ω~600Ω
Matching headphone impedance should produce a natural sound with well-defined bass reproduction. It is different from gain control of a solid state amplifier. Planar magnetic headphones are more sensitive to impedance matching than dynamic headphones, but users can try different impedance settings.
Carefully Optimized Headphone Outputs
The HA-300MK2 offers three headphone outputs
- 6.3mm single-ended
- 4.4mm balanced
- 4-pin XLR balanced
The XLR4 output is a fully balanced output, but the 4.4mm output is optimized for wider range of headphones, including high-sensitivity portable headphones. 4.4mm is level-matched, lower noise, lower power output with the same audio performance. At "low" headphone impedance, the 4.4mm output delivers roughly 70% of 4-pin XLR output only.
Powerful and Effortless
Combinations all audiophiles will cherish and admired: purity of single-ended triode amplifier, dreamy sound signature of 300B, and authoritative dynamic and control when called for.
With up to 6w per channel, provides all the power you need to handle vast selection of headphones, from portable friendly dynamics to extremely demanding planars.
PROFESSIONAL PRECISION
Low noise low distortion electronic controlled resistor ladder analogue volume controller JRC MUSE72320V, commonly used in high-end preamplifiers and streamers.
4-channel in one integrated controller offers high precision and zero channel imbalanced.
ALPS balanced potentiometer as 41-steps encoder to provide precise and intuitive control that we are all familiar with.
INTERFACE FACILITATES FUNCTION
Quick-release Connection
The HA300 MK2 features lock-on & quick-release aviation-grade copper connectors. A silver-plated Teflon umbilical cable connects between outboard power supply and amplifier circuit.
Dual Inputs
Balanced (XLR) and single-ended (RCA) cover a variety of inputs. Balanced input will go through a pair of input transformers, the + and – half cycle will merge to become a single-ended signal.
Speaker Output
Users can toggle between speaker and headphone output. With 8W per channel Class A output, the amplifier can driver high-sensitivity speakers or common bookshelf speakers in a small listening area.
ENHANCE YOUR DAILY USAGE
Anti-Interference Improves Listening Experience
Custom-made silica gel shock absorbers between critical tube components, the chassis mainframe, and tube sockets effectively removes microphonics. Reinforced shielding of transformers and effective circuit layout minimize interference. Finally, a 60-second startup delay circuit enhances circuit protection and minimizes pop noise during startup.
Cayin is a division of Zhuhai Spark Electronic Equipment Co. Ltd. Founded in 1993, the company manufacturers hi-fi products at a variety of price points, including tube amplifiers, CD players, speakers, digital to analog converters (DACs), digital audio players (DAPs), and more.
What's in the Box?
- Product User Manual
- Warranty Card
- AC Power Cord
- Umbilical Power cable
- Replacement Fuse x2
| Input tubes: | XLR x2, RCA x2 |
|---|---|
| Tubes: | Genalex PX300B x2 (output); TUNG-SOL 6SN7GTB x2 (driver); RCA 22DE4x4 (rectifier) |
| Dimensions | |
| Amplifier: | 286mm x 368mm x 210mm |
| Power supply: | 150mm x 345mm x 210mm |
| Amplifier: | 19kg |
| Power supply: | 10kg |
| Fuse: | ~220V-240V: |
| Output tube fuse: | T100mAE25OV |
| Power consumption: | 185W |
| Working condition temp: | 0℃ -40℃; humidity: |
| Storage condition temp: | -20℃-70℃; humidity: |
| Headphone output | |
| Rated output (per channel) | |
| 4-pin XLR (bal): | 2000mW (L), 2400mW (M), 6000mW (H) |
| 4.4mm (bal): | 1400mW (L), 2200mW (M), 5400mW (H) |
| 3.5mm (SE): | 1200 mW (L), 2200mW (M), 5000mW (H) |
| Frequency range: | 10hZ~45Hz+/-3dB |
| TH+D: | 1% (1kHz) |
| Sensitivity: | 200mV~650mW |
| S/N ratio: | 100dB (A-weighted) |
| Headphone impedance: | L: 8~64Ω； M: 65~250Ω； H: 251~600Ω |
| Headphone connectors: | 4-pin XLR x1, 4.4mm x1, 6.35nmm x1 |
| Speaker output | |
| Rated output: | 8W + 8W |
| Frequency range: | 10Hz~40kHz +/-3dB |
| TH+D: | 1% (1kHz) |
| S/N ratio: | 95dB (A-weighted) |
| Input sensitivity: | 40-0mV |
| Output impedance: | 4-8 Ohms |
| Input impedance: | 50kOhms |