Cayin has launched the HA-6A Mk2, the successor to the HA-6A. The HA-6A Mk2 is a purely analog tube headphone amplifier with a power supply housed in a separate chassis. The power supply also features tubes. The fully hand-wired point-to-point circuit features single-ended Class A technology, tube rectification, and perfect matching capabilities for connecting headphones.
Made for balanced and unbalanced headphones
To convey the finest sonic nuances and a pure richness of sound to your headphones, the output tubes in the HA-6A Mk2 operate in single-ended Class A. The proven KT-88 tubes can be used in triode mode for even cleaner amplification. Thanks to the newly developed output transformers, a robust power output of up to 4.5 watts per channel is available for headphones with a wide impedance range, even in balanced operation. This allows the Cayin HA-6A Mk2 to deliver optimal dynamic performance, even with headphones with low efficiency.
The HA-6A Mk2 uses a pair of ECC82 and 12AU7 tubes for voltage amplification. High-voltage rectification is also provided by tubes, namely a pair of GZ34 and 5AR4 tubes from the renowned manufacturer JJ. The entire power supply is housed in a separate, galvanically and mechanically isolated enclosure. This guarantees optimal isolation and an excellent S/N noise ratio of 104 dB (A-weighted) for a tube amplifier. The HA-6A Mk2 is therefore also suitable for driving highly sensitive headphones.
Headphones can be connected in either unbalanced or balanced mode via a 1/4″ jack output, a 1/8″ Pentaconn connector, or a 4-pin XLR/Canon connector. Front panel VU meters display the current level of both channels, giving the HA-6A Mk2 a timeless, technical look.
Can also be used as a preamplifier
The Cayin HA-6A Mk2 isn’t just a headphone amplifier; thanks to its RCA pre-outs, it can also be used as a high-quality preamplifier for powered speakers or power amplifiers. Analog sources can be connected unbalanced via RCA or balanced via XLR.
Adjustment to sound, impedance and taste
The Cayin HA-6A Mk2 can also be individually adjusted to the connected headphones and the user’s preferences. The gain and internal resistance can be adjusted in three steps to match the headphone impedance. This allows the HA-6A Mk2 to optimally drive headphones with an impedance between 8 and 600 ohms.
The tubes offer two operating modes, which can be switched between at any time, namely the more dynamic ultra-linear operation (pentode) and a particularly musical, true triode operation.
For further sonic experimentation, the output tubes can be replaced; the internal control can drive not only the standard KT88, but also 6550, KT66, KT150 and compatible tubes.
Cayin HA-6A Mk2: technical specifications
- Power (4-pin XLR): UL 2 x 4,500 mW, TR 2 x 3,000 mW
- Power (4.4mm): UL 2 x 1,000 mW, TR 2 x 650 mW
- Power (6.35 mm): UL 2 x 3,500 mW, TR 2 x 2,300 mW
- Frequency response (±3 dB): 10 Hz to 26 kHz
- THD (1 kHz at 200 mW): 0.3%
- S/N ratio (A-weighted): 104 dB
- Impedance matching: between 8 and 600 Ohms (L/M/H)
- Installed tubes: 2 x ECC82, 2 x KT88, 2 x GZ34 (power supply)
- Inputs: RCA, XLR
- Power consumption: 130 Watts
- Amplifier dimensions (W x D x H): 285 x 297 x 185 millimeters
- Amplifier weight: 11.2 kilograms
- Power supply dimensions (W x H x D): 160 x 297 x 195 millimeters
- Power supply weight: 8.2 kilograms
The Cayin HA-6A Mk2 has a suggested retail price of just under $4,500.
