Cayin HA-3A Review

Sound Intro

The setup used for this review, unless mentioned otherwise, is the following: EarMen Tradutto/PSU-3/CH-AMP as DAC & PREAMP, with ROON & Tidal as source. We have used the HA-3A with a whole series of headphones as you will see later. The EarMen stack as well as the Cayin HA-3A are hooked up to an AudioQuest PowerQuest 3, using AQ’s NRG-Z3 power cables. Both tube sets have over 100 hours on them. We used the XLR output for this test, unless differently mentioned.

Sound Original Tubes

The Cayin HA-3A with the stock tubes is a clean and very clear sounding amplifier with an excellent pace. Its tuning is more to the neutral side, especially for a tube amplifier.

The HA-3A has a good amount of body from top to bottom and it’s a full sounding amplifier. It’s never exaggerated, and the amplifier is always perfectly in control. The HA-3A’s delivery is precise, and it comes with a nice level of tube smoothness but not too much. All-in-all the Cayin HA-3A combines a good technical level with good musicality.

Sound stage-wise the HA-3A scores well in both width and depth. The layering all-round is really nice and there’s a good amount of space and airiness from lows to highs. The HA-3A has a natural tone and it are especially the mids with the vocals that really impress. Note extension and decay are also good, especially at this price level. Precision and detail-wise the Cayin HA-3A also impresses.

The amount of bass is a bit bigger than in a fully neutral amp. Bass has a great kick and punch, and the delivery is with good impact. Bass control is good, and bass reaches down low to sub levels with an excellent rumble down low. I don’t find the bass to be overly present, but it can’t be ignored either, luckily the quality is good.

The mids, as said, are spacious and airy and the vocals here are slightly more focused and too the front, but not too much. Mids perfectly connect to the bass section for what body is concerned. The mid presentation has that lovely tube smoothness but not too much. It makes the mid timbre really addictive and special.

The treble section is energetic and airy, and it extends well. The tube smoothness here is less audible, making the treble section quite lively and fast. At the same time treble never is sharp or fatiguing. This tuning nicely works with the typical bass presentation and the vocal mid focus.

Keywords here are neutral, clarity, precision, speed, control

Sound Aftermarket Tubes

If you want the Cayin H-Aa-3A to sound warmer and smoother (more tubier) then a good set of NOS tubes will help you on the way.

With both tube sets the amount of body from top to bottom is the same. There is a small difference in bass body depending on the set of 6V6 and ECC82 used, but the difference in this regard isn’t very big. The difference is more in the delivery where you now get more warmth and smoothness. It makes the HA-3A less neutral, but softer and more relaxed on the ears. The treble section is softer and less energetic and easier on the ears. The NOS tubes also smoothen down the vocal energy of the stock tube set somewhat, making the vocals sweeter and even more natural.

Look at it this way: say you like the Sennheiser HD 800 (S) for its typical speed, precision and clarity, go for the stock tube set. If you want a softer, warmer HD 800 (S) with a more relaxed top end, a warmer NOS set of tubes will be your go to. Both the stock set as the NOS set have an excellent technical level, but I do find the NOS sets to produce better note extension

Keywords here are warmth, smoothness and extension.

If you’re not planning on rolling tubes, that’s perfectly ok. As said in this review, the HA-3A with the stock tubes performs really well.

Sound – Headphones

The headphones chosen for the evaluation are the following: Meze Audio ELITE, Sennheiser HD800S, Beyerdynamic DT1990PRO, Hifiman Arya Stealth, Audeze LCD-2 Classic. I added the LCD-2 as Cayin is using this headphone in their official marketing material (pictures). The tube set used for this evaluation is the stock one, as most people will start with this combo. I have used the XLR balanced output wherever possible.

The Meze Audio ELITE (low gain setting) on the Cayin amplifier sounds fast, with excellent PRaT. One of the first things you notice with this combo is how spacious it sounds, giving you an excellent left-right balance and 3-dimensionality. Bass reaches deep but the combo is always in perfect control. The level of detail and layering in the lower regions are good. The mids are very clean, spacious and the vocals are a little more to the front, but all in a natural way. This combo really makes vocals shine. Body-wise the mids connect perfectly to the bass, and the amount of weight is neutrally natural. Nothing gets added. The treble section is spacious, energetic, and extended but easy on the ears. From top to bottom the clarity level also is very good. If you like the ELITE, I think you will like it with this amplifier. It’s musical, always controlled and it never exaggerates. Just don’t expect the ELITE to sound warmer, smoother, or bass heavier as this with the stock tubes won’t ever be the case.

We all know the high impedance Sennheisers like OTL tube amps, but even though this amplifier isn’t on OTL one, the HD 800 S plays very nice with it. I prefer the mid impedance setting for the HD 800 S, as it brings the best balance between power, natural sound and musicality. The HD 800 S gets just enough tube smoothness from the HA-3A to notice you’re listening to a tube amp. In general, the HD 800 S and Cayin combo sounds tight and precise. It’s not as fast and energetic as a higher end solid state amp, but of course that isn’t the goal of this amplifier either. The amount of body here is neutral but the HA-3A has great control of the drivers. Bass is neutral in weight, but it has enough body and good impact, delivery comes with a punch. The layering and technical level in this combo is not as impressive as with the ELITE. For a lot of people, the HD 800 (S) treble is too “present”, but this isn’t the case here, as the tubes do a nice job in softening down the upper region. Treble is still good and energetic, but it’s softer on the ears, the way tube amps do that. All-in-all it’s not the best performing HD 800 S ever, but the combo is really enjoyable, and I have spent a lot of hours with it.

Another high impedance headphone I like a lot is the Beyerdynamic DT1990 PRO. With the HA-3A I prefer it in the medium impedance setting in single-ended mode. You could also use it in the high setting, but I prefer the slightly softer vocals from the mid setting. You get neutral but good amount of body as you expect from the DT199PRO. Bass is tight, punchy, and fast. It reaches down low with good sub rumble. The mids share the same type of presentation with great layering and natural vocals. Mid timbre is vibrant and very engaging. The treble section is energetic and lively without ever becoming sharp or harsh. Like with the Senn, the HA-3A is doing a great job here. I love the DT1990PRO and Cayin combo, it’s detailed, lively, punchy and natural. Great synergy and an absolutely recommended combo.

The Hifiman Arya Stealth is a headphone that is very easy to love. It works well with the HA-3A in both the low and medium impedance setting. If you like more airy, energetic vocals the mid setting is the one to go for. The Stealth and HA-3A combo is very musical and the slightly more forward vocals play an important roll here. The Stealth and Cayin combo sounds very natural, spacious and relaxed. The Cayin HA-3A doesn’t make the Stealth sound overly warm but a little tube warmth is there. It’s a natural sound with a soft, smooth delivery. Bass is there when needed (but not too much) and it reaches down very low. Again, the HA-3A is in perfect control and the overall depth and layering are impressive. Treble extends nicely but is very easy and soft on the ears. If you like a more clean and typical solid state sound, this combo is not the one for you. It’s not the best technical performing combo but if I must describe it in a short way, I will say the combo is musical, smoothly soft and a pure pleasure to the ear. If you like orthodynamic drivers with a smooth, musical presentation, this combo will blow you away.

The good old Audeze LCD-2 (Classic) is surprisingly good with the HA-3A. I didn’t expect it, but Cayin probably found out and then decided to use the LCD in their photography. This combo takes me back to when the LCD-2 first came out around 2010. This combo brings a great bass performance, openness, and energetic vibe and all that with a super musical delivery. The LCD-2 in 2022 will never win any prizes for its technical performance, but this combo really makes the LCD-2 shine. The difference between the low and mid impedance setting, can mostly be translated in a bigger bass impact and an overall more energetic presentation. I seem to quite like the mid setting myself. Note extension in timbre in the mids here are impressive, as well as the excellent left-right balance. It’s maybe not the most modern or technically strong combo, but if you like the LCD-2’s typical sound, you will easily like the synergy between these 2 units.

I have been listening to the HA-3A with many more headphones, and in general it’s easy to get good synergy with the Cayin amp. Cayin clearly states that the HA-3A is not built to drive the most demanding headphone but with most of the normal to drive headphones in my office, the HA-3A had no issues at all. Cayin doesn’t make it a secret that it’s not the very best amplifier for headphones such as the Susvara and HEDDphone, so let’s check out those combos.

More combos and more on sound can be found on page 4. Simply click here.

Page 1: Cayin, HA-3A intro, HA-3A Features, Tubes

Page 2: Box & Packaging & Usability, Design & Layout, Specifications 

Page 3: Sound intro, Sound Original Tubes, Sound Aftermarket Tubes, Sound Headphones Pt. 1

Page 4: Sound Headphones Pt. 2, Comparisons, Conclusions