Cayin HA-1A MK3

Cayin HA-1A MK3

Compact single-ended Class A tube amplifier with EL84 – now balanced and with a preamp output

For many years the HA-1A has been Cayin's entry into pure tube headphone amplification. The third generation keeps the recipe – a single-ended Class A circuit with EL84 output tubes, hand-wired point to point – and adds exactly what the previous version lacked: a balanced 4-pin XLR headphone output, switchable impedance matching and a proper preamp output.

Two JJ 12AU7 / ECC82 handle voltage amplification, two Electro-Harmonix EL84EH / 6BQ5 the output stage. The output transformers were developed specifically for this model; in a transformer-coupled single-ended amplifier they largely define bandwidth, drive capability and tonal character. The power supply feeds the voltage and power stages separately, with an additional high-voltage regulated supply for the output stage.

With 2.5 W per channel at the 6.35 mm output and 2.8 W at the XLR output, there is considerably more power on tap than a classic EL84 headphone amplifier of this size usually delivers. The Low (8–150 Ω) and High (151–600 Ω) impedance settings match the transformer to the connected headphones – from easy-to-drive models to high-impedance studio classics.

Via the RCA input and the PREAMP output with 9 dB of gain, the HA-1A MK3 also works as a tube preamplifier in front of active speakers or a power amplifier. Power-on muting, a delayed start of about 50 seconds and internal shielding between sections take care of operational safety; the tube cage is included.

At 240 × 240 × 140 mm and 8.8 kg the amplifier remains desk-friendly. The front is available in black or silver.

Who is this for?

For anyone looking for a compact, pure tube amplifier that drives dynamic headphones of any impedance with authority and doubles as a preamp. For low-sensitivity planars we would rather suggest the HA-3A or HA-6A MK2.

Technical data