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Hi Randy, Thank you for your review of the Cayin LA-34. We know that tube amps aren't always your thing, and the EL-34 is not your favorite tube...with that being said, we appreciate the honest straightforward review of this integrated...For the price, we haven't found another item built to the same degree that offers a sonically neutral and engaging presentation. You are correct in that speaker matching is something to take into account. Depending on what you listen to, and the size of your room, this amp really has the ability to drive all but the most inefficient speakers. We have found in our experience that this amp does continue to get better as it runs in...we will see if we can find out who manufactures the EL-34's used...Once again, thank you for your time and insight! Richard Segal-Aida Audio
Hey Randy, enjoyed the review. Try the Cayin with a source hooked up directly, instead of using a pre-amp. It may sound even better. Putting a somewhat inexpensive solid state pre-amp in front of a tube amp is kind of missing the point. Just my opinion, of course.
How about putting a vintage Marantz as a pre-amp? Relative newbie here looking to get into his first tube amp from a vintage 22xx series Marantz. Have Auris BlueMe DAC's.
Had this amp before. It runs on four EL34 power tubes, two 12AU7 & one 12AX7 on its preamp. Really liked this amp a lot but I had to sell it when I upgraded my system. But this is a highly recommended amp. Thanks for sharing this review Randy!
@@cheapaudioman You have never heard a Mcintosh or Audio Research tube amp? Amazing sound. What a lot of us do is use our tube amps on the top and a hefty solid state on the woofers. I have a pair of Infinity Kappa 9's, notoriously hard to drive, crazy impendence dips, "Amp Killer" is it's nickname. I went through about 5 amps before moving to Bi-amping with both Tubes and SS. Crazy thing is I tried many 200 250w High current SS amps that fell short, I had a friend that brought over his 30w Dynakit tube amp and the Kappas came alive! I was blown away.
Solid reviews (like this) help we price conscious stereo types from blowing our scant $$ on equipment we wont like long term. Glad to see more tube amps coming in at moderate price-points. Never thought I would pay more than $200 for any amp, solid or tubular…but it is sweet. I have a tube amp on an A/B switch with a semi-vintage Technics rack system and the differences are pretty dramatic. Even though the Technics pre & power amp combo has like 3x the power, the tube amp has all I need and more…and the sound is pleasing for most of the music I play.
This right here!!! Reviewers rarely mention that you can gain a lot of bass by upgrading the tubes. I have the same issue with the Jolinda (black ice audio) 6802 fusion waiting for the funds to buy the gold lions
I replaced the cheap Chinese EL34 tubes with quality matched tubes from JJ in my Reisong A10 (and did all the Skunkie Audio mods) and presto, the thing kicks butt! My Klipsch R820F towers never sounded better. Plenty loud too.
& if you’re going to roll the tubes; think about re-biasing it to 6L6 tubes. Never heard of a hi-fi amp using those tubes. EL34’s are found in Marshall guitar amplifiers, which I always found harsh; while the 6L6’s can be noticeably warmer. Eddy Van Halen’s 5150 series is based off his custom Marshalls he had fitted with 6L6’s and hotter 12AX7’s (from 4 to 5).
After 60 + years in audio I went all tube about 3 years ago. But earlier this year I switched back to SS. Power was the most critical reason, but it was more than that. Speed and dynamics at lower volumes were enhanced using 155wpc SS but also the detail and stage was better. That's not supposed to work like that. The final nail in the tube coffin was the AC power draw running multiple tube amps. One annoying thing was the heat dissipation issue as well. Class A tubes giving 6wpc max output, idles at 125 watts at the wall. My 155wpc ss might draw 15 idling and rarely more the 25 watts and that's rockin', with zero heat. I had my two favorite SS amps rebuilt at AETechron in Indiana and will use them for the remainder of my music listening on my master system. I am deliberately not mentioning the brands because some are prototypes and others very old designs surely to bring a bunch of unwanted trolls. BTW you might want to buy a set of 4 Gold Lion KT77 tubes which are direct replacement for EL34. They have a different sound and for me it was an improvement. Plus the quality has been flawless. Going with KT88's and higher may require more transformer power than many EL34 designs can handle. Use caution. The 77's are fine. Also, you didn't mention if you experimented with the bias adjustments. Sonic changes can be had with different bias power settings, especially in lower feedback designs, less so with higher feedback circuits. I'll shut up. Thanks for the video.
Adult Randy: I love it when manufacturers know how to make products that represent the purity of what was intended in a song or musical production. The precision and transformative joy that proper audio equipment can bring when done correctly is truly one of life’s greatest pleasures. Inner-kid Randy: It lights up and the needles move, and I couldn’t be happier.
I couldn’t agree more. With my vintage (given free to me) Fischer 3-ways with 13”? woofers…there is all the bass I need without any tone controls. At $1499, the Willsenton R8 was about 10x more than I have ever paid for an amp or integrated…but I’m not ever getting rid of it. My kids may fight over it when I am gone…because the build quality seems like it will be long time running.
The R8 is a winner for sure. I’m running stock kt88 tubes and it sounds fantastic. I’m told SQ can be improved with better tubes. This is probably the case with the Cayin so extra cash is probably needed to make these amps sound there best. The R8 has plenty of power for my RSL CG25 and Triangle Comete speakers. It’s the best audio upgrade I’ve made to date. Tube amps FTW.
@@mindhead1 I've found NOS Svetlana 'winged c' tubes to sound superb with this. You probably have to be patient to get a good deal, but I got a matching quad for £50 and they are incredible. The same with EL34s.
I've owned all sorts of tube and solid state year over the years and like both. The one piece I recommend to all people who want to understand the " tube sound" is a rebuilt Fisher 400 tube received using 7868 output tubes. All those I've demonstrated it to have been blown away of at least grudgingly impressed.✌
The classical "tube sound" is history. Listen to a modern tube amplifier e.g. those from Conrad-Johnson, Ayon, Wavac, Wavestream Kinetics etc., sometime. They are very quiet, transparent, fast, and dynamic. Plus they have a musicality that it generally takes 10X the price for a SS amp to have. We're not living in the 60's any more...
@@js1812 Hi JS: respectfully, and in the interests of accuracy, the title of the video was for "tube amps", it didn't specify tube amps within a specific price range. Also, if we get down to the physics of it, both SS and tube amp perform the same function: voltage gain in an electrical circuit. The "quality" of that voltage gain is such that the physics of signal amplification "doesn't care" WHAT (e g. transistors or tube) is used to provide the voltage gain, only HOW. At the of the day, we're talking about a _transfer function_ and there are multiple ways* to mediate a transfer function. The aim is to provide maximal gain and minimal noise, and to minimize the impact of odd-order harmonics. There are numerous ways to do that, and generalizing "one is better than the other" is inaccurate. What matters most is the circuit topology and the parts used to mediate the transfer function. *-if interested, look up TRIZ. TRIZ is all about the multiple ways that can to solve problems. Cheers.
It is good to know that better tube integrated amps like the Cayin LA34 are available; for *reasonable* prices. And I agree that 32W/ch (into 8 ohms, presumably?) is more than enough for all but the lowest efficiency / impedance speakers, at "sane" volume levels. As a *longtime* listener to a tube preamp (35+ years with an Audible Illusions Modulus 2C), I love the way tubes sound - but I think you're correct that a tube *power* amp is not likely to have the bass control and extension and clarity - that better solid state power amps can have.
People often blame the tube type, but it's all due to the power supply being adequate, or not. Especially for a tube amp. The power supply is where most of the money goes on better tube amps. Oh, and btw, 32 tube watts w/a good power supply will sound beefier than the same wattage from a ss amp. Thanks Randy.
exactly this! I have a 12 Watt Tube Amplifier with an oversized power supply (the unit weights 80 pounds) and it has better base authority and slam than a my smaller EL34 App with three times the watts.
Cayin is a very well regarded brand.. Unfortunately, the dealer network in the USA is almost non existent. I think it is much stronger in Canada and parts of Asia... It sure looks very similar to the Primaluna !!!
You should do a video on tube rolling, cheap amps can sounds amazing with the right tubes. I have musizhare x7 with genalex gold lions and klipshe heresy iv. Sounds amazing and yeah has very punchy bass that you are looking for. I use a schiit equalizer to push a little more bass in and works like a charm. (equalizer haters what do you think they do in the studio and when mastering audio? What about your crossover configuration in your speakers. Circuitry in amps/electronics will adjust the sounds like an eq functions on a smaller level).
Randy, just an idea -sell all your amps except for the Akitika and buy the Willsenton R8. Full bass and everything you're looking for. Combined with a Denefrips (buy another) and the Lintons, you'll be closer to the sound you're looking for. Use the Akitika in the summer and the R8 in winter. That would be my perfect set up.
From what I observed, Cayin EL34 and KT88 power tubes are likely PSVANE Classic series. Have had my Cayin CS-88A for two years now, hooked up to a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 225, a wonderful match that I am enjoying in my office 5 days a week. Edit: If you're looking for more bass, try an amp that uses KT88 or 6550. Those are usually stronger on bass than EL34.
I bought my first and only tube integrated amp (Cayin LA 34) in 2013 at Hi Fi Lounge (Manila) along with a pair of Wharfedale 10.4 speakers and a Marantz CD6004. Audioquest evergreen RCA interconnects and made my own speaker cables with audio quality 14 gauge stranded pure copper wires (2.5m) with banana plugs. The Cayin came with it's own Cayin el 34 tubes, 2 pcs 12 au7 and one 12 ax7. I started buying other tubes and experimented until I discovered the sound and feeling I enjoyed whether it is classical music, new age, modern and vintage jazz, and others like James Taylor, Enya, Rolling Stones. My tubes today are either Mullard el34 x4 or PsVane el34 x4, 2 pcs PsVane 12au7 gold pin, and one Tungsol ECC 803 gold pin, one PSVane 12ax7 gold pin or one JJ ECC803S gold pin which I change depending on the type of music. I run my tubes a bit cool. My stereo system works fine, no issues and now 11 years old in my bedroom and listen about 2 to 3 hours a day.
Thanks for the insightful review. They should include a built-in bias meter for convenience. I would love to see your review on the Willsenton R8 - The KT88's have much more bass drive and the Ultra-linear mode kicks it from polite to party mode!
Kamikoto knives has the same parent company as Established Titles so buyer beware. Please watch the Shadiversity video on the Kamikoto subject and the Scott Shafer's video on Established titles with the Kamikoto company mentioned at 7min 50sec in to decide for yourself if Kamikoto Knives meet your particular use case.
Randy, if you want bass maybe try a KT88 tube amp. Regardless, I’m sure you could improve the sound of this amp with some different tubes (and more $$).
Ahaha, the old schtick "remember when this use to be pasture land" This long in the tooth country boy laughed out loud to that. Still watching and loving. Thank you kindly.
I have an HH Scott LK-72 amp with JJ Tubes, 35 wpc that blows away every solid state amp I have heard. Was made in 1960! Now that amp would be what, 4000 - 6000$. Also not kid or pet friendly. Dangerous high voltages. But sellers won't mention that. If you ever have the chance to hear a tube system, maybe you shouldn't...
I should mention that a tube amp is usually a lifetime investment. So over 60 years of use and pleasure, are they really more expensive? Cheaper actually.
Hi Randy, love your channel! Was just curious if you tried running a source directly into the tube amp and if you did, did it sound different without the preamp in the chain? I only ask because sometimes I notice some preamps can influence the sound- sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. Thanks!
Great review Randy. So, for the bass issue, Have you tried using a subwoofer with a tube amp? Think that would solve the bass/impact issues? I'm new to tubes and just now starting to look into them...Looking for a good tube integrated to drive my Tekton Design Lore Reference speakers. Would like to be able to use a sub. Thanks for the great reviews!
Subs wont help, more bass but no more speed or power . Subs copy the signature of the amp. EL34 is a warm and cosy tube. Try using an amp running KT88, 120 or 150. They have much faster and more controlled bass.
I bought a cheap Fosi tube preamp and hooked it to the tape monitor loop in one of my receivers. I can instantly switch back and forth with my remote and I can't hear a difference. It does have tone controls so I turned the bass way up for use with my headphones. So I guess it wasn't a total waste.
If you want more bass then hybrid is the way to go! Tubes on the pre-amp stage and solid state on the output stage! My XA6950 give 130w in 8 ohms and will drive pretty much any speakers!
I know you love recommendations from your non-paying viewers, so please pardon any offense or annoyance, but; I would suggest not running switchers/comparitor boxes, and rather do A/B's by using the same set of leads for both line and speaker levels, and comparing. I've found often when level matching (which can still be done prior to running the A/B), that extra connections/boxes/circuits can colour the results, more than mildly. YMMV. Just a thought. thanks.
Hi Randy, I don't gave access to your email so I thought I might post Musical here. I 'm 71 YO, retired and a Resurrected Drummer - who plays drums now after 50 Years (1969). I play for fun and pleasure about 1 hour a day. I think I saw previous videos from you where you alluded to Playing Drums as well. I am at this moment playing Do What You Like , by Blind Faith (Ginger Baker was the Drummer). I'm playing the music on my Denon Receiver connected to two pairs of speakers that I selected with your favorable reviews : 1 pair of Fluance Signature series Bookshelf and 1 Pair of Elac Debut Reference 62s. WOW!! If you are not familiar with the tune, play it and listen to one of the Masters of Drumming. Baker was the King of Syncopation. You will love it !! Happy Music All.
It’s a nicely priced product. If I was going to switch to tubes, I’ll certainly take a look at this one. Not so much money to bring on an acute case of buyers remorse.
Randy, please review the just released Aiyima T9 Pro. could you tube roll and compare the stock tubes versus GE5654 tubes as to sound quality? T9 Pro fixes the 'clicking' problem in the T9. btw, the Aiyima A3 Pro tube preamp uses 2 GE5654 tubes and runs cool and gets warm (not hot) during silent input periods. Yea to tube Preamps. Nay to tube Amps (hot, expensive, hassle to replace tubes)
The T9 doesn't actually have a clicking issue. The clicking is due to the internal mechanical on/off switch that responds to audio signals in your system. If your T9 is repeatedly clicking on and off, that means it's receiving intermittent ghost audio signals from your PC or whatever device it is that you have it plugged into. Ive heard that the M1 button on the remote disables the on/off mechanical switch, but failing that, and failing to locate what on your PC is sending ghost signals, then you can simply download the program sound keeper, which will always play a silent audio signal in the background so that the T9 never clicks off.
I'd like to hear your thoughts on willsenton r8 ,I know it's not in the cheap category but I feel it's the biggest bang for the buck for beginners like me..jbl l5,,,wharfedale 7.2,,,,klipsch rb81ii,,,,,psb t4,c5,,,,event 20/20,,,,have all sounded great ,I rarely hit the volume to half way,good day to all
The R8 were reviewed a gazillion time, and they are best from what I heard with the KT88 tubes. I would be interested in seeing a review of their R-35i EL34 tubes also from Willsenton that go for $649 at China hifi and for which are a more direct contender to the Cayen in my opinion, and fit more the Cheap Audio Man ticket 😀... also, their R300 that use the best sounding 300B tubes would be interesting to compare with the R8 for about the same price.
I do like the sound of a decent Tube amp but I feel if you have speakers under 89-88db sensitivity they just aren't worth it. I have kept a hold of a Tube preamp that is really sensitive to tube rolling..matching that with a solid state amp still gives me that little bit of extra realism or rounded texture to the notes but with the authority and speed of a traditional amp.
One step up and you are in Wilsenton R8 Territory. A very well thought of tube amp. Especially since it (Cayin) is sold for 1300 tot 1400 euro here in the Netherlands.
Nice review as always. You Need to demo the Willsenton r 8, 45 wpc Integrated tube amp. I Have it paired with the Wharfedale Lintons which I know you loved. Also a Bluesound node 2i and At 11:00 on the dial I am At 80-85 dB with killer base.
Most Chinese-made tube amps are delivered with no-name or the brand-you-are-buying-named tubes only for the purpose of delivering the amplifier in working order. You’re not really supposed to use them. Of course some high-end amps will be delivered with Chinese tubes approaching decent like PSvane but if the tube has no print or just the name of the amplifier company printed on them, feel free to replace those tubes ASAP. And no you don’t have to go crazy with NOS NIB tubes. Buy used tubes from someone with good reviews and enjoy the heck out of those pre-burned-in tubes till they fizzle, which they might never do. Have reserves on-hand and experiment with different manufacturers.
At what point should we give up on a blown sub? My Elac only needed a fuse, so very cost-effective. But when should we give up on fixing stuff and buy new. Thanks, and have a nice day.
Enjoy your reviews and style, Randy. I’d like to try a tube amp but have Klipsch Hesesy IV speakers. Can you recommend a tube amp that doesn’t add to the forwardness of these speakers?
I do not know what amp you are currently using however if you more or less like that amp and you have the option to upgrade the power cord and have not done that yet see if you can find a local retail that will let you do an in home demo on an upgraded power cord. When I upgraded my PC it took away the harsh brassy sound in the high end as well as added more layers, bass and power. Also look for used ones or open box.
I think most tube amps are warm, so most should tamp down on upper end harshness. The newer version of the Willsenton R8 has a different tube set and still has the $1499 price…so I would not hesitate to get either the new or original KT88/EL34 version.
Cayin LAS4 seems like a light weight compared to the Willsenton R8 which is twice as heavy and considerable more power than the LAS4 for a only a few bucks more.
Randy, Instead of level matching by ear, you can play the same noise through both, and using the same noninductive load resistor (inexpensively available from Parts Express), a DVM can be used to measure and level match the AC signal voltage at the amplifiers' outputs while each of the outputs is separately attached to the load resistor. That is easy and cheap, and reduces the likelihood that one is playing a little louder than the other in the comparison, because not much level imbalane would be needed to skew perception, with a little louder sometimes being perceived as sounding a little better (a dishonest trick too often utilized by audio gear retail store sales staff in comparisons to steer sales).
If you want to try a tube amp with some bass heft get your hands on a Rogue Cronus Magnum III. It's a a solid 100 watts per channel and has the best bass I've heard. $3500 but made in the US and really nicely done.
@@ptg01 Undoubtedly. But still a relative bargain in the tube amp world and truly a world class amp which rivals cheapaudio man's MacIntosh amp. The same way I don't see the point in paying big bucks for a class D amp when there are really good inexpensive and mid-tier implementations, I think low cost tube power amps probably are only for people with relatively efficient speakers or who really crave tubes. A good middle way is the cheap FX Audio Tube 01 pre paired with a powerful Class D power amp.
If you are reviewing equipment everyday, there is just not enough time to fully evaluate it properly. It takes many weeks and maybe months to get a complete picture! I have been doing this for 50 years and this guy is a magician, "NOT"! How does he do it?
Hi, love your channel. Can I ask you if anyone makes a tube amp with HDMI? If not does any make a nice intergraded with HDMI that’s affordable? I’m using a Integra DTM-7 two channel and I like it but I’m not sure it would power the LRS Plus speakers.
you should really distain from promoting scam merchants like kamikoto knives and that titles scam too(both the same company) a real chef wouldnt touch them ..made from the lowest quality steel....do some research Randy,and dont tarnish your reputation associating with them..
I would like to see you review some tube gear using speakers that are known to work well with tubes. Like a tube vs solid state shoot out with high efficiency horn loaded speakers etc.
Struggling to understand what you have done with the connections. You seem to have taken the line out from your pre-amp into the inputs of the tube amp which connect to the pre-amp of those tube amps. Surely you should be by-passing the pre-amp stages as you are pre amping twice? This will screw up the gain you are getting and hence the level of the volume nobs.
I set the level of the tube amp to north of 12 o'clock and then use a preamp to control the input voltage to the tube amp. just like setting the gain on a power amp. then I level match both products so that I can easily switch back and forth for a quick a/b test to hear any sonic differences. same thing as putting a dac with volume control on an amp with volume control and then using the dac to control volume.
Randy you need to report back after you do some tube rolling. Stock tubes on these lower priced amps aren’t usually the highest quality. You’ll likely see noticeable improvements with $200-$400 in upgraded tubes. Not cheap , but worth it. IMO. I’m running a Willsenton R8 and love it.
Randy, I’m not saying it would have been good if you’d accidentally chopped off your finger while demonstrating the sharpness of the knives, but I’d be buying them right now if you had. I love you, Bruh, but that would be an endorsement I couldn’t ignore.
