Need Advice & Need It Fast

Always wanted to try a Cayin, looking forward to your impression when it’s up and running.

Hi!

congrats on making a choice on the replacement power.

I will suggest, so there is no 'withdrawal' in your future a secondary yet different style amp should be a serious consideration now.

well, not right now, but later this year sometime perhaps.

a secondary unit is so beneficial in so many ways i feel it a MUST. at least eventually. somehow. some kind.

those PT units seem popular enough getting a pre owned one might be just the ticket and yield contrast and a reserve for the main rig.

it is or will be my guaranteed approach next time I'm up to bat looking for gear.

BTW I heard a vewry nice mix with the Harbeth SL5s and a Luxman 509x recently. I gotta admit it was hard to find fault with that outfit. the SL were their latest versions of a commemorative or memorial itteration. loaded with SOTA guts, and some really incredible esthetic options.

I so wanted to hear the 30s or 40s, but missed them somehow.

again, congrats!

^^^Thanks much...Yes I agree & already have a short list of Solid State all in 1 units for a back up & comparison to the tube amp...

Got the Cayin up and running for 2 days now....
Out of the box with about an hour on it I wasn’t a fan of the KT88 UL sound..It was like a fundamental shift in tone an octave or so down causing a slight darkness,like a deep orange sun about half set...I will say I have NEVER heard better bass not only in depth but resolution & tone..
Simple push of a button on the remote,strapping the KT88’s into Triode mode & the deep orange sun was still above the horizon in full glory,lifting the veil & opening up the midrange!
To my ears the KT88 in Triode mode is just as sweet as the EL34 but IMO bass is not only deeper but has better texture,what I mean is a well mic’d bass you can hear deeply into the metal string as they are fingered & that is VERY hard to get on a home stereo....
Lastly the headphone circuit is UNREAL!!! With the Audeze LCD2Fazor’s I figure I’m about 85% of the way to what a $5000.00 dedicated head-fi rig gives you...
Look for a full review in the near future...
PS:I forgot..I just can’t fathom why most everyone says the Harbeths need power,don’t wake up until 100wpc & so on...20wpc.im my room is WAYYY more than needed,low volume listening is wonderful with great resolution at almost whisper levels...Maybe it’s the tubes?

Harbeths need Current, not Power. Tube amps deliver solid current, and those KT88/6550 type tubes have way more bass control than EL34. Triode or Set adds warmth. My Rockports drop to 1.73ohm at 80hz, and my 22 watt Line Magnetic Class A SET tube amp drove them almost as hard as my 450watt Theta Citadel 1.5 monoblocks. Thanks for the followup!