Cayin A-88t vs. Almarro A318B

I ended up with an Almarro 318B with a little different tubing than what was in the weaker A318A Almarro and am using the amp to drive very lovely Zu Druid Speakers (Mullard 6SL7/CV569, RCA VT-231 (6SN7).

The sound is great. The Almarro doesn't have quit as good of imaging and soundstage as the Cayin, but has a midrange correctness, and open yet delicate highs that is hard to match with any amp other than a SET.

However, you get something and you loose something it seems. People who prefer instrumental and vocals or classical music with a more laid back yet rich textured sound may prefer the Almarro (better with high efficiency speakers) and people who want a slightly clearer and more pwerful and dynamic sound with sparkling zing and wonderful sounstage (warm mids albeit with a slight upper midrange etch) will prefer the Cayin I imagine.

Both are wonderful amps and are at the top of the list for my preference in sound (open and warm but not harsh) of a dozen amps I have owned over the last five years. Of course, the disposition of all other equipment and listener preferences needs to be added into the formula for net sound.

By the way, don't let the 45 watts

By the way, although the Almarro A318B is well built in general, its three pair of female RCA jacks in the back of the unit, are downright cheezy & do not hold up well. My friction mount RCA plugs caused two pair of them to dislodge and short out simply by pulling my RCAs on and off a few times. A friend of mines Almarro has the same problem.

The Almarros RCA jacks may hold up well with twist to tighten RCA sleeves, but friction mounts may cause a problem. I have ordered some quality Vampire gold over ofc copper rca jacks to be installed locally to overcome the problem.

I agree the Almarro has a more recessed image.
When you use it with a good active preamp like a Supratek the imaging gains depth and focus.
Not to say that the Almarro is still not a great listen by itself.I heard one driving a pair of Tannoy Westminsters and the sound was staggeringly good-as good as any system I have heard.

My Almarro responded very well to a set of Sophia Electric 6SN7 and 6SL7. The soundstage and imaging where a great improvement. I will not be going back to NOS tubes again. Yes, it was that big of an improvement.
It seems as if the Almarro A318B responds eagerly to any upgrade I've done so far. Power cord, tubes, I/Cs, etc.
Very tunable amp. In my treated room and the upgrades I've done to it, the detail is very good and the extention at both ends are well developed.
I haven't had any RCA input problems as of yet. My A318B is one of the very first ones made (2005) and so far so good. For around $1000 used on AG, it will be hard to find a better sounding amp.

Just a note - the Almarro can and will drive the notoriously difficult amp killers Gale 401's, (rated just under 4ohms and NOT efficient). Not to ear shattering volume levels but enough to reveal the depth and clarity of mid-range the Almarro excells at. Perhaps the high current of the Almarro explains this - anyway to my ears it works well with these speakers and is again proof that 'audio theory" is just that and exceptions to the rule do exist.

cheers