Cayin A 300B

Hi migueca,

Not sure if this will help much but I own a Cayin A300P, the sibling to the 300B.  So similar except a push-pull design with two pair of 300Bs and output of 20w.

Based upon mine I consider Cayin products to be very well designed and built.  With that they represent great value in the world of 300B amps.  Mine drove Cain & Cain BENs and produced a wonderful, musical midrange.  They were great down to the upper bass, a little below 60 Hz, but I attribute the fall off below that to the speakers, not the amp.

So I moved on from that system.  I tried the Cayin with my hybrid Janszens but it does not have quite enough power for a wide range of music, that includes big band and symphonic.  Mine is now unused so I should get rid of it, but I consider it a great amp when matched with the correct speakers.

Thanks for your comment Pryso. 
I also own a Cayin - the MT 45 Mk2. It's also a push-pull using KT88 valves. 

Like you said, Cayin products are precious gems. Build quality, design, the small details and of course the sound. Everything excels!

I live in China, near by the place where they are made. Together with Line Magnetic, these are the greatest "bang for buck" I've ever seen. To get the same quality on other brands, one would have to pay much much more (especially here, where local products are so cheap).

I bought my amplifier one year ago and the choice was conditioned by my budget. In the same shop they sell all the Cayin line and also the Line Magnetic products. At that time I fell in love with the Single Ended from Line Magnetic, but money issues pushed me to my more modest Cayin. 

Now my situation changed and I'm planning to move to a SET (I really prefer the SET sound). I intend to go to the shop again to audition 3 amplifiers: the LM 518; the LM 219 and the Cayin A300B. 
There are many articles and opinions about both LM amplifiers, but only one review about the Cayin SET (from Stereophile).

The ride to the shop takes me one entire day, that's why I'm trying to get more opinions from people who have experienced this Cayin. 
But in the end it will be my ears deciding, with all the three amps lined up for an audition. 

Thanks once again!

I am also a great fan of Cayin products, great sound, great value.  I own their tube integrates. Also, the VAS line, sold by the USA distributor is great, I own the mono blocks and the Citiation 1 pre-amp, which is a knock off of the classic HKI, updated with SOTA parts.  Both I made by Cayin . I have had Marantz and McIntosh tubes and Cayin/Vas have better sound.  Cayin approach is to take classic tube design and marry it with SOTA parts and sell at reasonable price.  No need to revent the wheel.

I believe the same, Coolhunter, no need to reinvent the wheel. Cayin products prove that a classic approach works great if you put a lot of care and the best parts together. I'm very happy with the quality of my small Cayin and the sound is also great. But I do prefer single ended to a push-pull. I will happily move to another Cayin amp (the 300B) if it stands up against the Line Magnetic SETs. 

I own a Cayin 688R. Only one in the world I think. 

I have owned the Cayin A50T & while they are fine products IMO the Yaqin MS-300C is every bit as good an amp,almost identical build/parts quality & less $...

I'd be interested to hear what rrfrerichs1950 thinks of the 688R, and what tubes he uses in it. The ultimate tube integrated - with a tone control no less.

I'd like to revive this thread,
Cayin is THE AMP to  own. 
Why? Built like tanks, price afforadble to most
Musicality as good/better than Jadis.
IMHO, cayin  is the best deal going. 
I know some here hate propaganda/pumping/cheer leading,,but when its the truth,,,why fight it.???
ProtectionISM??
 We need testimonies of the Cayin 845.
I think in the years to come if jadis does not change its game plan, cayin will be the leader in super duper high fidelity tube amplification,,and Jadis will never catch them. 
Jadis will be nothing more than a  memory.
Jadis should have stayed with intergrated ONLY, and not these 100 lb mono blocks at a  price that only Rothchild can afford. 
Jadis is like BMW, as soon as you drivea  BMW off the lot, you just took a  25%+ hit on resale value. 
A new Jadis, next day after purchase is worth 30% less.
Jadis are you listening.?
I'd takea  cayin over a  Jadis , both at same price, any/every day of the week.
Lets hear about the 845's. 

I totally forgot about this thread, but since Mozartfan revived it, here goes my follow up:
Some time after I started this thread, I went to audition the Cayin 300B. Didn't like it. Like all Cayin products, the amplifier was gorgeous and very well built, a work of art! But I found the sound to be lazy and too warm; sluggish. Was missing some spark, some crispiness - for my taste.
By the same time I also auditioned some amplifiers from Line Magnetic and my choice was clear, my favourite one was the LM 805 ia. I really like everything about this amplifier, especially the sound. And I was almost pulling the trigger when a fantastic deal came around: I got the bigger sibling, the LM 219ia for half the regular price. Even though this huge beast wasn't my favourite, I couldn't let it pass. So I bought it and I was very happy for some time. Until I discovered a very small, low powered push-pull amplifier developed by a friend of mine: the KA-101 from Kingko Audio. 
Kingko Audio is owned by King Ip, a good friend of mine from Hong Kong. He used to sell and repair amplifiers from  Line Magnetic and he knows everything about audio electronics and tubes. So after years of studying other brands, he developed a small and simple product, not expensive, that rivals in sound. It is a giant slayer! 
I bought one, together with his CD player (also using tubes) and it sounds as good as the best Cayin and Line Magnetic. Actually, is almost as good as an Audio Note, or a Shindo! We spent days comparing them, with a lot of different speakers. The little Kingko KA-101 surprised and amazed everybody.
Soon after I sold the LM219ia. And I don't feel the need to search anymore for a good SET, I'm happy with my Cayin MT45-Mk2 and this Kingko. For now... :)

@migueca 

Do you use the preamp section of the Kingko or do you bypass it with a separate? Any success tube rolling the Kingko? I've seen quite a few comments on this amp the past year or so and its been on my radar. For the price it's hard to ignore.

T_ramey,
I never tried to bypass it because I don't have a decent preamplifier. My Kingko always worked as integrated. 
But according to King Ip, you will get better results if you use a good preamplifier; the preamp section of the KA-101 is not as good as the best preamps out there.
Regarding tube rolling, replacing the preamp section tubes (the small 12AU7 and 12AX7) will increase a bit of the sound quality, but the real improvement comes from the rectifier tube. Originally the amplifier comes with a chinese 5AR4 that is decent, but not spectacular. Once you replace this tube with a better one, it's an amazing improvement!
At his shop we tried many combinations and the one that really shines for me (and I was lucky enough to get a rare tube from King Ip) is the Westinghouse 5U4GB/5AS4A. Everything goes bigger, fuller, richer! Clarity, bass, soundstage... 
There is someone on another thread (maybe another forum, can't remember, but I'll search for it) that found another rectifier tube to be fantastic for the KA-101. Different flavours, so many possibilities...
Anyway, I advise you to contact King Ip regarding any question. His English is not perfect, but he's an amazing guy, always willing to share his expertise and knowledge. He will answer all your questions.

Awesome, thanks for the reply migueca!

You're welcome. 
By the way, I found the comment from the user toro3, here in Audiogon, regarding tube rolling.

Looking at his KA-101 I saw a different rectifier tube. When I asked about it, this was his answer:
"...that’s the smooth black plate RCA 5U4G with round mica at top and lower d getter. I prefer the 5U4G over 5AR4 and 5U4GB due to sounding richer IMO".

This user, toro3, has a system similar to mine: Kingko amplifier and Omega speakers. You can find his system and comments here at "Virtual Systems".

Any idea if it can take a 274b? I have a couple of those as well as several 5u4 types. My speakers are very efficient Klipsch so the low wattage from the Kingko is appealing. 

I asked King Ip about that. His answer is Yes, you can use those tubes (274B and 5U4).

If we could, try to bring this thread back to focus on CAYIN’s new line of amps,
Especially, if not specifically, lets highlight the 3
845 amps offered by Cayin. I have my eye set on the $2800 model, which I may try to purchase mid 2020.
IMHO, the 845 tube, which i’ve not heard personally, is the King and Queen of all tube amplification, making it the most musical of any /all amps, (I am not a believer in solid state amps, I in fact despise SS amplification = strong disgust of SS amps).
https://vasnyinc.com/cs845a/

Cayin needs to establish a  EXCELLENT storefront here in the USA,,with shops set up in major cities with 1 tech guy avaliable for repairs, and auditions.
having the worlds best, most musical amps, w/o a  distribution network, is not doing any justice to the many who would love to own a  cayin amp.
IMHO, it will be the 845 amp which wlll  bedome the world's #1 most desirable amplification. 
sadly Jadis can't match that. 
Also jadis has no repair centers avaliable locally, To repair a  Jadis amp, one must send it to California at a  ship cost of ,,,~~~$300~~~, 
Completely totally ~~~rediculous~~~. 
I'd never buy another Jadis ever in my life. 
For me there is only 1 amp to own, the Cayin CS845,,and get this I've never heard the Cayin nor any 845 tube as yet.
Paul
The honest stereo review  critic, 
New Orleans