Upgrade to Cayin TAD-30 or tweak ASL?


Current system: Quad 99 CD-P > ASL 1003 Dt > VMPS 626R
Goals: To get more warmth, and dark sweetness, and euphonic emotional midrange.

I was wondering if I should puchase a used Cayin TAD-30 modded by bizzy bee (if I can find one) or I should just tweak my current ASL. My current tubes on the ASL are JJ E34L and cifte 12au7 Nos, and stock JJ's. I was thinking of rolling to EH 6Ca7 and something like Amperex Holland 12au7 or 5814a NOS triple mica or command series. I know this is not a ton of cash but I am on a tight budget after purchaing the quad. What do you guys think?

greg_p

Showing 2 responses by drubin

Greg_P, please forgive me for sidetracking your thread, but I thought I'd ask here rather than start a new thread.

There is a lot of discussion of the TAD-30, but the current models of Cayin integrateds that Acoustic Sounds sells are the S A-50T, S A-70T, S A-88T/6550 and the S A-88T/KT-88. How do these relate to the TAD-30, does anyone know?

It was the S A-88T/KT-88 (I'm pretty sure) that I really liked at RMAF a month ago, but I want to be clear about the various models present and past. I take it the deal with Cayin is each amp is meant to mimic the sound of a classic vintage tube piece, such as the Dynaco Stereo 70 or the Macintosh 275 or the Marantz 8B. What's the TAD-30 profile?