Stereophile Class B Recommended Component
Absolute Sound Editors Choice 2006
"...What struck me right away was the Cayin's immediacy - a lifelike quality that was nearly like the sound of a single-ended-triode (SET) amp. (The Mac MC-275 is like that, too)...There was another similarity between the A-88T and the MC-275: ballsy bass. The Cayin's bass was exceptionally well controlled and extended for a tube amp. When a tube amp gets bass right, it gets it very right - ripe, rich, full-bodied. The Cayin did. I do like tight bottom ends...This amp was silent. There was very little background noise, either - a bugaboo with some tube amps (and solid-state models, too). For $1889-$1995, the Cayin A-88T's price, design, build quality, and sound are exemplary...it looks beautiful, and it looks beautifully built." - Sam Tellig, Stereophile, December 2005
"I was tickled pink by Cayin Audio's A-88T all-tube integrated amplifier from the moment I began to unpack it. The inclusion of white gloves signaled an attention to detail in the presentation that puts to shame several super-expensive items I've seen. It was even more impressive out of the box – handsome in an unapologetically retro style; ruggedly built using high-quality parts and point-to-point wiring; hand-assembled, hand-numbered, and hand-signed by the QC inspector…more than just a taste of truffles at mushroom prices…Fire up one of these Cayin amplifiers, watch the tubes come softly to life, Ella dreamily spinning out a melody while Ben Webster's tenor encircles her in ribbons of smoke and whiskey…and before you know it the whole chaotic modern world of mutichannel, home theater, format wars, iPods, and computers just fades away…No problems, then, with imaging and soundstaging, and a quite extraordinary immediacy…The A-88T handles orchestral music impressively, the ample bottom-end actually an advantage in late-romantic symphonies…unruffled composure – everything clean, well-ventilated, and involving." – Paul Seydor, The Absolute Sound, January 2007
Overview
What it Means For You
- ENOUGH POWER TO DRIVE MOST SPEAKERS, EVEN IN LARGER ROOMS
- NOTHING HAS EVER SOUNDED AS RICH AND DETAILED AS TUBE AUDIO
- GREATER LONGEVITY & BETTER PERFORMANCE… BUILT SOLID AS A ROCK
- ADJUST VOLUME, SELECT INPUT & CHOOSE OUTPUT MODE ( ULTRALINEAR = 35W/ Ch or TRIODE =16W/Ch ) FROM YOUR SEAT
- TOROIDAL TRANSFORMERS RUN COOLER, AND HAVE LOWER STRAY MAGNETIC FIELDS, SO THEY RUN QUIETER ( NO HUM )
Did You Know?
TRIODE VS ULTRALINEAR VS, PENTODE: Triode is considered the ‘BEST’ way to listen to tubes. Although the output decreases, the bandwidth increases, the distortion decreases, and damping factor increases as compared to PENTODE operation. ULTRALINEAR MODE is a superb compromise between the two. The output power is more than TRIODE, yet you have most of the benefits of TRIODE. You have Better LINEARITY, Greater DAMPING FACTOR, and Lower DISTORTION, but virtually the same Power Output as PENTODE.
Quotes
“What struck me right away was the Cayin A-88T/KT88’s immediacy.... a lifelike quality”
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