yet more amp confusion, would you rather have an 80 watt class A amp or a 150 class A-B amp?

[shafesk]

So I placed an order for the Cayin H-80, my dear dealer picked out the oppurtunity to inform me that Cayin has just launched a new 150 watt Class A B amp called Cayin M 3.2 S :wall: . The Cayin H-80 is rated at 80 watts pure class A and produces 150 watts at 4ohms at class A/B whereas the M 3.2 is rated at 150 watts @ 8ohms but no figure @ 4ohms. Now I haven't auditioned either of those amps but I am very familiar with the Cayin sound. The H-80 has received 2 rave reviews in 2007 but the M 3.2 doesn't have any good info available. These 2 amps are not stocked by the dealer and it means I have to buy blind which is fine because I can always sell them on in my country with little or no loss. Question is, which one would you go for if you were in my position and waiting is not an option because I must have a new amp, I've been saving up forever!

Signed,

Eager and Confused.

 

[busb]

Without actually listening which would be my preferred option, my 1st choice would be the class A on SQ terms. I suspect that class AB will die out, leaving class A for those where power consumption isn't an issue & class D for when it is.

 

[ID.]

80 watts true class A is pretty huge, if the figure can be trusted. For example, the class A amps I'm most familiar with are Luxman, and you pay around US$5,000 even for 30 watts into 8 ohms in an integrated or $10,000 for a power amp that delivers 60w into 8 ohms.

"The Cayin H-80 is rated at 80 watts pure class A and produces 150 watts at 4ohms at class A/B" confuses me. It makes it sound like it isn't pure class A, but rather class A/B with a stronger bias towards class A (at what point it switches from class A to B).

I too would normally take class A on sound quality, but then I'd want to get speakers that played to the strength of the amp. e.g. if it doubles (or almost doubles) its wattage as it falls to 4 ohms, and even 2 ohms, then I'd be happy matching it with speakers where the ohms dropped fairly low at certain points. If the speakers have low sensitivity but very stable resistence, then I guess something with more power overall might be called for.

 

[Frank Harvey]

It'll depend how well the amps work with your speakers.

 

[shafesk]

Hi, thanks for the feedback so far guys. Well I would go for 80 watts too based on the specs, the reviews did say that the h-80 didn't get as hot and they suspected that it maybe just biased more into class A rather than being class A throughout. Even then, the amp weighs 35 kilos, has massive heatsinks and all in all is bigger and has a bigger power supply which indicates better ability to drive difficult loads. My speakers are not difficult though and dont even go down to 4 ohms but I have tried it with powerful amps and like the results. I do intend to purchase the kef r700s so driving ability will be a concern. I think I should probably go for the H-80 then.

 

[CnoEvil]

I agree with all the good advice you've been given:

- In the great majority of cases I've heard, Class A sounded better than AB....even from the same manufacturer

- The H-80 should have plenty of power for your needs

- I also agree that the amp "may" be very heavily biased Class A, but still is likely to sound better

- The weight is a good sign that it has a very robust power supply

- I suspect the R700s will work very nicely, but could well produce a lot of bass......so the room comes more into the equation.

 

[chebby]

I would rather have a 20 - 30 Watt class A.

(Something I can actually pick up and doesn't involve reinforcing the floor beneath it.)

 

[CnoEvil]

I would rather have a 20 - 30 Watt class A.

(Something I can actually pick up and doesn't involve reinforcing the floor beneath it.)

At least if you can't lift it, it's there to stay.

 

[altruistic.lemon]

I'd pick a Leben. Wasn't that convinced by the class A I (briefly) had.

 

[plastic penguin]

So I placed an order for the Cayin H-80, my dear dealer picked out the oppurtunity to inform me that Cayin has just launched a new 150 watt Class A B amp called Cayin M 3.2 S :wall: . The Cayin H-80 is rated at 80 watts pure class A and produces 150 watts at 4ohms at class A/B whereas the M 3.2 is rated at 150 watts @ 8ohms but no figure @ 4ohms. Now I haven't auditioned either of those amps but I am very familiar with the Cayin sound. The H-80 has received 2 rave reviews in 2007 but the M 3.2 doesn't have any good info available. These 2 amps are not stocked by the dealer and it means I have to buy blind which is fine because I can always sell them on in my country with little or no loss. Question is, which one would you go for if you were in my position and waiting is not an option because I must have a new amp, I've been saving up forever!

Signed,

Eager and Confused.

Dem, dem, dem...

 

[ISAC69]

The Cayin H-80 do looks as robust powerful amp but I wouldn't buy anything without a demo it looks like a huge gamble ,The second issue

is the warranty policy if you have a local Cayin dealer then their amps are worth a try. If not you have to ship the amp overseas ( to China !) shipping 35.00 kgs is not cheap if something happens to it .

 

[shafesk]

I agree with all the good advice you've been given:

- In the great majority of cases I've heard, Class A sounded better than AB....even from the same manufacturer

- The H-80 should have plenty of power for your needs

- I also agree that the amp "may" be very heavily biased Class A, but still is likely to sound better

- The weight is a good sign that it has a very robust power supply

- I suspect the R700s will work very nicely, but could well produce a lot of bass......so the room comes more into the equation.

well producing a lot of bass won't be a problem as my room is quite bass light and I have some flexibility in positioning, I've used some speakers which were very hard to position in some rooms but were quite easy in my room.

 

[shafesk]

The Cayin H-80 do looks as robust powerful amp but I wouldn't buy anything without a demo it looks like a huge gamble ,The second issue

is the warranty policy if you have a local Cayin dealer then their amps are worth a try. If not you have to ship the amp overseas ( to China !) shipping 35.00 kgs is not cheap if something happens to it .

Hi there,

well I'm happy to say I do have a dealer in town, even if I didn't my current Cayin amp has proven to be very relialable along with all the Cayin owners I know.

 

[shafesk]

Wish it were that simple to demo guys, I am very familiar with the brand and their sound though. They have yet to make a product that I won't happily own. I'm sure all of you have their own brand preference which gives you the sound that you are looking for, I have auditioned Brystons, Hegels, Audiolabs, Marantz among others and am fairly confident that only a Cayin would do at my budget. Give me an unlimited budget and I will have a Gryphon. For now the H-80 shall do nicely. I am also free to choose speakers according to my amp and have a fair amount of flexibility.

 

[Reggie Mental]

>I suspect that class AB will die out, leaving class A for those where power consumption isn't an issue & class D for when it is.

Die out? Did you know the Musical Fidelity A1 is actually class AB at full power? Most of the cooler running examples of class A are.

 

[the record spot]

Dem, dem, dem...

...bones.

 

[Rethep]

Why not go for a complete tube-amp, e.g. the Cayin A-88 or VP 100i ? The openness will surpass your choice of the H80 by miles. And do you really need that power of the hybrid ?

 

[iceman16]

I have demoed at home some class AB amps with power outputs like 200- 300w but still prefered lower output 35w pure class A. IMO pure class A gives a better grip on the speakers and sounded more round and natural even at higher volumes.

 

[shafesk]

Why not go for a complete tube-amp, e.g. the Cayin A-88 or VP 100i ? The openness will surpass your choice of the H80 by miles. And do you really need that power of the hybrid ?

Hi Rethep,

The reason I don't want to go higher up the Cayin tube amp range is because I have auditioned most of it and I am looking for exceptional dynamic headroom which they don't provide because they are limited in power output. I actually do need the power of the hybrid if I am sticking to my current speakers or speakers from most manufacturers, tube amps limit your speaker choice and although the Cayin range is more flexible than most tube amps with speakers, I would want an amp i am spending 3000 pounds on to have absolute power.

 

[Macspur]

I have demoed at home some class AB amps with power outputs like 200- 300w but still prefered lower output 35w pure class A. IMO pure class A gives a better grip on the speakers and sounded more round and natural even at higher volumes.

Just goes to show Iceman... I found the complete opposite. The Accuphase has a much more controlled tighter grip on the base of the Harbeths, than the class A Masterclass.

Mac

 

[busb]

>I suspect that class AB will die out, leaving class A for those where power consumption isn't an issue & class D for when it is.

Die out? Did you know the Musical Fidelity A1 is actually class AB at full power? Most of the cooler running examples of class A are.

Surely linear audio amps are either Class A, Class B or Class A/B? Class A/B can obviously be designed to switch to Class B sooner or later in their power envelope but are not Class A. However, what's the relevance to whether or not Class D supercedes other audio amp classes or not? The number of Class A amps is fairly small so the target market for PWM is class B, no?

 

[ISAC69]

The strange figure with the Cayin H80 is in 8 Ohm it is 80W class A and in 4 Ohm 150W class AB ???

I am not sure at all that it is a pure class A amp , I suspect it is class AB with a bias to class A up to a certain point .

 

[ISAC69]

Why not go for a complete tube-amp, e.g. the Cayin A-88 or VP 100i ? The openness will surpass your choice of the H80 by miles. And do you really need that power of the hybrid ?

Hi Rethep,

The reason I don't want to go higher up the Cayin tube amp range is because I have auditioned most of it and I am looking for exceptional dynamic headroom which they don't provide because they are limited in power output. I actually do need the power of the hybrid if I am sticking to my current speakers or speakers from most manufacturers, tube amps limit your speaker choice and although the Cayin range is more flexible than most tube amps with speakers, I would want an amp i am spending 3000 pounds on to have absolute power.

Hi Shafesk ,

Did You receive the Cayin H80 A ?

 

[shafesk]

Why not go for a complete tube-amp, e.g. the Cayin A-88 or VP 100i ? The openness will surpass your choice of the H80 by miles. And do you really need that power of the hybrid ?

Hi Rethep,

The reason I don't want to go higher up the Cayin tube amp range is because I have auditioned most of it and I am looking for exceptional dynamic headroom which they don't provide because they are limited in power output. I actually do need the power of the hybrid if I am sticking to my current speakers or speakers from most manufacturers, tube amps limit your speaker choice and although the Cayin range is more flexible than most tube amps with speakers, I would want an amp i am spending 3000 pounds on to have absolute power.

Hi Shafesk ,

Did You receive the Cayin H80 A ?

apologies for the late reply, the post got lost in traffic. The dealer wants to save me on shipping so he will order it with his next shipment which could take a while. All I can do is wait