User211
Well-known member
Bought a couple of preamps to play with - I was getting bored, as you do.
One of them is an absolute peach. Mobile pic only - but I rate it quite considerably better than the EAR868PL I had a while back, however it doesn't have a phono stage like the EAR did. I'm not sensationalising here - it is hands down better in my system than the EAR was.
It is a modified Cayin SC-10. I'm not sure how it differs, but sonically it is top rate. I bought it blind 2nd hand off ebay as I was pretty astonished by this system I reported on a while back: http://www.martinloganowners.com/fo...i-Fi-Show-2009&p=109642&viewfull=1#post109642.
Sales blurb: "This top of the line preamplifier features tube rectification and gain in a classic dual monaural layout. Totally transparent yet rich with detail, this all tube preamplifier sets a new benchmark in ultra high performance audio. Designed and engineered using the finest components, the SC-10 gives ruler flat response, tremendous bandwidth, huge dynamic range, and low levels of distortion. The SC-10 utilizes four 6922 and two 5AR4 tubes coupled with two separate power packs in a dual mono-configuration giving the SC-10 unsurpassed control over all types of sonic requirements. A true reference sound with typical Cayin value."
Just goes to show that some Chinese kit is very good indeed. I think this one will stay a while. Mine is running 274Bs rather than 5AR4s. It sounds like the bolded bits - really! Plus the soundstaging is absolutely first rate. Spacious and capable of projecting both forward and backwards - very 3D!
As always the same components in different systems/rooms give different results. But I just wanted to draw attention to the fact that this is a real contender, and it easily compares with expensive US and UK designs. It cost £900 odd purely because it has next to no recognition as a quality brand in the UK, I suspect. Casework build quality is very high. Much higher visually than the 845 amps or CD player featured in the show report link, for some reason.
BTW: when I say it is modified it was done by Cayin, and its model designation is C-100. It has an SC-10 remote. It has a marking stating that the modification was done for Hit Audio. It is physically huge and very heavy. Retail for a SC-10 seems to be 5000 Euro. Much less from some Chinese sellers, if you have the guts to trust one
One of them is an absolute peach. Mobile pic only - but I rate it quite considerably better than the EAR868PL I had a while back, however it doesn't have a phono stage like the EAR did. I'm not sensationalising here - it is hands down better in my system than the EAR was.
It is a modified Cayin SC-10. I'm not sure how it differs, but sonically it is top rate. I bought it blind 2nd hand off ebay as I was pretty astonished by this system I reported on a while back: http://www.martinloganowners.com/fo...i-Fi-Show-2009&p=109642&viewfull=1#post109642.
Sales blurb: "This top of the line preamplifier features tube rectification and gain in a classic dual monaural layout. Totally transparent yet rich with detail, this all tube preamplifier sets a new benchmark in ultra high performance audio. Designed and engineered using the finest components, the SC-10 gives ruler flat response, tremendous bandwidth, huge dynamic range, and low levels of distortion. The SC-10 utilizes four 6922 and two 5AR4 tubes coupled with two separate power packs in a dual mono-configuration giving the SC-10 unsurpassed control over all types of sonic requirements. A true reference sound with typical Cayin value."
Just goes to show that some Chinese kit is very good indeed. I think this one will stay a while. Mine is running 274Bs rather than 5AR4s. It sounds like the bolded bits - really! Plus the soundstaging is absolutely first rate. Spacious and capable of projecting both forward and backwards - very 3D!
As always the same components in different systems/rooms give different results. But I just wanted to draw attention to the fact that this is a real contender, and it easily compares with expensive US and UK designs. It cost £900 odd purely because it has next to no recognition as a quality brand in the UK, I suspect. Casework build quality is very high. Much higher visually than the 845 amps or CD player featured in the show report link, for some reason.
BTW: when I say it is modified it was done by Cayin, and its model designation is C-100. It has an SC-10 remote. It has a marking stating that the modification was done for Hit Audio. It is physically huge and very heavy. Retail for a SC-10 seems to be 5000 Euro. Much less from some Chinese sellers, if you have the guts to trust one
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