cayinA100 T tube amp


i recently purchased this amp and became interested in the fact that there is the ability to add a preamp, bypassing the factory amp......i was pursuaded to buy a solid state preamp with assurances that this combination would significantly inhance the sound.......turns out this was a very bad mistake,and the combination was much worse than just using the cayin alone.....still, the idea of adding perhaps a high end tube preamp still intrigues me and and i wonder if anyone has any sugestions on any products that would "significantly" upgrade the cayin as a stand alone integrated amp......thanks
128x128rrfrerichs1950

Showing 2 responses by newbee

It is easy to change the amp's tone by making changes in the power tubes and the small tubes if what you want is a different tone. I did. You can start with different KT88's or 6550's. But you've got to have a goal in mind.

You can increase clarity some by using a high quality preamp but I wouldn't spend my money on a new preamp just to get a different tone.
Kiwi, You should have listened to these integrated amps with your excellent pre-amp before you made your observations. You might be surprised.

BTW, do you think your preferences may have been more the result of speaker matching than any anything else? Or, a difference in the tubes used in either amp? A cooler tube in the A88 and a warmer tube in the A100T might have resulted in comparable tone, if not power.
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