Cayin A-88t vs. Almarro A318B

I agree the Almarro has a more recessed image.
When you use it with a good active preamp like a Supratek the imaging gains depth and focus.
Not to say that the Almarro is still not a great listen by itself.I heard one driving a pair of Tannoy Westminsters and the sound was staggeringly good-as good as any system I have heard.

My Almarro responded very well to a set of Sophia Electric 6SN7 and 6SL7. The soundstage and imaging where a great improvement. I will not be going back to NOS tubes again. Yes, it was that big of an improvement.
It seems as if the Almarro A318B responds eagerly to any upgrade I've done so far. Power cord, tubes, I/Cs, etc.
Very tunable amp. In my treated room and the upgrades I've done to it, the detail is very good and the extention at both ends are well developed.
I haven't had any RCA input problems as of yet. My A318B is one of the very first ones made (2005) and so far so good. For around $1000 used on AG, it will be hard to find a better sounding amp.

Just a note - the Almarro can and will drive the notoriously difficult amp killers Gale 401's, (rated just under 4ohms and NOT efficient). Not to ear shattering volume levels but enough to reveal the depth and clarity of mid-range the Almarro excells at. Perhaps the high current of the Almarro explains this - anyway to my ears it works well with these speakers and is again proof that 'audio theory" is just that and exceptions to the rule do exist.

cheers

I owned both and liked them both. It is sort of an apples and oranges comparison. The better depends on your priorities. The richer midrange of the Almarro over the Cayin turned out to be a deciding factor for the Almarro although I missed the dynamics and wider soundstage and raw power of the Cayin which still had a warm midrange and a great sense of presence.

However, you really haven't heard the Almarro 318B until you try it with some fantastic old stock Mullard brown base tubes. Myself and friends rejected the Almarro until the Mullards were put in, which was a complete turn around from the previous dull sound. The Mullards preferred by me are the brown base ECC33 (6SN7) and CV569 (6SL7/ECC35). I auditioned the famous ECC32 and 34 which were slightly warmer (a little too much so in my system), yet less dynamic and synergistic as the ECC33/CV569 combo.

I've put a Black Treasure CV181-Z tube in the 6SN7 tube slot and was blown away with the results.
The sound stage opened up by a huge margin. Width and depth.
Tonal ballance is perfect and the extention on both ends are increadable.
I'm using a Tung Sol 6SU7 for my 6SL7 tube.
I'm in heaven.