Cayin Pearl 30i
The Pearl 30i pairs 230-watt tube authority with remarkably flexible voicing: ultralinear mode brings punchy dynamics, a solid foundation and expansive staging, while triode mode spotlights an expressive, credible midrange. hifitest.de also found its Timbre control delivers a genuinely vintage-flavoured alternative, making this a lavish valve integrated built for musical scale and character.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
94/100
Build Quality
95/100
Features Connectivity
84/100
Value for Money
85/100
Pros
Ultralinear mode delivers exceptionally punchy dynamics, a solid low-end foundation and a huge soundstage.
Triode mode offers a highly credible, expressive midrange, particularly persuasive with piano.
Timbre, triode and ultralinear settings provide unusually meaningful tonal tailoring, including a vintage-style presentation.
Excellent metalwork, surface finish and state-of-the-art component execution support its flagship construction.
Cons
Its two near-50kg chassis and deep dimensions make installation and furniture selection demanding.
Class-A operation draws around 550 watts continuously and produces substantial heat.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 94/100
The Pearl 30i is described as a highly expressive, powerful tube amplifier whose presentation can be meaningfully tailored between triode, ultralinear and Timbre settings. Review listening found convincing instrumental presence, exceptional spatial organization and substantial dynamic force, with the modes trading bass weight, treble silkiness and image scale for different musical flavors.
Transparency Resolution
91/100
The review praises the piano's persuasiveness as “second to none” and calls the midrange wonderfully credible and expressive in triode mode. It also notes that the treble character changes by mode, becoming less silky and more presence-focused in one setting, so this is not presented as a single fixed voicing.
Tonal Balance Musicality
95/100
Triode operation is said to shift the emphasis toward an especially credible, expressive midrange, while retaining heat and magnificence that the reviewer would not want to lose. The Timbre control is reported to provide a genuinely vintage character, giving listeners unusually substantial tonal choice.
Dynamics
95/100
With eight KT170 output tubes and a claimed 230 watts per channel, the amplifier is reported to unleash torrents of power. In ultralinear mode, the listening test found it extremely punchy, with a solid foundation and a forceful “real bang.”
Soundstage Imaging
94/100
The reviewer found control and meticulous spatial layering to be entirely unproblematic, and described a huge soundstage in ultralinear mode. Some Timbre settings bring the action more toward the center and reduce apparent stereo width, but this is presented as part of the amplifier's deliberate voicing options.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
95/100
The review explicitly calls the metalwork and surface finish excellent, while describing the circuits and component selection as state of the art. Its separate preamplifier and power-amplifier sections are substantial assemblies of nearly 50kg each, though their mass makes installation demanding.
Features Connectivity
84/100
Five source components can be connected, including one balanced source, and the preamplifier and power-amplifier sections have their own inputs and outputs for separate use. The Timbre switch adds a significant sound-shaping option, although the review does not identify digital, streaming, headphone or phono facilities.
Value for Money
85/100
At around €22,000, this is an unapologetically expensive amplifier, and the review calls it special partly because of that price. The reviewer is emphatic that its build, appearance, technical ambition and sound are all right, but does not directly compare its value with competing amplifiers at this level.
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Specifications
Manufacturer's Description — Cayin
Separate and Independent Power Supply System
Pearl 30i the 30th Anniversary Tube Amplifier is an Integrated Amplifier in two
cabinets with separate Amplifier Unit and Power Supply Unit. In the Power
Supply unit it is combined by four pieces of Power Transformers, which are
two pieces for the Left Channel and two pieces for Rig ht channel. Each
channel has its own High Voltage Power Supply and Low Voltage Power
Supply.
Customized Power Cables between the
Amplifier Unit and Power Supply Unit.
Left and Right channel take four cables
made out of 6N Copper Silver Plated
Wire
TUNG-SOL KT170 Pearl 30i is designed on basis of Tungsol KT170 Power Tubes. It outputs 230
watts Power in Ultralinear Mode or 145 watts power in Triode Mode per
channel. Designed in Class AB Push-Pull Pearl 30i takes four pieces of powerful
KT170 tube per channel.
Dynamic Auto Bias Pearl 30i takes Auto-Bias Design for the KT170 Power Tubes. With auto bias
design if you changed the Power Tubes you do not need to adjust the bias
manually. Bias can be adjusted automatically and precisely so that all tubes
can be matched which can raise the reliability of the Power Tubes and provide
an extended lifetime of the Power Tubes.
Dual Operation Mode:
Triode/Ultralinear
Pearl 30i offers two operation modes: Triode
and Ultralinear. Change the output mode you
will get a different sound signature instantly.
Dual Timbres：
DYNAMIC丨SOFT
choices of two timbres: Dynamic and Soft,
which has been realized by adjusting the
operation current of the KT170 Power Tubes.
High-Precision JRC MUSES 72320V electronic
volume controller to provide low noise, low
distortion and 106-step linear volume control.
With programmed MCU Pearl 30i is designed with a
variety of protection circuits and power-on timing
so that the amplifier works in the best condition:
60s Time Delay during Switch on, Soft Start Circuit
and BMI Function.
Inputs and Outputs Four pairs of line inputs, one pair of Balance Input, one pair of RCA Pre-In and
one pair of XLR Pre-In are located on the rear panel of the amplifier. In our
Pearl 30i Integrated Amplifier not only the Single Ended RCA inputs provided
but also the XLR Balance Input offering you multiple choices to connect with
various of Audio Systems.
Verified Dealers
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Authorized dealers for Cayin Pearl 30i
- A Tube High Fidelity — online and in-store — Almere, Flevoland, Netherlands (website)
- A1 Futureshop — online and in-store — North Rocks, New South Wales, Australia (website)
- Addicted to Audio — online and in-store — Epping, Victoria, Australia (website)
- Advanced MP3 Players — online and in-store — Musselburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (website)
- AES — in-store — Mitte, Hessen, Germany (website)
- Apos Audio — online and in-store — Oakland, California, United States (website)
- ARK Audio — online and in-store — Borensberg, Östergötlands län, Sweden (website)
- Art & Voice — online (website)
- Art et son — online and in-store — Montréal, Québec, Canada (website)
- Audeos — online and in-store — Żywiec, Województwo śląskie (website)
and 67 more verified dealers