QP1R vs N5 vs N6: A Brief Comparison
There have already been lots of reviews on the N6 and N5, so in this comparison I focus on the differences between the DAPs.
@Andykong from Cayin contacted me back in Sept. last year to see if I was interested in reviewing their DAPs. I said why not but due to my travel schedule I didn't get the units until 3 months later. I am not affiliated with Cayin in any way.
Note: The QP1R is my own.
General
Questyle QP1R: M.S.R.P. USD $899
Cayin N5: USD $349 at Amazon
Cayin N6: USD $599 at Amazon
Build
All three have very high quality all-metal construction and are fairly bulky (especially the N6). It's nice to see such build on the N5 its price point: for USD $349 (Amazon) or RMB 2099 (Taobao) you get a full metal housing and a carbon fiber back panel. The QP1R has Gorillas Glass on the front and back.
Firmware
These DAPs have very similar functionality as well as shortcomings such as the 5,800 (*) songs limit for tag browsing (since they all share the same codebase of the Ingenic SoC.) If you're like me who only uses folder browsing then you'll be fine with any of them.
Sadly there is no gapless playback support on the Cayin DAPs. (EDIT: Seems like the N5 supports Gapless in later firmware)
(*) With the 1.0.5 firmware the limit has been raised to 9,999 on the QP1R.
Feature Comparison
| | N5 | N6 | QP1R |
| Volume Control | Buttons | Buttons+scroll wheel | AK-style rotary decoder |
| DAC Chip | AK4490EQ | PCM1792 | CS4398 |
| No. of Card Slots | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Line out | Shared with PO | Dedicated | Dedicated, variable voltage |
| USB DAC | Yes(+) | Yes(+) | No |
| USB3 File Transfer | Yes | No | No |
| Balanced Output | Yes | No | No |
| Digital Output | Coaxial | Coaxial | Optical |
| No. of Gain Levels | 2 | 2 | 3 |
(+) Didn't work with my iPhone 6, got "This accessory requires too much power". I'd like to see this fixed on the next-generation Cayin players.
Sound
Gear used: I used my UERM and NT6-Pro CIEMs for most of the listening, and a FIIO HS2 for switching quickly between DAPs. I tried my best to match volume by ear (didn't have a SPL meter.)
I didn't test the 2.5mm balanced out on the N5 since it's too noisy with my earphones.
QP1R vs N6
Both are neutral and after volume matching, I actually had trouble telling them apart. These two are not only close in signature but also in performance. I would say the QP1R has little bass depth, slightly better clarity and a tad wider soundstage. TBH I doubt I'd be able to tell them apart in a blind test.
N5 vs N6/QP1R
The N5 has smoother and a slightly warmer but still kind of neutral tonality. Soundstage is smaller giving it a more intimate feeling. Detail level is actually quite good but cannot match the other two, which is especially apparent with well-recorded classical music. Also the N5 has slightly more mid-bass to my ears giving music a more lively feeling.
Power
The QP1R is pretty good at driving planars due to its current mode amplification. I once tried the HE560 and HE1000 at a audio shop; the HE560 sounded great and HE1000 wasn't bad at all, though I had to max out the volume at high gain. Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to try full-size headphones on the N5 and N6.
Summary
I'm impressed by what the N5 and N6 can do in the SQ department at their price points and I'd certainly pick the N6 over the QP1R if it were a little smaller, had a more modern design and dual card slots. If you are mostly into pop or rock music then the N5 is a very good choice, too.
I'd like to thank
@Andykong of Cayin for loaning me their DAPs. I had the pleasure of meeting Andy in person and learned a great deal about DAP development from him. I am very excited for what Cayin brings to the table in 2016!
No brainer for $30. What I've been wondering is this Lao Zhong of LZ the same genius as Mr. Z of Musicmaker?
