Cayin N3 Hi-Res DAP with AKM4490 DAC, apt-X Bluetooth, and Line, USB & Coax Out for $150

Hi all. @Andykong recently hinted at a new Cayin DAP, and I'm excited to share it with you today. It'll be officially announced at CanJam New York, but here's a sneak peek...

The N3 is Cayin's new entry-level DAP. It's packed with an AKM4490 DAC, which is one of my favorite DACs right now. Compared to the N5 (which is one of my go-to DAPs), the N3 is 40% smaller and 50% lighter. It's rated for 12 hours continuous playback, so the N3 is set to make it through long days of listening to your favorite music. The N3 supports all common digital music formats up to 24Bits/192kHz, natively decodes DSD up to DSD256, and outputs PCM and DoP to external DACs through a unique dual digital output (Coaxial and USB-Audio via USB Type-C). With Bluetooth v4.0 and apt-X, the N3 can go wireless with latest Bluetooth speakers and headphones, making the most versatile Cayin N series DAP yet. In short, I think it's going to be quite the versatile piece of audio kit to have around!

I'll be getting one to try out after CanJam NY, so stay tuned for my thoughts on the new N3. If any of you get to try it out at CanJam NY, please join the thread and let us know what you think!


LINK to official announcement.


PRICE: $149.99


DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS
Design
* Multi-color minimal design
* 2.4” TFT 400x300 IPS screen
* Capactive Touch Control
Portability
* Compact and lightweight
* 12 hours continuous playback
* Up to 256G TF card and OTG storage
Digital Audio Technologies
* AKM4490 Flagship DAC chipset
* Native DSD decoding up to DSD256
* Support Hi-Res PCM upto 24Bit/192kHz
* Supports all common audio file formats: DSD64/128/256, SACD-ISO, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, WAV, APE, AAC, MP3, WMA

Connectivity
* Bluetooth v4.0 + apt-X:
* USB-DAC
* Dual Digital Output


SPECIFICATIONS
DAC Chipset: AK4490EN x1
Power Rating: 130mW + 130mW @ 32ohm
Storage: TF (up to 256GB), USB OTG
Output: Shared 3.5mm Headphone + Line Out, Shared USB + Coaxial Out (optiona USB C to Coaxial cable needed for Coax Out)
Bluetooth: BT v4 + apt-X
Battery Duration: ~12 hours
Dimensions: 100mm x 54mm x 13mm (LxWxH)
Weight: ~100g


























And check out Jude's overview of what's coming to CanJam NY.

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT5tuMJ-DRs#t=30m44s[/video]

What Cayin will be bringing starts at timecode 30:43.

Meida Reviews and HeadFi Reports

Headfonics, The N3 By Cayin, April 5, 2017

User Impression

Open Box and First impression (in Russian)
Brief summary of Open Box video from Russia

Impression from docholliday

Impression from Riolist2

Impression from rad7 #732

Impression from BrainD19

Impression from docholliday


FAQ


Can we use N3 as USB-DAC for your computer?

How to get Coaxial signal out of N3's USB Type C connector?

Is there any off-the-shelf USB cable that can be used with N3 for digital audio connection?

Can N3 output digital audio signal when receiving/playing back music file from Bluetooth?

Can we disable the vibration feedback on the capacitive touch button?


Firmware Announcements

Firmware v1.1
Firmware V1.2
Firmware V2.0
Firmware V2.1

interesting dap!

In the settings should state DSD64 not DSD54, please correct it.
Can be used as USB DAC?

The design looks nice and simple.
What is the material used for the body?
Also, would like to know some details about the USB-C to Coaxial cable. What type of termination will it have on the Coaxial end?

Not sure I like the idea of combining coax-out into USB-C port, but otherwise it seems to be a pretty solid design feature wise.

clieos said:

  Not sure I like the idea of combining coax-out into USB-C port, but otherwise it seems to be a pretty solid design feature wise.

Click to expand...

 
It's the same "mechanism" used in i5:
 
 

sandman1990 said:

The design looks nice and simple.

What is the material used for the body?

Also, would like to know some details about the USB-C to Coaxial cable. What type of termination will it have on the Coaxial end?

Click to expand...

Aluminum front + plastic back

Also, N3 will have Low, Medium, and High Gain settings. I like that move.

nmatheis said:

Aluminum front + plastic back

Also, N3 will have Low, Medium, and High Gain settings. I like that move.

Click to expand...

So is it a true touch screen or is it buttons on the front ala sony a15 series?

Either way looks a good alternative to the nano's etc.

davidcotton: I'm pretty sure it's just capacitive buttons on the front, not touchscreen. If I'm wrong, Andy can virtually slap me, lol :rofl:

If it is not have touchscreen, N5 is better, imho.

Hello,
I had a doubt, please ignore if it's an invalid one.
Does Cayin N3 have both Digital out and digital in?
So if a source can transmit digital signal through spdif port, would Cayin N3 be able to receive it through its USB C digital in?
Thanks.

steve80 said:

If it is not have touchscreen, N5 is better, imho.

Click to expand...

They're in different classes, though. Not sure if compare, since N5 will be approximately twice the price of N5...

pranavtripathi said:

Hello,
I had a doubt, please ignore if it's an invalid one.
Does Cayin N3 have both Digital out and digital in?
So if a source can transmit digital signal through spdif port, would Cayin N3 be able to receive it through its USB C digital in?
Thanks.

Click to expand...

I haven't heard about digital in for N3. That's more common in upper tier DAPs.

Only if it hand Android.