[fredmad]

I'm sure the cards are not at fault, they work in other players and files transfer without any problem (or noises).
 
It's interesting to hear that two of you are also experiencing the same thing.  I contacted the Dealer who sold me my N5, and he reports that similar clicking/ticking sounds come from Fiio, iBasso, and Astell & Kern players.  He says that it results from the type of encoding & playback software.  
 
I'm not sure what muting relay is, but this seems like a hardware issue and not a software issue.  The sound can sometimes be heard in the headphones, but I think it's microphonic and not actual sound being transmitted from the amplifier.
 
I remain open to the idea that this is a normal part of the player's operation, and if others are having similar experiences then maybe it's time for me just to chill out and enjoy the music 

 
(though I'd love to hear Andykong's thoughts next time he stops by!)

 

[fdmerle]

Hello Guys,
 
Have any of you got problems with USB slot? I have an issue, seems connection is not good. I used different usb cabels, but it didn't helped. To charge the device, or to use it as DAC I have to keep the cable in proper angle to player, only then it possible to charge/listen music/transfer files. 
 
Is it possible to change this slot? If yes, may be somebody have an idea where is possible to buy one?
 
thank you

 

[Andykong]

I confirm that mine is doing the same clicking noise when you start/stop/pause music.
It does come from the bottom of the DAP where the slots and usb ports are located, but it doesn't mean that this is due to the cards, it is just that this is where the DAP chassis is open, so the clicking sounds come from the DAP internals, somewhere unidentified.

It does happen indifferently with Samsung, Transcend and SanDisk microSDs (I have a nice mix of 64/128/200Gb cards), as a proof of this.

Conclusion: the DAP is at fault here, the cards have nothing to do with it.

This being said, I'm not sure it's anything serious, it is just not very discrete.

I'm sure the cards are not at fault, they work in other players and files transfer without any problem (or noises).

It's interesting to hear that two of you are also experiencing the same thing.  I contacted the Dealer who sold me my N5, and he reports that similar clicking/ticking sounds come from Fiio, iBasso, and Astell & Kern players.  He says that it results from the type of encoding & playback software.  

I'm not sure what muting relay is, but this seems like a hardware issue and not a software issue.  The sound can sometimes be heard in the headphones, but I think it's microphonic and not actual sound being transmitted from the amplifier.

I remain open to the idea that this is a normal part of the player's operation, and if others are having similar experiences then maybe it's time for me just to chill out and enjoy the music 

(though I'd love to hear Andykong's thoughts next time he stops by!)

Mr Trev is right, that sounds like the relay in Mute Control. It is not a hardware problem and will not affect the audio performance. The Mute relay is there to reduce the background hissing problem when music is paused or before/after playback.



Using a relay in Mute control is a common design, it does exist in many popular DAPs.

 

[Andykong]

Hello Guys,

Have any of you got problems with USB slot? I have an issue, seems connection is not good. I used different usb cabels, but it didn't helped. To charge the device, or to use it as DAC I have to keep the cable in proper angle to player, only then it possible to charge/listen music/transfer files. 

Is it possible to change this slot? If yes, may be somebody have an idea where is possible to buy one?

thank you

Have you tried the USB 3.0 cable bundled with the N5?

 

[fdmerle]

I tried several cables, and, of course, I tried cable bundled with the N5

 

[fredmad]

thanks Andykong for the info.  It sets my mind at ease to know that this is normal operation and I can forget about it now and enjoy the player.  I downloaded the new firmware last night and page scrolling is excellent.

 

[fredmad]

  I tried several cables, and, of course, I tried cable bundled with the N5

 
I charged mine last night for the first time and my computer kept losing and then finding the player.  It was a little annoying, especially since I was transferring files and the card kept disappearing and then reappearing from File Explorer.  I'm not sure if this is the same sort of issue you have been having fdmerle.  It did get a full charge.

 

[BadReligionPunk]

Well, you guys could try using a regular 2.0 cable and see if that helps. I had an issue with an after market 3.0 cable not seating properly because the rubber insulation kept the prongs from fully going into the player, so I just use the supplied 3.0 cable or a regular charging cable now with no problems.

 

[Andykong]

I tried several cables, and, of course, I tried cable bundled with the N5

That's strange, the stock USB cable should hold up very well, that means the USB female port might be damaged or stressed.

If you still have access to your reseller, pay them a visit and bring your cables with you, test the cable with their demo unit, and if it works, then your N5 probably need to pay a visit to the factory.

 

[fdmerle]

That's strange, the stock USB cable should hold up very well, that means the USB female port might be damaged or stressed.

If you still have access to your reseller, pay them a visit and bring your cables with you, test the cable with their demo unit, and if it works, then your N5 probably need to pay a visit to the factory.

Thank you for your suggestion. That is the question. Im quite far away fro factory So, Im interesting in next things:
- Is it possible just to buy USB female port for my device somewhere, and is it not to complicated to replace it? If so, I can replace it in some mobile store service. 
In any way Im already communicating with re-seller, but it took to much time (Im chating with him for a month or so about this issue) I bought it in aliexpress  
 
Thank you!

 

[tienbasse]

Mr Trev is right, that sounds like the relay in Mute Control. It is not a hardware problem and will not affect the audio performance. The Mute relay is there to reduce the background hissing problem when music is paused or before/after playback.

(...)

Using a relay in Mute control is a common design, it does exist in many popular DAPs.

Thanks for confirming that it's nothing to worry about.
Enjoying this DAP immensely so far. Especially the balanced ouput and the 2 slots, which is a steal at this pricepoint.

 

[JaeYoon]

With Lame MP3 -V0 & -v2. I managed to get 6 1/2 hours with 60% battery life remaining. At 13 hours it would be 10% remaining. Pretty good for N5.

I can't get that amount on the Astrell&Kern AK70.

 

[Fra Diavolo]

So I'm graduating from my 160GB Rockboxed iPod Classic because I've run out of storage space.  This will be my first entry into a higher quality set up. I originally came on Head-fi to read the thread about the Fiio X5ii, but after having read through that entire thread and this thread, I've changed my mind and I'm going for the N5 based on the stellar customer service Andykong provided on this forum. 
 
I listen to music at the office pretty much 8 hours a day 5 days a week, so variety is a must.  I listen to everything from classical to early jazz/ragtime and big band, to reggae, blues and all eras of rock (and a lot more).  I currently have 28,000 tracks, but not all of them fit in the iPod, so I'm grateful for two sd slots on the N5. 
 
Being spoiled with Rockbox, I've been able to sort my music any number of ways.  One of the more interesting ones (for me) is to listen to the development of music chronologically since all of my tracks are accurately tagged with the year of release or date of composition. To do this I can filter my collection by Year and then shuffle each Year as I go. (This would be a really GREAT feature for a firmware update if not already included in the N5!!!)
 
So my next big decision is to decide on a pair of headphones to pair with the N5.  (I'm currently using a cheap pair of JVCs.)  I can't use IEMs because my ear canals are sensitive and I can't keep them in very long.  So I have my eye on the V-moda XS.  Would this be a good match? My budget for headphones is around the $150 mark.  Also, I keep my volume fairly quiet since I already have a bad case of tinnitus and I don't want to make it worse.  So they need to sound good at lower volumes. Comfort is also important since I have them on all day.
 
Anyway, thanks to all who contributed to these forums, they've been a big help in my decision making process. 

 

[Andykong]

So I'm graduating from my 160GB Rockboxed iPod Classic because I've run out of storage space.  This will be my first entry into a higher quality set up. I originally came on Head-fi to read the thread about the Fiio X5ii, but after having read through that entire thread and this thread, I've changed my mind and I'm going for the N5 based on the stellar customer service Andykong provided on this forum. 

I listen to music at the office pretty much 8 hours a day 5 days a week, so variety is a must.  I listen to everything from classical to early jazz/ragtime and big band, to reggae, blues and all eras of rock (and a lot more).  I currently have 28,000 tracks, but not all of them fit in the iPod, so I'm grateful for two sd slots on the N5. 

Being spoiled with Rockbox, I've been able to sort my music any number of ways.  One of the more interesting ones (for me) is to listen to the development of music chronologically since all of my tracks are accurately tagged with the year of release or date of composition. To do this I can filter my collection by Year and then shuffle each Year as I go. (This would be a really GREAT feature for a firmware update if not already included in the N5!!!)

So my next big decision is to decide on a pair of headphones to pair with the N5.  (I'm currently using a cheap pair of JVCs.)  I can't use IEMs because my ear canals are sensitive and I can't keep them in very long.  So I have my eye on the V-moda XS.  Would this be a good match? My budget for headphones is around the $150 mark.  Also, I keep my volume fairly quiet since I already have a bad case of tinnitus and I don't want to make it worse.  So they need to sound good at lower volumes. Comfort is also important since I have them on all day.

Anyway, thanks to all who contributed to these forums, they've been a big help in my decision making process. 

I am flattered, and I hope I have lead you to the right track after all.

Its amazing for someone go through the X5ii thread and N5 thread exhaustively before making his decision for a DAP, I admire your devotion in the hobby.

Although N5 has two TF card slot and theoretically can handle 400GB external storage, the Music library has a upper limit of 15,000 songs only. Beyond that, the library and sorting function will not be included in the Music database function.

Sorting by Year is a very new concept to us, can't promise a firmware amendment immediately, will bring this up for discussion at the right time.

the V-moda XS is an on-ear headphone, if you are listening to 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, then I'll suggest you consider an over-ear headphone instead, I'll suggest you start from Beyer DT-770 ohm and Sennheiser Momentum Over-ear,

 

[Fra Diavolo]

Thanks for the response. 
 
That does lead to a question.  Does the 15,000 limit mean that only 15,000 tracks are visible in the database at any one time? For instance, if I look in "Artist" and none of my ZZ Top tracks show up because "Artist" would return more than 15,000 tracks, but if I sort by the genre "Classic Rock" they would show up since there are less than 15,000 tracks in that particular search.  Or will certain tracks (over 15,000) never show up in any search?  If some tracks never show up in the database, I presume that they are the ones added AFTER the initial 15,000 tracks? So I'd want to load my favorite 15,000 tracks first.
 
I had worried about the 15,000 database limit, but I don't usually sort my entire collection at once.  I generally will stick with a single genre, or I will browse from folders. Although having the option to browse by year might be another way to get around the limit since there's never more than a few hundred tracks in each year. 
 
Sorry about all the questions, I'm just curious how the limit works.  I will find a way to make it work within whatever parameters I have, so not a deal-breaker. 
 
P.S. I'm checking out the headphone recommendations, too...thank you!
 
Thanks!