[originalsnuffy]

Try a reboot without the memory card installed.

If that does not work, perhaps try charging for 2 to 3 hours. Then try this:

Hold down the power button to turn off the player. Hold down the volume + button, then press the power button to turn it on to enter the robot interface. In the robot interface, while holding down the power button, press once volume + button. Then you'll enter a menu, choose "Wipe data/factory reset".

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

Try a reboot without the memory card installed.

If that does not work, perhaps try charging for 2 to 3 hours. Then try this:

Hold down the power button to turn off the player. Hold down the volume + button, then press the power button to turn it on to enter the robot interface. In the robot interface, while holding down the power button, press once volume + button. Then you'll enter a menu, choose "Wipe data/factory reset".

Unfortunately, we're beyond that. DAP is completely unresponsive and I can't even get it to do the Android equivalent of POST, so any hopes of getting into Recovery mode are shot. She's proper done, but these are really good troubleshooting steps others can take before they request an RMA or exchange and I highly suggest them.

MusicTeck and I have worked out an exchange. Even if my time with it was short, there's a lot to like about that R5 Saber. I want to dive in deeper. Just have to wait a little longer until I can.

 

[393699]

Do you have another USB cable you can try ? It could actually be a bad cable too, so it won't charge the unit.

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

Do you have another USB cable you can try ? It could actually be a bad cable too, so it won't charge the unit.

Tried it against a known good cable as well. No dice.

 

[BobSmith8901]

Unfortunately, we're beyond that. DAP is completely unresponsive and I can't even get it to do the Android equivalent of POST, so any hopes of getting into Recovery mode are shot. She's proper done, but these are really good troubleshooting steps others can take before they request an RMA or exchange and I highly suggest them.

MusicTeck and I have worked out an exchange. Even if my time with it was short, there's a lot to like about that R5 Saber. I want to dive in deeper. Just have to wait a little longer until I can.

Glad it's working out. MusicTeck's rep keeps getting better and better. I had an e-mail question to them a few months ago re the R5S and they responded very quickly and answered my question accurately. I'll definitely be doing business with them in the future.

 

[originalsnuffy]

Glad it's working out. MusicTeck's rep keeps getting better and better. I had an e-mail question to them a few months ago re the R5S and they responded very quickly and answered my question accurately. I'll definitely be doing business with them in the future.

Generally Andrew at MusicTeck has been great to work with. He does insist on knowing your order information before helping out. Sometimes I have purchased items from him via Amazon and he typically has a hard time finding the orders when they came in that way. So support becomes a two step dance, find the order on Amazon than reach out to MusicTeck.

Where he gets put into a tough place is when a manufacturer puts out a product before the firmware is stable. That becomes an issue when the unit really isn't up to snuff.

My example: The Cayin N5II when it came out was something of a firmware disaster. Cayin said an upcoming firmware release would fix the problem, but that pushed out beyond the 30 day return limit. Do you return the unit and wait to see if the firmware is good; or hold the unit on the hopes that the firmware is as promised. In the case of the Cayin, the unit never really did deliver what was originally promised. The firmware was never fully baked and Cayin eventually abandoned ship on the the N5II series. In retrospect, I should really have returned the unit. Anyway the unit became a dedicated offline player even though it was supposed to have been a fairly capable Android device, The USB functionality ultimately was much less than promised.

Conclusion: If a unit is not up to speed return it or swap it while under warranty. Believing manufacturers is often not a good idea.

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

Generally Andrew at MusicTeck has been great to work with. He does insist on knowing your order information before helping out. Sometimes I have purchased items from him via Amazon and he typically has a hard time finding the orders when they came in that way. So support becomes a two step dance, find the order on Amazon than reach out to MusicTeck.

Where he gets put into a tough place is when a manufacturer puts out a product before the firmware is stable. That becomes an issue when the unit really isn't up to snuff.

My example: The Cayin N5II when it came out was something of a firmware disaster. Cayin said an upcoming firmware release would fix the problem, but that pushed out beyond the 30 day return limit. Do you return the unit and wait to see if the firmware is good; or hold the unit on the hopes that the firmware is as promised. In the case of the Cayin, the unit never really did deliver what was originally promised. The firmware was never fully baked and Cayin eventually abandoned ship on the the N5II series. In retrospect, I should really have returned the unit. Anyway the unit became a dedicated offline player even though it was supposed to have been a fairly capable Android device, The USB functionality ultimately was much less than promised.

Conclusion: If a unit is not up to speed return it or swap it while under warranty. Believing manufacturers is often not a good idea.

I have the N5iiS, so I know where you're coming from. Firmware disaster is a very appropriate term for what happened there. Did you decide whether you wanted to have a DAC that didn't click or a pause button that didn't take 5 seconds to activate? Ironically, though, that little DAP is still alive and kicking, as are my original Sansa Clip, Xduoo X3 II, and Shanling M0. Would have figured at least one should be giving up the ghost by now, but they're suprisingly robust units. Compared to the R5 Saber, though, the N5iiS is underpowered and you can feel it. Something like the Kanas Pro will play just fine on both DAPs, but that extra juice on the R5 Saber makes it sing a whole lot sweeter.

Regarding your advice to swap while you can, I also wholeheartedly agree. Honestly, I'd rather know a manufacturer has my back early on in the warranty window than worry that I'll be left high and dry towards the end (or even afterwards). It's why I like guys like Apos, who even commit to a 1-year warranty on used gear; that definitely helps instill confidence. Seeing them hang out on the forums and answer questions as they come up is a major plus.

So far, I've been very impressed with Andrew's CS style. He offered troubleshooting steps right out the gate, which I'm sure new and lesser tech-savvy customers would really appreciate. Once we went through the list of possible offenders, I had a return label in hand and it's on its way back to the east coast now. Prob won't get the return unit until next Monday, though, so I'm going to mess around more with these WH3. Don't know why the reviewers mentioned they favored the "Balanced" crossover preset (2700 Hz) over the "Hybrid" (10kHz). Spent about two days on Balanced and couldn't get the DD to calm down enough for my tastes. Hybrid starts you off on a much better foot, imho. Both still need EQ and don't resolve nearly as well nor give the same sense of space I know TWS are capable of producing. Still keeping my fingers crossed that UAT will magically just work on the replacement R5.

 

[originalsnuffy]

I would imagine Andrew could talk you though the UAT once the replacement unit arrives. Or maybe it will just work; that problem may just been another manifestation of whatever was wrong with your R5.

To answer your question about the Cayin, getting rid of the click was good. Basically the unit started working once they basically gave up on the USB subsystem.
I mainly use the Cayin with a fairly efficient IEM so power is not an issue. The R5 is a very powerful bad boy which is a good thing in my book.

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

I would imagine Andrew could talk you though the UAT once the replacement unit arrives. Or maybe it will just work; that problem may just been another manifestation of whatever was wrong with your R5.

To answer your question about the Cayin, getting rid of the click was good. Basically the unit started working once they basically gave up on the USB subsystem.
I mainly use the Cayin with a fairly efficient IEM so power is not an issue. The R5 is a very powerful bad boy which is a good thing in my book.

Good thinking and I'm hoping the UAT issue was confined to the broken unit as well. I'm sure Andrew and I can figure it out. Here's to hoping for a quick turnaround on the exchange. I miss my R5 Saber already.


These guys are feeling lonely over here. Won't stop asking for some 4.4mm balanced power. Granted, I can feed them with the E12a and my smartphone, but it's just not the same. That R5 is ridiculously good.

Gave me a chance to build a new demo playlist, at least. Realized I've been listening to the same demo playlist for a couple years now; getting a little stale. Time for something new!
https://open.qobuz.com/playlist/5968984

 

[monsieurfromag3]

Does the R5 Saber still make those weird noises upon the start of MQA tracks in Tidal? Don’t see why it wouldn’t, but hey.

I ended up getting a Cayin N3Pro and love its tuning to bits - it’s perhaps the most satisfying source I have ever heard, from memory I may like it better than the more reference N8 with its digital tubes.
Now I’d like a small Android DAP too and the market is not moving much on that front. It will be used mostly for Tidal streaming, predominantly with CD-quality FLAC files but there is a growing number of MQA stuff thrown in. I don’t care about MQA tbh, but it seems silly to outright disable it on a capable device.
I’m torn between this and the DX160. @chichaphile made a good case for the R5S and I’m happy to read the battery circuit has been upgraded, but of course @miserybeforethemusic ’s issues don’t inspire much confidence, esp. since I’d have to import it so I wouldn’t want to have to return it.

 

[miserybeforethemusic]

Does the R5 Saber still make those weird noises upon the start of MQA tracks in Tidal? Don’t see why it wouldn’t, but hey.

I ended up getting a Cayin N3Pro and love its tuning to bits - it’s perhaps the most satisfying source I have ever heard, from memory I may like it better than the more reference N8 with its digital tubes.
Now I’d like a small Android DAP too and the market is not moving much on that front. It will be used mostly for Tidal streaming, predominantly with CD-quality FLAC files but there is a growing number of MQA stuff thrown in. I don’t care about MQA tbh, but it seems silly to outright disable it on a capable device.
I’m torn between this and the DX160. @chichaphile made a good case for the R5S and I’m happy to read the battery circuit has been upgraded, but of course @miserybeforethemusic ’s issues don’t inspire much confidence, esp. since I’d have to import it so I wouldn’t want to have to return it.

Almost went with the N3Pro as well, but wanted something that could utilize streaming apps without needing HiBy Link. Don't use Tidal, but I don't remember hearing any digital noise when switching bitrates or in/out of DSD. Keep in mind the R5 Saber also does 8x unfolding, so its handling of Tidal MQA may be completely different than the standard R5. Unfortunately, I have no way of testing this for you until at least next week.

Have you considered switching from Tidal to Qobuz? No need to rely on your hardware being able to do anything with MQA, then. Library is more than extensive, too. Otherwise, the Saber may be a good choice for you and I'll hop onto a Tidal demo to test out MQA capability when the replacement unit comes in.

I have to imagine there's a lot of variables at play as to why my unit just died like that, but I'm willing to give them another chance. Could be a complete fluke, for all we know. That being said, I've heard awesome things about the DX160, especially for its screen quality and those color options look gorgeous, but I need my DAP to have a robust Bluetooth stack for testing purposes and saw too many negative opinions of the DX160's BT stability. Looks like they both use the same DAC chips (same Cirrus CS43198 as the A&K SR25), so I would expect them to at least be somewhat comparable in sound signature (though it really comes down to implementation). Can't find power specs that I can trust for either model to see how those differ, though. Don't think you'd be going wrong either way, but I think having that system-wide MSEB is a major plus.

One caveat I did see with the DX160 (and I have a similar issue with my N5iiS) is that they don't seem to play well with IEM cables that have in-built remotes (source). That might affect you, it might not. Just something to take into consideration.

If R5 Saber #2 doesn't work out, I'm most likely going for the DX160 (2020 Version). There's nothing from Fiio that really has my interest lately. Really hoping this second R5s knocks it out of the park, though. Seriously impressive DAP.

 

[originalsnuffy]

It would be nice to identify an alternative to the R5 but that is not easy to do.

 

[rlw6534]

It would be nice to identify an alternative to the R5 but that is not easy to do.

The bottom line is that the R5/R5s is one of the best DAPs out there, especially at the price. It just works (Google Play, UAPP, MQA, etc.) and has the fewest drawbacks of any DAP I have owned. It would be my first recommendation to anyone looking for a dedicated DAP. You can spend a lot more and get a lot less.

 

[393699]

The R5 is totally unmatched for the price. It pairs perfectly with my FIIO FH5 IEMs. This DAP offers excellent sound quality, great power, and solid features. For portable use, the R5 ended up being my stopping point for DAPs. I just don't see any need to go further. It offers tight, defined, and extended bass. The midrange is musical, with great detal. Soundstage has great width and impressive depth. Instruments are nicely presented and sound correct. The R5 is nicely detailed and extended in the treble without being fatiguing or sibilant. This device just offers a very smooth and clean frequency response across the board. On aliexpress, you can currently get the R5 for only 275 US. Nothing else at this price comes close. I have heard the FIIO M9 before, which costs 300 US. The R5 is a much better sounding DAP.

 

[peter123]

I'm also really happy that I went for the R5 earlier this year. Totally digging this setup: