No impressions from the Axiom? Sounds like a great portable tube setup that I’d wouldn’t mind experiencing once! Nice review!

As I posted in the official N8ii thread, exceptional writing and photography. Truly enjoyed your approachable visually immersive writing style. I'm on my 3rd read and giddy waiting for my N8ii to arrive. Thank you thank you again for taking the time and care with your writing! Exceptional!

Nice review and great pics!!!

Thank you all, I really appreciate it, I love that you like it!

Staying up so late was definitely worth it

Amazing review, and thanks for touching on the N3Pro. Your words made me interested in the N8ii again after I sort of discarded it due to its analytical nature pointed by everyone. Sounds unbelievable, I need to hear it!

Excellent work with this review, very detailed and yet easy to read. The one comparison I'd like to hear about is with the Cayin N6ii/C9 combination to get a feel for where the key differences are in the sound.

So I was all set to get the M17 but then I got wind that Cayin was cooking up this device. Even before reading your findings, I got the feeling that the M17 would not quite be as nuanced as I would like, considering my offline music collection is nearly 100% DSD. I don't have anything that really would utilize the unnecessary power of it. I have a vintage Conrad Johnson tube preamplifier in my home setup, so I've always looked into similar portable setups as well. I also have another great headphone that you can't really find anymore--that being the beautiful Final Audio Sonorous X (with an upgrade balanced cable no less), which I'm sure sounds great with this device as well and it's 16 ohms dynamic certainly can be driven easily. In addition I have *both* Pioneer Master series (SE & Monitor) limited edition cans which are no slouch either.

This review was very informative and just may have changed my mind about what to order!

@scottm18 Honestly, both are great devices in my opinion, but yeah, the N8ii will be more nuanced, more natural and mature sounding, especially if you like vintage stuff. I'd go with N8ii personally

Great review and comparison. One thing that I'd love to know is that how the amp section compares against the C9. I am planning to stack my LP6K with the C9, but in case the N8ii sounds just as good with similar sense of dynamics and bass texture, I'd just bite the N8ii bullet.

Same music I use in my library for testing.

Great write up and comparison bro!! That's some really high-end stuff you got there

Basically its an IEM dap, with shy 750mw@32ohm over solid state section in P+ mode and over Vacuum tubes gives only 480mw@32 ohm -> balanced output, as it doesn't support P+ mode anymore. So this dap can not quite compete with M17 , which pushes over single ended 1.5w/ch which is double of N8ii in balance.. Planar headphones would sound lifeless on N8ii with no dynamic range while M17 makes drivers shine wihout breaking a sweat. Just mine 2 cents. Good review though!

It will certainly power easier to drive headphones but not harder to drive planars like Susvaras. Those numbers you quote for the M17 are they the enhanced desktop mode? In which case it's not quite comparing apples with apples as the N8ii is battery only. I'm sure the M17 is a splendid thing but the N8ii will be at least it's equal but with a different character.

It does power easier to drive headphones yes, but HD800, ZMF, Audeze LCD 2/3/4, Heddphone, He6, Susvara et cetera will not. That's why I say it will drive IEM's perfectly. Most of the good headphones are not easy to drive, even if the volume is enough they need power to shine, otherwise they are just lifeless.

@Gymboy I partially agree. Yeah, my Susvara or the HEDDphone sounded lifeless on the N8ii, but the Elite, HE1000se are both exceptional headphones and they sound superb on the N8ii. But yeah, if anyone wants to use the N8ii with full-size headphones, he should go for something that is pretty efficient, like the mentioned Elite or 1000se.

The N8ii is the first DAP that made me think that the Solaris 2020 is slightly underperforming when it comes to technical capabilities in 2022. It just sounds so much better with MEST, that the Solaris 2020 just sounds as it’s not really worthy of its flagship status anymore.
I’m not saying that the Solaris 2020 is a bad IEM, absolutely not, I still use it quite often, every time I’m craving for that wet and fluid midrange, but it’s just not the best pairing with the N8ii.

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I was of the same opinion until I tried the Solaris 2020 with a PlusSound Gold-Plated Copper cable — if you have the opportunity, give it a shot