[jz520]

I bought the C9 from Andrew at MusicTeck I have had it for a while and wanted to share my impressions. Shoutout to Andrew for the awesome customer service he responded really fast and it was an awesome experience.

I mainly use it with the Focal Stellia, Final D8000 Pro and Luxury Precision LP6 Gold.

First off with class A Solid State Timbre, I noticed an very clean sound, it improved the dynamics compared to the amp within the LP6
Gold and offered more punch and slam making the sound coming out of the stellia and d8000 pro more engaging. It also improved the Vocals making it more dynamic and more powerful making vocals come alive even more compared to LP6 amp.

Class A Tube Mode
This is my personal favorite configuration out of the three. In this mode what I said about the solid state timbre can be applied here. But with the tube timbre it takes the edges off everything just a little bit and adds a bit more soundstage. It kept all the advantage of the solid state it did not sound slow at all or have the negatives that people associate with tube. Only con I can give it is that I did notice a tiny lost in detail but the trade off was definitely worth it. The pairing with Focal Stellia in this mode was nothing short of amazing. Gave me chills while listening to some of my favorite tracks.

Class AB Solid State
This is my least favorite mode.
In my opinion this is a fun mode to have but most of the time I prefered the other modes.
The advantages of this mode is that it offered even more punch and dynamics compared to other modes. It was a fun and punchy experience but then I started to noticed the vocals did not sound as clear and the soundstage was smaller while losing quite a bit of detail.

Overall the C9 AMP for me is a clear step up from the amp inside the LP6 Gold. When I listened back to the LP6 alone the sound was less engaging, soundstage collapsed a bit, had less dynamics. The LP6 drove headphones even better than Hugo 2 in my opinion but C9 just offer that ability to driving full size headphones to the next level bringing my portable setup closer to desktop level. Definitely a must if I wanted to drive full size headphones on the go.

totally agree about Andrew of Musicteck..customer service is top notch!!

 

[jz520]

Cayin with the AK SP2000 is very good and with the SP3000 even better.

hello newbie here..how do you connect the SP3K to the H2 using coax or optical? it it better using USB? thanks

 

[bukumurah]

I managed to solve my earlier C9 not powering up issue..

After basically reading this whole thread, I concluded that it was an issue with the batteries being over-discharged (below 2,75 volts), which according to Andy Kong would render the C9 built-in charger module 'useless' and no longer able to recharge the batteries..

I went out and bought a [bloody expensive] 18650 charger, since it was the only one with 'battery restoration' feature advertised.. I have had no prior experience with rechargable batteries and had no clue whatsoever regarding battery restoration and whether basic chargers are able to do it or not..

Using the [bloody expensive] external charger's battery check feature, I was able to see that the remaining voltage on all the batteries were indeed less than 1 volt (well below the 2,75 volts threshold of the built-in charger module).. I initiated the battery restoration feature on the external charger and within minutes the batteries were up and charging again.. it took around 4 hours on the external charger to charge the batteries to around 98%..

I am listening to my new C9 as I am typing this now.. and the USD $38 I spent on the Nitecore UMS4 external charger was money well spent (maybe? )

IMHO in the case of C9 not powering up and not charging, the information regarding the minimum voltage threshold that the built-in charger can handle, and the need to use external chargers to bring the batteries back up to 2,75 volts should be on the 1st page of this thread.. else everyone will think that it is an issue with Protection Mode, which it clearly isn't!

 

[bukumurah]

Not sure if this information is allowed here or not.. but FYI if anyone is looking for an A02 board for their N6ii to use with the C9, there is one for sale in Japan on mercari marketplace.. just use google translate to search and then use a proxy buying agent to transact

 

[jlemaster1957]

I managed to solve my earlier C9 not powering up issue..

After basically reading this whole thread, I concluded that it was an issue with the batteries being over-discharged (below 2,75 volts), which according to Andy Kong would render the C9 built-in charger module 'useless' and no longer able to recharge the batteries..

I went out and bought a [bloody expensive] 18650 charger, since it was the only one with 'battery restoration' feature advertised.. I have had no prior experience with rechargable batteries and had no clue whatsoever regarding battery restoration and whether basic chargers are able to do it or not..

Using the [bloody expensive] external charger's battery check feature, I was able to see that the remaining voltage on all the batteries were indeed less than 1 volt (well below the 2,75 volts threshold of the built-in charger module).. I initiated the battery restoration feature on the external charger and within minutes the batteries were up and charging again.. it took around 4 hours on the external charger to charge the batteries to around 98%..

I am listening to my new C9 as I am typing this now.. and the USD $38 I spent on the Nitecore UMS4 external charger was money well spent (maybe? )

IMHO in the case of C9 not powering up and not charging, the information regarding the minimum voltage threshold that the built-in charger can handle, and the need to use external chargers to bring the batteries back up to 2,75 volts should be on the 1st page of this thread.. else everyone will think that it is an issue with Protection Mode, which it clearly isn't!

Thanks for persevering. I had a similar issue with my new C9 last year- once the batteries reach this low discharged state, the only option other than that you used is to replace them, which can cost ~ $70 (which I did). So your external charger indeed saved you money despite the expense.

 

[zolom]

Deleted

 

[bukumurah]

I have no idea what is wrong with my A02+C9 combo.. they get destroyed so badly by the R01+C9 combo even without a dedicated pre out..

On a side note, has anyone compared the C9 (with any source) to the Sony DMP-Z1? Thoughts please..

 

[dududuckling]

Hi,

I am looking at pairing the Cayin N7 with the Cayin C9, mainly for listening to IEMs. Am I going to add any value with the C9 in terms of sound?

My current pairing includes: Cayin N7 and Sennheiser IE900 with copper/silver hybrid cables for listening to C/J/K-pop, easy listening, EDM, and anything fast-paced, and Cayin RU6 and Sennheiser IE900 with Eletech Raphael for a more organic sound for slow and relaxed listening like country and jazz. With the C9, I am also looking at getting warmer, smoother-sounding IEMs like the Aur Audio Alita or Vision Ears Phonix.

Does the Cayin C9 sound truly warm, tubey, and holographic? Would you consider the nu-tube to be somewhat fairly neutral closer to solid-state amp?

My other point of comparison is the XDuoo TA-26 OTL headphone amplifier with Mullard 6SN7 and 6AS7 tubes, paired with the Sennheiser HD800S and Effect Audio CODE 23 (the HD800S clearly needs a bass boost).

Thanks.

 

[bukumurah]

Hi,

I am looking at pairing the Cayin N7 with the Cayin C9, mainly for listening to IEMs. Am I going to add any value with the C9 in terms of sound?

My current pairing includes: Cayin N7 and Sennheiser IE900 with copper/silver hybrid cables for listening to C/J/K-pop, easy listening, EDM, and anything fast-paced, and Cayin RU6 and Sennheiser IE900 with Eletech Raphael for a more organic sound for slow and relaxed listening like country and jazz. With the C9, I am also looking at getting warmer, smoother-sounding IEMs like the Aur Audio Alita or Vision Ears Phonix.

Does the Cayin C9 sound truly warm, tubey, and holographic? Would you consider the nu-tube to be somewhat fairly neutral closer to solid-state amp?

My other point of comparison is the XDuoo TA-26 OTL headphone amplifier with Mullard 6SN7 and 6AS7 tubes, paired with the Sennheiser HD800S and Effect Audio CODE 23 (the HD800S clearly needs a bass boost).

Thanks.

Of all the iems that I have, the Vision Ears VE8 is the best match for the C9.. so I suspect the Phönix may be a great match too..

The C9 itself can sound from almost neutral to warm detailed but never bright/cool, depending on the other equipments and synergy..

It is extremely revealing that the smallest change in the audio chain (cables, tips, dac filters) will be very apparent immediately..

 

[jlemaster1957]

Hi,

I am looking at pairing the Cayin N7 with the Cayin C9, mainly for listening to IEMs. Am I going to add any value with the C9 in terms of sound?

My current pairing includes: Cayin N7 and Sennheiser IE900 with copper/silver hybrid cables for listening to C/J/K-pop, easy listening, EDM, and anything fast-paced, and Cayin RU6 and Sennheiser IE900 with Eletech Raphael for a more organic sound for slow and relaxed listening like country and jazz. With the C9, I am also looking at getting warmer, smoother-sounding IEMs like the Aur Audio Alita or Vision Ears Phonix.

Does the Cayin C9 sound truly warm, tubey, and holographic? Would you consider the nu-tube to be somewhat fairly neutral closer to solid-state amp?

My other point of comparison is the XDuoo TA-26 OTL headphone amplifier with Mullard 6SN7 and 6AS7 tubes, paired with the Sennheiser HD800S and Effect Audio CODE 23 (the HD800S clearly needs a bass boost).

Thanks.

In my experience, C9 does not offer a highly ‘tubey’ holographic experience. The nu-tubes contribute to the ‘warmth’ and perhaps add a bit of ‘air’ around the instruments but the effect is subtle. The difference between Class A and AB modes is more noticeable, AB being the more dynamic/‘etched’ of the 2. I’ve also noted a substantial difference between pre-amp and Line-in mode- line in from my DAPs (Hiby R8 or Cayin N6mkii) at max volume from the DAP, and all volume control managed on the C9 seems to optimize the dynamic range - at least I find that mode preferable to pre-amp mode. As ever YMMV. I have not compared the C9 to N7 or N8.

 

[dududuckling]

In my experience, C9 does not offer a highly ‘tubey’ holographic experience. The nu-tubes contribute to the ‘warmth’ and perhaps add a bit of ‘air’ around the instruments but the effect is subtle. The difference between Class A and AB modes is more noticeable, AB being the more dynamic/‘etched’ of the 2. I’ve also noted a substantial difference between pre-amp and Line-in mode- line in from my DAPs (Hiby R8 or Cayin N6mkii) at max volume from the DAP, and all volume control managed on the C9 seems to optimize the dynamic range - at least I find that mode preferable to pre-amp mode. As ever YMMV. I have not compared the C9 to N7 or N8.

Thanks - when you mentioned substantial difference, what are you referring to?

Also, how do you connect the Cayin C9?

From what I have seen, its would be via Cayin 3.5mm to 3.5mm interconnect or 4.4mm to 4.4mm ? Thanks

 

[Patlezinc]

Sorry to reply before jlemaster. On my side, using the pre function of the C9 lets the DAP doing the preamp. So you have the signature of the DAP more than with the C9 doing the preamp process. For instance : m15s and C9 in pre was inferior to m15s and C9 without. But C9 in pre and N7 was really better than c9 and N7 without. With N7, class A gave a better instrument separation.

 

[davidsandelman1103]

Just recieved my C9, connected it to A&K sp3000, using the C9 in preamp mode, listening through my Meze Elite. What an improvement!!! Authority in the bass, fuller mids. A major step up.

 

[davidsandelman1103]

Hi.
A new C9 owner.
How long does it take to the tubes to turn on once I move the timbre button (A new unit)?
I've tried to turn on tube mode, the on/off button is flickering for a long time, way more than 5 minutes, doesn't stop and tubes are not switching on.
Is it a bug?

 

[Tanalasta]

Plug your headphones in first to complete the circuits.