Cayin i5 Lossless Android DAP with AKM4490 DAC supporting 32/384 PCM + 64/128 DSD

[koluludome]

@verbositynow Great review. I have the same conclusion like you.

I love Hiby style that suite to be music player than phone like AR-M20, but AR-M20 have darker background in sensitive iem.

 

[ngoshawk]

verbositynow Very nice, concise review. What I like from the tour so far, is that we pretty much run the gamut of "seasoned head-fi pros", to relative newbies such as the two of us.

The different starting points is a true benefit to the community. And yes, this unit is a lovely piece of kit; topping my list of DAP's.

 

[BartSimpson1976]

My i5 got some new buddies yesterday. And they play together very, very well....
 

 

[pr0b3r]

  My i5 got some new buddies yesterday. And they play together very, very well....
 

 
Easecase?

 

[Septimus]

Hey,
since yesterday i ran into some kind of bug.
i used my i5 in dap mode, then some program crashed and afterwards the sound from the i5 was delayed.
you can really notice it when you see people speak or play video games with soundeffects.
it also seems to apply to the i5 on its own as i downloaded the youtube app to test if the i5 alone would also be out of sync.
same delay as in dac mode. i think this also applies to music only, as there is a delay after pressing play to when the music actually starts playing.
i already restarted it multiple times and did a cache wipe.
shall i just try to do a factory reset?

 

[smy1]

Cayin i5. Onkyo's sound quality is indisputable but I've heard terrible stories about its qc and it's requiring you to pay 100$ more, so I would go for the i5.

Whats qc? I am not going to sq or anything.

 

[frost15]

Quality Control. Loose jacks and such stuff...

 

[frost15]

  Hey,
since yesterday i ran into some kind of bug.
i used my i5 in dap mode, then some program crashed and afterwards the sound from the i5 was delayed.
you can really notice it when you see people speak or play video games with soundeffects.
it also seems to apply to the i5 on its own as i downloaded the youtube app to test if the i5 alone would also be out of sync.
same delay as in dac mode. i think this also applies to music only, as there is a delay after pressing play to when the music actually starts playing.
i already restarted it multiple times and did a cache wipe.
shall i just try to do a factory reset?

Did you try switching the USB mode back to normal? Weird bug.

 

[smy1]

Just joined the i5 crew. Hope it will impress me because these will be a upgrade from the fiio x5 2nd gen. Never buying fiio product again because its so sluggish.

 

[pr0b3r]

Just joined the i5 crew. Hope it will impress me because these will be a upgrade from the fiio x5 2nd gen. Never buying fiio product again because its so sluggish.

 
i5 > x5ii for me.  I had 1 week time with my friend's x5ii then went back to my i5.  They were totally different.  The x5ii was a bit more airy and definitely brighter than i5.  For resolution, I will go with the i5.  It sounds more intimate so pickup on the details is good.  I realized it sounds warm after I compared it to my opus#1, which is on the neutral side of things.

UI: Opus#1 > i5 > x5ii
SQ: Opus#1 and i5 (can't pick one since they're different in flavor though I noticed that the opus#1 sounds more resolving and soundstage is really wide), > x5ii

 

[Demard]

   
i5 > x5ii for me.  I had 1 week time with my friend's x5ii then went back to my i5.  They were totally different.  The x5ii was a bit more airy and definitely brighter than i5.  For resolution, I will go with the i5.  It sounds more intimate so pickup on the details is good.  I realized it sounds warm after I compared it to my opus#1, which is on the neutral side of things.

UI: Opus#1 > i5 > x5ii
SQ: Opus#1 and i5 (can't pick one since they're different in flavor though I noticed that the opus#1 sounds more resolving and soundstage is really wide), > x5ii

build material: i5(metal) > Opus#1 (plastic) 
storage: Opus#1 2 microsd > i5 1 microsd
iem/headphone out: Opus#1 balanced and unbalanced, i5 unbalanced only 

 

[pr0b3r]

  build material: i5(metal) > Opus#1 (plastic) 
storage: Opus#1 2 microsd > i5 1 microsd
iem/headphone out: Opus#1 balanced and unbalanced, i5 unbalanced only 

 
Agree. 

 

[niron]

   
i5 > x5ii for me.  I had 1 week time with my friend's x5ii then went back to my i5.  They were totally different.  The x5ii was a bit more airy and definitely brighter than i5.  For resolution, I will go with the i5.  It sounds more intimate so pickup on the details is good.  I realized it sounds warm after I compared it to my opus#1, which is on the neutral side of things.

UI: Opus#1 > i5 > x5ii
SQ: Opus#1 and i5 (can't pick one since they're different in flavor though I noticed that the opus#1 sounds more resolving and soundstage is really wide), > x5ii

 
Interesting. Did you get the chance to listen to the Pioneer DAP recently? It is now at only $399 and I'm wondering where it stands in comparison to the Cayin i5 and the Oppo#1.

 

[pr0b3r]

   
Interesting. Did you get the chance to listen to the Pioneer DAP recently? It is now at only $399 and I'm wondering where it stands in comparison to the Cayin i5 and the Oppo#1.

 
Haven't got the chance to hear both the Pioneer and Onkyo DAPs.  They're both being compared to Opus#1 since the time they were launched.  Got my Opus from Amazon sale for $399 as well.  I would like to hear the other two when I get back home as I'm currently based abroad and there's no way to audition them here.

 

[niron]

Cheers!