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

[pr0b3r]

  the magnets are on the back of the player, so there should be no issue. ALthough I must admit they are relatively strong.
Can hold the player easily on my metal drawer besides my desk
 

 
What!?  The i5 is already heavy and that puny magnet can hold it vertically like that!?  Wow!  The force is strong in that one!  LOL

I thought the ones from Easecase and Valentinum are the same.  Are they not?  But certainly, just by seeing the pics, they look way better than the stock case.  I wonder when Cayin will release their better version of the case which Andy is currently using.  He won't say anything about it.  

 

[BartSimpson1976]

Nice side effect: Should you think about using a small amp you won't need silicone rings to tie them together!
 
The Valentinum case is different. Handmade to order from Ukraine. Highly recommended.
Can't speak for the Easecase, but the Valentimum case is top notch craftmanship!

 

[smy1]

It might be worth looking into the LZ-A4. I haven't heard them, but they seem to be getting very positive reviews (great sound for the price, tunable with various filters/nozzles):

http://www.head-fi.org/t/812329/lz-a4-impressions-and-discussion-thread

I heard the solar has the same sound sig as the meze

 

[Robmoores1]

I heard the solar has the same sound sig as the meze

They are extremely expensive though. 
 
I picked up a pair of Sony XBA N3AP's yesterday and so far so good. 
 
I will get a pair of the Meze 12's too to see how they compare. 
 
I am always conscious that pairing a £400 DAP with a £70 pair of headphones might not be the best thing to do. 

 

[LenMargaux]

Here's another review of the Cayin i5: http://thepcenthusiast.com/cayin-i5-portable-digital-audio-player-review/
Looks like a pretty well-rounded and fully featured DAP. Great work Cayin and @Andykong!
 

 

[glassmonkey]

Review a go go! Micah likes it! 
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/cayin-i5/reviews/17853
 

 

[glassmonkey]

 

I heard the solar has the same sound sig as the meze

They are extremely expensive though. 
 
I picked up a pair of Sony XBA N3AP's yesterday and so far so good. 
 
I will get a pair of the Meze 12's too to see how they compare. 
 
I am always conscious that pairing a £400 DAP with a £70 pair of headphones might not be the best thing to do. 

There are scads of excellent sounding headphones below £100. The Meze 99 is an audiophile version of a consumer signature, its smooth and bassy with well-defined mids. There are a lot more technically capable headphones out there, but when you listen and like the Meze sound signature you aren't really looking for a technical wizard. So don't feel bad listening to a £70 pair of headphones. I tried £60 Bluetooth headphones with the i5, they worked great too. I didn't try my 99 Classics with the i5 because I initially thought it work turn the warm blanket warm initial tone of the i5 into -50 Celsius sleeping bag used in California toasty warm. I probably should have given a listen, ah well. So little time...

 

[Robmoores1]

Thanks for the feedback. I am waiting for the Meze IEM's to come in stock locally and I will then be able to try a pair out. The Sony's seem to be working out so far but there is still something missing........

 

[ngoshawk]

the magnets are on the back of the player, so there should be no issue. ALthough I must admit they are relatively strong.
Can hold the player easily on my metal drawer besides my desk

I have to admit, that case is pretty boss. Impressive.

 

[Andykong]

Review a go go! Micah likes it! 

http://www.head-fi.org/products/cayin-i5/reviews/17853

Thanks Micah for your wonderful review, I really like your humor presentation. Trying out new HeadFi toys is a fund thing, and we should keep it fun when we wrote about it.

I am in last minute packing up for CanJam NYC, that's why I have been disappeared for a few days, I should be able to resume my regular schedule once we dispatch everything to DHL tomorrow. The CanJam NYC is a big attempt for us because we have reserved a private room. Will debut "some" new product at the show, lets hope I can manage the event alright.

Some quick feedback on the review, they are minor details, so you can keep them as-is if you preferred:

Cayin i5 is based on a customized version of Andrid 4.4, or 4.4.0
HiBy Music is a Chinese based company in Dongguan so they are actually within 1 hours drive from my office
i5 Bluetooth is BT v2.1
USB3.0 over Type-C, but this only affect the transmission speed, USB-DAC is not affected.

I am surprised the OTG is not working for you, I'll check and come back again on this topic.

 

[audio123]

Wow that case is strong.

 

[BartSimpson1976]

So just for my understanding: The Bluetooth version is hardware dependent and cannot be upgraded to at least 4.0 via FW?
 
And what was the reason to opt for a bluetooth version from the stone age instead of 4.0 or 4.1?
 
Will the next Cayin DAPs support AptX HD?
 
On another issue: I just received my MicroSD to SD apapter. Unfortunately DOA, so I will not go forward with trying a 512GB SD Card.
Just waiting for some proper USB C flash drive to appear on the market. 

 

[smy1]

shoot i think my i5 has small green pixel, people say its a stuck pixel. Should i try and get it fixed or leave it?

 

[nmatheis]

Dude, why not just get the Meze 12 Classic? Boom, done. It's like a mini Meze 99 Classic.

Or Meze 11 Neo...

 

[glassmonkey]

 

Review a go go! Micah likes it! 

http://www.head-fi.org/products/cayin-i5/reviews/17853

Thanks Micah for your wonderful review, I really like your humor presentation. Trying out new HeadFi toys is a fund thing, and we should keep it fun when we wrote about it.

I am in last minute packing up for CanJam NYC, that's why I have been disappeared for a few days, I should be able to resume my regular schedule once we dispatch everything to DHL tomorrow. The CanJam NYC is a big attempt for us because we have reserved a private room. Will debut "some" new product at the show, lets hope I can manage the event alright.

Some quick feedback on the review, they are minor details, so you can keep them as-is if you preferred:

Cayin i5 is based on a customized version of Andrid 4.4, or 4.4.0
HiBy Music is a Chinese based company in Dongguan so they are actually within 1 hours drive from my office
i5 Bluetooth is BT v2.1
USB3.0 over Type-C, but this only affect the transmission speed, USB-DAC is not affected.

I am surprised the OTG is not working for you, I'll check and come back again on this topic.

Thanks for the feedback, Andy! I've corrected the errors.
 
You'll do great at Canjam NYC. Come visit my neck of the woods for Canjam London 2017, too. If you like beer, we can have one.