[audio123]

Maybe in your opinion.

It's a good DAP, for sure, but there are definitely better for musicality. Of course I would never argue about your preference, but this sounds like an absolute statement. Perhaps in it's price segment this may be true, for you, but not in general, IMO.

thing is when u go up the chain, it gets more technical as there are tons of details

 

[twister6]

 

Maybe in your opinion.

It's a good DAP, for sure, but there are definitely better for musicality. Of course I would never argue about your preference, but this sounds like an absolute statement. Perhaps in it's price segment this may be true, for you, but not in general, IMO.

thing is when u go up the chain, it gets more technical as there are tons of details

 
Also, don't forget that it's not just a DAP but also a pair up with your earphones/headphones.  I love N5, but it's not always my go-to with every pair.  Plus, I can't use it with iems/ciems that are prone to hissing, like Zeus-R.

 

[x RELIC x]

thing is when u go up the chain, it gets more technical as there are tons of details

Not even sure what you're trying to say there. :rolleyes:

As a DAP I agree the N5 has a ton of detail, but for musicality there are other, better solutions. If you define a ton of detail as musical then that's a different definition than every other definition of musical I've ever heard.

Taking the transducer out of the mix, the N5 on it's own, to my ears, isn't the most musical DAP there is.

Edit: Not trying to go off topic of the i5 here, just that a user reading that the N5 is the most musical can be led a stray when when researching DAPs.

 

[audio123]

   
Also, don't forget that it's not just a DAP but also a pair up with your earphones/headphones.  I love N5, but it's not always my go-to with every pair.  Plus, I can't use it with iems/ciems that are prone to hissing, like Zeus-R.

ah yes it cant be used with multiple drivers iems.

Not even sure what you're trying to say there.

As a DAP I agree the N5 has a ton of detail, but for musicality there are other, better solutions. If you define a ton of detail as musical then that's a different definition than every other definition of musical I've ever heard.

Taking the transducer out of the mix, the N5 on it's own, to my ears, isn't the most musical DAP there is.

Edit: Not trying to go off topic of the i5 here, just that a user reading that the N5 is the most musical can be led a stray when when researching DAPs.

musical means there are little details 

 

[x RELIC x]

musical means there are little details 

Detailed isn't really the same as musicality. While audio gear can be very detailed and technically proficient it's the overall tonality that people usually refer to when talking about musicality. Some gear can be musical yet not very detailed, and some gear can be very detailed at the same time as being musical.

 

[nmatheis]

I use N5 non-balanced with multi-BA IEM. I'm not as sensitive to hiss as a lot of you lot. Can't wait to try i5 with multi-BA IEM!

 

[audio123]

Detailed isn't really the same as musicality. While audio gear can be very detailed and technically proficient it's the overall tonality that people usually refer to when talking about musicality. Some gear can be musical yet not very detailed, and some gear can be very detailed at the same time as being musical.

for me personally, when there are too much details, it is akin to listening to the song in differents parts and not as a coherent whole so it will compromise on musicality

 

[x RELIC x]

for me personally, when there are too much details, it is akin to listening to the song in differents parts and not as a coherent whole so it will compromise on musicality

You seem to be all over the place. First you say musicality is details, to you, now too much detail compromises musicality for you. I initially just wanted to inform you that making broad general statements that are more subjective than objective is not really helpful. I'm out.....

n5 definitely is more musical than any daps around. If u look for technicality, n6

 

[pinoyman]

based on technical performance,
1.ak100ii
2.m3
3.dx80
4.n5
5.pd
based on musical performance,
1.dx80
2.n5
3.m3
4.pd
5.ak100ii



looking to add ak300 and opus to my collection soon 

i really like the n5 andy!

Pls try the aune m2s too
Put it in your list.
I can guarantee you its worth it!

I wonder how does the i5 compete with the aune m2s... Does anyone here heard both?

 

[audio123]

You seem to be all over the place. First you say musicality is details, to you, now too much detail compromises musicality for you. I initially just wanted to inform you that making broad general statements that are more subjective than objective is not really helpful. I'm out.....

since when i say musicality is details O_o

 

[x RELIC x]

since when i say musicality is details O_o

I misread this quote.

musical means there are little details 

I like Cayin and think they produce great gear. I'm particularly impressed with Andy's attention to Cayin's product threads, service, and knowledge of product details. Nothing wrong with the N5 and the i5 looks very interesting. Still, in the end, I strongly disagree that the N5 is the most musical DAP over any other. This is my last comment on this as it's seriously derailing this thread, but, again, gross overstatements are generally not very helpful.

 

[BadReligionPunk]

I believe lost in translation is in work here. I took the phrase "musical means little details" as there are not much details, thus more musical. Opposite would be analytical dap with lots of details. less musical, as in user is only listening to parts of the music. N5 is great musical dap.

 

[x RELIC x]

I believe lost in translation is in work here. I took the phrase "musical means little details" as there are not much details, thus more musical. Opposite would be analytical dap with lots of details. less musical, as in user is only listening to parts of the music. N5 is great musical dap.

Yeah, I get it. Like I said, I misread the quote. I mistook it to mean presenting small detail, given my own experience with the N5. My bad.

When I toured and reviewed the N5 I found the AK240 clearly had more musicality, as in it didn't seem to force the detail to the forefront in comparison to the N5. That was one of the things that struck me about the N5 as it presented the detail CLEARLY but with less depth than I like, and going back to the AK240 made the AK240 seem almost too dark, in comparison, as noted in my review of the N5 (to be clear, I don't find the AK240 to be the best portable gear from it's headphone out). I also found the FiiO X7 to be more musical, although it had a similar amount of detail to the N5, but more holographic. This is with my headphones/IEMs, I expect others to have a different view with their gear.

To be honest it's all relative, and depending on one's experience with a multitude of varying gear you will get a multitude of varying opinions. That's precisely why statements claiming 'more musical than any others' really isn't helpful and is misleading unless the person making the statement defines what comparisons were made, with what headphones/IEMs and with what music tracks and past experience as a baseline. It's all perspective. A better approach, IMO, would be to state that for one's tastes the N5 is the best, and then define what 'best' means.

 

[audio123]

Yeah, I get it. Like I said, I misread the quote. I mistook it to mean presenting small detail, given my own experience with the N5. My bad.

When I toured and reviewed the N5 I found the AK240 clearly had more musicality, as in it didn't seem to force the detail to the forefront in comparison to the N5. That was one of the things that struck me about the N5 as it presented the detail CLEARLY but with less depth than I like, and going back to the AK240 made the AK240 seem almost too dark, in comparison, as noted in my review of the N5 (to be clear, I don't find the AK240 to be the best portable gear from it's headphone out). I also found the FiiO X7 to be more musical, although it had a similar amount of detail to the N5, but more holographic. This is with my headphones/IEMs, I expect others to have a different view with their gear.

To be honest it's all relative, and depending on one's experience with a multitude of varying gear you will get a multitude of varying opinions. That's precisely why statements claiming 'more musical than any others' really isn't helpful and is misleading unless the person making the statement defines what comparisons were made, with what headphones/IEMs and with what music tracks and past experience as a baseline. It's all perspective. A better approach, IMO, would be to state that for one's tastes the N5 is the best, and then define what 'best' means.

agreed i tried almost every players from ak including msak120 etc, ibasso including hibino hdp r10, colorfly c4, fiio 1st gen and 2nd gen and pretty much other players.

 

 

[flognarde]

 
agreed i tried almost every players from ak including msak120 etc, ibasso including hibino hdp r10, colorfly c4, fiio 1st gen and 2nd gen and pretty much other players.

 

Although musicality is a rather subjective point as most perceptions, it could be clarified on what kind of music and mastering we are talking about. Musicality on electronic music make no sense in the way there is no reference sound to compare it with. You might find the sound heavy on bass, tiring, or whatever is reaching your lugholes, but musicality ? really? When I say a DAP or any audio gear is musical, I am refering to how an instrument or a voice sound like in the hypothesis that it has not been too tweaked in the mastering process. I know how a violin or a piano sounds like, in different environments. As a result, I can tell if a gear is messing with the sound. If a piano is sounding like a clavinova (@Yamaha) I can safely assume it's not musical. Musicality should not interfere with personal preferences (in an ideal world). This is why it has to do with real live non amplified music.