[setavn]

It all depend on what you want from your dap, for me cayin i5's streaming capability is why decided to buy it. Beside Cayin has great customer service.

 

[imbasaurus]

hello guys, noob question here. is it okay to use Cayin i5 as DAC mode and then use the headphone out of the player? will the player still use the amp in the DAP? 

 

[darveniza]

I think Cayin is a great option

 

[Joseph Lin]

  Hi i must buy a DAP with Bluetooth connection.
 
I can buy, at about the same price, the following ones:
- Pioneer XDP 100-R
- Cayin I5
- AK Jr (50$ less)
 
Or, saving few money, Sony NW-A25 in a special offer.
 
Considering overall quality and expecially the quality of sound (via bluetooth too) which one is the best solution in your experience?
 
thank you

I do not have Pioneer XDP 100-R or AK Jr. But from my recent DAP experience this is what I found:

Recently I purchased:
DP-X1
Cayin i5
Fiio X7
Shanling M1
Cowon Plenue 1
 
I probably will keep M1 and i5 only. None of the DAP's amp is sufficient to me. I think I am spoiled by Little Dot, iFi iDSD Micro and my Mojo. Even adding portable amps like Fiio A5, their performance is still not comparable with Mojo and iDSD. Later, I figured that they are just portable DAPs, not to replace my Desktop setup.
 
Why keep M1? It can be my transport?
Why keep i5? It can stream music and it sounds comparable to DP-X1(when streaming it will use Android's crappy resampling, does not even sound any better than a cellphone), X7(I don't like their sound signature, buggy), and P1(better than i5 but cannot stream music). 

 

[smy1]

I just wish the i5 have a 2.5m so i can use the roxanne

 

[Kiats]

I just wish the i5 have a 2.5m so i can use the roxanne

Easy: just get an adapter. Most of us do that.

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

I just bombed on another company for poor communication.
 
 

@Hawaiibadboy I have watched your youtube review and please be assured that you are welcome to join Cayin tour again, not recommending our product in a review is not going to exclude you from subsequent events, you shared your genuine opinion and that's what we enjoyed reading/watching.

Regards,
Andy Kong

 
 
I am sharing this private mail with apologies.
 
 
This is how a good confident company is run. That was not expected or needed by Andy.
 
Andy,
 
The U.I and slight lag nagged on me but I will in fact rec the item with enthusiasm because you guys are up front, responsive and it is in fact outstanding sounding. I got nothing for free and am only posting this because if i complain I have to praise to keep balance with the world and i just complained so the praise choice was easy.
 
Andy and Cayin.
 
Offer in PM is dope. Love it. Probably never gonna happen unless you make another dac/amp but it's the thought that counts.
 
If you are one of the 8 in 10 (80%) of non members who view these forums you can be assured that these guys will take care of you  like pro's.

 

[smy1]

Easy: just get an adapter. Most of us do that.

I mean the roxanne can switch to the 3.5mm cable but i heard the 2.5mm sound quaility is difference.

 

[Marat Sar]

Okay, so the i5's soundstage -- how does it compare to the cayin c5 amp? That beauty has the widest soundstage I've ever heard.

 

[linux4ever]

  Hi i must buy a DAP with Bluetooth connection.
 
I can buy, at about the same price, the following ones:
- Pioneer XDP 100-R
- Cayin I5
- AK Jr (50$ less)
 
Or, saving few money, Sony NW-A25 in a special offer.
 
Considering overall quality and expecially the quality of sound (via bluetooth too) which one is the best solution in your experience?
 
thank you

Pioneer & Cayin I5. I've the Onkyo and from what I've read both Pioneer and Onkyo have a similar sound signature and bluetooth performance. Very good bluetooth with APT-X support. I've the AK Jr. The wired mode is good on this but very average with bluetooth.

 

[linux4ever]

  Okay, so the i5's soundstage -- how does it compare to the cayin c5 amp? That beauty has the widest soundstage I've ever heard.

I haven't heard c5. But I5 doesn't have very wide soundstage. To my ears and the earphones that I used it with (PSB M4U4, Vibro labs Aria, 64Audio U4SE and Trinity Phantom Master 4), the sound stage was average in width and depth. Good but not excellent.

 

[linux4ever]

  Finally decided to splash the cash to get Cayin I5 today. I have to say i'm impress so far both with the sound quality and the finishing quality of the product. It will be a nice addition to my AK120. However is there anyway to reduce the hiss with sensitve ie ? the only ie i have that can pair satisfy with i5 is my old grado igi even then it still slightly hiss when i listen to classical music. 

What IEMS are you using? I didn't notice any hiss with PSB M4U4, 64audio U4SE, Vibro labs Aria and Trinity Phantom Master 4.

 

[BartSimpson1976]

I also had hiss with Heaven V (16 Ohm, 112db SPL). But I feel like his has reduced significantly since latest FW update.
Anyhow, now using F4100 (42 Ohm, 109db SPL) so no issues anymore
 
@linux4ever
Noted you used Vibrolabs IEM. How does that pair? AM curious about Vibrolabs products but from descriptions their new SERA might sound too warm and
thick with the i5. That's why I ditched the Heaven V... 

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

  Okay, so the i5's soundstage -- how does it compare to the cayin c5 amp? That beauty has the widest soundstage I've ever heard.

 Basshead here and we love the C5 because it gives a spatial tint that FiiO and other amps do not.  Using EX1000 from Sony which have a huge stage it was not being restricted. Little wider or same as a Mojo and it bit less that iDSD micro which is really wide but almost thin sounding.

 

[Joseph Lin]

I mean the roxanne can switch to the 3.5mm cable but i heard the 2.5mm sound quaility is difference.

Are you talking about balanced cable of roxanne? When you say 2.5mm without mentioning balanced it makes no sense to most of the people, we do not know you are talking about balanced cable. i5 does not have a balanced out. I personally feel the difference between SE and Balanced is minimal if you have a good enough dac amp. On budget/mid-fi gadgets, the differences are not significant except the output power.
 
I compared DP-X1 balanced out, X7 balanced out and Plenue 1 SE and i5 SE with A5. The SQ order is Plenue 1 > i5 = DP-X1 >> X7. X7's sub-bass and bass after upgrading to FW 3.0 becomes almost none-existence, too bright to my taste.
 
It is just my personal experience, I encourage you to audit it personally to see if it makes any differences.