Cayin N3 Hi-Res DAP with AKM4490 DAC, apt-X Bluetooth, and Line, USB & Coax Out for $150

[koretsky]

  Regarding your first question, I'm almost certain that the N3 will support the ability to navigate other features while having music playing.

 
Ok, thanks for answering! I just wasn't sure if that was a typical feature in non-Apple DAP's.

 

[fish1050]

  Hey Canadians…
 
I sent an email to CTC Audio to see if they were going to stock the N3. They didn't know if they were. Maybe if enough of us "request" it, they will.
 
Just a thought

avgearshop.com and headphonescanada.ca are Cayin dealers so they should have the N3 when released.  Headfoneshop.com is also a Cayin dealer but they carry a smaller selection so it my also be a possibility.
 
I am looking forward to comparisons with the Shanling M1.  Looks to be very similar in terms of features so the sound quality comparisons will be key. 

 

[CayinSupport]

Hi! Not sure if this was asked before, but may I know when can we expect the N3 to hit overseas? Specifically in the Philippines? I also dont have any idea if there's a Cayin authorized seller here. Thanks

 Sorry that so far there is no dealers in Philippine,you can check out our sales network at our website:http://en.cayin.cn/netword?c=129&ctype=2,make sure you selected Personal Audio

 

[Mr Trev]

  avgearshop.com and headphonescanada.ca are Cayin dealers so they should have the N3 when released.  Headfoneshop.com is also a Cayin dealer but they carry a smaller selection so it my also be a possibility.
 
I am looking forward to comparisons with the Shanling M1.  Looks to be very similar in terms of features so the sound quality comparisons will be key. 

avgearshop is quite a bit more expensive with the N5, so that's why I'm leaning towards CTC. Don't think I've looked at the others much, but I do hope somebody in Canada gets them (without a gawd-awful markup)
 
The M1 comparison should be interesting, but from what I've read so far, I think the N3 will win out on SQ

 

[nmatheis]

Looks like a great product. I'm thinking I'll probably grab one off of Massdrop to be my first DAP. I have three questions for anyone who might be in the know, though.

First, can you browse the music library while music is playing in the background?
Second, is the UI generally snappy and responsive? I can handle an older looking interface, but I find using these types of devices can become quite grating after a while if there's a half of a second of lag any time you press a button.
Third, does it support SDXC to allow for expandable storage up to 2 TB in the future? I believe the last question is true because massdrop lists it as supporting up to 256 GB, which I believe is bigger than the max size of the old standard. Thanks!

Yes, you can browse while music is playing in the background.

UI is just as responsive as other DAPs I've used.

Not sure about the SD card thing, though...

 

[CayinSupport]

  Does the Cayin N3 support AVRCP 1.4+? That is, browsing the media library on the device through bluetooth?
 
Cheers,
-Tim

Sorry, N3 does not support AVRCP 1.4+

 

[Andykong]

I was thinking Gold after i got a small amp in that color. Truly excited about this dap with true DSD. Thanks again Andy.

Actually some one has proposed Rose Gold (that's me), but the suggestion has been turned down already.

 

[Andykong]

Now on massdrop at $149.99 for US addresses only though
Estimated ship date of Apr 3.
Choice of colour.

My Son is after his first dap. This seems to fit the bill perfectly depending if he can wait until it is available in the UK.

Indeed on MassDrop now: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/cayin-n3 - the Exclusive Launch of N3

Yes, excited about the new arrangement, that's the deal I was referring to "announcement on the first US batch in next few days", but I messed up with the timing and it started earlier then I expected.

Dealing with Massdrop is a whole new experience, especially our arrangement is not a conventional drop when compare to the rest of the MassDrop deals, we are learning and hopefully provide an enjoyable shopping experience to our new customers through the Massdrop platform.

 

[Andykong]

when willl be available for international buyers ?

The N3 will not be available to International buyers until second half of March. The pace of product launch is largely related to the response of our distributors/dealers in different countries and the licensing requirement on Bluetooth appliance. Based on the orders we have processed so far, Japan, US, Singapore and UK will have N3 available pretty soon, and we probably will add several locations to the list by first week of April.

The Massdrop link has specified estimated shipping date as Apr 3, 2017, so this is actually a pre-order arrangement. To the best or my knowledge, Singapore and UK dealer are offering pre-order at the same time, please check out the following links if you are in these areas:

Advanced MP3 Player (UK): http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/shop/MP3_Players.1/Cayin.663/CAYINN3/Cayin_N3_Hi-Res_DAP_with_AKM4490_DAC.15062.html

Jaben (Singapore): https://store.jaben.com/products/jaben-preorder-special-cayin-n3-master-quality-digital-audio-player

We might not have the latest pre-order arrangement information as they can be locally distributed, I'll suggest you get in touch with our international distributor/dealer if you are interested in buying the N3:

http://en.cayin.cn/netword?c=129&ctype=2

 

[BartSimpson1976]

Will give it a try at CanJam Singapore. If the sound signature is nice for my taste I might consider to sidegrade from the i5 as the N3 footprint is
more suitable for daily commuting. Let's see...

 

[Andykong]

Will give it a try at CanJam Singapore. If the sound signature is nice for my taste I might consider to sidegrade from the i5 as the N3 footprint is
more suitable for daily commuting. Let's see...

Looking forward to your visit.

 

[Andykong]

Hey Canadians…

I sent an email to CTC Audio to see if they were going to stock the N3. They didn't know if they were. Maybe if enough of us "request" it, they will.

Just a thought

avgearshop.com and headphonescanada.ca are Cayin dealers so they should have the N3 when released.  Headfoneshop.com is also a Cayin dealer but they carry a smaller selection so it my also be a possibility.

I am looking forward to comparisons with the Shanling M1.  Looks to be very similar in terms of features so the sound quality comparisons will be key. 

AVGear is one of our dealers in Canada. We have Canada dealers but I am not sure if they all carry the same product mix, if any of these shops is conveniently located to you, maybe you can check them out or include them in your lobbying for N3 availability.

http://en.cayin.cn/netword/show?c=129&ctype=2&smallid=187&id=13487

 

[Andykong]

Looks like a great product. I'm thinking I'll probably grab one off of Massdrop to be my first DAP. I have three questions for anyone who might be in the know, though.

First, can you browse the music library while music is playing in the background?
Second, is the UI generally snappy and responsive? I can handle an older looking interface, but I find using these types of devices can become quite grating after a while if there's a half of a second of lag any time you press a button.
Third, does it support SDXC to allow for expandable storage up to 2 TB in the future? I believe the last question is true because massdrop lists it as supporting up to 256 GB, which I believe is bigger than the max size of the old standard. Thanks!

1. N3 can browse the music library while music is playing in the background

2. Based on my personal experience (I assume everyone know I am "related" to Cayin ), N3 control and UI are quite and snappy, the physical buttons on the side are slightly more responsive then the Capacitive Touch buttons at the front panel, but the overall user experience is very smooth.

3. N3 support SDXC format. We have tested it with 256GB TF card already and this is the largest capacity TF card available as-of today. Theoretically we are compatible with forthcoming TF cards upto 2TB, but we cannot promise or guarantee the compatibility because new supplementary technologies might coming out at a surprised. For instance, the UHS bus is revising rapidly and this might introduce hardware compatibility issue down the road.

 

[Andykong]

I typically use the old-school directory-tree method of file-browsing, as opposed to tags.   How is the N3 in this regard?

That will work beautifully. N3 provides folder view and that's my preferred options as well.

 

[Andykong]

This is indeed a nice looking DAP. I want to ask, how are playlists made on the N3? Only on the device or also on a computer (and then exported somehow)?

N3 supports M3U playlist, you can create your M3U playlist on computer, copy everything to a TF card and run the playlist on N3.