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

[fish1050]

  Music was never meant to be listened to with Bluetooth (or wirelessly). I still can't fathom how many people still don't realize how bad Bluetooth and other wireless signals are for the human body, including the brain.

I guess you haven't tried Sony's LDAC bluetooth because the quality is excellent streamed to my Sony receiver at over 900 kbps.  I am in the market for a new DAP as my A17 is getting older and the N3 fits my budget right now.  
 
I have a bluetooth speaker in my kitchen and most of my friends and family have bluetooth speakers and I like to use my DAP when we get together to share my music.  So for me bluetooth is a convenience I want to have and AptX is the next best codec to LDAC.  I won't buy a modern DAP without this convenient feature.  
 
I have an high end home system for serious listening and portable audio is mainly a convenience for me.  Bluetooth capability makes it that much more convenient.

 

[NateInBelgium]

I can't believe Cayin' is starting off by putting the N3 on the market in a Teal/Turquoise color... that looks, so gross! Couldn't you have just played it safe with Silver? A deep blue? Or sort of safe with a red color body?

Erm... I preordered that colour

 

[Andykong]

I can't believe Cayin' is starting off by putting the N3 on the market in a Teal/Turquoise color... that looks, so gross! Couldn't you have just played it safe with Silver? A deep blue? Or sort of safe with a red color body?

Well, the story goes like this. While we were discussing the option for the second color of 3, our CEO suggested that we should let our ladies in the team to make that final decision, so we all step away and let our lady colleagues to chat and explore, they are very serious and have referred to all these authoritative opinion that I have never aware of, such as the Pantone Color of the Year lists, They finally suggested this color. I am not surprised that this is a "surprised" color to some, as it was a surprised to me as well, but I think its about time to let the ladies take part in the product formulation as they are in fact a large potential group that we have not been serving very well in the past. This is particularly true at the CanJam Singapore happening right now, we have a lot of ladies visiting our booth, and the panel discussion that I have attended has a respectable percentage of female attendance as well.

 

[m0b1liz3]

With the bluetooth feature, would it be possible to use your phone as a remote to select tracks that are on the SD card of the device itself?  Just thinking that I could have it plugged into the home stereo that way and benefit from the bluetooth remote function while not loosing any quality due to streaming over BT. 

 

[riffrafff]

   
Yes, you can click this link to access the details about N3:  http://en.cayin.cn/products_info?itemid=106

Hi.  Your link mentions an "SA2500 Digital Audio Processor."   I am not familiar with this. Who manufactures this audio processor?

 

[dontcallmejan]

I wonder how this compares to the Sony NWA-35 SQ wise.

 

[BartSimpson1976]

any experiences avilable already with the gapless capabilities of the N3?

 

[nmatheis]

any experiences avilable already with the gapless capabilities of the N3?

It seemed to be working just fine for me. No gap with FLAC or MP3. That said, I think you experienced issues on i5 that I wasn't detecting so there is that...

 

[BartSimpson1976]

I will try by myself. Had a few minutes only during CanJam, but I liked what I heard there.

 

[crabdog]

Due to the very limited time I had with the N3 and the noisy environment I can't say much about the actual sound except that at the time I liked what I heard. What really impressed me though was the responsiveness and aesthetics of the UI which is a very important factor for me. As for the haptic feedback I actually found it quite useful just for knowing that the button registered your touch.

 

[fourrobert13]

If the UI is like that of the FiiO X1, X3II, and X5II I'm fine with it. A simple DAP for folder play is all I need. I don't need the bells and whistles of the Android based DAPs. I've got a couple amps listed on eBay so I'll be setting that money aside for the N3 and a 256 gig card.

 

[nmatheis]

If the UI is like that of the FiiO X1, X3II, and X5II I'm fine with it. A simple DAP for folder play is all I need. I don't need the bells and whistles of the Android based DAPs. I've got a couple amps listed on eBay so I'll be setting that money aside for the N3 and a 256 gig card.

The UI is just like the other Hiby-powered DAPs...

 

[jinxy245]

If the UI is like that of the FiiO X1, X3II, and X5II I'm fine with it. A simple DAP for folder play is all I need. I don't need the bells and whistles of the Android based DAPs. I've got a couple amps listed on eBay so I'll be setting that money aside for the N3 and a 256 gig card.

That's where I'm at....or close enough. I'm not (necessarily) looking for the bells nor whistles. My Shanling M2 & Fiio X3(I) still sound good, butI'm looking for a bit of an upgrade, if not a sidegrade with a better display. I'm tired of having to reach for my glasses when I'm curious about a song (Which album was that song on? Is this a FLAC or MP3?). The N3 looks like it has a little more usable real estate on it's screen, but I'd have to see it...I made the mistake of spending all my time with the i5 at canjam, which has an awesome display...sounds great, too. This definitely packs a lot of goodies in for the price, though.

 

[fourrobert13]

That's where I'm at....or close enough. I'm not (necessarily) looking for the bells nor whistles. My Shanling M2 & Fiio X3(I) still sound good, butI'm looking for a bit of an upgrade, if not a sidegrade with a better display. I'm tired of having to reach for my glasses when I'm curious about a song (Which album was that song on? Is this a FLAC or MP3?). The N3 looks like it has a little more usable real estate on it's screen, but I'd have to see it...I made the mistake of spending all my time with the i5 at canjam, which has an awesome display...sounds great, too. This definitely packs a lot of goodies in for the price, though.

I've owned the X1 and X3II. I currently own a X5II. I'm looking for something I can leave at work and pair with some decent IEMs. I looked at the AP60 since it's cheaper, but it has some shortcomings that don't appeal to me. I've read about the M1 as well and verdict is still out on it. The X1II is isn't even being considered because regardless of them trying to improve that DAP, they're going backwards IMO. The N3 looks promising, but want to hear more impressions/reviews before jumping on it. I've made that mistake before and don't feel like reliving it.

 

[originalsnuffy]

 
That's where I'm at....or close enough. I'm not (necessarily) looking for the bells nor whistles. My Shanling M2 & Fiio X3(I) still sound good, butI'm looking for a bit of an upgrade, if not a sidegrade with a better display. I'm tired of having to reach for my glasses when I'm curious about a song (Which album was that song on? Is this a FLAC or MP3?). The N3 looks like it has a little more usable real estate on it's screen, but I'd have to see it...I made the mistake of spending all my time with the i5 at canjam, which has an awesome display...sounds great, too. This definitely packs a lot of goodies in for the price, though.

 
We need to see the reviews but my guess is that this would be a "sidegrade" relative to the M2.  Of course the N3 has more features.   My guess is that it would be an upgrade to the original X3.  I  own the M1 and M2, and have owned the X3 I and X3 II by the way.