Cayin N3 Hi-Res DAP with AKM4490 DAC, apt-X Bluetooth, and Line, USB & Coax Out for $150
Mar 25, 2017 at 2:05 PM Post #526 of 6,262
Your issue might have nothing to do with this but I wish Cayin used at least bluetooth 4.1, if not 4.2. You would think that if bluetooth function is incorporated in a $150 DAP, it would be the latest version so that it can be future proof for at least a few years.


The latest Bluetooth would be nice but not sure if it is necessary for what the device does. I have to say using Bluetooth to stream Spotify to the N3 works like a dream. I've also tried connecting the N3 to my LG H3 musicflow speaker and had no issues. I'm guessing that the problem lies with the cars system :confused:
 
Mar 25, 2017 at 2:40 PM Post #527 of 6,262
The latest Bluetooth would be nice but not sure if it is necessary for what the device does. I have to say using Bluetooth to stream Spotify to the N3 works like a dream. I've also tried connecting the N3 to my LG H3 musicflow speaker and had no issues. I'm guessing that the problem lies with the cars system :confused:

I agree. Bluetooth shouldn't be a priority in a DAP like this. Also, there are several improvements in 4.1 & 4.2, that are not relevant to a DAP. But one particular improvement may be useful - 4.1 connections are more efficient and improved connectivity may also cause less battery drain. See point 2 in this link 
 
http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/bluetooth-4-1-what-is-it-and-why-should-you-care
 
Mar 25, 2017 at 3:54 PM Post #528 of 6,262
So, I just found a bug in the firmware...it seems that if you change the custom EQ a lot, it will eventually stop responding and get stuck with the equivalent setting of 'off'. The only way I could get changes to respond was to reset the player to factory defaults, then configure the custom again (to the settings that I was working on). I was jumping between custom/off/pop as a way to watch for changes (using Pop as a far-off reference). When the EQ quit responding, it wouldn't change to anything, even if I dropped all custom levels to -6db, but would work from Off to Pop. Then, after a few more attempts, nothing would change.
 
I powered down the player and rebooted, no change. Unplugged the 3.5 jack, no change. Changed to Line Out and back to Headphone, no change. I pulled the card to force the current playing song to dump (and a library rescan), no change. Disabled gapless, no change. I did a full reset to factory defaults, configured the -6db on everything and it was fine. I then moved the levels to where I wanted and it immediately updated the output. Moved to off, then Pop, and was fine. 
 
After some more tweaking of the Custom EQ, it did it again.
 
Cayin: Can we have a manual/auto library scan option in the next firmware so that the library doesn't clear if the card is pulled?
 
Mar 25, 2017 at 4:33 PM Post #530 of 6,262
I agree. Bluetooth shouldn't be a priority in a DAP like this. Also, there are several improvements in 4.1 & 4.2, that are not relevant to a DAP. But one particular improvement may be useful - 4.1 connections are more efficient and improved connectivity may also cause less battery drain. See point 2 in this link 

http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/bluetooth-4-1-what-is-it-and-why-should-you-care


I'm all for reliability, so I do see your point :blush:. I do think there is little that can be done to fix my issue though. Oh well.

Hope that AndyKong is ready for all these posts next time he visits the site :grin:
 
Mar 25, 2017 at 4:47 PM Post #531 of 6,262
  Well, the N3 is really good. It boots up much faster than the X1-II and the UI is smooth, without the lag of the X1-II. The screen resolution is much cripser and it shows more of the album cover (still not the full square, but more than the 1/2 cover of the X1.
 
It scans ~5000 FLAC 16/44 and 24/96 files in about 20-25s instead of the 2m of the X1. There is NO artifacting at the beginning of tracks when you restart play ("rewind") a song. Gapless is working flawlessly. It does not have the ability to disable the auto card scan when you insert a card, which would be nice so that when you pull the card and copy a file off with no new content, it doesn't rescan. The other thing that is kinda different is that the card goes into the slot upside down (contact pads facing the front of the unit).
 
The AKM filters are clean and function well (the X1 doesn't have these). The extra bands on the EQ are nice, the X1 had limited bands; it made it hard to notch filter out certain peaks in some IEMs (JH-5). 
 
The silicone case is nice, but I hate silicone cases, so a leather one in the future would be good. But, the card slot is on the side instead of the bottom like the X1. That's good, as the case covers up the card when it's on so that you don't have a chance of losing the card from hard shock. 
 
Sound-wise, the N3 is much crisper and cleaner than the X1. The AK4490 is a richer converter and it shows. Still needs ReplayGain...
 
Not that the X1-II is a bad player - it's not and especially at the $99 price point. But, the firmware of the N3 is flawless (so far) and Fiio has been dragging their feet on the X1 firmware with some annoying bugs. The N3, right out of the box, is worth that extra $50!


What are your impressions on the bluetooth feature?
 
Also, would it be possible for someone to get a video up of the N3? The only English impressions of the video was done in an engineering sample.
 
Mar 25, 2017 at 5:02 PM Post #532 of 6,262
Mine'll be in hand soon enough, but in the mean time... does it seem to have much UI lag and does it have artifacting at the beginning of the track when you return to the beginning while playing? That's two of the biggest gripes about the X1-II, so if it doesn't have that, it'd be about perfect.

Now we just need ReplayGain and a *leather* case for it; silicone cases suck.


I see that you've got your N3 anyway, but I wanted to answer in case others have the same questions.

UI isn't laggy.

Unless I'm misunderstanding what you mean, there's no artifacting if you skip back to the beginning of songs.

I'm jealous of you guys with the full production units, since you get to take full advantage of the duplex BT which I've found handy on my Shanling M1.
 
Mar 25, 2017 at 6:03 PM Post #533 of 6,262
 
What are your impressions on the bluetooth feature?
 
Also, would it be possible for someone to get a video up of the N3? The only English impressions of the video was done in an engineering sample.

I have no idea about the bluetooth...I don't use BT for anything. Even with Apt-X, the quality isn't even close to what you can do with a wire and CIEMs. For me, ReplayGain would actually be a more useful feature in any DAP because of the ease of blowing out one's eardrums.
 
As far as the impression of the N3? I don't have time to do a review, nor do I do video. But, I'll say that the N3 is the perfect low-cost portable lossless/hi-res player without the bugs of the X1-II. Both are good sound quality wise, but the operation of the N3 is much smoother. However, the wheel on the X1-II is growing on me a bit. Perfect for moving about without having to worry about destroying your expensive/nice player.
 
Both N3 and X1 aren't completely neutral, though. With flat EQs, the N3 seems clearer and the X1 a bit warmer. Running the same file(s) through something like a RME Fireface with a Big Ben attached is much, much more neutral than both. Oh, and also, the side buttons on the X1 are metal - they feel much nicer and tighter than the N3. The buttons on the N3 feel looser and clickier. The touch works ok most of the time, but if you have the silicone thing on, it will sometimes click somewhere other than where your actually put your finger.
 
Mar 25, 2017 at 6:10 PM Post #534 of 6,262
For those that have had a chance to listen to this, how does it sound relative to an iPhone, or other DAPs?
 
Mar 25, 2017 at 6:12 PM Post #535 of 6,262
For those that have had a chance to listen to this, how does it sound relative to an iPhone, or other DAPs?

 
I hate the sound of any i-Product, so I won't even go there. But, the N3 reminds me of the smoothness of the 2nd Gen Zunes and the quality of a workstation DAC (DAW). The sound is fairly close to my Black Lion Motu 828x (both Mk2 and Mk3).
 
Mar 25, 2017 at 6:15 PM Post #536 of 6,262
  Don't know if anyone has mentioned this already but MusicTek has the N3 up for sale on Amazon.

MusicTeck ships free at their online store
 
Mar 25, 2017 at 6:42 PM Post #538 of 6,262
Someone asked earlier about battery replacement. I'm adventurous and opened up the engineering sample I've got. The battery is adhered to the backplate. The actual connection to the motherboard is a clip. It isn't soldered, so as long as this is the same in the final production units battery replacement should be pretty easy. The one thing to be wary of is that the back is held on by plastic clips, so if you're not careful you can break off some of the clips. Then the backplate won't be quite as secure, although the silicon case holds it together nicely. Not that I broke any of the clips on the engineering sample. Nope, not me...
 
wink_face.gif

 
Mar 25, 2017 at 6:51 PM Post #539 of 6,262
  Thats good to know. I was planning on going through them anyways should i decide to purchase.

Andrew is a great guy and actually understands customer service. Highly recommended. 
 
Mar 25, 2017 at 6:51 PM Post #540 of 6,262
I'm wondering if it sounds better than the Shanling M1 when stacked with the Mojo because as everyone knows each transport sounds different even if in theory there should be no difference, but truth is there are differences. I use the M1 with the Mojo but might consider the N3 if it sounds better than the M1 when paired with the Mojo. Anyone have both and tested it?
 

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