[Sulbh]

They are both an upgrade. How much is up to the listener. The X5II would probably be more of a night and day difference compared to the N3 up against the Clip+. However, it's been so long since I've used my Sansas with headphones due to using them in my car that I really don't recall the tonality of it. The price of the X5II has come way down, but it doesn't compare feature wise to the N3. I've owned a lot of FiiOs and have sold them all. The N3 is just a better device overall IMO. I prefer the warmer signature of the N3 over the X5II which is neutral.

I just bought x5ii used for $80.Do you think its worth it? You said x5 would be night and day difference compared to N3 what do you mean by that? How do you compare those in terms of only sound because I don't use any other features.

 

[bagwell359]

Windows should see a drive. Do you have another cable you can try? My original cable was faulty and I know there were others who had the same problem.

Also make sure you are in USB mode not DAC mode.

Another user clued me into the DAC->USB change, but I didn't think of the cable.... I will try that, but I'll go silent until I get the reader and get this thing one way or the other....

 

[BetterLate]

Another user clued me into the DAC->USB change, but I didn't think of the cable.... I will try that, but I'll go silent until I get the reader and get this thing one way or the other....

Anker sells a cable for about $4 USD that did the trick for many of us

 

[fourrobert13]

I ordered a reader, but, if the 1.1 firmware is already in the N3, and AFAIK the SDXC UHS-1 128 GB is pre-formatted, why doesn't Win10 "see" a drive, or are you telling me I have to manage all adds/subtracts of files thru a reader? My FiiO X-1 that's got to be 4 years old where I can just grab and copy directories thru the USB easier... All I wanted to do is ween my wife off of Apple IPOD's and those miserable lossy files. Thanks for all the help.

Someone beat me to it, but change your cable. My PC wouldn't recognize my N3 with the supplied cable. Switched to an Anker cable and all of my problems went away. I own two N3's and neither supplied cable works for anything but charging the units. My apologies, I totally missed how you were attempting to transfer the file to your card. There are many complaints in this thread about the supplied cable, yet Cayin hasn't made any change with it that I know of.

 

[fourrobert13]

I just bought x5ii used for $80.Do you think its worth it? You said x5 would be night and day difference compared to N3 what do you mean by that? How do you compare those in terms of only sound because I don't use any other features.

The X5II would be a night and day difference from the Sansa IMO. The N3 is an upgrade over the Sansa as well, but not as much as the X5II. Most of it boils down to what you prefer. If you like details and a neutral sound, the X5II is the way to go. If you prefer a warmer sound and a smooth signature, the N3 is the way to go. I'm not the best at describing sound in words. X5II has better mids and top end detail, yet it's not bright and lacks a little bass IMO. The N3 has good mids and better bass, yet has a smoother top end which makes for easier listening (which I prefer). If I recall correctly, the Clip+ was on the warm side but not as smooth up top like the N3. Some these observations depend on you cans/IEMs and I've mainly used Dunu Titan 1 IEMs, Mee M6 pro, and Philips headphones for the past few years to give you and ideal of what I'm hearing. Having said all thst, the N3 and X5II both sound good IMO, yet I prefer the N3 based on what I said above and because it offers more features than the X5II. Hope this makes sense.

 

[MajesticSquirrel]

@fourrobert13 I think you pretty much nailed the description of N3's sound. Could you try an EQ in the photo with N3, and compare the sound to Fiio X5II (without EQ)? I'm very interested in results.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cay...oax-out-for-150.833932/page-307#post-13815133
If you compare, please use "Sharp" digital filter for N3 and, if possible, for Fiio too. Also, the same gain for both devices, if possible.

 

[fourrobert13]

@fourrobert13 I think you pretty much nailed the description of N3's sound. Could you try an EQ in the photo with N3, and compare the sound to Fiio X5II (without EQ)? I'm very interested in results.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cay...oax-out-for-150.833932/page-307#post-13815133
If you compare, please use "Sharp" digital filter for N3 and, if possible, for Fiio too. Also, the same gain for both devices, if possible.

I don't have the X5II anymore to compare. I use the sharp filter on the N3 and no EQ. I used the X5II the same way except I think it was the fast filter on it (it only had fast and slow if I recall correctly). I used low gain in the X5II all the time. The hardest headphones I have to drive are 50 ohm and both DAPs push them just fine for me on low gain. I'll be honest and say I can't hear a difference between the filter settings on either DAP so I just set them based on recommendations from other users and from what I've read about them.

 

[mbwilson111]

For my music I like the super slow filter...no EQ. I never EQ.

 

[MajesticSquirrel]

For my music I like the super slow filter...no EQ. I never EQ.

May I try to give song example(s) to change your mind about (only) using "Super Slow" and/or not using EQ ?

 

[mbwilson111]

May I try to give song example(s) to change your mind about (only) using "Super Slow" and/or not using EQ ?

If you want to comment on the filters with certain songs I will consider your thoughts. I will never EQ though..I have multiple headphones, loads of iems, and several buds. Plus I have a few daps. My life is complicated enough Mostly I just get lost in my music. I take absolutely no pleasure in a-b comparisons or being critical. If I am feeling the music, I am happy. The reason I have too much gear is because I have too much curiosity.

 

[fourrobert13]

If you want to comment on the filters with certain songs I will consider your thoughts. I will never EQ though..I have multiple headphones, loads of iems, and several buds. Plus I have a few daps. My life is complicated enough Mostly I just get lost in my music. I take absolutely no pleasure in a-b comparisons or being critical. If I am feeling the music, I am happy. The reason I have too much gear is because I have too much curiosity.

I cannot agree with this more. I got all caught up in this hobby a few years ago and lost track of what I really wanted to do and that was just listen to music. Spent way more money than I should have trying to get something that wasn't really what I wanted. Sold all that stuff and now just relax and enjoy my music. Life is better now for me. I forget where I read it, but someone said that audiophiles buy music to listen to their equipment or something close to that. I thought to myself that I was doing the same thing so I decided to do the opposite and just buy something to enjoy my music (N3 fits that bill).

 

[Mouseman]

I cannot agree with this more. I got all caught up in this hobby a few years ago and lost track of what I really wanted to do and that was just listen to music. Spent way more money than I should have trying to get something that wasn't really what I wanted. Sold all that stuff and now just relax and enjoy my music. Life is better now for me. I forget where I read it, but someone said that audiophiles buy music to listen to their equipment or something close to that. I thought to myself that I was doing the same thing so I decided to do the opposite and just buy something to enjoy my music (N3 fits that bill).

I think that sums up my situation pretty perfectly. I was too curious and bought too much stuff, when all I really wanted is to listen to great music in the way it was intended (or how I like). I have a few pieces of kit that I use regularly, the N3 is one of them. While I wish the interface was better, I think when HiBy support finally gets here I may have the perfect thing for my lossless music.

I should really go through my collection and figure out what to give away and what to sell (like those darn Simgots that peer back at me every time I open the closet, reminding me how what everyone else likes may not be for me).

 

[MusicIsMySanctuary]

I'm not sure if this has been covered in this thread, but a few google searches yielded no results. I am curious if the N3 has similar now playing playlist functionality to Rockbox. On my rockbox'd Sansa Clip+ I keep all my tracks in a big shuffle list and periodically "insert next" tracks or folders that I want to hear while keeping shuffled now playing playlist intact. Are you able to do this on the N3? Does the N3 create a now playing playlist which plays in order, or does it just reference a random track each time a new track plays (rendering the insert next function useless)? I'd really appreciate feedback on this. None of the reviews or youtube videos I saw explained this part of day to day music handling. Thank you!

 

[MajesticSquirrel]

If you want to comment on the filters with certain songs I will consider your thoughts. I will never EQ though..I have multiple headphones, loads of iems, and several buds. Plus I have a few daps. My life is complicated enough Mostly I just get lost in my music. I take absolutely no pleasure in a-b comparisons or being critical. If I am feeling the music, I am happy. The reason I have too much gear is because I have too much curiosity.

Fair enough. With Cayin, it's easy to like everything. I understand this "Why bother if it already sounds good". It makes sense. And I'm not saying my settings are better than your's. It has much to do with personal preference. Yet I think it's quite a chance you or someone else will like it. Ok, so, the settings are:
- "Sharp" digital filter (could be "Slow" if you really need warmer sound).
- EQ from left to right: -2dB, -2dB, -2dB, -2dB, -1dB, -1dB, -1dB, -1dB, 0dB, 0dB.
So far I like these settings and could say to myself "I don't need to bother anymore, everything sounds good enough". Maybe you will like it more than your current ones.

Let's get to the music. For real instruments and/or vocals "Super Slow" gives me probably the most natural sound, but "natural" is not "neutral" in this case - treble is being rolled off by a (quite) big ammount, and I could hardly accept that. Speaking about electronica, "Super Slow" doesn't really offer anything good to me. Enough of this, let the music play.

You (everyone) are very welcome to ignore my notes and evaluate these settings by enjoying the music (hope you will like at least one) or by any other perspective, post remarks, music recommendations or whatever.

Soundstage/details. This one is evil. Better than many horror movies for me. It's really easy to imagine the roots coming out of the ground, getting over your legs and slowly dragging you to hell. Or a hurricane, slowly sucking you in into a portal to hell. You don't want N3 to save you with bass/warmth, you want neutrality, which brings fine details/treble from the recording to fully enjoy your journey .


Good chill song.


Soundstage/details.


Soundstage/details. (About) every Yosi's song I heard is good for it.


Soundstage/details.


I suggest to pay most attention to an interval from 0:52 to 1:10 and from 1:43 to 2:17. Without EQ, most obvious for me is slightly forward bass. Well, actually, it wasn't obvious until I tried the EQ. It seem to make the sound more linear across all the frequencies, thus I seem to hear a bit more crispness, clarity and details.


Bonus for whoever read/listened this far .

 

[fourrobert13]

I'm not sure if this has been covered in this thread, but a few google searches yielded no results. I am curious if the N3 has similar now playing playlist functionality to Rockbox. On my rockbox'd Sansa Clip+ I keep all my tracks in a big shuffle list and periodically "insert next" tracks or folders that I want to hear while keeping shuffled now playing playlist intact. Are you able to do this on the N3? Does the N3 create a now playing playlist which plays in order, or does it just reference a random track each time a new track plays (rendering the insert next function useless)? I'd really appreciate feedback on this. None of the reviews or youtube videos I saw explained this part of day to day music handling. Thank you!

It's pretty basic and can't do what the Sansa can do with Rockbox.