[ilcanzese]

That's pretty helpful.
lol

But since you know much about the Cayin N3, I'd like to ask:
What are the major issues in this device (and accessories) that I have to watch out for?
Such as the cable problems that I saw a few pages back.

-
my N3: up/down front touch something blocked ............

 

[SciOC]

On the Cayin N3:
Does anybody know which are the physical buttons at the side?
I never use tochscreen because I use the player while biking.
I also like to be able to delete a file that I am listening, but it seems the N3 cannot do that.

On the left you have power which also serves as the screen off, screen on button and then the volume up/down. On the right you have skip forward, play/pause, skip back. You can select different modes for what will work when the screen is off so that should be good for you. I leave all the physical buttons on at all times.

You can delete files one at a time on the n3. Not sure if you can delete folders....

Also@dat gameh, you can use it while plugged into the PC, you just have to back out of the file transfer mode to do so on the player itself. So you can't listen while transferring files but can exit that mode to make it "charge only".

 

[LordZero]

You can delete files one at a time on the n3. Not sure if you can delete folders....

When you are browsing by folder, you can delete the folder, it's very useful to delete unwanted music and save more space on the go.

 

[Mr Trev]

...unless you're running Linux. LOL.

Sadly, these same problems happened on my Linux system too, so its not just a driver issue

 

[ClassicRock1976]

...unless you're running Linux. LOL.

I'm thinking of getting the N3 to serve a dual purpose
1- As a Portable player with a limited subset of music on the road and
2- Connected to an external HDD and my home HiFi as a streamer/DAC while at home

Just wondering what the comments here are referring to
"occasional popping with some drivers" is this a random issue with some units or all N3s suffer from this?
"running linux" is this referring to some sort of custom firmware that fixes this issue....?

If theres a specific post or website that provides instructions to improve the functionality, I'd be grateful for a point in the right direction

Cheers

 

[groucho69]

That's pretty helpful.
lol

But since you know much about the Cayin N3, I'd like to ask:
What are the major issues in this device (and accessories) that I have to watch out for?
Such as the cable problems that I saw a few pages back.

I have zero issues.

 

[DatGameh]

Alright! I finally got my device.
So far so good, except one tiny issue:
I notice that when plugged into a USB, there's this light in the line between the capacitive buttons that light up.
Is there a way to turn them on permanently? Trying to operate capacitive buttons without any guides whatsoever is pretty annoying.

 

[ClassicRock1976]

Welcome to N3 land

All you need to know is that:

1. It’s a great player, with SQ well above its price bracket.
2. It’s a great DAC too, but has some limitations and occasional popping issues with some drivers, so don’t rely on it as your main DAC.
3. It has a song limit of 20,000 in library mode, so if you load it up with an insane number of files, just use folder mode and you’ll be fine.
4. It has a compromised line out level of around 1v, so don’t expect desktop performance from line out.
5. Aptx Bluetooth works only one way (in transmit mode) so you can pair it with Aptx headphones, but don’t expect Aptx to work in receive mode (with Tidal from your phone, for example).
6. Bluetooth doesn’t work with DSD files.
7. HiBy Link lets you control the N3 from your phone, but music still plays from your N3, not your phone. And you can’t use HiBy Link and Bluetooth out at the same time.
8. HiBy Link is not the bee’s knees. It’s a nice app but has many other issues. After the long wait for it to support iOS, turns out it’s not that useful (for me anyway).
9. Don’t expect to power your LCDs with this dap. It’s a great dap with plenty of power, but be realistic.
10. The default Chinese English UI and graphics is riddled with questionable grammar and meh graphics. Download the latest custom firmware (v3.0) and enjoy a better experience.

As always, YMMV.

Have I missed anything guys?

Enjoy your N3!

I'm trying to figure out if this popping issue that everyone seems to be talking about applies to my usecase or not
When you say "driver" issue are you talking about Windows or OS drivers? Or something internal to the N3?
In my case I plan to use it as my main DAC, however not connected to a computer but rather an external HDD to stream directly to my HiFi. Would the popping issue not apply to me in this case....?

 

[surfgeorge]

Just want to say how pleased I am with the Cayin N3
I have a really nice (and expensive) stereo system at home and wanted to get better sound quality on my travels, so I started looking around, and after a few try outs I am now a happy owner of the Cayin N3 paired with some B&O H6 Gen 2 headphones.

I have no experience with the more expensive DAPs or headphones, my reference is a 10k stereo system with belt driven CD drive, a 4k DAC, dedicated 2 channel stereo amp and matching speakers, silver cables and AC filtering and all that stuff. I spent 2 years putting this together and optimising it.

Based on that reference I am really happy with the sound quality I can get from the N3 and the B&O H6. Natural, dynamic, detailed and very, very enjoyable!
I was comparing it to the iPhone / iPad Pro, and while they both sound entertaining, the N3 is a huge step up for a very small cost. And I with a 256GB microSD card I can carry my whole music collection with me in high quality...

The HiBy remote control is the icing on the cake for me, controlling the Cayin from the iPhone is a great feature. I am even considering connecting it to my Stereo system DAC and using the iPhone to control the music from the couch....

Happy listening!

 

[riffrafff]

Sadly, these same problems happened on my Linux system too, so its not just a driver issue

Huh. Mine's been rock-solid.
I presume you're not using the stock cable, right?

 

[riffrafff]

I'm thinking of getting the N3 to serve a dual purpose
1- As a Portable player with a limited subset of music on the road and
2- Connected to an external HDD and my home HiFi as a streamer/DAC while at home

Just wondering what the comments here are referring to
"occasional popping with some drivers" is this a random issue with some units or all N3s suffer from this?
"running linux" is this referring to some sort of custom firmware that fixes this issue....?

If theres a specific post or website that provides instructions to improve the functionality, I'd be grateful for a point in the right direction

Cheers

No, I meant "running Linux" as your computer's OS (as opposed to Mac or Windoze).

 

[ClassicRock1976]

No, I meant "running Linux" as your computer's OS (as opposed to Mac or Windoze).

So in my case since I'm planning to use the N3 at home to stream directly from an external HDD (control via the Android app no computer in play) does that mean that the popping issue won't affect me...?

 

[Hherrmmann]

On the left you have power which also serves as the screen off, screen on button and then the volume up/down. On the right you have skip forward, play/pause, skip back. You can select different modes for what will work when the screen is off so that should be good for you. I leave all the physical buttons on at all times.

You can delete files one at a time on the n3. Not sure if you can delete folders....

Also@dat gameh, you can use it while plugged into the PC, you just have to back out of the file transfer mode to do so on the player itself. So you can't listen while transferring files but can exit that mode to make it "charge only".

Thanks; very helpful!
Regarding "delete files one at a time", can i delete the track that I am listening, or should I go back and foirth in the menu via an explorer-like track list?
The first I can handle safely on my bike (it may be a sequence of a few key strokes); the latter rather not.

 

[riffrafff]

So in my case since I'm planning to use the N3 at home to stream directly from an external HDD (control via the Android app no computer in play) does that mean that the popping issue won't affect me...?

Dunno. Given that some appear to have issues with popping and some don't, it might just boil down the luck of the draw. I haven't seen any common denominators for this problem yet.

 

[SciOC]

Thanks; very helpful!
Regarding "delete files one at a time", can i delete the track that I am listening, or should I go back and foirth in the menu via an explorer-like track list?
The first I can handle safely on my bike (it may be a sequence of a few key strokes); the latter rather not.

You can delete while listening BUT I don't think there's a way to do it without using the capacitive buttons on the screen, so probably not safe for that situation...