[DBaldock9]

No-> N3 will support Aptx HD or LDAC
No-> it is a hardware limitation

On my Google Nexus 7 (2013) Tablet, which never had Bluetooth aptX, because Google wouldn't pay for the licensing - once I installed Android 8.1 (Oreo), it now transmits using the LDAC codec (has better performance than aptX).
So Bluetooth chips from the 2013 era will support the LDAC codec.
Using aptX HD probably does require a newer / different chip, than what was being used in 2013.

 

[Andykong]

The N3 can't handle HD600 or DT880?

I use the N3 with a Beyerdynamic T1 (600 ohm) in high gain with very nice result. Volume only between 60 and 75.
Hope that is not a problem because the load is to high for the amp in the N3?

OK, maybe we can terms it more accurately.

N3 cannot drive the high impedance headphones such as HD600, DT880 or T1 to satisfactory level when compare to a desktop based system. So this depends on how and what you are comparing with.

In my experience, the T1 is an amazing headphone when driven properly with a desktop headphone amplifier such as our iHA-6. If we are using the desktop performance as reference, I won't recommend N3 for T1 because it will not deliver the potential of T1 properly. The headphone output of N3 is powerful enough to drive T1 to very loud, it'll sound OK with simple music but when you listen to music that has a lot of instruments or involve dynamic passage, the headphone will sound dull, congested and lack of separation, again compare to desktop amplifier such as Cayin iHA-6.

Similar concept applied to HD60 and DT880 (250ohm).

 

[Andykong]

No-> N3 will support Aptx HD or LDAC
No-> it is a hardware limitation

On my Google Nexus 7 (2013) Tablet, which never had Bluetooth aptX, because Google wouldn't pay for the licensing - once I installed Android 8.1 (Oreo), it now transmits using the LDAC codec (has better performance than aptX).
So Bluetooth chips from the 2013 era will support the LDAC codec.
Using aptX HD probably does require a newer / different chip, than what was being used in 2013.

AptX-HD is definitely hardware based, so this is not possible with N3 for sure.

LDAC is also hardware based to certain extend, the BT chipset of N3 probably will qualify for that but we are not sure if the MCU of N3 is powerful enough to handle LDAC. I checked the hardware configuration of Nexus 7 and noticed the following:

System-on-chip used Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (Snapdragon 600) APQ8064–1AA
CPU 1.51 GHz quad-core Krait 300

Although the Nexus 7 is a 2013 device, the hardware processing power is still miles ahead of N3 for that matters.

Last but not least, I think the bottleneck is authentication from Sony, All Android 8 device will exempt from this process and granted LDAC certification automatically. Unfortunately not the case with DAP from Cayin. We have tried that with one of our DAP and I can tell you the process is costly and time consuming, I'll initiate a feasibility study on this but this is a very long shot to start with.

 

[DBaldock9]

AptX-HD is definitely hardware based, so this is not possible with N3 for sure.

LDAC is also hardware based to certain extend, the BT chipset of N3 probably will qualify for that but we are not sure if the MCU of N3 is powerful enough to handle LDAC. I checked the hardware configuration of Nexus 7 and noticed the following:

Although the Nexus 7 is a 2013 device, the hardware processing power is still miles ahead of N3 for that matters.

Last but not least, I think the bottleneck is authentication from Sony, All Android 8 device will exempt from this process and granted LDAC certification automatically. Unfortunately not the case with DAP from Cayin. We have tried that with one of our DAP and I can tell you the process is costly and time consuming, I'll initiate a feasibility study on this but this is a very long shot to start with.

Thanks for the reply and clarification.
For any portable audio device, there's always the balancing act of - how much processing power to include vs. how much battery life vs. the size of the device vs. the cost ...

 

[gLer]

OK, maybe we can terms it more accurately.

N3 cannot drive the high impedance headphones such as HD600, DT880 or T1 to satisfactory level when compare to a desktop based system. So this depends on how and what you are comparing with.

In my experience, the T1 is an amazing headphone when driven properly with a desktop headphone amplifier such as our iHA-6. If we are using the desktop performance as reference, I won't recommend N3 for T1 because it will not deliver the potential of T1 properly. The headphone output of N3 is powerful enough to drive T1 to very loud, it'll sound OK with simple music but when you listen to music that has a lot of instruments or involve dynamic passage, the headphone will sound dull, congested and lack of separation, again compare to desktop amplifier such as Cayin iHA-6.

Similar concept applied to HD60 and DT880 (250ohm).

Andy makes a very good point, trying to drive desktop headphones with a portable device like the N3 isn’t doing either device justice. It’s just not what they were designed for. Sure they might sound ok, but if you’re only after ‘ok’ then there’s no need to invest in expensive headphones. Even easier to drive, low impedance headphones like my Elear benefit greatly from a balanced connection to a desktop amp. It’s just how they’re built. In the same way the N3 sounds its best driving IEMs that take full advantage of its capabilities. Just my 0.02.

 

[Trapok]

AptX-HD is definitely hardware based, so this is not possible with N3 for sure.

LDAC is also hardware based to certain extend, the BT chipset of N3 probably will qualify for that but we are not sure if the MCU of N3 is powerful enough to handle LDAC. I checked the hardware configuration of Nexus 7 and noticed the following:

Although the Nexus 7 is a 2013 device, the hardware processing power is still miles ahead of N3 for that matters.

Last but not least, I think the bottleneck is authentication from Sony, All Android 8 device will exempt from this process and granted LDAC certification automatically. Unfortunately not the case with DAP from Cayin. We have tried that with one of our DAP and I can tell you the process is costly and time consuming, I'll initiate a feasibility study on this but this is a very long shot to start with.

Thanks for the explanation

 

[wolfz]

OK, maybe we can terms it more accurately.

N3 cannot drive the high impedance headphones such as HD600, DT880 or T1 to satisfactory level when compare to a desktop based system. So this depends on how and what you are comparing with.

In my experience, the T1 is an amazing headphone when driven properly with a desktop headphone amplifier such as our iHA-6. If we are using the desktop performance as reference, I won't recommend N3 for T1 because it will not deliver the potential of T1 properly. The headphone output of N3 is powerful enough to drive T1 to very loud, it'll sound OK with simple music but when you listen to music that has a lot of instruments or involve dynamic passage, the headphone will sound dull, congested and lack of separation, again compare to desktop amplifier such as Cayin iHA-6.

Similar concept applied to HD60 and DT880 (250ohm).

Thanks for clarifying this.

I have to agree. A dedicated headphone amp ( I use Meier Corda Classic ) with the T1 is a different world.
The N3 can not substitute such a combo. But for what it is it does an admirable job driving a 600 ohm T1.
Yes the kind of music plays a part too.

 

[Lushy Brushy]

End game, this combo pushes the HD600s so well with the volume on the Cayin at 63 on HdB. For the cost of the N3 and $70 you got a killer combo with the HD600s

 

[wolfz]

I had a HD600 for a long time. An outstanding headphone. Sometimes I used it with a DAP from Cowan (J3).
Even with the low output power of the J3 the SQ was pretty good.
Surly it will be much better with the N3.

 

[dhm78]

I apologize in advance if this has been covered but I was wondering which output I would select if I used N3 as a transport with my Schiit Modi 2U and an external amp. From what I understand I'd need a Usb b to Usb c cable in to the Modi. Thanks!

 

[funnyjoke]

Deciding on a new player for my music. Any reason to choose this over a Shanling M0 because the UI on this seems really too simple and hard to navigate.

 

[MPNow]

Hello everyone,

I have a question for @Andykong or anyone who might know. Where is the serial number for the N3 located? I tried looking on the back of the device, but couldn't see anything that indicated a number. Is it located on the bar code outside the box?

 

[CayinSupport]

Hello everyone,

I have a question for @Andykong or anyone who might know. Where is the serial number for the N3 located? I tried looking on the back of the device, but couldn't see anything that indicated a number. Is it located on the bar code outside the box?

Hi, the serial number of N3 is located at the back of its box like below picture:

 

[Peti]

Can this dap handle a 400 gb microsd by now? the early reviews stated that 256 gb max of microsd cards can be used.

 

[Jaywalk3r]

Can this dap handle a 400 gb microsd by now? the early reviews stated that 256 gb max of microsd cards can be used.

I can verify that it recognizes music on a 400GB card. I cannot verify that it sees more than 256GB of music on a 400 GB card, as my card 400GB card only has only about 245GB of music.