[ThanatosVI]

Gen3 Nutube 6P1 vacuum tube circuit： Trible Timber applicable to all analog outputs

Looking back at history, Cayin's N8 was the first portable product to incorporate Nutube 6P1. We developed a proprietary shock absorption structure to minimize microphonic effects. The warm, euphonic, and rich sound quality of vacuum tubes gained popularity among many audiophiles.

Based on the success of N8, we have developed the C9 portable headphone amplifier that applied our proprietary negative feedback to the Nutube 6P1 timbre circuit, resulting in significant improvements in linearity, frequency extension, and transparency. Our current flagship N8ii followed this approach with minor adjustments, and both implementations were well received.



When there are alternatives, there will be preference, and there will be demands for something that is absent on the table. No worries, The N30LE caters to cover different preferences.

The N30LE is equipped with two independent audio circuits, offering two distinct styles of Nutube 6P1 vacuum tube timbre we called them “Modern” and “Classic”. This means that those who prefer a lush, warm listening experience can choose the Classic mode. For users who require greater fidelity and need to balance both listening experience and audio performance, and like a transparent and lively sound, the Modern tube timbre is the ideal choice. We believe in actual use, users who mainly listen to vocals will particularly appreciate the “Classic” option, while those who listen to more instrumental music might prefer the “Modern” option. The choice depends on the user's preferences. When users connect their headphones to N30LE, they can switch among three timbre options (two tube modes and one solid-state mode) based on their personal preferences for listening, headphone type, music content, etc.

The tube timbre circuit adopts a three-stage amplification structure. The first stage is a buffer amplifier composed of Toshiba's low-noise JFET. The second stage is the Nutube 6P1 tube circuit amplification, which provides the main voltage gain for the audio circuit and is the core that determines the timbre and sonic experience. The third stage is a buffer driver composed of Toshiba's low-noise JFET, which improves the driving capability of the entire timbre circuit.



With Classic Nutube Mode, there is no looped negative feedback, and each stage works independently through local feedback control, with the total gain determined by the accumulation of each stage's gain. The Nutube circuit amplification introduced its unique “distortion” to the amplifier circuit, resulting in higher total harmonic distortion (THD) and distinctive harmonic distortion that is typical to tube amplification, offering a rich, lush, and euphonic presentation. (Representative products from Cayin's previous lineup: N8, N3Pro)

With Modern Nutube Mode, it introduces a looped negative feedback system that determines the total gain through the negative feedback circuit. By introducing inter-stage loop negative feedback, the THD distortion of the total output is significantly reduced, and the harmonic distortion pattern is more in line with modern high-fidelity requirements. It is not as tubey as the Classis Nutube mode but it works well with modern gears and recordings. (Representative products from the previous lineup: C9, N8ii)

We have mentioned applicable to all analog outputs in the very beginning. All analog outputs include PO (Phone output), LO (Line out), and Pre (Preamplifier). Whether it is power amplification or voltage level amplification, and includes both single-ended and balanced outputs. In previous Cayin products, vacuum tube timbre could only be achieved through PO output. N30LE is the first DAP that allows us to use Nutube audio circuits across all analog outputs. For users who use N30LE as an analog front-end, this means they can choose different timbre based on music genre and connecting equipment, to better match and reproduce the original sound.

I love that the Line out receives the tube flavour.

Can you elaborate on the Hyper Mode please?

 

[MusicTeck]

N30LE(https://shop.musicteck.com/products...0-units-worldwide?_pos=1&_sid=8898e95ff&_ss=r) and the combo edition(https://shop.musicteck.com/products...-99-set-worldwide?_pos=2&_sid=8898e95ff&_ss=r) are open to preorder now. Expected shipping date: 8/25 for both LE and Combo Edition.

 

[Baten]

It doesn't mean thay they don't appreciate your support by releasing N30LE. Like Andy said, it's their way to celebrate their 30th anniversary. They can't mass product it too because AK4499EQ are already discontinued.

Discontinued? This is false as far as I see, lead time straight from the factory + inventory stock. AK4499EQ/SEQ just became 'AK4499EXEQ'
https://mouser.com/ProductDetail/Asahi-Kasei-Microdevices/AK4499EXEQ

 

[Jawis]

@Andykong Will there be an actual hands on product to touch and try at the HK show? Will head there Sunday.

 

[jsmiller58]

I would like to start off by acknowledging that of course everyone has a right to their opinions and desires. It just seems to me - and it is probably just me - that some people are taking this particular release as an affront or betrayal because it is not within their reach.

Anyway, my opinion is simple. I am happy for Cayin on their 30th Anniversary, and I wish them many, many more. While the N30LE is outside of my reach, I hope that those who can afford it and purchase it wind up loving it and sharing their experiences with us. And hopefully over time some elements of the N30LE will make it into lower priced products.

 

[ThanatosVI]

I would like to start off by acknowledging that of course everyone has a right to their opinions and desires. It just seems to me - and it is probably just me - that some people are taking this particular release as an affront or betrayal because it is not within their reach.

Anyway, my opinion is simple. I am happy for Cayin on their 30th Anniversary, and I wish them many, many more. While the N30LE is outside of my reach, I hope that those who can afford it and purchase it wind up loving it and sharing their experiences with us. And hopefully over time some elements of the N30LE will make it into lower priced products.

I share your point of view.

The N30LE features a lot of New stuff like, dual tube circuits for modern and classic sound character.
Tube character on the line out and stuff like that.
It only makes sense to release such new features in a flagship the first time.

However this might also enable them to implement something like that in more affordable products down the line.

Especially since their last releases N7 and RU7 were more affordable, it makes sense to see a new flagship with Innovations now

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Happy Birthday to Cayin! The announcement of N30LE is clearly a "blast"!

Tough competition nowadays with Hiby RS8, AK SP3000 and iBasso DX320 Max roam around in the market. N30LE bring some new things in TOTL DAP market and the topology design seems exciting too, hope for the best!

 

[ECKHUAAA]

Gen3 Nutube 6P1 vacuum tube circuit： Trible Timber applicable to all analog outputs

Looking back at history, Cayin's N8 was the first portable product to incorporate Nutube 6P1. We developed a proprietary shock absorption structure to minimize microphonic effects. The warm, euphonic, and rich sound quality of vacuum tubes gained popularity among many audiophiles.

Based on the success of N8, we have developed the C9 portable headphone amplifier that applied our proprietary negative feedback to the Nutube 6P1 timbre circuit, resulting in significant improvements in linearity, frequency extension, and transparency. Our current flagship N8ii followed this approach with minor adjustments, and both implementations were well received.



When there are alternatives, there will be preference, and there will be demands for something that is absent on the table. No worries, The N30LE caters to cover different preferences.

The N30LE is equipped with two independent audio circuits, offering two distinct styles of Nutube 6P1 vacuum tube timbre we called them “Modern” and “Classic”. This means that those who prefer a lush, warm listening experience can choose the Classic mode. For users who require greater fidelity and need to balance both listening experience and audio performance, and like a transparent and lively sound, the Modern tube timbre is the ideal choice. We believe in actual use, users who mainly listen to vocals will particularly appreciate the “Classic” option, while those who listen to more instrumental music might prefer the “Modern” option. The choice depends on the user's preferences. When users connect their headphones to N30LE, they can switch among three timbre options (two tube modes and one solid-state mode) based on their personal preferences for listening, headphone type, music content, etc.

The tube timbre circuit adopts a three-stage amplification structure. The first stage is a buffer amplifier composed of Toshiba's low-noise JFET. The second stage is the Nutube 6P1 tube circuit amplification, which provides the main voltage gain for the audio circuit and is the core that determines the timbre and sonic experience. The third stage is a buffer driver composed of Toshiba's low-noise JFET, which improves the driving capability of the entire timbre circuit.



With Classic Nutube Mode, there is no looped negative feedback, and each stage works independently through local feedback control, with the total gain determined by the accumulation of each stage's gain. The Nutube circuit amplification introduced its unique “distortion” to the amplifier circuit, resulting in higher total harmonic distortion (THD) and distinctive harmonic distortion that is typical to tube amplification, offering a rich, lush, and euphonic presentation. (Representative products from Cayin's previous lineup: N8, N3Pro)

With Modern Nutube Mode, it introduces a looped negative feedback system that determines the total gain through the negative feedback circuit. By introducing inter-stage loop negative feedback, the THD distortion of the total output is significantly reduced, and the harmonic distortion pattern is more in line with modern high-fidelity requirements. It is not as tubey as the Classis Nutube mode but it works well with modern gears and recordings. (Representative products from the previous lineup: C9, N8ii)

We have mentioned applicable to all analog outputs in the very beginning. All analog outputs include PO (Phone output), LO (Line out), and Pre (Preamplifier). Whether it is power amplification or voltage level amplification, and includes both single-ended and balanced outputs. In previous Cayin products, vacuum tube timbre could only be achieved through PO output. N30LE is the first DAP that allows us to use Nutube audio circuits across all analog outputs. For users who use N30LE as an analog front-end, this means they can choose different timbre based on music genre and connecting equipment, to better match and reproduce the original sound.

Is the DAC pure DSD 1 bit
like N7 ?

 

[matp86]

DAP King

 

[Auricon]

Is the DAC pure DSD 1 bit
like N7 ?

Ne, it's Dual AK4499EQ, discontinued flagship 32-bit DAC chipset, mono mode, paralleled current outputs

OG post has been updated with specs:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/n30...e-to-celebrate-cayin-30th-anniversary.969210/

 

[Andykong]

N30LE Digital Audio and Decoding

• Dual AK4499EQ, discontinued flagship 32-bit DAC chipset, mono mode, paralleled current outputs
• Decode PCM up to 32bit/768kHz, DSD up to 1 Bit/22.6MHz (DSD512)
• Solid 2x2 current to voltage I-V converter network as low noise high current output stage of AK4499EQ DACs.
• Two extremely low-noise Femtosecond Crystal Oscillators to ensure high precision low jitter digital playback.
• Comprehensive digital interface option: I2S (mini HDMI), USB Audio Input/output (USB-C), and S/PDIF Coaxial (Embedded USB-C)

N30LE incorporates two pieces of AK4499EQ from AKM in MONO mode. The DAC chipset will be programmed to provide fully balanced differential current output across all channels (8 channels). We shall connect these outputs in parallel (per 2 channels), and feed into a 2x2 IV converter network (four dual channel op-amp) to provide an optimized DAC output stage for subsequent audio circuits. The AK4499EQ is a very good DAC chipset, it is even better than the latest AK4499EX in terms of Dynamic range and number of channels per chip. It is most unfortunate that the AK4499EQ is discontinued. We had spent a lot of resources studying the design, options, and implementations of this chipset, and we had a limited stock of AK4499EQ in our inventory. While we don’t have enough stock to support the market demand for a regular product; however, it perfectly suited the positioning of N30LE as a limited edition anniversary product.

N30LE is configured such that both DAC chips operate in MONO mode regardless of whether users choose single-ended or balanced outputs. The advantage is that the DAC chipset will operate at its prime condition. In Mono mode, the dynamic range and S/N ratio of AK4499EQ are rated at 140 dB. When we switch to Stereo mode, the DAC can only deliver 137dB only. 3dB probably won’t mean a lot on some applications, but with high-end DAP like N30LE, even 1 dB of dynamic range is worth all the effort and resources we can devote. On the downside, this configuration generates heat and consumes more power affecting battery life.

I guess a lot of friends will have a big question mark by now. Where do we acquire AK4499EQ from? Let's a flashback to Q3 2020 when the Cayin R&D team was working very hard to roll out N8ii by the end of the year, we had developed an AK4499EQ-based DAP and started our Supply chain process. We placed our order to acquire parts and components to start our first product batch in October/November, and that included a “small amount” of AK4499 chipset from AKM. On October 2020, the AKM fire broke out and it took a total of three days to completely extinguish. No employees were injured during the fire, but the factory, which manufactures large-scale integrated circuits (LSIs) for audio equipment was severely damaged. Everything after that become public information: AKM discontinued AK4499EQ several months after the fire. Cayin didn’t wait for the final confirmation, we keep the AK4499 chips in our inventory, redesigned the N8ii with RoHM BD34301EKV DAC chipset, and rolled out the current N8ii in March 2021.

Without a doubt, the AK4499EQ is a fine DAC chipset, but it is a only starting point, a good DAC chipset won't deliver impressive audio performance until it is properly implemented. To maximize the performance of the DAC, our FPGA enhanced and reorganized the incoming digital signal to minimize jitter before passing the audio bit-stream to the AK4499EQ chipset. The FPGA was carefully selected to handle 32Bit/768kHz with PCM and 1Bit/22.6 MHz (DSD512) with DSD, given the lack of original source material beyond 385kHz and DSD256, the N30LE decoding capability is relatively safe in the foreseeable future.

The battle against jitter never ends, and it certainly won't stop at FPGA. Jitter is time distortion and experienced digital audio engineers know all too well that if we didn't handle the jitter properly, even the most expensive DAC chipset will produce music playback with digital artifacts and sounds unnatural to trained ears. There are two major sources of jitter in the DAC system: the time error introduces by the clock generator during synchronization and the noise in the digital audio signal line. The latter is best handled by improving the power supply to DAC and supporting components, which will be explained in another post. Cayin employs two Femtosecond Crystal Oscillators as internal dedicated clock generators for synchronization: one for digital audio signals with multiplies of 44.1kHz sampling frequency, and the other handling multiplies of 48kHz. These extremely low-noise oscillators improve the performance of the DAC chipset and deliver high-precision low jitter digital playback.

Last but not least, to process the paralleled current outputs from the two mono modes AK4497EQ properly, Cayin has implemented a solid 2x2 current to voltage I-V converter network (four dual Channel Op-Amp in total) as the low-noise high-current output stage of the AK4499EQ DACs. These will ensure the final output of the digital audio circuit is in prestigious condition and provides excellent driving capability to support the complete audio circuit.

 

[ECKHUAAA]

Ne, it's Dual AK4499EQ, discontinued flagship 32-bit DAC chipset, mono mode, paralleled current outputs

OG post has been updated with specs:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/n30...e-to-celebrate-cayin-30th-anniversary.969210/

Thanks

 

[Andykong]

I've never had the chance to own N8ii, maybe now I should get N30LE. Any info on MSRP?

N30LE will be available in two versions. The N30LE standard package will be limited to 300 sets globally. There will be a special N30LE Amber Pearl version, only 99 sets are available. This a bundle package with UM Amber Pearl IEM. We have worked with the UM engineering team to fine-tune the IEM, and our engineers have fine-tuned the N30LE DAP accordingly for the best possible synergy.

N30LE (300 units worldwide)
SRP: US$4,999

N30LE Amber Pearl Combo (with UM Amber Pearl IEM)
SRP: US$12,999

Availability: 28 August 2023

 

[phiemon]

N30LE will be available in two versions. The N30LE standard package will be limited to 300 sets globally. There will be a special N30LE Amber Pearl version, only 99 sets are available. This a bundle package with UM Amber Pearl IEM. We have worked with the UM engineering team to fine-tune the IEM, and our engineers have fine-tuned the N30LE DAP accordingly for the best possible synergy.

N30LE (300 units worldwide)
SRP: US$4,999

N30LE Amber Pearl Combo (with UM Amber Pearl IEM)
SRP: US$12,999

Availability: 28 August 2023

Thank you very much for the infos and congratulations for the products.

Can you give us more information about the IEM UM Amber Pearl? For example: is it a special edition of Red Halo FE? Mason FS? Mentor? Will it be possible to buy it separately?

 

[Andykong]

This is beautiful! I don’t doubt it’ll be a well-crafted device!

I only wish i hasn’t already gone all in on a DX320MAX recently!! Can’t wait to hear impressions on this beauty!

The DX320MAX is a fine DAP, I am sure you'll enjoy your new toy immensely. The audiophile hobby is all about enriching your life with high-quality music. Being able to enjoy what we have, without stressing your resources and emotion is more important than owning the best audio equipment.

Having said that, I am looking forward to checking out your DX320MAX vs N30LE impression if you run into a chance to audition our 30th-anniversary DAP.