[ToneDeafMonk]

Thank you very much for your kind words.

There was a critical turning point in our product strategy and that was the release of the E01 Audio Motherboard back in December 2019. TBH, that was kind of a big gamble when we realized a product that only offered a 3.5mm single-end phone output in 2019/2020. The swiss-knife approach (A01 and T01 Audio Moterboards) was the norm at that time but we decided to detour and went for specialization. We received a lot of doubt and challenge, from users as well as dealers, but we also ran into a lot of happy users who sincerely appreciated the E01 Audio Motherboard, to a lot of younger users, that their first encounter with discrete circuit and Class A amplification. E01 has reinforced our thinking that the audiophile business is and should be different from consumer electronics. Sometimes a "subtraction" attitude (to devote our biggest effort to a smaller scope) works better than an "addition" (to expand the scope to the largest extent within limited resources).

In our humble opinion, completeness does not always mean including everything in one basket, it can also mean delivering something in its complete form.

Love it I am so down for this player!

 

[morndewey]

If this dap is rated 8 hours between charges when using tube, 4.4 PO, I’m guessing six hours, actually—if, that is, user observes best battery care practices, ie no charge above 80%, keep charge from falling below 20%. Yes or approximately so?

 

[Deleeh]

I don't think you need to worry about that.
It is also important that the battery is completely discharged and then receives a large charge.
This keeps the cells fresh, but in the end everyone does what they want.
In fact, for me personally, the N3pro doesn't make much sense.
I have already tried many dongels and connected them to my smartphone or iPad.
The Ipad was usually better, but I always had noise on the smartphone.
With the Ifi hip Dac I had peace and quiet.
The only annoying thing is that you're not just tied to a cable, there's a lack of convenience if I had the N3.
The N7 was really good when I had it for testing.
The Bluetooth connection to the Dac was also mega.
I wish Cayin would bring out another Dap without tubes that plays at a comparable level to the N7 but remains moderate in price.
1900€ in Germany is just too much money for what you intend to use it for.
In fact, I think there are still very few daps on the market where the entry-level price is normal and they are never free of teething troubles.
It would be nice to have something that just works without any problems.
Only the more expensive Daps usually do this.

 

[Neeoo]

Thank you very much for your kind words.

There was a critical turning point in our product strategy and that was the release of the E01 Audio Motherboard back in December 2019. TBH, that was kind of a big gamble when we realized a product that only offered a 3.5mm single-end phone output in 2019/2020. The swiss-knife approach (A01 and T01 Audio Moterboards) was the norm at that time but we decided to detour and went for specialization. We received a lot of doubt and challenge, from users as well as dealers, but we also ran into a lot of happy users who sincerely appreciated the E01 Audio Motherboard, to a lot of younger users, that their first encounter with discrete circuit and Class A amplification. E01 has reinforced our thinking that the audiophile business is and should be different from consumer electronics. Sometimes a "subtraction" attitude (to devote our biggest effort to a smaller scope) works better than an "addition" (to expand the scope to the largest extent within limited resources).

In our humble opinion, completeness does not always mean including everything in one basket, it can also mean delivering something in its complete form.

I loved the RU6 and also bought the RU7. I have tried other daps and dongles but Cayin's approach resonates more with me. I would love to see more daring propositions from cayin.
Also, what I am waiting for, is a brand to make more products on the lines of Shanling H7. A portable flagship DAC/Amp with playback through memory card access via phone.

 

[seanwee]

This has reminded me to get the N3 Pro out of my drawer. I still think it's the nicest-sounding player in the $500 range. The 4493 tends to sound a bit harsh as a DAC, but Cayin managed to tame it quite well. It's nicer in the N3Pro than the ESS DACs in other DAPs IMO.

A little disappointed that it sticks with the 4493. It's very distinctly un-AKM like with the harshness of ESS dacs without any of their detail. It's why I don't use my N3 Pro anymore.

And no, the 4493S still inherits the sound of the 4493 unfortunately (I've heard the Shanling M6 Ultra, A&K HC4). It's just a node shrunk 4493 that's a little more efficient.

But I am willing to give this a try, hopefully Cayin managed to retune it to be less harsh.

 

[twister6]

A little disappointed that it sticks with the 4493. It's very distinctly un-AKM like with the harshness of ESS dacs without any of their detail. It's why I don't use my N3 Pro anymore.

And no, the 4493S still inherits the sound of the 4493 unfortunately (I've heard the Shanling M6 Ultra, A&K HC4). It's just a node shrunk 4493 that's a little more efficient.

But I am willing to give this a try, hopefully Cayin managed to retune it to be less harsh.

I can only speak from a personal experience of what I covered in my CanJam NYC report when I tried N3U at the show, and I think I will leave the Classic Tube mode permanently on that dap The solid state output was pretty good, but not as unique or stand out as a smooth Classic Tube coloring.

 

[Andykong]

Hello,
a question about the player, can I use the player to download my Tidal playlist to the memory card and play it in the N3pro, or does it only play AacMp3 ect?
I also assume that Roon Arc alone will definitely not work on the N3Pro and you generally need a streamer or phone, laptop, etc. as a source?

I assume you want to ask whether N3Ultra supports these features, not N3Pro.

We have published the music format supported by N3Ultra, unfortunately, AacMp3 is not on the list, this is a relatively minor problem because we can add a new music format through a firmware update.

However, I'll be surprised if the tracks are not protected and you can play the track with a generic music player app. I was under the impression that streaming service providers will protect their music content by limiting the playback to their App.?

N3Ultra is not ROON-certified, we have not included any ROON-based testing in our product fine-tuning process, I guess some N3Ultra can test the Roon support if they have a ROON-based system readily available in their home audio.

 

[seanwee]

I can only speak from a personal experience of what I covered in my CanJam NYC report when I tried N3U at the show, and I think I will leave the Classic Tube mode permanently on that dap The solid state output was pretty good, but not as unique or stand out as a smooth Classic Tube coloring.

I assume you mean Triode tube mode? If so then yeah thats the mode I left on permanently for my N3 Pro as well, ultralinear colours the vocals and brings them forward in an unnatural way for me and also shrinks the stage while the solid state mode was just outright boring and lacking in dynamics for me.

Granted, I never really gave the solid state mode much of a chance, but there wasn't any reason to since it was just a straight downgrade over the ibasso DX160.

But perhaps it's time for a second chance, different gear different synergy.

 

[twister6]

I assume you mean Triode tube mode? If so then yeah thats the mode I left on permanently for my N3 Pro as well, ultralinear colours the vocals and brings them forward in an unnatural way for me and also shrinks the stage while the solid state mode was just outright boring and lacking in dynamics for me.

Granted, I never really gave the solid state mode much of a chance, but there wasn't any reason to since it was just a straight downgrade over the ibasso DX160.

But perhaps it's time for a second chance, different gear different synergy.

Nope, this is in reference to N3 Ultra I tried at CanJam NYC. It has Solid State mode and 2 Tube tonality modes: Modern and Classic.

 

[jaker782]

I love the concept of this DAP... compact, respectable battery capacity, nice volume wheel, tube mode from 4.4mm PO, and no android bloat for pure music playback using local storage. I get the criticism for lack of streaming capability, but in all honesty, the market is saturated with DAPs containing wifi and bluetooth capability. This DAP in 2024 is refreshing to me... but I still prefer to listen to albums all the way through, so take that with a grain of salt. If people are still interested in the original Sony WM1A/Z (they definitely are!), then there is a market for the N3Ultra in 2024.

Speaking of Sony, one thing I've always loved about their proprietary music UI is the ability to sort music by "High-Res" so you can go right to albums that are encoded in high resolution bitrates and formats. Quite often I want to listen to a DSD album and it is great to easily find them in one place rather than having to do a workaround involving folder view or creating a "genre" for high resolution files using something like mp3tag which is a pain to manage/update.

The description in the OP states "The N3Ultra also features a new, closed pure audio system design for its UI, offering a clean and straightforward user interface". @Andykong This UI would be even better if you would consider implementation of an additional music library category for high resolution files (while not as good, even the option to sort by bitrate or filetype would be helpful). It should be relatively easy to implement if you feel there is demand for it.

Anyway, I am excited to get my hands on the N3Ultra!

 

[mt877]

Hi @Andykong, will there be a pdf or online N3Ultra user manual / guide available soon? I would like to do a read through while I wait for my pre-order to ship. Thank you.

 

[alwass89]

Cayin posted this on their Facebook page this morning. Hopefully this means that by next week MusicTeck will have the players in stock and ready to ship.

https://fb.watch/rd7M3Er6QJ/
"Exciting news, everyone! The N3Ultra is currently en route to our international agents, and we're thrilled to share the list of agents who will soon have stocks available:
USA: MusicTeck
Thailand: Holysai
Indonesia: PT lntium lndo Prima
Israel: HIFI Connect
UK: HIFONIX
Singapore: Zeppelin & Co.
Germany: Cayin Audio Distribution GmbH
The Netherlands: A Tube High Fidelity
Taiwan: 音樂趨勢
UK: Premium Sound"

 

[dakchi]

Is Hifigo not an official seller of Cayin?

 

[alwass89]

That is the list of "International Agents" they are shipping the DAP to. Since Hifigo is based out of China, I don't think they would be considered an international agent, so they wouldn't be included on that list.

 

[dakchi]

I wanted to order from Hifigo becausethe price is cheaper than in Europe and I don't have to pay customs fees. I don't understand why prices are always higher in Europe than the rest of the world