Working without issue...
In retrospect, the N5 is one player that works really well off the bat. Sure there is hiss in balanced, and the battery status is a little wonky, but everything else is really awesome.
Was trying Opus #1 on Sunday, with only one song and the machine froze. I think the dap choke on my sdcard full of dsd, iso and cue files. Yet, I can throw any format at the N5 (save DTS which I dunno any dap that does DTS) and it will play (and with GAPLESS). And you can do that with 2 sdcards!
Unlike many other offerings which left the oven too early and are still pretty much in alpha-beta stage with the firmware/UI. N5 don't have serious firmware issue. Nothing that hurt the sound, or worse, brick the dap! Buddy's L5Pro is rendered inoperable after FW update and now waiting to send back to china just to reset the dap!?!
The build is really solid. I think it can survive a 2-stories drop... no joking. Love physical buttons and scroll wheel. They are solid and functional. While touch screen has a modern feel, I hate those mis-selects, mis-scroll, and certainly hate having to clean the touch-screen every time after I browse the song list... oh the smudges...
N5 sound really good, detailed, mildly warm, melodic and airy. Sure it is not LPG or Valoq, but it is a portable player first and foremost and unless I am constantly A-B-ing while out and about, or like squinting my eyes to see that extra 5-feet soundstage width, N5 sound is good enough, certainly for many IEM and with its' respectable amp, many headphones as well.
N5 operate well as a DAC (play well with foobar ASIO) and with USB3.0, it is the only player I have that I can plug straight into the PC without using a reader.
Here's the question, why is N5 not selling like hotcakes?
