[Andykong]

Cayin has announced a tour for the i5 Android based DAP, if you are interested to find out the latest offering from Cayin, please check out the i5 Tour, see you there.

[Reviewers Wanted] World Tour for Cayin i5 - Android based AK4490 DAP with WiFi, Dropbox and Google Play

 

[tibrocks]

Thanks all for your help!
 
Also, quite new to IEMs and not sure how impedance affects this.. I had someone recommending these PMV A-10 IEMs  https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2016-Newest-PMV-A-01-MK2-In-Ear-Earphones-1-Dynamic-and-2-BA-Hybrid-3/32683784249.html?
 
Are these a good match for the N5? will I need a separate amp?
 
 
Thanks!

 

[edb]

I do
I don't have the N5 but I assume it is taking DSF files. I have been using a software from sonore to convert SACD ISO to dsf you can find it here:http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=129913.0

Hope it helps, cheers.

Thanks a lot. It works great.

 

[Pier-Fi]

Thanks a lot. It works great.

No worries, glad it worked

 

[Andykong]

Thanks all for your help!

Also, quite new to IEMs and not sure how impedance affects this.. I had someone recommending these PMV A-10 IEMs  https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2016-Newest-PMV-A-01-MK2-In-Ear-Earphones-1-Dynamic-and-2-BA-Hybrid-3/32683784249.html?

Are these a good match for the N5? will I need a separate amp?


Thanks!

Base on the specification of the IEM, it is rated at 16ohm and 100db sensitivity, I can safely predict that N5 can drive this IEM satisfactory without needing a separate portable amp. I can't comment on audio performance or whether they'll match well sonically as I haven't heard this IEM before, you have to try this out in person or take your advice of you friend for the moment.

I am not familiar with choices of IEM at this price bracket, my personal budget choice for N5 is the Sennheiser Momentum Inear, Vsonic GR07 Classic and Brainwavz S5, if you want to stay in $60 budget range, maybe you can check out other models of Vsonic and Brainwavz for reference.

 

[Andykong]

Cayin n5

[VIDEO]https://youtu.be/jHgpLwYctBE[/VIDEO]

it looks confusing at first but basically you add power to the cayin n5 and to iPhone with cable to each.
if you add power to iPhone cayin n5 won't start dac mode, if you add power to cayin n5 iPhone will say device uses too much power. you could use a USB hub but then iPhone won't charge battery.

I use Apple cck with lightning, all lightning does is charge iphone and gets rid of device uses too much power and it does not add power to device at all

some devices are compatible with iOS but still stop playing on full volume like zuperdac and if you add power to it with extra USB it doesn't stop on full volume and overall is better

so really it's just two cables you connect to USB, one for cayin n5 with USB splitter for extra 5v USB power and lightning to Apple cck. I have 12000 mah battery with two USB and can use it portable, battery is huge

and cayin n5 and iPhone both charge while in use

lol

but for quality it's worth it

and ye you can use any apps on iPhone to play on cayin n5

Thanks for the explanation, I would say this is not a solution for everyone as it does getting a little complicate to setup initially, and kind of bulky for those who want to travel, but I am glad that this works out perfectly or you. You are indeed a dedicated user and I admire your persistence to pursue quality with whatever resource available. This is true audiophile spirit.

I was a bit worrying regarding charging and listening to N5 at the same time, in my experience, the player will get hotter then regular playback, background noise is a little higher then normal as well. I am glad that this is not an issue in your case.

 

[Andykong]

What is the appropriate cable length for the Cayin C5 to N5?

There is no optimal length as it depends on the design of 3.5mm connector and the structure of the cable.

I am using a VentureCraft 7N class 3.5mm - 3.5mm Straight Line Cable for my N5 to C5 connection. I believe this is a 10cm cable. The reason I pick this cable is because this is a coaxial cable by structure and I can use it for digital connection as well, so I can carry one cable for both purpose.



As you can see the cable is fairly long for this purpose, if you are find someone to DIY a cable that is not as stiff, you might be able to do it in 5 cm.

 

[Andykong]

@Andykong


Hi Andy, 

I don't manage to download the 3.2 firmware on new Cayin's website... Download starts, then stops at 12.8mo whatever the browser I'm using.

Best regards.

Sorry, I am traveling at US right now and I am surviving on a very weak WiFi connection only, I can't test the download site until I get back to HK/China next week, will come back to you ASAP.

 

[Andykong]

Does anyone know a method to convert DST encoded SACD iso file to another codec which is compatible to N5? I have a SACD iso file at hand, but N5 says it cannot play it.

BTW, what kind of encoding are available for SACD iso files? and among them, which are compatible with N5?

I do
I don't have the N5 but I assume it is taking DSF files. I have been using a software from sonore to convert SACD ISO to dsf you can find it here:http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=129913.0

Hope it helps, cheers.

Thanks a lot. It works great.

Thanks for the help from [@]Pier-F[/@], this is indeed the easiest method to convert DST encoded ISO file to something that is compatible to N5 and N6.

Just want to add in some background information for others reference.

When you convert a SACD image file (ISO) to a collection of single track files, you have to option to go for DSF format and DFF format. From sound quality perspective, these two format are identical. The DSF format allows metadata (e.g., track titles, artist names, ...) to be embedded and organized, so this is the preferred format in most cases. But on the other hand, DSF support DST encoded as well, so there is a small chance that you'll end up with DST-encoded DSF file, and in this case, N5 will not support even it is in single track file format. For those who are carrying out this kind of conversion, I suggest you take a good look at the parameter setup of your transcode application and make sure the default CODEC setting of DSF is not DST-encoded or recursed from the original SACD-ISO file.

 

[Level]

Having had about ten days with the N5 I returned it today.
 
I have compiled a review of my user experience and was planning on posting it at some point, but that seems less important now. I was getting comfortable with its little wrinkles and quirks but in the end it was the scroll wheel that tipped the balance. It rattles, skips around on selections, and generally makes me wonder what it's supposed to do. I thought the N5 was going to become my mid tier player of choice but such is not the case, so back it goes. My current thinking is to apply the money towards the purchase of an LPG.
 
Notwithstanding its detracting points, I think the C5 is decent unit, just not the right one for me.
Cheers,
PJ

 

[Pier-Fi]

Thanks for the help from [@]Pier-F[/@], this is indeed the easiest method to convert DST encoded ISO file to something that is compatible to N5 and N6.

Just want to add in some background information for others reference.

When you convert a SACD image file (ISO) to a collection of single track files, you have to option to go for DSF format and DFF format. From sound quality perspective, these two format are identical. The DSF format allows metadata (e.g., track titles, artist names, ...) to be embedded and organized, so this is the preferred format in most cases. But on the other hand, DSF support DST encoded as well, so there is a small chance that you'll end up with DST-encoded DSF file, and in this case, N5 will not support even it is in single track file format. For those who are carrying out this kind of conversion, I suggest you take a good look at the parameter setup of your transcode application and make sure the default CODEC setting of DSF is not DST-encoded or recursed from the original SACD-ISO file.

Thanks for the added information Andy, really useful. Cheers, Pierre

 

[Mad Max]

Any comparisons to the Shanling M5?

 

[tibrocks]

Hi all,
 
Don't know what's wrong but 16% of the battery drained in 50 mins.. 
This really puzzles me, I was listening to 44/16 Flac tracks, 64ohm headphones Balanced port, 24 Vol level with Low Sens. > display off all time... 
 
Can I do something to improve this or just send player back?!
 
 
Thx

 

[myemaildw]

at home use the dac

 

[Andykong]

I have two announcement from Cayin that will relate to N6 DAP

First of all, We proudly announced that our complete line of portable products (i5, N5, N6, C5, and C5DAC) have been designated as hi-res audio (HRA) products by the Japan Audio Society and we can address our products with the Hi-Res Audio logo with immediate effect. All the newly produced certified Hi-Res Audio products will carry the Hi-Res Audio logo on its package, and a Hi-Res Audio sticker will be included as standard accessories.

The logo is a recognition of our achievement, it will not improve or change the sound quality of our equipment, so we don't believe there is a need to retrofit previous production. We shall continue to live up to our belief: to unleash the power of music, to convey the feeling of the musician, and to produce high quality audio product that is affordable and adorable.



For detail of the Hi-Res Audio announcement, please check out the following link:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/824484/cayin-portable-products-certified-for-hi-res-audio

The second announcement is related to the USB DAC function of Cayin products. Cayin has developed an Universal USB Audio Driver that will simplified and also improved the USB function of our product.

Using DAP as external sound card to enhance the performance of your computer facility is one of the common practice among CAS users, the process is fairly straight forward if you are using Linux or OS X based computer facilities because these devices support USB Audio Class 2.0 natively. As of today, Window based system only support USB Audio Class 1.0 and to fully explore the potential of Hi-Res audio, a device drivers will be required. Depends on the system you are using and the computer skill of the users, the driver installation process can be more tedious then expected, especially after Microsoft implemented the Driver Signature Enforcement practice.



As user experience becomes an indispensable part of a modern sound system, Cayin has taken the need of our customers seriously and developed a proprietary USB Driver for all Cayin USB-based products.

The advantages of Cayin Universal USB Audio Driver are:

1. The device drive can install like any regular application, there is no need to connect the audio equipment to the computer facility in advance (with exception of Windows XP system).
2. No implication or system security adjustment is required, including driver signature enforcement
3. Once installed all Cayin USB-based products will plug-and-play device with your Window based facilities, there is no need to switch to another driver when you change your Cayin equipment.
4. Explore full potential of your Cayin USB-based audio equipment. For example, iDAC-6 can now operate in ASIO native mode to achieve DSD256 native decoding and i5 can now support DoP DSD128.

the Cayin Universal USB Audio Driver is available in two versions, download the appropriate version from Cayin website (en.cayin.cn/download).

• Windows 7 and above (http://en.cayin.cn/download/show?id=13481)
• Windows XP and Vista (http://en.cayin.cn/download/show?id=13480)

Detail installation procedure is available in the driver download page of Cayin website, please check it out if you are using the USB DAC function of the N5 DAP.