Cayin N5ii Android based Master Quality Digital Audio Player

[Andykong]

OK I have figured out the swipe down menu to turn audio priority on and off.

Sure enough now ES file is available, and hence the ability to install APKs.

I skipped google store for now and just downloaded a few key apks.

Built in LAN access worked great for hi res flac, but not SACD ISO. Probably too high a bandwidth draw.

Spoiler

And oh yes, Sirius XM is up and running. Some nice options to adjust audio quality with Sirius. Of course since I am on the home hifi and not LTE I went for max quality.

So far all is GOOD with this unit for my purposes.

This is, from my point of view, an I5 on steroids. And that is a good thing.

I probably need to get used to the frequency spectrum of the unit. The units seems to lean a bit more to mids and highs vs. bass. So the machine seems a bit more subdued in the low bass at this point in time. Keep in mind I have my IEMs tuned pretty much to reference tuning, and I tend to play music with no EQ at all. I may fiddle with the IEMs a bit to match the unit, but I may just wait until the balanced cable comes in before starting on that adventure. Perhaps too much of a reference signature can be overkill. There is something to be said for "fun" signatures. Or maybe a :"party pooper" signature....

Some users might even have problem in play back Hi-Res FLAC files from NAS, I assume you have a very good home network setup, and you have keep your N5ii fairly clean with minimum installation (you didn't even invoke Google Service) probably has contributed to that as well.

We normally assume the bottleneck is WiFi bandwidth, but our finding is the other way round, the problem probably related to MCU processing power and insufficient RAM. Let me illustrate my point by breaking down the remote access SACD-ISO into the following steps:

1. When N5ii connected to NAS and start to read the folder remotely, there are a tot of task involved already, MCU utilization start to build up.
2. and then when it start to play a song on NAS, N5ii will start to read from NAS and write into buffer at the same time, so more processing power is involved when filling up the buffer for playback
3. When we need to playback a Hi-Res file, the data involved in the buffering process will increase exponentially, so both MCU power and RAM become marginal.
4. When we need to read a SACD-ISO from NAS, we need to breakdown the ISO file into tracks, that's requires a lot of processing power, and we need to write a lot of data that into buffer (RAM) at the same time.

Eventually, the MCU can't handle the "WiFi connection + networking overhead + remote access + ISO breaking up + real-time buffering of HI-Res files" all at the same time ....

 

[Kelthuzad]

Hi, I've been lurking for a couple of years now, and signed up only cause I wanted to join in this discussion since I ordered an n5ii last week.

I've been saving for months to get a proper DAP to replace my battered iPod touch. I was dead set on the pioneer xdp 300r the whole time until I chanced upon this thread. Reading all the good things about the n5ii (despite the quirks) made me order one.

Here's the thing. I picked up my order at the post office this afternoon but was mugged on the way home. Sucks, but at least I'm safe. anyway, my question now is, since I'll be saving up to get another DAP, do you think it's worth it to get the n5ii again (which would take months to save for), or find a used i5 or anything similar (which should be cheaper)? I need a dap that supports Spotify (streaming and offline).

Thanks!

 

[PinkyPowers]

Hi, I've been lurking for a couple of years now, and signed up only cause I wanted to join in this discussion since I ordered an n5ii last week.

I've been saving for months to get a proper DAP to replace my battered iPod touch. I was dead set on the pioneer xdp 300r the whole time until I chanced upon this thread. Reading all the good things about the n5ii (despite the quirks) made me order one.

Here's the thing. I picked up my order at the post office this afternoon but was mugged on the way home. Sucks, but at least I'm safe. anyway, my question now is, since I'll be saving up to get another DAP, do you think it's worth it to get the n5ii again (which would take months to save for), or find a used i5 or anything similar (which should be cheaper)? I need a dap that supports Spotify (streaming and offline).

Thanks!

That's awful. I feel for you.

In a few month's time you may find some used N5iis. That would be a sweet get.

 

[scotvl]

Can someone who has the n5ii try to add music from a USB otg flash drive like the one linked below to a folder on the internal micro SD cards. I think you should be able to do it like we can on Android phones but I would like to confirm it. It would make it alot easier to add music to your library on the go and you wouldn't need to remove it from a tight fitting case to add a album before you leave for work.

https://www.amazon.ca/SanDisk-connector-Android-Devices-SDDD2-064G-G46/dp/B00RBGYGPG

 

[Devodonaldson]

Hi, I've been lurking for a couple of years now, and signed up only cause I wanted to join in this discussion since I ordered an n5ii last week.

I've been saving for months to get a proper DAP to replace my battered iPod touch. I was dead set on the pioneer xdp 300r the whole time until I chanced upon this thread. Reading all the good things about the n5ii (despite the quirks) made me order one.

Here's the thing. I picked up my order at the post office this afternoon but was mugged on the way home. Sucks, but at least I'm safe. anyway, my question now is, since I'll be saving up to get another DAP, do you think it's worth it to get the n5ii again (which would take months to save for), or find a used i5 or anything similar (which should be cheaper)? I need a dap that supports Spotify (streaming and offline).

Thanks!

I'm sorry for your situation, and glad to hear you are safe. For the r cord, instead of saving for another n5ii you may want to look into the Hiby R6. It will be out in full retail by then. Getting major kudos as a "budget" Android DAP with 4.2in screen, dual Sabre 9028, 3gb ram and bit-pwef cr audio through all apps.

 

[nmatheis]

Hi, I've been lurking for a couple of years now, and signed up only cause I wanted to join in this discussion since I ordered an n5ii last week.

I've been saving for months to get a proper DAP to replace my battered iPod touch. I was dead set on the pioneer xdp 300r the whole time until I chanced upon this thread. Reading all the good things about the n5ii (despite the quirks) made me order one.

Here's the thing. I picked up my order at the post office this afternoon but was mugged on the way home. Sucks, but at least I'm safe. anyway, my question now is, since I'll be saving up to get another DAP, do you think it's worth it to get the n5ii again (which would take months to save for), or find a used i5 or anything similar (which should be cheaper)? I need a dap that supports Spotify (streaming and offline).

Thanks!

Well, that truly sucks. Sorry that happened, bro.

Regarding what you do next...

As @PinkyPowers said, you might be able to pick up a used N5ii I'm a few months. That's certainly an option.

i5 is a great DAP but suffers from lack of gapless playback support in the stock music player but installing Neutron can provide perfect gapless playback support. However, at least a few of us prefer the sound of i5's stock player, finding Neutron lacks a bit in warmth and depth in comparison. In that respect, i5 with Neutron might be rather similar to N5ii which isn't as warm and deep as i5. I'll have to test that out sometime...

As @Devodonaldson said, the Hiby R6 will also be out by then but will be more expensive and had the distinct disadvantage of having 10ohm output impedance which means that there's a high likelihood that it will alter the frequency response of any hybrid or multi-BA IEM you use with it. In other words, hybrid or multi-BA IEM will take on unfamiliar (and sometimes truly awful) sound signatures when hooked up to output impedance of 10ohm. I've experienced this myself both audibly as well as capturing frequency response graphs. So take care when considering the Hiby R6.

Another option is to use your phone for music storage (especially if your phone has a micro SD card slot) and streaming (especially if you have cheap data) and simply purchase a portable DAC/Amp. That way you can take advantage of cell data for streaming instead of just WiFi. It will mean you eat up your phone battery faster, though. I've used the Cayin C5DAC for this before and think it's a good option. It has really good sound quality for the price, sounding similar to the original Cayin N5 (warm, sparkly, specious) and had an internal battery so it can power a wide variety of ear/headphones. The only two downsides I encountered with it was that I wish the low gain seeing was even less powerful (which would make it easier to fine-tune sound with sensitive ear/headphones) and the bass boost was a bit too broad for my tastes (but I left that of most of the time anyway so no big deal). There are many other portable DAC/Amps out there you can choose from, so you could research this a bit and see exactly which one would set your needs.

Good luck, and again sorry for what happened to you, bro!

 

[CongoFather]

I don't have win10 PC but I almost transfer files from my win7 PC to N5ii everyday, and everything works perfect on my side. To solve your problem quickly, could you please send me a sreen shot of that error?

Hi,
I solved the problem. When I want to copy files from Windows to its internal storage, Windows OS prompts a warning message asking "Are you sure you want to copy this file without its properties?".
Then I clicked OK and continued copying all the files. When it is over, I waited a little bit and pulled the usb cable. Then, scanned the folder and it couldn't find any track. After several tries, I noticed that it works only when I safely removed the device by clicking "eject drive"..

It works on Windows10 and MacOs as expected when it is removed in a safe way. The properties that are not copied by windows are some internal attributes related with NTFS file system that are not available in FAT32 and FAT16 which are not related with music metdata. Currently, there is only USB noise problem that I noticed. I can use N5ii as a transport by connecting it to IFI Black but I hear the noise which is known and said to be fixed on the next firmware update. Other than that, when I try to switch back and forth the connection from IFI to its "Phones out" several times to test some part of the songs on each device, sometimes it crashed and I need to reboot the device , but it seldom happens and it is not disturbing.

 

[Tez]

This may be a stupid question but if you have no wifi connection can you tether your phone's data allowance to the N5ii using a personal hotspot to stream apps?

 

[jeffhawke]

Hi, I've been lurking for a couple of years now, and signed up only cause I wanted to join in this discussion since I ordered an n5ii last week.

I've been saving for months to get a proper DAP to replace my battered iPod touch. I was dead set on the pioneer xdp 300r the whole time until I chanced upon this thread. Reading all the good things about the n5ii (despite the quirks) made me order one.

Here's the thing. I picked up my order at the post office this afternoon but was mugged on the way home. Sucks, but at least I'm safe. anyway, my question now is, since I'll be saving up to get another DAP, do you think it's worth it to get the n5ii again (which would take months to save for), or find a used i5 or anything similar (which should be cheaper)? I need a dap that supports Spotify (streaming and offline).

Thanks!

Another option is to use your phone for music storage (especially if your phone has a micro SD card slot) and streaming (especially if you have cheap data) and simply purchase a portable DAC/Amp. That way you can take advantage of cell data for streaming instead of just WiFi. It will mean you eat up your phone battery faster, though. I've used the Cayin C5DAC for this before and think it's a good option. It has really good sound quality for the price, sounding similar to the original Cayin N5 (warm, sparkly, specious) and had an internal battery so it can power a wide variety of ear/headphones. The only two downsides I encountered with it was that I wish the low gain seeing was even less powerful (which would make it easier to fine-tune sound with sensitive ear/headphones) and the bass boost was a bit too broad for my tastes (but I left that of most of the time anyway so no big deal). There are many other portable DAC/Amps out there you can choose from, so you could research this a bit and see exactly which one would set your needs.

I share @nmatheis suggestion, you may also want to look into the Opus#11, great form factor with a phone, long lasting battery. Maybe you could also appeal to @Andykong 's legendary generosity and ask him to let you have a demo unit if and when it becomes available. I would certainly second that, and I'm sure the others who responded to your plea would also. In the meantime start saving up...

 

[ryno1507]

How does everyone charge their Cayin N5ii? Is there an AC wall charger adapter that can be purchased or can an Apple wall charger be used?

 

[aaf evo]

How does everyone charge their Cayin N5ii? Is there an AC wall charger adapter that can be purchased or can an Apple wall charger be used?

You can use the provided cable and an Apple charger

 

[Kelthuzad]

Thanks for the replies guys

@PinkyPowers exactly. Maybe by the time I'm ready, a few used n5ii's will be available. So guys, take good care of yours k? Cause...you know.

@Devodonaldson I've read about the r6, but it's a bit too much for my budget. But I'll read up more about it.

@nmatheis thanks for the reply. My phone was lost as well so I'm using a cheap $5 feature phone now til I can save up for a better one. I'll think about your suggestion though. Either I save up for a nice phone and dac, or a mid-range phone and a nice dap. I want to avoid having to use an amp though cause of the added bulk. However, given my situation now, it might be an option.

@jeffhawke I'll look into the opus#11. If I go the smartphone route, it may be an option as well. I'll take your advice re: Andy. It might be cheaper.

@Andykong hi Andy, if there's a demo unit available, as per Jeff, is it possible I can purchase one? How much do used demo units go? It might be quicker (and less stress on the wallet) to save up for one

 

[ryno1507]

You can use the provided cable and an Apple charger

Thanks! Also, anywhere I can buy tempered glass screen protectors? I'm in Aus.

 

[scotvl]

Thanks! Also, anywhere I can buy tempered glass screen protectors? I'm in Aus.

I'm pretty sure I've read here that it comes with a tempered glass screen protector installed from the factory.

 

[originalsnuffy]

So I went to install the USB driver from Cayin, and both Chrome and Firefox think the file has malware.

Any thoughts on this from the team?