[earfonia]

Quote:

  ^ You guys don't realize how lucky and fortunate you are to be able to have an audio store in your country, to be able to walk in and go straight to a display to audition DAPs, amps, headphones, to be able to compare and make a decision which one to buy.  Unfortunately, here in US this "luxury" doesn't exists, and often people rely on blind Amazon shopping to buy, to test, and to return when it doesn't suit their needs   I was fortunate enough to receive a review sample of N6, thus will be able to share and to continue updating my unbiased impressions moving forward, hopefully making it easier for others to choose their ideal DAP.
 
So far I see N6 as a DAP with a perfect balance of performance and features to deliver a high res audio in native hardware decoding and still being able to support all other audio formats (unlike some other sub $1k DAPs focusing only on DSD or other lossless formats).  It also strikes a great balance in size and ergonomics to be a pocket friendly high-res studio to carry with you on the go, though battery life might be its achilles heel for now until fw is resolved (i'm sure some optimization could be done, for example, if you are not playing hi-res audio to extend endurance when you are playing lower sampling rate mp3s/flacs).  Or perhaps instead of strapping an external portable amp, you can strap a slim/flat external battery to it (one of those Anker slim batteries will work)
 
Can it beat AK120 II or AK240 II?  I don't have either one, so hopefully people can chime in, though I have a feeling it can really give AK120 a run for its money.  But also keep in mind, it's half of AK120 II price.

 
Yes, that's right! I do feel fortunate to have resources in town to try and test headphones and other gears whenever I have time. Also to know some vendors that kindly loan me demo sets for review. Should buy more gears locally to support them 

 
 
Quote:

  Since we are on a subject of N6 size, I want to share a few comparison pictures so you can get a better idea.
 
Next to C5 and X5 (N6 in a silicone skin, included with accessories)
 

 

 
And a few shots to show its sexy curves (with DITA Answer and Westone UM Pro 50)
 

 

 
Nice! 

 
Tried N6 yesterday in a local headphone shop, very good detail, leaning slightly toward analytical.  Probably not the best match for DITA, as I prefer natural to warmer sounding player for DITA, but probably a very good match for the Westones. Though shape and design probably off my taste, but N6 is indeed a very competent DAP.

 

[soundify]

Nice! 

Tried N6 yesterday in a local headphone shop, very good detail, leaning slightly toward analytical.  Probably not the best match for DITA, as I prefer natural to warmer sounding player for DITA, but probably a very good match for the Westones. Though shape and design probably off my taste, but N6 is indeed a very competent DAP.

Your impression is what I feel about the player as well but you have explained it much better. The analytical aspect makes me feel that the sound is hard and not refined. But it is very detailed so it probably matches better with warmer sounding iems and headphones.

 

[Thomas Cayin]

Your impression is what I feel about the player as well but you have explained it much better. The analytical aspect makes me feel that the sound is hard and not refined. But it is very detailed so it probably matches better with warmer sounding iems and headphones.

Hello, Singapore's friend. Yes, we have partners in Singapore, I believe you are there to see our products, thank you for your attention.
 
For any dedicated Hi-Fi products concerned are required to run for some time, my personal advice is, do not make a conclusion soon, N6 need to run a full take more than 100 hours, when every time you use more than 10 hours or more , there will be a change in sound performance, such as high frequency of smoothness and the like.
 
ANDY reviews like our N6, he used the 200 hours after the start of his share, which is the right approach, including Twister6, I believe he is also further use, and feel this one change.
 
But everything is not a problem, for a sound understanding of each person is different, CAYIN for N6 voice has its own position, compared to the market much deliberate IF emergent voices, all we do is to restore the music should be clear some of the details.
 
Thank you.

 

[twister6]

   
Nice! 

 
Tried N6 yesterday in a local headphone shop, very good detail, leaning slightly toward analytical.  Probably not the best match for DITA, as I prefer natural to warmer sounding player for DITA, but probably a very good match for the Westones. Though shape and design probably off my taste, but N6 is indeed a very competent DAP.

 
DITA made the picture cut because of the carbon fiber plug finish that matches very nicely carbon fiber back of N6 

  From a sound perspective, warm/bassy sound of Westone is a much better match, absolutely agree on this one!  N6 is very detailed and revealing, but I would call it more reference than analytical since I don't feel like it brightens sound too much.  Probably need to burn in more, just doing spot checking since I have a pile of headphones to review and switching between different sources.

 

[earfonia]

Your impression is what I feel about the player as well but you have explained it much better. The analytical aspect makes me feel that the sound is hard and not refined. But it is very detailed so it probably matches better with warmer sounding iems and headphones.

 
To me, it is all about mix and match. I do need detailed and analytical players for warmer and bassy IEMs and headphones. In my book, analytical is not a negative signature at all.
 
 

  Hello, Singapore's friend. Yes, we have partners in Singapore, I believe you are there to see our products, thank you for your attention.
 
For any dedicated Hi-Fi products concerned are required to run for some time, my personal advice is, do not make a conclusion soon, N6 need to run a full take more than 100 hours, when every time you use more than 10 hours or more , there will be a change in sound performance, such as high frequency of smoothness and the like.
 
ANDY reviews like our N6, he used the 200 hours after the start of his share, which is the right approach, including Twister6, I believe he is also further use, and feel this one change.
 
But everything is not a problem, for a sound understanding of each person is different, CAYIN for N6 voice has its own position, compared to the market much deliberate IF emergent voices, all we do is to restore the music should be clear some of the details.
 
Thank you.

 
Yes that's right, too early for detail impression. Every DAP has its own personality, and from what I heard last night, N6 would be a good match for warmer sounding IEM and headphones. It's a competent DAP for sure.
 
 

   
DITA made the picture cut because of the carbon fiber plug finish that matches very nicely carbon fiber back of N6 

  From a sound perspective, warm/bassy sound of Westone is a much better match, absolutely agree on this one!  N6 is very detailed and revealing, but I would call it more reference than analytical since I don't feel like it brightens sound too much.  Probably need to burn in more, just doing spot checking since I have a pile of headphones to review and switching between different sources.

 
The Carbon Fiber back looks awesome! 

 

 

[Luvdac]

Looks Great, and thanks also for the superb reviews. Still would love to hear a comparison with the AK240!

 

[fumoffuXx]

I just got a N6 i love this player so much i sold my X5 soon after, i must say its not a perfect player but i still love it. I mistook the airiness or the soundstage to be echoing, which i later seem to enjoy. Since im using a pair of ASG2s, the player really gives the bass some punch and its awesum. But the drawbacks are that, the battery life isnt impressive and oh boy it heats up haha. I was skepticalon how much i would enjoy this player, now i must say its was well worth it! )) Btw i love the look of the "rainbow" stone look on the front for the cayin wordings )

 

[fumoffuXx]

Looks Great, and thanks also for the superb reviews. Still would love to hear a comparison with the AK240!

 


can only give u 1 comparison as far as i recalled, on DSD playback the N6 sounds way Airy-er than the AK240, thats my opinion lol

 

[tricka]

Does the N6 play back DSD .iso's or do you have to extract?

 

[taz23]

N6 plays DSD ISOs if the tracks are DSD64 or DSD128 (and not DST64 or DST128).
 
Cayin recommends that if the ISO contains both a set of DSD64 (or 128) files and a set of DST64 (or 128), then it is advisable to extract the DSD files and transfer to the SD card or player. 

 

[tricka]

Thank you Taz. Very helpful. Sounds very promising.

 

[Luvdac]

Looks Great, and thanks also for the superb reviews. Still would love to hear a comparison with the AK240!

 




can only give u 1 comparison as far as i recalled, on DSD playback the N6 sounds way Airy-er than the AK240, thats my opinion lol

 

Hmmm...., So would you place it above the ak240? That would be quite a feat from a 600$ player and would make me a very happy vegemite!!

 

[fumoffuXx]

 

 

Looks Great, and thanks also for the superb reviews. Still would love to hear a comparison with the AK240!

 




can only give u 1 comparison as far as i recalled, on DSD playback the N6 sounds way Airy-er than the AK240, thats my opinion lol

 

Hmmm...., So would you place it above the ak240? That would be quite a feat from a 600$ player and would make me a very happy vegemite!!

Lol i didnt say ill put it above, its just different and yes i would pay this amount of $ for this sound quality. But ill never pay for an AK (overpriced). Only thing lack is....CAYIN MAKE ME A LEATHER CASE! thanks

 

[earfonia]

From memory, AK240 is warm sounding, much warmer than N6. N6 is more detailed and transparent. Not about which one better, but which one suit one's preference better and match better with the IEM / Headphone.

 

[mochill]

ugh, I want one badly ....looking for transparency and details