Do you mean something like this?
https://www.amazon.com/4-4mm-Female-Balanced-Headphone-Adapter/dp/B07JXYLNQP
Cayin N6ii, Unlimited Possibilities: a fully modularized smart DAP
- Thread starter Andykong
- Start date
Do you mean something like this?
https://www.amazon.com/4-4mm-Female-Balanced-Headphone-Adapter/dp/B07JXYLNQP
That's the same one i'm looking at.
But i'm planning to go with an older Chord Hugo as a semi "portable" dac/amp go haul around the house.
Taz777
1000+ Head-Fier
Just an observation and a tip, and something I read on a Cayin post somewhere. If you keep the headphones unplugged when not using your Cayin N6ii, the battery life is increased by a considerable amount! I last charged my N6ii some time last week and have used it for many hours as a digital transport on most evenings. I've left the headphones unplugged and after several days I still have around 30% of battery life.
The E02 board arrived today, now if only I had the player. DHL is funny, two packages at the same place, first one to be requested not picked up, second one is here. The player should be on a plane from Hong Kong now. Godspeed its yellow marked wings.
I'm waiting to open the audio board till I get the player, but here is a picture of the outer box.
I'm waiting to open the audio board till I get the player, but here is a picture of the outer box.
Attachments
Didn’t you have the N8 ? If so how does the sound of N6ii+E02 compare?
I just got two cables from the seller on ebay, the pictured 4-pin XLR male to 4.4mm male, and a line-out cable to use with my interconnects, 4.4mm to RCA. Both have sturdy build quality. The 4.4mm jacks have a good thickness gold plating. I feel decently confident that these will work well. If I like them, I might get 4.4mm to dual 3-pin XLR line out cable to test direct connection to amp.
The seller is Sunny Audio on eBay. They ship worldwide and I got mine pretty quickly, only about a week. I'm looking forward to testing them out.
Taz777
1000+ Head-Fier
Just out of interest, which app are you guys using for local music playback and for TIDAL/Qobuz streaming? As ever, I'm pursuing the best possible sound quality. Currently I'm using:
HiBy Music App for local music (a mixture of FLAC and ALAC files stored on my microSD-card)
and
UAPP (USB Audio Player Pro) app for TIDAL/Qobuz streaming - great sound but it's streaming only and cannot play offline TIDAL/Qobuz songs, for which I have to use the TIDAL and Qobuz apps.
Are there better apps out there that will result in improved sound quality?
HiBy Music App for local music (a mixture of FLAC and ALAC files stored on my microSD-card)
and
UAPP (USB Audio Player Pro) app for TIDAL/Qobuz streaming - great sound but it's streaming only and cannot play offline TIDAL/Qobuz songs, for which I have to use the TIDAL and Qobuz apps.
Are there better apps out there that will result in improved sound quality?
AlexRv
100+ Head-Fier
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Hiby - on the go, because of option to control dap with mobile phone.
Roon - at home
UAPP - everywhere else.
For Tidal offline just download music on sd card with special software.
Taz777
1000+ Head-Fier
I totally forgot about this feature! I need to look into this as it could be a very useful thing to have. I have Bluetooth turned off on my N6ii at the moment as I had no use for it, but the ability to control the DAP might be the reason I need to turn it on.
Got the N6ii in. I haven't tried the E02 board yet, but I've got some first impressions on the T01. I wanted a baseline.
Overall, it has a good technical sound with great bass impact. I've been listening to Eiji Oue with the Minnesota Orchestra doing Stravinsky (Reference Recordings, it's bloody excellent) and the dynamics and impact are just mind-blowingly good with the AME Custom Radioso. The power of the amplifier section is excellent. The Radioso likes the juice, and the T01 is delivering with no problems in Low Gain--I run the Radioso in Medium Gain on the QP2R. Soundstage has good width, not huge, but good at this point. I may amend my description later as these are just first impressions without the benefit of back to back comparisons with the AME Custom on other amps. I do know I get a little more stage with the AME Custom playing off my big XI Audio Formula S amp. With regard to back to back comparisons, I did some initial comparisons with the Questyle QP2R immediately out of the box (no burn-in, brain or otherwise). I noted that the QP2R sounded more integrated and more forgiving. It was as detailed as the T01, but more musical overall with a bit less mids emphasis.
On my very first listens out of the box with Barb Jungr's Walking In The Sun album, I noted a little bit of edge in the treble--the kind that you feel, but don't hear--but this has softened some after about 24 hours of consecutive playback. Checking it again right now, it's almost gone on Many Rivers To Cross. I've been listening only for a couple hours of that time period. I asked Andy about burn-in and he said T01 can use about 50 hours and E02 about 70-100 hours. That's short in terms of capacitor and electric component burn-in. I've had multiple manufacturers tell me discrete components need burn-in, and have heard it on my LH Labs Geek Pulse X-Infinity (though earlier than the 500 hours they advocated for the naked film resistors, no surprise there).
I'm not scientifically testing burn-in. I'm old. I have kids. I ain't got no time for that sh**. Don't ask.
At this point, I've only tested using the 4.4mm out with the AME Custom Radioso and Double Helix Cables Symbiote Elite SP3 8-braid (my uber cable) out of the T01 (2.5 to 4.4mm adapter in use). I'll post more impressions soon with the E02 and other IEMs and more burn-in with the T01. I think my blogmate, @Jackpot77 also has a N6ii. I might ask if I can borrow his to allow more seamless comparison of the audio motherboards. I could probably hit up @PhilW at Audio Concierge, if my mate has moved on from the N6ii.
I haven't tried the E02 board yet, but I've got some first impressions on the T01. I wanted a baseline.Overall, it has a good technical sound with great bass impact. I've been listening to Eiji Oue with the Minnesota Orchestra doing Stravinsky (Reference Recordings, it's bloody excellent) and the dynamics and impact are just mind-blowingly good with the AME Custom Radioso. The power of the amplifier section is excellent. The Radioso likes the juice, and the T01 is delivering with no problems in Low Gain--I run the Radioso in Medium Gain on the QP2R. Soundstage has good width, not huge, but good at this point. I may amend my description later as these are just first impressions without the benefit of back to back comparisons with the AME Custom on other amps. I do know I get a little more stage with the AME Custom playing off my big XI Audio Formula S amp. With regard to back to back comparisons, I did some initial comparisons with the Questyle QP2R immediately out of the box (no burn-in, brain or otherwise). I noted that the QP2R sounded more integrated and more forgiving. It was as detailed as the T01, but more musical overall with a bit less mids emphasis.
On my very first listens out of the box with Barb Jungr's Walking In The Sun album, I noted a little bit of edge in the treble--the kind that you feel, but don't hear--but this has softened some after about 24 hours of consecutive playback. Checking it again right now, it's almost gone on Many Rivers To Cross. I've been listening only for a couple hours of that time period. I asked Andy about burn-in and he said T01 can use about 50 hours and E02 about 70-100 hours. That's short in terms of capacitor and electric component burn-in. I've had multiple manufacturers tell me discrete components need burn-in, and have heard it on my LH Labs Geek Pulse X-Infinity (though earlier than the 500 hours they advocated for the naked film resistors, no surprise there).
I'm not scientifically testing burn-in. I'm old. I have kids. I ain't got no time for that sh**. Don't ask.
At this point, I've only tested using the 4.4mm out with the AME Custom Radioso and Double Helix Cables Symbiote Elite SP3 8-braid (my uber cable) out of the T01 (2.5 to 4.4mm adapter in use). I'll post more impressions soon with the E02 and other IEMs and more burn-in with the T01. I think my blogmate, @Jackpot77 also has a N6ii. I might ask if I can borrow his to allow more seamless comparison of the audio motherboards. I could probably hit up @PhilW at Audio Concierge, if my mate has moved on from the N6ii.
Taz777
1000+ Head-Fier
Has anyone done a comparison between the E01 module and the E02 module? I use the E01 in class A mode with my beyerdynamic Xelento IEMs and the sound is very good. I understand that the E02 only has class AB output. If that sounds noticeably better than E01 class A then it’ll be a worthwhile upgrade.
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Ah, just look at all these colorful screwdrivers!!! And each one comes with a nice DAC/amp accessory 
(my OCD kicking in when I see that N6ii and cards are not perfectly horizontally aligned in that picture, but I just don't feel like re-taking it again lol!!! but will retake it for the review)
(my OCD kicking in when I see that N6ii and cards are not perfectly horizontally aligned in that picture, but I just don't feel like re-taking it again lol!!! but will retake it for the review)
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... and btw, I know it has been discussed before and Andy posted these pictures in replies, but you have to see it side by side. When people were questioning why E01 with ES9038Pro was only SE design, the explanation was "not enough room on the board". Take a look at both layouts, and how much room ES9038Pro takes vs 2x ES9038Q2M which allows more space for the rest of the components to accommodate fully balanced design.
E01 (w/ES9038 Pro)
E02 (w/dual ES9038Q2M)
E01 (w/ES9038 Pro)
E02 (w/dual ES9038Q2M)
Meet with several
Just add one minor point here regarding the space issue. On top of changing from ES9038Pro to ES9038Q2M x2, we have also given up Class A in E02 because of heat management issue. If you compare the headphone amplification circuit of these two module board, you'll notice that two small dial are installed in E01 but not E02 (marked red in the following E01 diagram), these are variable resistor to enable micro control on the bias of left and right channel.
... and btw, I know it has been discussed before and Andy posted these pictures in replies, but you have to see it side by side. When people were questioning why E01 with ES9038Pro was only SE design, the explanation was "not enough room on the board". Take a look at both layouts, and how much room ES9038Pro takes vs 2x ES9038Q2M which allows more space for the rest of the components to accommodate fully balanced design.
E01 (w/ES9038 Pro)
E02 (w/dual ES9038Q2M)
Just add one minor point here regarding the space issue. On top of changing from ES9038Pro to ES9038Q2M x2, we have also given up Class A in E02 because of heat management issue. If you compare the headphone amplification circuit of these two module board, you'll notice that two small dial are installed in E01 but not E02 (marked red in the following E01 diagram), these are variable resistor to enable micro control on the bias of left and right channel.
I have tried out several options with N6ii (E02) in past few day, some of them are very interesting, so let me share my observation with fellow N6ii users.
(1) The 4.4mm output of E02 is fully connected, meaning the ground is probably in place, so theoretically E02 support single-ended output if you have an 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapter that connect L+, R+ and GND only. I must warn you that L- and R- must not be connected in the adapter, otherwise you'll have short circuit and damaged the E02 and your earphone badly. The adapter will work for both phone out and line out, and I have tried both connections. I am happy to report that both audio output sound "normal" to me, there isn't any audible distortion or background noise. I have consulted our Engineers in advance, he confirmed this works fine technically, but we haven't test the specification of these connection, and he expect some of the parameters such as channel separation and THD+N might be downgraded, but the good news is, E02 can support single-ended line out and phone out if you really needed them.
The adapter below is acquired from a Taobao DIYer. I am not sure if there is similar adapter or adpater cable near you, but if you are handy with soldering, this shouldn't be a difficult project.
(2) One of the strength of E02 is having a clean, "unamplified" Balanced Line Out. You can use your N6ii as streaming/CAS source for your home audio system, or connect to a portable balanced headphone amplifier for mobile application. Cayin is working on a portable balanced headphone amplifier as well but this is only WIP, I don't even have a date for working prototype so I don't expect any exciting news on Q2 2020.
I have identified three portable balanced headphone amplifiers previously, and I am lucky enough to try out the Hum and Romi amplifier at a private meet. I used Empyrean as my reference headphone because it sound very good with N6ii (E02) on its own. Empyrean is the only "portable friendly" full size planar in my collection and I use it with N6ii very frequently. The Hum MA-1B is very compact and same width with N6ii, so the N6ii+Hum looks very neat and practical. Adding the Hum will open up the soundstage and enhance the control and headroom at demanding passages. The Romi BX-2 is kind of bulky, but it is very powerful, worth the extra space if you needed that kind of power on-the-go. I only use Low gain when driving the Empyrean. It's driving capability and handling power is very close to a small desktop amplifier, its amazing what you can do with battery powered headphone amplifier nowaday, I definitely looking forward to try out the Romi BX-2 with more demanding headphones, such as my HE6.
(1) The 4.4mm output of E02 is fully connected, meaning the ground is probably in place, so theoretically E02 support single-ended output if you have an 4.4mm to 3.5mm adapter that connect L+, R+ and GND only. I must warn you that L- and R- must not be connected in the adapter, otherwise you'll have short circuit and damaged the E02 and your earphone badly. The adapter will work for both phone out and line out, and I have tried both connections. I am happy to report that both audio output sound "normal" to me, there isn't any audible distortion or background noise. I have consulted our Engineers in advance, he confirmed this works fine technically, but we haven't test the specification of these connection, and he expect some of the parameters such as channel separation and THD+N might be downgraded, but the good news is, E02 can support single-ended line out and phone out if you really needed them.
The adapter below is acquired from a Taobao DIYer. I am not sure if there is similar adapter or adpater cable near you, but if you are handy with soldering, this shouldn't be a difficult project.
(2) One of the strength of E02 is having a clean, "unamplified" Balanced Line Out. You can use your N6ii as streaming/CAS source for your home audio system, or connect to a portable balanced headphone amplifier for mobile application. Cayin is working on a portable balanced headphone amplifier as well but this is only WIP, I don't even have a date for working prototype so I don't expect any exciting news on Q2 2020.
I have identified three portable balanced headphone amplifiers previously, and I am lucky enough to try out the Hum and Romi amplifier at a private meet. I used Empyrean as my reference headphone because it sound very good with N6ii (E02) on its own. Empyrean is the only "portable friendly" full size planar in my collection and I use it with N6ii very frequently. The Hum MA-1B is very compact and same width with N6ii, so the N6ii+Hum looks very neat and practical. Adding the Hum will open up the soundstage and enhance the control and headroom at demanding passages. The Romi BX-2 is kind of bulky, but it is very powerful, worth the extra space if you needed that kind of power on-the-go. I only use Low gain when driving the Empyrean. It's driving capability and handling power is very close to a small desktop amplifier, its amazing what you can do with battery powered headphone amplifier nowaday, I definitely looking forward to try out the Romi BX-2 with more demanding headphones, such as my HE6.
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