[rustydabear]

Could not resist any longer, R01 ordered!!

Who wants to tell my wife... gulp

I will tell yours, if you tell mine!
I call this the audiophile domestic dilemma…

 

[rustydabear]

Hi fellas.. i'd like to ask for some advice.. if i got myself a cayin n6ii with A01 and E02, plus an R01 board soon.. are the T01 and E01 boards still unique and special enough to get too, or if they would be too redundant already?

I listen to my T-01 card quite a bit. It has Burr Brown DAC’s and a cooler (less warm) sound than all the other cards- very detailed.
I like the E-01 card also. You get much more power than the numbers indicate and both the class A and class AB modes are excellent- love the class A- so velvety and lush. If you don’t have C-9 or a class A amp you should jump on one.
Interesting, I find the difference of switching between A and AB is more dramatic on the E-01 than on the C-9
Anyone agree with me?

so I do feel they are both worth buying if you can find them.

 

[Taz777]

I listen to my T-91 card quite a bit. It has Burr Brown Dave’s and a cooler sound than all the other cards- very detailed.
I like the E-01 card also. You get much more power than the numbers indicate and both the class A and class AB modes are excellent- love the class A- so velvety and lush. If you don’t have C-9 or a class A amp you should jump on one.
Interesting, I find the difference of switching between A and AB is more dramatic on the E-01 than on the C-9
Anyone agree with me?

so I do feel they are both worth buying if you can find them.

I have to agree about the Class A output of the E01. It's an incredible sound with the right type of music.

 

[KickAssChewGum]

I have to agree about the Class A output of the E01. It's an incredible sound with the right type of music.

Of the 3 (A01, T01 and E01), the E01 would be my favourite too. But it really is down to which of the 3 signatures you think you’ll prefer.

 

[immortalsoul]

All the Cayin N6II motherboards sound good, it all depends on what type of music you listen and how do you like the music. For my preference, I like the T01 the most, bear in mind that I didn't try the R2R board

 

[blotmouse]

For my preference, I like the T01 the most, bear in mind that I didn't try the R2R board

This should be at the top of your priority list.

 

[immortalsoul]

Yes, I will definitely want to try the R2R motherboard at some point

 

[KickAssChewGum]

Yes, I will definitely want to try the R2R motherboard at some point

I would say the R01 is, by quite some distance, the best sounding N6ii board.

 

[linux4ever]

Could not resist any longer, R01 ordered!!

Who wants to tell my wife... gulp

The universal audiophile challenge

Hi fellas.. i'd like to ask for some advice.. if i got myself a cayin n6ii with A01 and E02, plus an R01 board soon.. are the T01 and E01 boards still unique and special enough to get too, or if they would be too redundant already?

Personally out of the T01, E01, E02, my preference is T01 followed by E01 followed by E02. E01 & E02 would be enjoyed more by those who have headphones. To me on 64 audio A18T and other TOTL iems, it fatigues my ears after 1.5 hours or so.

If anybody is interested in the E01, send me a private message and we can work out a deal.

 

[rustydabear]

The universal audiophile challenge

Personally out of the T01, E01, E02, my preference is T01 followed by E01 followed by E02. E01 & E02 would be enjoyed more by those who have headphones. To me on 64 audio A18T and other TOTL iems, it fatigues my ears after 1.5 hours or so.

If anybody is interested in the E01, send me a private message and we can work out a deal.

If anyone has an A-02 that they are willing to sell, I am interested.
I have all of the other cards, once my R-01 arrives next week.
Feel free to send me a private message or reply. Thanks

 

[masahito24@chart]

This is strange, which firmware did you try previously without any problem? We didn't touch any coding related to the USB Audio for a very long time, all recent update are related to new audio motherboard release or cosmetic changes. If there is any change in software, I bet the Windows updates might cause more problems. Microsoft is quite famous in changing their USB driver support without prior notice, and USB Audio 2.0 support and compatibly is the least they care. If your system is working properly but is not recently, maybe you can go through the window updated history carefully, check if there is any related updates slip through your attention.

When you said up-sampling to 384kHz, I assume you are using HQPlayer to upsample your music file to 384kHz in REAL TIME, not pre-converted? If you are using a PC as your source and perform real-time up-sampling, you need to monitor the hardware status, quite often when there the CPU or memory loading is too high, or when there is uncontrolled interrupt from other background process, it will create the momentary pause that are very similar to your description.

Technically, bitstream is a bitstream, if N6ii can playback native 352.8kHz and 383kHz, that means the USB drivers can handle the Hi-Res coding properly. If your 384kHz up-sampling is performed correctly, the up-sampled bitstream should be decoded like any NOS bitstream.

After uninstalling and reinstalling the Cayin drivers I was able to successfully up sample 44.1k and 48k without any glitches or skipping.
A huge thank you to @Andykong for the advise and troubleshooting steps.

 

[brandonyam]

Got lucky and managed to snag an open-box N6Ti! It was a bit of journey out-of-box, since what I was hearing was nothing like what many of my trusted HF'ers were hearing. Staging was mainly only height, bass had poor extension, mids were recessed. I was ready to send the unit back to Andrew to check if it was perhaps faulty, but decided to do a last minute factory reset and ensure AMP was secured safely...and boy am I glad that I did. Long story short-when in doubt, just reset everything!! (Thanks @Damz87).

When people say it is a bit tough to explain the R2R sound, they are not kidding. The best way I can describe it is that it feels effortless-notes are presented in a sweet but clear way that really helps engagement. I notice that it isn't as pin-point precise in terms of imaging compared to the Sp2k for example (I mean, what even is??)-but that softer/rounder edge to notes just helps envelop you in its addicting, charismatic tuning.

Bass is unique and excellent-it seems to roll off some of Traillii's subbass extension in favor for an analogue, hefty yet organic decay in the midbass, which works surprisingly well. Again, I am getting no BA bass timbre vibes. Vocals are sweet, sensual, and a bit more forward than from other sources. Treble is excellent with strong air and sparkle but in smooth way; I'd still give Sp2k the "King of Treble" title, but Ti R01 is less fatiguing and knocking right at its door.

I will do more A/B's over the week, but initial impressions compared to other DAPs:

Versus R8: Ti seems to make R8 sound a bit boring, somehow. I think it is again the effortless portrayal of the notes that helps you just enjoy the music a bit easier than on R8. And R8 to me is a musical device, don't get me wrong. R2R is working some magic, and it is noticeable between the chips.

R01/Ti is a bit more organic overall, with a more realistic bass and less upper mids compared to Turbo R8. R8 probably wins in low-level detail and texture, as it usually does.

Versus Sp2k: Sp2k is a touch more clinical, with more precision and bite compared to R01's more enchanting signature. Both are excellent and I am curious to see how these two continue to stack up as I can still burning both in.

Summary/TL;DR:
Yeah yeah, honeymoon phase blah blah-but I am seriously starting to wonder if I can ever go back to other chips (dual 1499s, you are excused) after getting that sweet, teasing taste of R2R. Future is bright, friends.

I am trying to replace my se200 with a sp2kss/sp2kcu. Realizing that you have both sp2k n n6ii-ti, what is your take on these 2 dap? I am deciding if i should get sp2kcu, knowing it is toward the warm side similar to my present n6ii-ti. But how much are their similarity. I mean no point getting the same, should i go for sp2kss instead? Hoping to hear from you on this. Thxs.

 

[tawmizzzz]

I am trying to replace my se200 with a sp2kss/sp2kcu. Realizing that you have both sp2k n n6ii-ti, what is your take on these 2 dap? I am deciding if i should get sp2kcu, knowing it is toward the warm side similar to my present n6ii-ti. But how much are their similarity. I mean no point getting the same, should i go for sp2kss instead? Hoping to hear from you on this. Thxs.

This is a write up I posted on the Traillii thread (since that was my pairing) earlier today-hope it helps. In short, Ti is better bang for buck and more unique, whereas Sp2k remains technical king with excellent musicality to supplement it. The gap is not large and you can’t go wrong with either IMO.

As for CU versus SS, I haven’t heard SS so can’t comment but I don’t think the chassis will dramatically change the sound-if at all. I went CU just in case cause I do prefer a bit of warmth (copper).


Sp2k & Ti Write-Up:
“Ti has a more unique bass that comes across as 3D, it has excellent depth in its weight and seems layered. It rumbles and prioritizes midbass over subbas. Sp2k bass is slightly less elevated yet just as meaty/weighty and focused more on bass width notes while maintaining good depth. Both have excellent bass with Traillii.

Mids I actually felt Sp2k was a bit smoother (from 1960 adapter, I am convinced the adapter makes a difference here). But both are organic, detailed and airy. Vocals are a bit sweeter on the Ti, very unique presentation and addicting.

Sp2k felt to have a bit more upper treble focus and Ti lower treble. A bit more bite on the Ti (Sp2k is more burned in so maybe a factor). Soundstage goes to Sp2k with more width, but Ti’s stage is plenty big and excellent with imaging, layering etc. I do think the larger staging gives my ears more of a respite of the lower treble activity off Sp2k-but this is just speculating”

 

[brandonyam]

This is a write up I posted on the Traillii thread (since that was my pairing) earlier today-hope it helps. In short, Ti is better bang for buck and more unique, whereas Sp2k remains technical king with excellent musicality to supplement it. The gap is not large and you can’t go wrong with either IMO.

As for CU versus SS, I haven’t heard SS so can’t comment but I don’t think the chassis will dramatically change the sound-if at all. I went CU just in case cause I do prefer a bit of warmth (copper).


Sp2k & Ti Write-Up:
“Ti has a more unique bass that comes across as 3D, it has excellent depth in its weight and seems layered. It rumbles and prioritizes midbass over subbas. Sp2k bass is slightly less elevated yet just as meaty/weighty and focused more on bass width notes while maintaining good depth. Both have excellent bass with Traillii.

Mids I actually felt Sp2k was a bit smoother (from 1960 adapter, I am convinced the adapter makes a difference here). But both are organic, detailed and airy. Vocals are a bit sweeter on the Ti, very unique presentation and addicting.

Sp2k felt to have a bit more upper treble focus and Ti lower treble. A bit more bite on the Ti (Sp2k is more burned in so maybe a factor). Soundstage goes to Sp2k with more width, but Ti’s stage is plenty big and excellent with imaging, layering etc. I do think the larger staging gives my ears more of a respite of the lower treble activity off Sp2k-but this is just speculating”

Thxs lot, a detail reply.

 

[noblewolf]

I have the N6ii-Ti and very happy with it. Then i saw an E02 for sale in carousell for $140usd. i was like.... why not? now using it more often due to the LO being able to connect to my hifi system on demand..