Cayin N6iii: Nothing is Impossible with Gen2 User-replaceable Audio Motherboard

Sep 22, 2024 at 2:47 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 465

Andykong

Formerly with Cayin
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N6iii Headline MSRP.jpg

Cayin N6ii Photo 005.jpg


After the shocking 30th Anniversary release of N30LE and Pearl 30 series CD transport, DAC, and integrated amplifier, Cayin’s main focus in 2024 has been refreshing and upgrading its classic product lines. Despite a slower release schedule in an increasingly competitive market, Cayin’s dedication to serving the niche HiFi community remains its strength and challenge.

Back in 2014, Cayin’s first venture into the portable player market was with the N6 DAP. Cayin was a new kid in town at that time. When an unheard brand released a strange-looking DAP, we were teased by many DAP early adopters, but the N6 DAP thread had gathered the first online community for Cayin portable users.

In 2019, Cayin introduced the N6ii DAP, the industry’s first DAP featuring an Audio Motherboard concept: a modular audio circuit board that allows users to swap out the complete DAC and analog amplification circuitry. The N6ii is a product that balanced cutting-edge design with portability, offering users the ability to experience different sound profiles with interchangeable audio motherboards. We can safely claim that, after five years of reflection, innovation, and evolution, this innovative approach made the N6ii one of Cayin’s most celebrated and successful DAPs. We market the N6ii as a DAP with “Unlimited Possibilities”, and the market validates our vision. The N6ii received raving reviews from reviewers and users, and the interaction has continued for years. Even today, discussions about the different N6ii motherboards continue, with each audio motherboard offering a distinct focus and character.

Five years later (from 2019 to 2024), out of the blue, the N6iii Engineering prototype struck like lightning. It surfaced in the CanJam SoCal suddenly and within a month, we are here to announce the long-awaited, highly-anticipated fully-modularized DAP officially. Just like the N6ii, the N6iii continues the innovative approach of using user-replaceable audio motherboards, with each board optimized to match the DAC's characteristics and designed for maximum analog circuit performance. The focus remains on showcasing distinct personalities and musical styles, rather than cramming every possible feature into a "Swiss Army knife" player.

Two key design goals were set at the start of the N6iii project. First, despite the trend of mega-size DAP, Cayin wanted to retain the portability and handling comfort of the N6ii. Second, we received a lot of feedback from N6ii users asking for a quick release “tool-free” mechanism so that they can swap out audio motherboards conveniently. These two requirements posed significant challenges for the N6iii’s design and structure.

The Gen2 Audio Motherboard is not backward compatible with the first generation N6ii Audio Motherboards. To accommodate the audio technologies we have mastered in the past 5 years, we need to use a larger PCB in the new generation Audio Motherboard. This is like playing a zero-sum game: when we increase the PCB, we need to make the DAP bigger, and then it becomes less portable. After a lengthy industrial design process, we finalized the N6iii physical design and increased the PCB area by 30.9%. The added space will allow us to push the envelope, from "unlimited possibilities" to "nothing is impossible".

Cayin N6ii Photo 008.jpg

Cayin N6ii Photo 011.jpg

N6iii vs N6ii Hardware Architecture.png

N6iii Specification (DAP).jpg

N6iii Specification (C201 Audio Motherboard).jpg

N6iii with C201 Functional Diagram.jpg
 
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Sep 22, 2024 at 2:48 AM Post #2 of 465
Reserved for FAQ and Review links




The Cayin 6-series DAP Legend
Portability by Industrial Design

C201 Audio Motherboard


Parallel Full-Differential Matrix DAC with 8x CS43198
High-precision Cascade Volume Control

E203 Audio Motherboard


The Evolution of E-Series Audio Motherboard
DAC and HeadAmp circuit design of E203


User Impressions
aaf evo: Nov 8,
Tabikinoya Cephas: Nov 9,
DingDongMonster: Nov 11, Dec 6, Dec 7,
Sweet2K: Dec 4,
German Expat in Vietnam: Dec 6,
RedCurry: Dec 16,

Firmware
Firmware v1.1 Update
 
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Sep 22, 2024 at 2:49 AM Post #3 of 465
N6iii Photo

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Sep 22, 2024 at 3:19 AM Post #5 of 465
First ! Excited to try it at canjam socal.

The C9ii is also available in the MusicTeck booth. This is the first time we have two new products in one CanJam.

The Soul 170HA vacuum tube amplifier will be demoed at the Bloom Audio booth. If I remember right, this is the first appearance of the production version of our new TOTL desktop amplifier outside China.

A very busy time for Cayin. I am as excited as you are. :beerchug:
 
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Sep 23, 2024 at 3:45 AM Post #9 of 465
I want to know the size and weight

We are at the engineering sample stage, and this is not the final version of N6iii industrial design, the structural design is unlikely to go through any major change, but the color, material, and metalwork finishing might be subject to change, so we don't publish physical measurements of our engineering sample at this stage.
 
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Sep 23, 2024 at 3:53 AM Post #10 of 465
What will be the power output in mW from 3.5 and 4.4? 🤔
The purpose of demoing engineering samples in shows and events before the formal announcement is to collect user and dealer impressions and feedback, we might fine-tune the sound signature after the event if we receive a lot of feedback that steers us in a specific direction. Besides the engineering samples being hand-wired prototypes, the rated output might deviate from the final production version even when we maintain the current circuit design. Therefore rated output of Audio Motherboard will be available when we have a larger sample from the first production batch. We will provide detailed specifications before announcing the official suggested retail price. :pray:
 
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Sep 23, 2024 at 6:55 AM Post #11 of 465
Looking forward to more info coming. Assume there will be a nutube module down the track 😀

In celebration of the announcement, some n6ii love today.
Well, as usual, I can't discuss future products that we have not announced. :smile: :smile:

On the other hand, Please feel free to name your favorite Audio Motherboard, I'll summarize the discussion and make sure R&D is aware of the user expectations. However, I want to explain our product direction before we move on.

When we announced the N6ii back in 2019, I wrote the long-forgotten slogan "Unlimited Possibilities" on the N6ii Poster. Well, when we look back, I firmly believe this is the best summary of the Audio Motherboard approach we developed for N6ii. We have achieved several milestones with the brief 2 years of N6ii history:
  • The first DAP modular concept includes DAC + Amp (May 2019)
  • An Audio Motherboard with a 3.5mm Single-ended phone out only, a big surprise at that time when balanced phone output almost dominated the market (Dec 2019)
  • Our first attempt to implement Class A discrete amplification in DAP (Dec 2019)
  • An Audio Motherboard without phone output. (Sept 2020)
  • The first affordable R-2R solution in DAP (May 2021)
Some of these "concepts" are no strangers to DAP users today, but if you look at the dates, you'll be amazed at how innovative N6ii was back in 2019.

So the essence of our Audio Motherboard is not about popularity. We treat DAP with an Audio Motherboard as a complete platform and each Audio Motherboard is part of the building block of a complete "system". Each Audio Motherboard is there in its own right with minimum overlapping. Our priority is to enable new applications and/or try out new concepts. Since we have multiple portable products with Nutube already, based on these criteria, a Nutue module is relatively low in priority IMHO. I didn't rule that out, but I would like to hear suggestions from the community before we move on. :pray:
 
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Sep 23, 2024 at 8:52 AM Post #12 of 465
Well, as usual, I can't discuss future products that we have not announced. :smile: :smile:

On the other hand, Please feel free to name your favorite Audio Motherboard, I'll summarize the discussion and make sure R&D is aware of the user expectations. However, I want to explain our product direction before we move on.

When we announced the N6ii back in 2019, I wrote the long-forgotten slogan "Unlimited Possibilities" on the N6ii Poster. Well, when we look back, I firmly believe this is the best summary of the Audio Motherboard approach we developed for N6ii. We have achieved several milestones with the brief 2 years of N6ii history:
  • The first DAP modular concept includes DAC + Amp (May 2019)
  • An Audio Motherboard with a 3.5mm Single-ended phone out only, a big surprise at that time when balanced phone output almost dominated the market (Dec 2019)
  • Our first attempt to implement Class A discrete amplification in DAP (Dec 2019)
  • An Audio Motherboard without phone output. (Sept 2020)
  • The first affordable R-2R solution in DAP (May 2021)
Some of these "concepts" are no strangers to DAP users today, but if you look at the dates, you'll be amazed at how innovative N6ii was back in 2019.

So the essence of our Audio Motherboard is not about popularity. We treat DAP with an Audio Motherboard as a complete platform and each Audio Motherboard is part of the building block of a complete "system". Each Audio Motherboard is there in its own right with minimum overlapping. Our priority is to enable new applications and/or try out new concepts. Since we have multiple portable products with Nutube already, based on these criteria, a Nutue module is relatively low in priority IMHO. I didn't rule that out, but I would like to hear suggestions from the community before we move on. :pray:
Personally I think a NuTube Module would be a cool idea. For space reasons that Module could forego the line out and balanced outs and offer the best Single ended Tube DAP implementation that can fit into it.

If someone wants lineout or balanced it's probably better to use a Solid State Module connected to a Desktop tube amplifier.

For me the questions would rather evolve around, wether it's possible to implement the classic and modern tube flavors into one Module. (I assume highly unlikely)

On the other hand, maybe tubes should be a consideration for a different DAP. One with exchangeable amp and separately exchabgeable DAC Module. Since the next question would be, which DAC to pair with the NuTubes and wether that wouldn't clutter the Portfolio with permutations...
 
Sep 23, 2024 at 4:30 PM Post #13 of 465
On the other hand, Please feel free to name your favorite Audio Motherboard, I'll summarize the discussion and make sure R&D is aware of the user expectations. However, I want to explain our product direction before we move on.
Greetings to the Cayin team. It’s a great news that n6 is back with new generation.

Adding to wish list my favourite multibit motherboard.
 

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