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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".






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