Cayin N8 TOTL DAP: KORG Nutube, Dual AK4497, 4.4mm phone/line out

[kubig123]

At CanJam I saw a case for it made by Dignis. It covered the whole unit, had slits in the back for cooling they looked cool, and it even covered the buttons, yet allowed them to be operated. It looked beautiful. I do not know the the price and I do not see it on the Dignis website. I sent them a question. You may want to look into this case.

Yes, Andy showed it to me, really nicely built (typical from Dignis), he said that is still a prototype and they are still finalizing it, but overall looked great.

 

[twister6]

Yes, the new Dignis case for N8 is BRILLIANT!!! @Andykong had one at the show. Dignis came up with reinforcement spacers in addition to a cleverly designed case cutouts which protect the volume and jog wheel. I guess pictures worth a thousand words!!!

 

[Decreate]

Yes, the new Dignis case for N8 is BRILLIANT!!! @Andykong had one at the show. Dignis came up with reinforcement spacers in addition to a cleverly designed case cutouts which protect the volume and jog wheel. I guess pictures worth a thousand words!!!

That looks really nice, but personally I prefer the Van Nuys one because I can clip it on to my belt.

 

[jmills8]

That looks really nice, but personally I prefer the Van Nuys one because I can clip it on to my belt.

Clip ? Where ? Pic ? Thxs ?

 

[Decreate]

Clip ? Where ? Pic ? Thxs ?

http://www.vannuys.co.jp/official/new_item/vd958/
This was posted by Andy a few pages back. If you look under option there are accessories which can be used to clip the case to a belt.

 

[Frankie D]

Yes, the new Dignis case for N8 is BRILLIANT!!! @Andykong had one at the show. Dignis came up with reinforcement spacers in addition to a cleverly designed case cutouts which protect the volume and jog wheel. I guess pictures worth a thousand words!!!

Thanks for taking the pictures and posting them. Did he tell you the expected price point? Tks.

 

[twister6]

Thanks for taking the pictures and posting them. Did he tell you the expected price point? Tks.

He didn't, but I assume these would be sold directly from Dignis. Based on other Dignis cases I have received/reviewed in the past, I wouldn't be surprised if this one will be closer to $100 or more, but I don't want to speculate. Since I don't have N8, I won't be reviewing this case, but I can find out from my Dignis contact.

 

[twister6]

http://www.vannuys.co.jp/official/new_item/vd958/
This was posted by Andy a few pages back. If you look under option there are accessories which can be used to clip the case to a belt.

And that's how it looks up close, Andy also had it at the show for demo. VERY nice durable design and flexible velcro strap which you can adjust to gain access to either 4.4mm or 3.5mm outputs.

 

[Frankie D]

He didn't, but I assume these would be sold directly from Dignis. Based on other Dignis cases I have received/reviewed in the past, I wouldn't be surprised if this one will be closer to $100 or more, but I don't want to speculate. Since I don't have N8, I won't be reviewing this case, but I can find out from my Dignis contact.

I would of thought you had one. I am reading your review. Which DAP do you like the best? Tks.

 

[twister6]

I would of thought you had one. I am reading your review. Which DAP do you like the best? Tks.

There is no such thing as "the best" I know it sounds cliche, but it's so true when people say "it's what the best for you". Keep in mind, I'm a reviewer, not a consumer. I spend more time testing and comparing, rather than kicking it back to enjoy the music. Every DAP has its cons and pros, depending on their signature and pair up synergy with your favorite earphones/headphones, depending on your requirements of either local playback or streaming, depending on if you are OK streaming while paired up with your smartphone or directly, depending on your battery life requirements, output power spec, GUI, hardware controls, pricing, etc.

And because of being a reviewer, my requirements are subjective. For example, while attending CanJam NYC I was using LPGT a lot because it has a very uncolored clean sound which helps me analyze the actual sig of headphones/earphones I'm listening to. But others might find it fatigue because they want a more emotional analog coloring of N8, or a smoother treble response of SP1000 SS, or more bass impact of WM1Z. Hope you understand where I'm coming from

 

[Frankie D]

There is no such thing as "the best" I know it sounds cliche, but it's so true when people say "it's what the best for you". Keep in mind, I'm a reviewer, not a consumer. I spend more time testing and comparing, rather than kicking it back to enjoy the music. Every DAP has its cons and pros, depending on their signature and pair up synergy with your favorite earphones/headphones, depending on your requirements of either local playback or streaming, depending on if you are OK streaming while paired up with your smartphone or directly, depending on your battery life requirements, output power spec, GUI, hardware controls, pricing, etc.

And because of being a reviewer, my requirements are subjective. For example, while attending CanJam NYC I was using LPGT a lot because it has a very uncolored clean sound which helps me analyze the actual sig of headphones/earphones I'm listening to. But others might find it fatigue because they want a more emotional analog coloring of N8, or a smoother treble response of SP1000 SS, or more bass impact of WM1Z. Hope you understand where I'm coming from

I fully understand your point, but as a reviewer you should have a particular viewpoint based on what you like in music. I was asking which sounded the best to you and would then hope you would explain why and what you like best when listening.

Now, you might still pick a different DAP to use regularly based on ease of use, etc as you mentioned. Let us know that as well. It is all input into our decision. You use and review many. Most of us will only purchase one. Anyway I was asking which DAP in your mind had the best sound. In my limited listening at the show I felt it was the Cayin N8. I felt it has the most dynamic range when using either my Kahn or Custom Encores. I am talking about the single ended tube output, not the SS. I liked the ease of use, but I have no idea about loading albums, operating it regularly and how it gets updates. It also does not stream. That sounds like a big deal to me. I had wanted one that streams, but maybe it can be done easily with my iPhone? Not sure. If clugy, I will not do it. Sound wise though, I loved it With the SE Tube Output. The LoToo Paw Gold sounded very good also and the Sony and AK were not exactly chopped meat. But I did like the feel of it in my hands a bit better. Anyway, that is my quandary for the moment. Tks.

 

[Frankie D]

I fully understand your point, but as a reviewer you should have a particular viewpoint based on what you like in music. I was asking which sounded the best to you and would then hope you would explain why and what you like best when listening.

Now, you might still pick a different DAP to use regularly based on ease of use, etc as you mentioned. Let us know that as well. It is all input into our decision. You use and review many. Most of us will only purchase one. Anyway I was asking which DAP in your mind had the best sound. In my limited listening at the show I felt it was the Cayin N8. I felt it has the most dynamic range when using either my Kahn or Custom Encores. I am talking about the single ended tube output, not the SS. I liked the ease of use, but I have no idea about loading albums, operating it regularly and how it gets updates. It also does not stream. That sounds like a big deal to me. I had wanted one that streams, but maybe it can be done easily with my iPhone? Not sure. If clugy, I will not do it. Sound wise though, I loved it With the SE Tube Output. The LoToo Paw Gold sounded very good also and the Sony and AK were not exactly chopped meat. But I did like the feel of it in my hands a bit better. Anyway, that is my quandary for the moment. Tks.

Another thought. As a reviewer you could also say I like A and B the best and here is why. C is the next tier down and D and E the 3rd tier down. There is no reason why some items cannot have the same sound or be equally pleasing in different ways. Just a thought. Anyway nice job on your reviews. Tks.

 

[cleg]

Text version of my review: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/cayin-n8-dap.23470/reviews#review-21631​

 

[tigros]

My best evening pair (with T1 2nd edition )

 

[Andykong]

Just arrive home and took a shower. my flight was delayed for 9 hours, so I arrived home at 5:30am, still debating whether I should get some sleep or just stay up to adjust jet lag.

The Vannuys bag is kind of like a mini carrying bag for N8, its beautiful and versatile, but kind of big because it takes N8 with its originsl carrying case together. The problem is Vannuys don't ship outside Japan and their international dealer network is limited to Singapore and Hong Kong, so getting it is kind of not a straight forward task.

The Dignis case is cleverly designed with first class workmanship. We received this sample two days before Canjam so I guess itlli be available in 4-6 weeks time. It's retail price is around US$200 but let's wait for Dignis announcement to be sure.

We don't have any plan to add streaming capability to N8. We decided to devote the resource to implement LDAC up to 24/96 instead. We are not confident that we can deliver a TOTL streaming experience on N8 hardware platform no matter how hard we tried. Let's put it this way, if we are struggling with streaming implement on Android-based DAP, we better think twice when we evaluate the risk of developing streaming capability of N8. From functional point of view, Hi-Res Wireless (Bluetooth) DAC combines both decent streaming quality and user exp, so please give LDAC a try if you want to listen to streaming music on N8.