[normie610]

And I just encountered another instance where the Korg tubes refuses to turn off when paused, even unplugged, they remained on with no music playing back! Strange

Anyone else has similar experiences?

That’s weird. I tried it just now, and the tubes are off when paused.

 

[Shawnb]

That’s weird. I tried it just now, and the tubes are off when paused.

Same. Mine is sitting beside me paused and the tubes are off.

 

[Whitigir]

Same. Mine is sitting beside me paused and the tubes are off.

Yeah, this should normally be the case, but this morning, it refused to turn off for me, even when unplugged. I had to restart the player in order to get it back to normal

 

[Shawnb]

I have just one complaint for the N8II. The case is too slippery, the N8II will easily slide out due to gravity. Makes me miss the case from my 220Max, that thing stuck to it like a second skin and had to be pushed out to come lose.

 

[Zeppo19]

I have just one complaint for the N8II. The case is too slippery, the N8II will easily slide out due to gravity. Makes me miss the case from my 220Max, that thing stuck to it like a second skin and had to be pushed out to come lose.

May just be yours, mine is quite snug, easy enough to push out but gravity is TOO WEAK

 

[kwilkins]

I wanted to try controlling the N8ii via Hibylink on an iPhone. I have the N8ii connected via bluetooth to the iPhone, Hibylink is active on both the N8ii and on the iPhone app, but the N8ii doesn't show up as a device to connect when scanning via the Hiby App on the iPhone.

Any suggestions on getting this working?

 

[Zeppo19]

Also, I carry mine in a Maxpedition, even room for some IEMs...

 

[Whitigir]

Tube/P+/AB/High gain/slow roll off/DSD high.



The 3 devices I have came across that made my IER Z1R sings to it heart contents and on the verge of exploding is The Cayin C9! The very first devices that made my IER Z1R to be this rumbling, vibrating inside my ears canals while having superb details with great soundstage, that I thought I was listening to Headphones and not in ears

The next one is Dx300MaxTI, not only did it does as well as the C9, but it also was very neutral and balanced, greatly detailed upper spectrum without any graininess or harshness

Finally, at this moment, honorably mentioning Cayin N8II. Not only that it did so well as both of the above, it has an amazing tubes like tonality, musical and yet still remaining details accuracy. It surprises me a lot as IER Z1R usually has the tendency to be warm and overly bassy, so it is not easy to have tube timbres added in and still preserves the airiness, clarity, fidelity of it. Such powerful dynamic delivery, excellent staging, hyper details and extensions, can also be so unforgiving on bad records, which I never thought the IER Z1R had it in them!!!

The first time ever that I have heard IER Z1R this way.

If you love the IER Z1R ? You just gotta have either one of these 3 devices, and my top vote goes to N8II !!!

 

[Doug2507]

I've no intention of expanding an iem collection but must admit I'll need to try z1r at some point. So much praise for them since release!

 

[Whitigir]

I've no intention of expanding an iem collection but must admit I'll need to try z1r at some point. So much praise for them since release!

It depends on gears, the IER Z1R is actually very hard to make it perform correctly. Similarly to the HD800S, you can plug it in anything, but to properly drive and make it sing is another story

 

[linux4ever]

If IER Z1R plays that well with N8ii, I'm curious to know about the pairing of Campfire Audio's Atlas with N8ii. Hope someone has that iem to share some impressions

 

[blotmouse]

What's everyone's thoughts so far on cayin player vs hiby? Can't remember what I used when I had n6ii. UI seems pretty much the same, any difference in sq?

I just did a 3 way shoot out between Cayin, Hiby, and UAPP the other night. Might as well find the best player for the new DAP right?
All 3 sounded slightly different to my ears.

Hiby sounded the most lush with the biggest staging with local files. "Hi-Fi". I don't use Tidal, so I couldn't test the streaming sound quality with Hiby. Really liked it though. Sounds better than Cayin, which is weird, as I they have the same dna. Cayin being a rebrand of sorts. Cayin had the prettiest gui.

If Hiby was in the center tonally, Cayin was a bit darker and more subdued, less lively, and UAPP brighter, clearer, but also sometimes too bright.
UAPP had the rounder notes and you know you weren't missing any details, but in tradeoff you do miss out on some bass weight.
I am not sure which would be the most accurate. They should all sound the same, but they don't.
I stick with UAPP generally unless I want more bass and/or less treble energy, and then its the Qobuz app for streams (murky sq) and Hiby for local files.

I used UAPP exclusively on my N6ii, but I will mix it up after my findings, and see if I can't get more enjoyment out of it by swapping player apps.

 

[Andykong]

I finally find out the detail about the charging mechanism that cause the problems we have encountered.

First of all, @Whitigir and @davidmolliere are right, the problem is a protection mechanism triggered by the temperature of the N8ii. When the N8ii power management software detected a higher than normal operation temperatue, it will try to do something to lower the temperature and among that, disconnecting the charging current is one of them. The trigger point of this protection mechanism is 50 degree C. The power management software will monitor the internal temperature continuously, when the temperature drop below the safety margin, it will resume charging. So you don't need to disconnect the charger from N8ii to trigger the charging handshake again.

Both Class A and P+ might present a high risk to trigger the protection mechanism when you charge and playback at the same time, especially when you playback high sampling file or driving a demanding load. Tube or Solid State is not as significant when compare to Class A or P+. I have conduct a charging test with Class A earlier on, but since I didn't put on the leather case, the temperature of N8ii has barely escaped the protection mechanism. If you must charge and playback at the same time, stick with Class AB in standard P mode, or improve the ventalation of your N8ii, be reminded the N8ii chassis is a big piece of heat zink to the circuitry in the DAP, So its like adding a fan to the heat zink of your CPU to make sure the system can remain efficent even at high temperature.

Having said that, even when you are not charging and playback at the same time, you still need to be aware of the protection mechanism. The N8ii can can reach 50 degree C if you put the DAP in a small consealed unventilated space (such as your backpack) and playback in demainding settings such as Class A and P+ mode. Ultimately when the power management software has tried all options but the temperature continues to rise, it will shut down the player.

Since we are on the topic of charging, I would like to confirm that N8ii supports PD and QC3.0 fast charging protocol. It will consume up to 18W charging only, so a 30W or 60W PD/QC3.0 charger will not charge it any faster beyond 18W charging capacities. These high power USB charge are benefited when you need to charge multiple devices at the same time.

I'll include this in the N8ii FAQ at page 1, hopefully this will steer users away from similar problem.

By the way, the proection mechanism is NOT A BUG, we don't have any immediate plan to remove the proection mechanism or raise the bar so that users can charge and playback at a higher temperature. If you google for more detail, you should notice the permissible charge temperatures range of Lithium-ion battery is 0°C to 45°C (32°F to 113°F). Li-ion performs well at elevated temperatures but prolonged exposure to heat reduces longevity. Charging and discharging at elevated temperatures is subject to gas generation that might cause a cylindrical cell to vent and a pouch cell to swell. Many chargers prohibit charging above 50°C (122°F). The 50 degree C is an engineering benchmark and we think it is important to set a safety operation boundary by engineering principle. (cf Battery University)

Officially, we recommend users to avoid charge and playback at the same time. We have maintain this practise for all our battery powered products including DAP and portable amplifiers. Yes, it won't blow up or damage your DAP right in front of you, but the adverse effect will show eventually if you do this regularly. Our advice is in line with many mobile phone companies and technical writers such as HERE and HERE.

 

[ssriram2791]

Tube/P+/AB/High gain/slow roll off/DSD high.



The 3 devices I have came across that made my IER Z1R sings to it heart contents and on the verge of exploding is The Cayin C9! The very first devices that made my IER Z1R to be this rumbling, vibrating inside my ears canals while having superb details with great soundstage, that I thought I was listening to Headphones and not in ears

The next one is Dx300MaxTI, not only did it does as well as the C9, but it also was very neutral and balanced, greatly detailed upper spectrum without any graininess or harshness

Finally, at this moment, honorably mentioning Cayin N8II. Not only that it did so well as both of the above, it has an amazing tubes like tonality, musical and yet still remaining details accuracy. It surprises me a lot as IER Z1R usually has the tendency to be warm and overly bassy, so it is not easy to have tube timbres added in and still preserves the airiness, clarity, fidelity of it. Such powerful dynamic delivery, excellent staging, hyper details and extensions, can also be so unforgiving on bad records, which I never thought the IER Z1R had it in them!!!

The first time ever that I have heard IER Z1R this way.

If you love the IER Z1R ? You just gotta have either one of these 3 devices, and my top vote goes to N8II !!!

Was your C9 in Class A or AB ? Class AB is supposed to be dynamic than Class A right, does it make the Z1R overly energetic ?

 

[denis1976]

Tube/P+/AB/High gain/slow roll off/DSD high.



The 3 devices I have came across that made my IER Z1R sings to it heart contents and on the verge of exploding is The Cayin C9! The very first devices that made my IER Z1R to be this rumbling, vibrating inside my ears canals while having superb details with great soundstage, that I thought I was listening to Headphones and not in ears

The next one is Dx300MaxTI, not only did it does as well as the C9, but it also was very neutral and balanced, greatly detailed upper spectrum without any graininess or harshness

Finally, at this moment, honorably mentioning Cayin N8II. Not only that it did so well as both of the above, it has an amazing tubes like tonality, musical and yet still remaining details accuracy. It surprises me a lot as IER Z1R usually has the tendency to be warm and overly bassy, so it is not easy to have tube timbres added in and still preserves the airiness, clarity, fidelity of it. Such powerful dynamic delivery, excellent staging, hyper details and extensions, can also be so unforgiving on bad records, which I never thought the IER Z1R had it in them!!!

The first time ever that I have heard IER Z1R this way.

If you love the IER Z1R ? You just gotta have either one of these 3 devices, and my top vote goes to N8II !!!

The normal ierz1r or the moded one?