[HiFiHawaii808]

Thanks for that. So you're saying it only made the Odin/Evo glarey? Would you say that there is an upper mid emphasis for all IEMs or it's simply a bad pairing with thise specific ones? Traillii also has an upper mid bump, though it is subtle. Is the high end accentuated on all IEMs?

I did not listen with Odin, so I am not sure if it has glare. EVO definitely did. Let me listen to it again tomorrow with a more diverse selection of IEMs and then I'll tell you if I think it has an upper mids emphasis. I don't think so. I think it is a bad pairing. The N8ii is very revealing. I don't think it is emphasizing anything. I think it is giving you what it's getting.

 

[tone.texture.soul]

The N8ii is very revealing. I don't think it is emphasizing anything. I think it is giving you what it's getting.

Thanks very much. That's more in line with @twister6's description. I am not personally interested in Odins pairing, only for Traillii and possibly Jewel.

 

[discord]

The N8ii is very revealing. I don't think it is emphasizing anything. I think it is giving you what it's getting.

Is it punchy or laid back?

 

[Nostoi]

The N8ii is very revealing. I don't think it is emphasizing anything. I think it is giving you what it's getting.

Would you differ from @Currawong in characterising the N8ii as somewhat smooth and warm, then?

 

[DaYooper]

1.1TB not enough for you? Or just commenting on the internal included capacity? I'm fine with even 64GB included. I don't put songs on internal storage, only OS, apps, and space for cache.

Why no. No it isn't. My original Kann holds 2 TB. Yes I have two 1TB Micron cards in it and they work just fine.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Thanks very much. That's more in line with @twister6's description. I am not personally interested in Odins pairing, only for Traillii and possibly Jewel.

N8ii + Traillii is devine. It actually takes Traillii up a level. The sound is more vivid. The timbre is improved. It is more resolving. I can see the contours of the music as I listen. It is that revealing.

I am about to go down to get some food. I am picking up something to listen to. What I want to pick up is N8ii and Traillii.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Would you differ from @Currawong in characterising the N8ii as somewhat smooth and warm, then?

I didn't see his review. Smooth and warm are not the words I would use to describe it. My words are vivid, revealing, clarity.

 

[blotmouse]

Why no. No it isn't. My original Kann holds 2 TB. Yes I have two 1TB Micron cards in it and they work just fine.

Ah, yes, you are special, lol.

Considering how many daps out there support streaming and 2x slots, you may have found a good reason to save money and stay where you are at.
At the same time, if that is a major requirement for you, you also miss out on the TOTL sound quality improvements as time marches on, so I understand any frustration or disappointment.

Can't you just swap cards though and carry one in your coin pocket? I never wanted the dongle/adapter hell we live in now but eventually I had to remit to the tides of change, and concede my concerns were not apparently anyone else's. (shrug)

I didn't see his review. Smooth and warm are not the words I would use to describe it. My words are vivid, revealing, clarity.

It also depends where you are coming in from and your current baseline, I would expect? @Currawong had a Hugo2 comparison in hand and you are fresh from using the RS6. Wholly different vantages.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

It also depends where you are coming in from and your current baseline, I would expect? @Currawong had a Hugo2 comparison in hand and you are fresh from using the RS6. Wholly different vantages.

True.

 

[Currawong]

The point was on the placement of the POs and Volume knob... how would you adjust the volume / prevent damage to the volume wheel / accidental turning of the volume knob while it's in the pocket or in the bag pocket?

There's a setting to disable the volume control and side buttons while the screen is locked.

@Andykong I noticed that the new DAC chips allows Customized Digital filters. Did Cayin customize any of their own ? Or just the stock filters provided ?

Will there be an options for the user to configure it their own ?

Awesome find! I wonder how much computing power the ROHM DACs have available for this, as the number of taps available for a filter is important. Designing one's own filter is a skill in itself, but there's potential for great results. This is why a lot of manufacturers are putting in FPGAs and programming them with their own filters.

When the original N8 has the connector on the top panel, we recieved a lot of request to put them at the bottom, so that the headphone cable can run downward smoothly instead of curving from the top to the bottom of player and then to the ears.

One thing I should have mentioned, though I haven't tried it on the R8ii yet: You can rotate the screen. I sometimes used the Hiby R6 2020 as a transport, but upside-down to put the ports at the top.

All that and still, not enough memory for storage.

My incomplete understanding is that there are limitations when it comes to memory and supply, as well as putting large amounts of memory in a player. Likewise, I believe FiiO encountered issues when putting two SD card slots in the M11.

Some tips for taking music with you:
If you're going to put high-res on your card, stick to 24/96 max. A great deal, if not most 24/192, above 48 kHz is noise generated by the ADC (48 khz the frequency limit of 96k PCM) so you're wasting space going higher than 24/96!
Don't bother with DSD in a DAP. It's a waste of space is more likely to degrade the sound than improve it. Not to mention that a lot of DSD is created from PCM anyway, and is mostly sigma-delta noise above the audible limit. It makes more sense to convert DSD into 24/96 (or even just 24/48) before taking it with you.

Does this mean that the N8ii has a more forward upper mid presence? Because I am awfully sensitive with upper mids. From @twister6 's early review, and PMs between us he never mentioned anything like that at all. I think earlier it was said here that N8ii is so revealing that it pushed the upper mids of Odin into uncomfortable territory. Can someone please confirm this for me? Revealing is fine, upper mids into uncomfortable territory is not (for me).

One of the things I like about the N8ii is it doesn't have that upper-mid glare that ESS-based DACs often do.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Is it punchy or laid back?

Revealing, vivid, deep and contoured. It's punchy if the track is punchy, but I wouldn't say it is making music punchy.

 

[metaljem77]

Thank you for sharing all the great impressions. I’m enjoying the moments vicariously. I wonder if N8ii would be good with LX, VE8 and Xe6; my wild and uneducated guess is that it could

 

[pkcpga]

I didn't see his review. Smooth and warm are not the words I would use to describe it. My words are vivid, revealing, clarity.

I’ve heard from two other people they’d describe the N8ii as vivid or bold and revealing, one other that the EVO or Odin work only in class A tube and not class AB tube which brings forward the upper mids. Be curious on your take with EVO and Odin with class A tube? I’ve heard the Odin is even brighter then EVO in class AB no tube almost unlistenable.

 

[dadracer2]

Thank you for sharing all the great impressions. I’m enjoying the moments vicariously. I wonder if N8ii would be good with LX, VE8 and Xe6; my wild and uneducated guess is that it could

I would like to know some impressions using a few headphones too.

 

[jmills8]

So far the consensus is that the N8ii with EVO and Odin was not a good pairing, too much upper mid presence. Unless someone else posted it was?

And depends on ones mind , hearing and expectations.