Okay. Now I will A/B test N8ii vs. N6ii Ti A02 + C9 with the EXT. I am not going to do all the other variants at this time because I am hungry and it's 8:30 pm. So, this A/B test is between me and dinner. I'll update the post as I listen. I will let you know at the end when I am finished.
Track 1: Speed Demon.
N8ii. Thunderous bass. Not as clean as Z1R, but every bid as deep and detailed. Z1R punches harder. Michael Jackson's voice is much warmer. Better tonal balance. Treble is laid back. It is better with Z1R. N8ii has the more energetic presentation.
N6ii Ti A02 + C9. Treble is weaker than N8ii. Background is blacker with N6ii and therefore clarity is better, Great detail with N6ii. N6ii has the clearer presentation.
Track 2: The Blower's daughter.
N8ii. This is how male vocals with acoustic guitar, violin, bass guitar background is supposed to sound. Can hear the background instruments better with N8ii due to superior resolution.
N6ii. A bit smaller stage. Cannot make out details of the background instruments as well as on the N8ii
Track 3: Happy Now. Pentatonix.
N8ii. Huge stage. Great staging of voices. Perfect balance. Great clarity and controlled bass when called for.
N6ii AGain black background giving great clarity. Narrow stage. Sound is not as full as resonant as with N8ii
Track 4 Friends by Marshmello and Anne-Marie.
N8ii. More complete sound. More detail.
N6ii. Huge stage. Hard hitting and deep bass. Clear vocals.
Track 5. No More Blues. The Bill Watrous Quartet
N8ii. Great tonality of trombone solo. Great balance with all bass, percussion and drum set.
N6ii. Again. black background gives great clarity.
I like the N6ii Ti A02 + C9 more than the RS6 + C9 overall except for the treble because it delivers superior clarity and that is its strength. The N8ii is bigger stage, better resolution and detail. But, the clarity of the N6ii is noteworthy as it's clarity is very striking and immediately recognizable.
If a person wanted to adopt a strategy of pairing midfi DAPs with C9 to get alternate signatures with the end result being TOTL sound, the N6ii Ti A02 and RS6 achieves that. Because if you want to get an R2R DAC with TOTL sound you need to buy another TOTL DAP and cost of rebuying the AMP section and the weight associated with it.
It's not that the N8ii isn't as good as everyone is saying. It's that the C9 is also excellent when paired with a proper line out and a great midfi DAP.
N6ii is $1200
A02 is $400
C9 is $2000
vs. N8ii is $3500. Pricing is similar. But, ergonomically, the N8ii wins hands down. It's much faster and easier to use. It makes sense if you want several signatures and are willing to buy the DAPs and/or AMPs.
Absolutely, ergonomically there's no contest. And especially if you're a streamer - which I'm not - I can see how a faster OS is beneficial.
That said, it seems that if you're already part of the N6ii ecosystem - with its various modules - it presents a convincing alternative when paired with the C9.
Thank you so much,
@HiFiHawaii808, for doing these comparisons, in particular in the evening delaying dinner (hope not sacrificing it completely).
True, ergonomically there‘s no contest, N8ii wins. Plus, it has faster SoC, more recent Android, better WiFi, (maybe) better Bluetooth (? didn‘t check the specs), …
Thanks also for reassuring that the N6ii+A02 + C9 remains convincing soundwise! In particular, since the N6ii ecosystem was quite an investment, depending on the number of modules purchased.
My personal history in the N6ii ecosystem is: Initially, N6ii and A01 were a fixed bundle - turns out A01 gets the least use of all. The other ones - T01, E02, A02, R01, skipping E01 - came in one by one, each presenting something attractive and enjoyable. My C9 came with the A02, of course. C9 is versatile, I use it not only with my IEMs, but also with my HD 800 S with the N6ii, i.e. when the 800 S leaves my desktop system (Hugo 2 + V281).
What does that mean in general? Persistence to me is a good aspect in human character, especially when paired with patience. So my dream remains that Cayin one day will consider to build a new mother body taking all the N6ii modules, and improve a lot as compared to the N6ii body.
@Andykong, I did mention this previously …