Cayin RU7: 1-Bit Resistor Network Dongle DAC /Amp

[sergibarroso]

So I received my RU7 today. My impressions so far:

It’s a PITA to use with an iPhone 14 pro. It only works if I use a camera adapter with a power connection to an external source. No problem with Android devices, Windows or Apple tablets. I’ve only tried it with iems for which it has more power than I’ll ever need.

The sound is organic, powerful, a touch warm, detailed with excellent imaging. It’s a very engaging sound you can listen to for hours.

A side by side comparison to my FIIO M11 Pro and it demonstrates more realistic timbre, better imaging, similar detail, better microdynamics and warmer overall tone. It slams like the overpowered dongle that it is, while the M11 Pro is more polite.

Compared to my Bifrost 2 / Folkvangr, the RU7 mids are a little more forward, the sound is less organic and the treble is a little brighter.

I really like how it sounds. I just wish it worked better with iPhones.

I use it with my iPhone 12 (not Pro) and with the iBasso CB18 cable and it works like a charm.

 

[jsmiller58]

Here you go:

"hello everyone
I apologize in advance for the mistakes but I used google translate
I don't post much on the forum but I read very often comparisons and reviews
I would like to ask for advice on buying ru6 or ru7 (100€ difference in price)
I'm looking for a clean but not fatiguing imprint, I don't think I'm sensitive to treble derived from instruments, but some voices (like Rammstein and Ghost) have the "c" and "s" (for example) very sharp/tiring!
I would be leaning towards ru6 but in some posts and reviews I read that it is "brighter" than ru7 while in others I read the opposite (not as loud as ESS of course, but we were talking about brightness and such) and I don't quite understand which is the "easy" louder in prolonged listening because of the various dissenting opinions (prevalence of metal/rock music)!I
use iem entry level slightly warm (then I will upgrade) and the beyerdynamic dt 700 pro x as over ear!I would use the dongle with a xiaomi android smartphone, and only in streaming, yt music and qobuz and I am also concerned about this factor because I read that ru6 is sensitive to wifi and various interference , and causes crackling and annoyance, I do not use downloaded tracks!
p.s I read all 99 pages of ru7"

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator

I have both the RU6 and RU7. In my opinion I would not say that the RU7 is overly sibilant, but it is crisper / cleaner than the RU6, which can make the treble a bit more pronounced. The RU6 is described as more “organic” and “musical”, and whatever that means I would agree the sound is smoother. Whichever you choose, my suggestion is to use EQ to manage any parts of the sound that you do not like - it is more precise and flexible than trying to use a DAC/Amp. Of course a good DAC/Amp is important, just a practical way of tuning sound.

I have not noticed any meaningful interference with the RU7, but definitely interference is quite noticeable on the RU6.

And the much higher output power of the RU7 may give you a bit more flexibility if you ever need it.

I am not saying the RU6 is bad, because it is wonderful! But I think the RU7 is superior, and would be the one I would keep if I could only keep one of them.

 

[zeroshiki]

I have both the RU6 and RU7. In my opinion I would not say that the RU7 is overly sibilant, but it is crisper / cleaner than the RU6, which can make the treble a bit more pronounced. The RU6 is described as more “organic” and “musical”, and whatever that means I would agree the sound is smoother. Whichever you choose, my suggestion is to use EQ to manage any parts of the sound that you do not like - it is more precise and flexible than trying to use a DAC/Amp. Of course a good DAC/Amp is important, just a practical way of tuning sound.

I have not noticed any meaningful interference with the RU7, but definitely interference is quite noticeable on the RU6.

And the much higher output power of the RU7 may give you a bit more flexibility if you ever need it.

I am not saying the RU6 is bad, because it is wonderful! But I think the RU7 is superior, and would be the one I would keep if I could only keep one of them.

absolutely agree with this, had ru6 and while it is special and unique in it's tonality.. it just don't work well for some genres of music.

the ru7 on the other hand, has a very natural and organic tonality, and performs excellent all around on any music.

 

[Haden2866]

absolutely agree with this, had ru6 and while it is special and unique in it's tonality.. it just don't work well for some genres of music.

the ru7 on the other hand, has a very natural and organic tonality, and performs excellent all around on any music.

I have both RU6 and RU7, and stand by my initial impression that they complement each other well.
In my current set-up, RU6, in NOS mode, provides a vibey, vintage-type presentation, and RU7 represents a more modern, detailed approach to sound reproduction.
I can enjoy all the genres I listen to (pretty much everything expect the dynamic extremes of classical on one end, and hyper-compressed metal / EDM / pop at the other) on both - I choose not to EQ, but use a vintage-modelled head-amp with RU6 to complement my headphones (see my post in the RU6 thread for more info).
Alternating between the two dongles keeps things fresh.
If I was going to recommended one to someone choosing to buy just one, it would probably be RU7, as it is somewhat more versatile, and closer to a modern, everyday sound, whereas RU6 is more of an outlier, and benefits from a long warm-up, in my experience, so is more suited for longer listening sessions.

 

[THEYiftah]

Very happy with mine. I am redoing my headphone setup from scratch. This is great to have until I get everything set up again

 

[THEYiftah]

I definitely recommend the balanced input by the way

 

[Stouthart]

I definitely recommend the balanced input by the way

Looked everywhere, but could not find a balanced input on my RU7 anywhere

 

[THEYiftah]

Sorry, my mistake, output!

 

[THEYiftah]

I think I'll be keeping it a while. Maybe I'll use it as a dac with a seperate headphone amp until things get more settled here re my setup.

 

[THEYiftah]

The financial realities are very harsh as well, and even though 300$ is still a lot of money, it is reasonable for me to spend it right now. I feel like I'm getting very good value

 

[Stouthart]

The financial realities are very harsh as well, and even though 300$ is still a lot of money, it is reasonable for me to spend it right now. I feel like I'm getting very good value

I have the RU6, RU7, and L&P W4. Never had a click with the RU6. Personally I prefer the W4. But all will be collecting dust, now that I have the N7

 

[THEYiftah]

I also live in a small country so buying options are limited.

 

[Barnstormer13]

iPhone 14 Pro Max, using DDHifi MFi07S cable, no problems. This cable is able to provide more current for the dongle. Most other cables run into Apple's 100 Ma limit, and do not work/crackle. The iPhone is very dependent on the cable used to connect to the iPhone. With the Cayin CS-L2C C to Lightning cable, it does not work.

Got the DDHifi MFI07S cable. All is good now and it runs without problems on my iPhone 14 Pro. Cable itself seems very well made

 

[ttt123]

Got the DDHifi MFI07S cable. All is good now and it runs without problems on my iPhone 14 Pro. Cable itself seems very well made

DDHifi makes good quality products with good engineering.
I am also using:
- TC09S - USB C to C cable, with separate, shielded cables for power and data
- TC28CPro - USB C to 2 C, so that a dongle can be attached on one of the C ports, and a C cable for charging is connected to the other C port. This allows the host to charge, while using a dongle. EDIT: not every DAP works. Sony WM1AM2 works. NW-A105, A306, ZX507 does not work. Depends on the OTG implementation, I guess.

 

[Orfik]

While your comment wasn’t directed at me, I will say the expression that comes to mind here is… “to each their own”. I have a few “dongles” - RU7, W2, S1, S9, BTR5, BTR7, Topping G5 (though that stretches the definition of dongle) just to name a very few. I wouldn’t sell my R6 Pro II because of any of these. But that is just me.

I would agree in general, though, that investing in the best transducers possible (as measured by the individual’s preferences and use case) is wise.

How do the RU7 and G5 sound compared to the R6 Pro II?