[Hapster]

I wonder if the cayin is almost as powerful as the e12

From what I've heard I wouldn't say it's as powerful. It's more like the E07k in terms of raw power.

 

[grizzlybeast]

Thx bud!

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

Sorry to get back so late on this thread. I did finally receive the unit and I really appreciate what it does. The bass and lower midrange is thicker and stronger and overall coherence is better. I've had some friends have a listed as well and they were impressed. I've tried with the Sennheiser Amperior, Momentums, and Harman Kardon CL with good results. 
 
I've found the Nomad LNG-W Lightning cable makes a great match for the amp, as it's nice and short and doesn't waste pocket space. 
 

 
I did notice that the unit picks up on cell phone activity, however other similar devices do the same. The noise floor is average like Hapster said. In addition, the 3.5mm inlets can be finicky with odd shaped connectors (such as Harman Kardon CL). Overall I'm quite happy with the unit despite the caveats. The fit and finish is nice and the bump in SQ is really worth it, and it's still a steal (at $199) compared to comparable units. 

 

[bigfullz]

Well, this thread hasn't seen much action lately, but the c5 is gettin some love!
I am considering this w/ iphone5 (eventually 6) b/c i would like a concise, portable solution to upgrade "the chain". I wish I could demo this against beyerdynamic a200p, vamp verza, and other iDevice friendly dac/amps... but hey, this is HeadFi, I wanna hear from current owners!! Here's hoping to spark some life in this thread

 

[Hapster]

Well, this thread hasn't seen much action lately, but the c5 is gettin some love!
I am considering this w/ iphone5 (eventually 6) b/c i would like a concise, portable solution to upgrade "the chain". I wish I could demo this against beyerdynamic a200p, vamp verza, and other iDevice friendly dac/amps... but hey, this is HeadFi, I wanna hear from current owners!! Here's hoping to spark some life in this thread

It'll beat the a200p in sound, by a huge margin, and for the short while I had it and verza at the same time, it honestly sounded just as good. (Maybe a little better O_o) However, the verza has a bass boost mode, a 3D mode, which I find interesting, but not particularly useful. It also acts as a battery pack and is functional with a PC

Note: Hi & Lo gains & Bass Boost function don't work while using the verza as a usb amp. The exterior also has a nasty habit of peeling, so your verza may look worse overtime. That said, it can be found "new" on eBay for $280-350.

So as for the Beyer A200p, although it may have the worst SQ of the bunch, it's the smallest and provides use as an usb and iphone dac/amp.

Note: I'm not totally sure the Dac Function of the A200P works with iphone5+.

Now, with the C6, It's not as good as I was initially lead to believe. It does drain your phone battery, slowly, nothing terrible, but you'll notice it if you're using it for a couple hours. It also, in no way can be used with android phones or PCs. The noise floor is louder than that of the Verza/A200p, and lastly cellular and wifi signals could interfere, as stated earlier in this thread, and causes crackles and pops. Easiest way to fix this is by putting your device in airplane mode.

 

[bigfullz]

Thanks hapster, that was very informative. All that in one post! Very concise, like I'm hoping my portable rig will be... Which has me thinking dx90 now. These iDevice amp/dacs all have dents in their armor, so maybe an audiophile player is the way to go.
Thanks again

 

[Hapster]

Thanks hapster, that was very informative. All that in one post! Very concise, like I'm hoping my portable rig will be... Which has me thinking dx90 now. These iDevice amp/dacs all have dents in their armor, so maybe an audiophile player is the way to go.
Thanks again

A dent is sure better than the gaping hole that is the software of the "Audiophile" Daps.

 

[bigfullz]

you have a point hapster! LOL!

 

[munggo]

  Taking a 2nd look at the internal, I think I kind of figure out how they are able to work around Apple MFi certification. The original / official way of extracting digital data from iDevice is to get the MFi chip, which required license from Apple. That's the biggest limiting factor of why there just ain't that many iDevice DAC out there. But what Cayin does, is actually cloning the CCK function into the amp / USB DAC. So instead of getting limited by the MFi chip, they work around it by utilizing the USB Host function that comes with iOS7.

Will this work with an iPod classic?

 

[Hapster]

Well it works with 30-pin connectors, so if you know that whatever works with iphone 1-4s works with ipod classic, then yes.

 

[ClieOS]

Well it works with 30-pin connectors, so if you know that whatever works with iphone 1-4s works with ipod classic, then yes.

 
I am not that sure. USB host comes with iOS7, and iPod Classic doesn't run on it.

 

[Thomas Cayin]

Dear friends, I must say, I'm late. C6 does not look like that is our CAYIN kids, huh fact, C6 we launched in August 2013 the first portable headphone power amplifier. because C6 is characterized Apple products corresponding DAC functions. 
 
In July of this year, we launched another new product C5, I believe that friends have seen here say no more. 
 
I am very happy to have more and more friends to participate in our discussions and understanding of CAYIN products, if you have any questions, you can give me a message, even though my English is very general, but I will try my best efforts, I hope you can help us better understand CAYIN products. 
 
Thank you.

 

[Hapster]

I am not that sure. USB host comes with iOS7, and iPod Classic doesn't run on it.

Well, it would at least work as an amplifier.

Other than that, I'm not sure.

 

[ZALHERA]

I have the option of getting these for  $190 with a free pair of TTPOD T1E included, and I was wondering how they stacked up against the JDS Labs C5D, which was my second choice but without the free earbuds. I'll be using it mainly with my iPod Classic. I couldn't care less about PC compatibility as my gaming PC is currently hooked up to the Astro MixAmp that I don't plan on changing soon.
 
I have never owned a portable DAC/Amp combo so this is all new to me and I don't know what I am trying to get into right now. Is there a sound quality improvement that is noticeable enough to justify a purchase? I don't think I own any phones that need amplification, so would it be more prudent to just let this deal pass by?

 

[XERO1]

How does the C6 switch between the USB input and the 3.5mm input?
 
Thanks.