[squeakez]

I wrote that quite awhile ago but still think the Cayin C5 is all that. It's been a couple of years since I owned the Mojo but I do remember that it's lack of a bass boost was a deal breaker for me. I am somewhat of a bass head and love the bass boost on the C5. And really, I thought the IDSD Black Label was better than the Mojo. The Black Label has a bass boost but it is nowhere as good as the C5 to my ears. I actually have 2 C5s in case they go away. That little amp can easily drive my DT880/600. That's some impressive power! The pairing of the C5 with the Denon D600 is magical to me.

If you aren't a bass head and listen to music that isn't bass oriented, than perhaps the Mojo would be the best choice. I listen primarily to EDM through headphones so having the bass boost is really important to me.

 

[rjoudrey]

I wrote that quite awhile ago but still think the Cayin C5 is all that. It's been a couple of years since I owned the Mojo but I do remember that it's lack of a bass boost was a deal breaker for me. I am somewhat of a bass head and love the bass boost on the C5. And really, I thought the IDSD Black Label was better than the Mojo. The Black Label has a bass boost but it is nowhere as good as the C5 to my ears. I actually have 2 C5s in case they go away. That little amp can easily drive my DT880/600. That's some impressive power! The pairing of the C5 with the Denon D600 is magical to me.

If you aren't a bass head and listen to music that isn't bass oriented, than perhaps the Mojo would be the best choice. I listen primarily to EDM through headphones so having the bass boost is really important to me.

If you had to buy a new amp today what would you get?

 

[CoFire]

Has anyone had problems with their 3.5 mm connector making clicking sounds on their C5? I've had issues with this unit since purchase and tabled it. I found it the other day and forgot about the faulty 3.5 mm connection. Anyone know if this is an easy fix?

 

[squeakez]

If you had to buy a new amp today what would you get?

I don't use the Cayin C5 as my main amp anymore. I have a "desktop setup" that I actually use semi-portably. By that I mean that I have the system on a large cutting board that travels between my home office and the living room couch, which is where I do the majority of my listening. It's an Emotiva BasX A-100 amp (with jumpers installed) and a Topping D50 DAC plus a Schiit Loki tone control (EQ). This is an awesome system for me and pairs well with most of my headphones. It is extremely powerful and can drive any headphone out there. The Loki gives me the ability to add a very nice bass boost to all my headphones.

For example, it easily drives the DT880/600 but without the bass boost, I probably would not be interested in these headphones at all. But with it, they are fantastic.

I am about to purchase a new amp for Christmas - the DarkVoice 336SE tube amp and am interested to see how it pairs with all my dynamic driver headphones.

But the Cayin C5 still rules supreme for me in the portable amp category. That has been true for 4 years now.

 

[squeakez]

Has anyone had problems with their 3.5 mm connector making clicking sounds on their C5? I've had issues with this unit since purchase and tabled it. I found it the other day and forgot about the faulty 3.5 mm connection. Anyone know if this is an easy fix?

Yes, I have had problems with the 3.5 mm connector but mine showed up as cutting out. At the time my main headphones were the DT770/80, which I had purchased from Amazon. I literally sent back 3 of them because I thought the problem was with the cord on the Beyers. Eventually I figured out the problem was with the Cayin C5 connector. I will not go into the long story but I did return it and 4 months (!!!) later, when I received it back from Cayin, the problem was still there. I had to suck it up and buy a new amp which, back then, cost $150. I still think it was worth it though.

 

[Shareknow]

I love my Cayin C5! I did buy a second unit that has been working fine. However, I now realize that if anything goes wrong, it will just have to go in the garbage. I think of these as disposable units.

You are a great person, you do love ur hobby. But i think, they don't deserve your loyalty. They should have repaired your first unit properly. I will never buy such a product ever again. My first and last mistake.

 

[Shareknow]

Starting the return process for this amp. A couple reviews on Amazon say after awhile their battery becomes defective in less than a year, so conveniently for the seller as it's over the return period. Have these amps been in storage for years until the battery is no longer any good? It looks like you can't buy a replacement battery for this amp either. Too bad you can't just plug this amp in and just use it from a power source. When I opened the device up the battery is cheaply put together with globs of glue like a little kid did it. I wonder if a person could put together their own battery? How unfortunate as I was really hoping to listen to some great sound on my days off . I'm really starting to have second thoughts about this amp, just couldn't justify spending over $500 on something else as I'll want to get a good sound system later on. The headphone world is a solo experience and a temporary fix until I'm in a better place where I can make some big noise.

I didn't have the same issues as you, but I did have a problem with the two connectors (headphone jack and jack to source) losing connection and shorting out on me on a regular basis. I contacted Andy and went through a long and torturous process that took many months. I am in the US and discovered that the shipping cost to Hong Kong was between $100 and $130 depending on which carrier was used. This was cost prohibitive for me since it would be the same cost to buy a new amp. Andy was kind enough to offer to have it sent to a US location near where he would be for a conference. He took it back to Hong Kong with him for repair and then several months later brought it back to the States when he had another conference. He then shipped it to me. I had been without it for 4 months. Much to my dismay, the problem had not been fixed at all!! It was having the exact same problem as before. When I contacted Andy, he said that I would have to pay for shipping both ways to get it repaired. I didn't think that was fair seeing as they should have fixed it in the first place.

Very long-winded story there, but, my point is, if you live in the US, and your unit is under warranty (which mine was), you can pretty much forget about getting it fixed for a reasonable amount of money or in a timely fashion. I love my Cayin C5! I did buy a second unit that has been working fine. However, I now realize that if anything goes wrong, it will just have to go in the garbage. I think of these as disposable units.

So, there is no service centre in US!!! .Now i can rightly guess their service in other parts of the world also.

How can a company survive without giving proper service facility to its customers? Considering some of their products cost a fortune such as cayin N8, priced at $3299 in the US.

At least they can provide extended warranties. Which i guess are non existent.

Ours is a very dangerous hobby.

 

[squeakez]

I'm not sure about dangerous but it is definitely expensive. The C5 unit I bought as a replacement has worked like a charm for about 3 years now and the backup unit which I also use has worked beautifully too. I would never buy one of their more expensive amps though, based on my experience with the cheaper ones. Losing $150 is one thing, but losing thousands would be devastating.

 

[CoFire]

Yes, I have had problems with the 3.5 mm connector but mine showed up as cutting out. At the time my main headphones were the DT770/80, which I had purchased from Amazon. I literally sent back 3 of them because I thought the problem was with the cord on the Beyers. Eventually I figured out the problem was with the Cayin C5 connector. I will not go into the long story but I did return it and 4 months (!!!) later, when I received it back from Cayin, the problem was still there. I had to suck it up and buy a new amp which, back then, cost $150. I still think it was worth it though.

What amp did you get? I'm itching to take apart my Cayin C5 and perform surgery. Would be nice to get replacement parts from Cayin (or credit) if they can't support their products in the US.

There were a host of issues with the C5 but if you landed a good one, it pays dividends! I used to power my Beyer DT-1350 and with a little bass boost, those sounded clean! I was going to work it in with my growing collection of IEMs but the crackling from the 3.5 mm socket is just too aggravating!

 

[squeakez]

I should have been more clear. I bought another Cayin C5. I have had it for several years now and tons of hours of use and have had no problems whatsoever. It was worth it to me to get another one. It's a great amp.

 

[Shareknow]

I should have been more clear. I bought another Cayin C5. I have had it for several years now and tons of hours of use and have had no problems whatsoever. It was worth it to me to get another one. It's a great amp.

I hope i receive it in good condition. I usually take good care of the products i own, be it portable or desktop. Now i have some hope of getting a good user experience. But still worried about after sales service once 1 year warranty is over.

 

[Shareknow]

What amp did you get? I'm itching to take apart my Cayin C5 and perform surgery. Would be nice to get replacement parts from Cayin (or credit) if they can't support their products in the US.

There were a host of issues with the C5 but if you landed a good one, it pays dividends! I used to power my Beyer DT-1350 and with a little bass boost, those sounded clean! I was going to work it in with my growing collection of IEMs but the crackling from the 3.5 mm socket is just too aggravating!

Will they provide spare parts?

Nice to know that you had an enjoyable experience, pairing C5 with Beyer DT-1350.

 

[squeakez]

I have no idea if they will provide spare parts. And you may still have problems with repairs even if you are still under warranty. My connector problems happened when I was still under warranty.

My pairing is with the DT 880/600 and the Denon AH-D600.

 

[Lohb]

.

 

[Shareknow]

I hope i receive it in good condition. I usually take good care of the products i own, be it portable or desktop. Now i have some hope of getting a good user experience. But still worried about after sales service once 1 year warranty is over.

Today received the C5 amp package. So far so good. The amp is working fine. The included 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable is poor in quality.

Need new cable. Will the FiiO L17 cable work properly with it ?

Sharing some pics.