[Dsnuts]

Speaking of the Cayin. She has landed. Will have initial impressions of the Cayin C5 later.

 

[Ap616]

Use coupon code WELCOME10 for an additional 10% off at sheetmusicplus.com.

I used a different coupon code for 10% off when I got min, but then paid for expedited shipping with the discount I got And it still took a little while for me to get mine. It probably would've taken 3-4 weeks without...
But anyway, I highly recommend them to anyone here! Very underrated on Head-fi imo. They are one the best sub $150 headphones out there. Definitely could be up there with the Mikros 90, Takstar Pro 80, Philips L1, and Sennheiser HD558 but even a little cheaper. I haven't heard most of those though...

 

[DannyBai]

How about the underrated Yamaha HPH-200 for $80?

I think they are fantastic sound wise! though the L1 are supposed to be good too. Obviously way better built.

...not on Amazon though($150 there), at sheetmusicplus.com

Those were livelier and sounded excellent and $80 is a good deal for that sound.
 

Hmm, I paid about the same for my l1 shipped and taxed to Norway and was still underwhelmed........

Only good about them to me is build and and comfort. Soundwise they leave a lot to be desired.

Agreed on build and comfort.  I can understand on the sound.  It's dark and laid back so it won't suit everyone.  I happen to like that sort of sound and everything else in between.  

 

[doctorjazz]

VACATION!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

 

[Dsnuts]

So she has landed and to my surprise the 2month order of the Lines 970 also came in. Yes after 2 months of waiting. This is the good news. The bad
 


$30 Amp will have missing screw for one.


And the volume nob is crooked.. No problem functioning of course but how difficult would it have been to assemble this without missing a screw. Yes this box that it came in was sealed too. But hey it was $30. As for the Cayin?


Stunning looking. Even better looking first hand. How does it sound? I have no idea because it arrived completely dead so I am charging it now. Also a bit underwhelmed with the stuff it came with.
 


Seriously take a look at that charging connector. What is that? At least provide a damn 5 ft charging cord!!Lol. Actually now that I am looking at it. It is a mini to mini connector. I take it back this thing don't come with a charging cord at all. I suppose it is so common that they probably though it is OK to not include one. The sound better be worth it is what I am saying. Still waiting for it to charge.

 

[Nonsensical]

So she has landed and to my surprise the 2month order of the Lines 970 also came in. Yes after 2 months of waiting. This is the good news. The bad





$30 Amp will have missing screw for one.




And the volume nob is crooked.. No problem functioning of course but how difficult would it have been to assemble this without missing a screw. Yes this box that it came in was sealed too. But hey it was $30. As for the Cayin?




Stunning looking. Even better looking first hand. How does it sound? I have no idea because it arrived completely dead so I am charging it now. Also a bit underwhelmed with the stuff it came with.





Seriously take a look at that charging connector. What is that? At least provide a damn 5 ft charging cord!!Lol.

The screw for the Line5 should be in the box...mine was. For some reason you have to screw that one in yourself. Love the amp itself, though.

 

[Dsnuts]

A bit bright out of the box. Probably need some play time for the sound to settle..I will reserve judgement till I get some burn in time on the amp. You got lucky in that you found your screw in the box. I didn't get one. They skipped putting it in the box all together. Not a big deal I will take one out the back and put it up front where it is more important. I am impressed with the power on it. It does have some sound imbalance in low volume but evens out when turning up the volume.
 
To be honest I was way more impressed with the E11K. But we will see how a $30 amp performs after some time running through with some music.

 

[Francisk]

The screw for the Line5 should be in the box...mine was. For some reason you have to screw that one in yourself. Love the amp itself, though.

 
ROFL.....labor cost saving for charging so cheap for the goods so buyer will have to do their bit of work 

 

[nick n]

Might be of interest to someone.  I have an older D TO A unit with a wall wart.. Miniscule, and seems Gefen only makes a few things for home theatre etc, been around for a while. And also another thing is U/L certification etc.
Actually found it at a hearing aid store been on 24/7 for a couple years and zero issues. I have never cracked it open to see what was inside  ( chipset)
http://www.gefen.com/kvm/gtv-192kusb-2-adaud.jsp?prod_id=11499
 
Just noticed this one seems to have a headphone out even. Oh and a 2 year warranty.
 
here's a Sterophile blurb on it.
http://www.stereophile.com/content/ce-week-headphones-galore-iai-dac-small-hi-fi-and-avoiding-bluetooth
 At least it a cheaper option .

 

[Dsnuts]

Initial open box listen.
 
Aha guys..I don't need to compare this amp to my 2Stepdance or my ICAN...I am using my L2 for my initial listen.. This thing sounds unbelievable..One of the best sounding amps out of the box I have ever heard. This thing sounds better than the way it looks. The stereo field is layered beyond normal amplification to the point where it is holographic..Sound stage is already impressive out of my L2 but using this amp. Music is coming at me from all direction very similar to how the 3D enhance feature works on the ICAN. But the crazy thing is the C5 don't have this enhance feature. Very natural..It is not a sterile neutral type sound but much more musical and fluid sounding amp. Organic perhaps.. The lushness of vocals and crispness of instruments simply sound stupendous, world class .This is easily on par with my ICAN. I think the bass could be slightly better. And this is without the bass boost.. Bass boost adds fullness to the lower end but is done tastefully here. No overblown mess. Without it the bass is reference sounding. No bass boost needed. Power for days. I am just using low gain with so much power room on tap. It is going to be interesting to see what cans this thing drives as it can reach blaring volumes on the quick.. I will have more to write when I get some hours on this amp but I can safely say. This amp is more than worth the money spent on it.  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED..I can see this amp quickly becoming very popular around here..Can't wait to put some time on this amp.
 
The sound is decidedly mature, grand in scale, smoothness showered with clean detail.  The sound is expanded in height, width, depth..If your waiting for me to say this amp sucks..Nope..What I am going to say is. This is one of the best sounding amps I have ever heard..Will give your expensive desktop amp a run for sounds and probably has more power. Lol. I thought my ICAN was the best amp purchase of this year I have made. I have to rethink this.
 
This amp is not for the faint of heart..You guys are gonna LOVE this sound.
 
Will have more impressions on the Cayin C5 thread..

 

[Leo888]

Initial open box listen.

Aha guys..I don't need to compare this amp to my 2Stepdance or my ICAN...I am using my L2 for my initial listen.. This thing sounds unbelievable..One of the best sounding amps out of the box I have ever heard. This thing sounds better than the way it looks. The stereo field is layered beyond normal amplification to the point where it is holographic..Sound stage is already impressive out of my L2 but using this amp. Music is coming at me from all direction very similar to how the 3D enhance feature works on the ICAN. But the crazy thing is the C5 don't have this enhance feature. Very natural..It is not a sterile neutral type sound but much more musical and fluid sounding amp. Organic perhaps.. The lushness of vocals and crispness of instruments simply sound stupendous, world class .This is easily on par with my ICAN. I think the bass could be slightly better. And this is without the bass boost.. Bass boost adds fullness to the lower end but is done tastefully here. No overblown mess. Without it the bass is reference sounding. No bass boost needed. Power for days. I am just using low gain with so much power room on tap. It is going to be interesting to see what cans this thing drives as it can reach blaring volumes on the quick.. I will have more to write when I get some hours on this amp but I can safely say. This amp is more than worth the money spent on it.  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED..I can see this amp quickly becoming very popular around here..Can't wait to put some time on this amp.

The sound is decidedly mature, grand in scale, smoothness showered with clean detail.  The sound is expanded in height, width, depth..If your waiting for me to say this amp sucks..Nope..What I am going to say is. This is one of the best sounding amps I have ever heard..Will give your expensive desktop amp a run for sounds and probably has more power. Lol. I thought my ICAN was the best amp purchase of this year I have made. I have to rethink this.

This amp is not for the faint of heart..You guys are gonna LOVE this sound.

Will have more impressions on the Cayin C5 thread..

Getting excited. Looking forward to more in depth impression Dsnut. Btw, did you notice any hissing issue with sensitive iems like the FX850.

 

[Dsnuts]

Zero. Noise floor is clean like the lines on the aluminum housing..I am blown away by how great this amp is. This sound has captivated me like no other. Unexpected reference level portable amplification. I should be sleeping now but I keep on listening to tunes because of this thing. 
 
Oh yea. You know it is a good amp when it makes every single iem and headphone you own sound like the best versions of that particular phone. Amazing.. I had a good feeling about this amp. It has more than exceeded every expectation I had for the sound. 

 

[Leo888]

Thanks Dsnut and will be waiting for your detail impression.

 

[Dsnuts]

Danny just bought the amp and there will be much more in depth discussion on the Cayin C5 thread.. So I took out the FX850 just for you Leo and guess what. I have never heard the FX850 sound this nice. This amp makes everything I own sound stupendous. Hasn't had bad synergy on anything I tried yet.

 

[Leo888]

Danny just bought the amp and there will be much more in depth discussion on the Cayin C5 thread.. So I took out the FX850 just for you Leo and guess what. I have never heard the FX850 sound this nice. This amp makes everything I own sound stupendous. Hasn't had bad synergy on anything I tried yet.

Wow. Thanks Dsnut. Sounds like my wallet is gonna loose some weight.