[d marc0]

I've been playing around with the Cayin N6 and here's my early impressions:
 
DESIGN and BUILD QUALITY

I'm a supporter of simplistic design and while the N6 is far from my personal preference, I do find it likeable because it's a fresh take on DAP design. But I must admit that I don't have a vast experience in various kinds of digital audio players. If I were to compare the N6 to the ones I've owned, tried, or tested, this player can definitely compete in terms of build quality. The stunning carbon fiber back plate is not only a joy to look at but also helps maintain sturdiness without adding significant weight. Granted the N6 is a bit hefty for a portable player, I can appreciate the choice in materials. It could've been a lot heavier had Cayin chosen the wrong materials. The main body is well coated and it doesn't seem to scratch easily. The buttons, ports, knob, and jacks are well made. The circular bezel around the screen is gorgeous... balances out the overall design making it look more aesthetically pleasing to the eyes. The button layout is well implemented but it does take a bit of time to get used to. Personally it took me about a day's usage to fully adapt to Cayin's layout. Overall, a beautiful and mechanically sound device! My only nit-pick is the screen because it doesn't seem to be sapphire crystal, gorilla glass, or at least scratch resistant. Fortunately, Cayin was kind enough to provide a screen protector which easily solves my gripe.

 

USER INTERFACE

Similar to all the niche players I've tried and tested, the N6 has a basic implementation. Even a kid can get around the menu easily and to me that is a positive thing. There's really no surprises here that can put the N6 in a special category. Anyone will be able to use this player efficiently after a couple of days practice. In terms of the UI's responsiveness, I do find it a bit slow and I hope this can be improved with a simple firmware upgrade. Otherwise, Cayin will have to upgrade some of the hardware components to keep up with the best in the market because there's already quite a few out there that can outperform the Cayin.

 

SOUND

I find the Cayin N6 sound to be grand in terms of its presentation. It's larger, more spacious than the iPod touch 5th Gen and FiiO X3 2nd Gen. Bass is solid and clean which is satisfying to hear even at lower volume. Mids is full, lush, and engaging... nothing really to write home about because it really just sounds right. Treble seems to have a bit of a lift or should I say an emphasis in terms of energy resulting to added clarity/detail. This can be good or bad depending on the sound signature of the headphones used. But then again, it's a similar case with any other DAP and setup. It really boils down to synergy and one will have to go through trial and error before attaining that desired sound. Personally, I prefer using the N6 with full sized open headphones like the Fidelio X2. Because of the "grand" presentation, it enhances all the good traits of an open pair of headphones. Aside from that, there's enough power in the N6 to drive most headphones in the market. 

 

As for IEMs, I tried the DN2000j with Cayin N6 and the pairing is good when listening at low volume. There's a slight hiss but it's barely noticeable and irrelevant once music is played. There is one disadvantage with this pairing and that's the emphasis in treble. Not just on the N6 but more on the DN2000j. So, if you listen at high volumes the result can be too much in terms of treble energy. I also tried the Brainwavz R3 with the N6 and the result is perfect. Again, I can't stress enough the importance of synergy when using the N6. Once synergy is met, the result is magnificently grand.

 

 

 

 

[H20Fidelity]

Thanks for your wonderful first impressions d marc0! Enjoy your time with the Cayin N6.

 

[olddude]

I know I'm not on the Australian tour, but thought I'd post this here for reference since I'm on the West Coast tour.
 

Having recently had a chance to road test the Cayin N6 as it worked its way through the West Coast tour, I have some thoughts on how it looks, feels and sounds.
 
Packaging is excellent.  My wife even commented on that when she saw the box and its contents.  The device itself looks and feels quite substantial (it is not a lightweight), and build quality/attention to detail seem to be first class.  The controls are not immediately intuitive, but a quick perusal of the directions sorted them out quickly.  The GUI is easy to see and understand. 
 
I had some initial problems with my tour unit when it first arrived.  I had inserted a 64gb MicroSDCard of mine in it, loaded with my music, and run a music scan.  All of my music showed up, but every time I attempted to play a song the device emitted a loud pop in my iems and then did a power off/power on reset.  Checking the power display, it showed 40+% power.  Re-reading the directions, it was clear I was operating it correctly.   I even switched iems to be sure it wasn’t a plug issue.  I did get it to play two songs, but then it began to reset again. 
 
I decided to charge it fully, and let it do so for an hour or so.  In the meantime, I downloaded the most up-to-date firmware from the Cayin site.  After a full charge, I loaded up the firmware update and ran it, then went into settings and set the device up.  At that point it worked flawlessly.  I can only assume that the power indicator was not reading correctly, and that the device was resetting due to lack of power.  That or perhaps because the device was at a lower firmware there was a problem there.  I posted this on the tour pm we are communicating on and was told by the person who had it before me that he had somewhat the same problem, but that the device settled down and worked after a while. 
 
In any event, the device was now working flawlessly.  I used both my Ultimate Ears Reference Monitors and my Fidue A83s in my testing.  I used the standard cable with each.  The device was set up with no EQ, Digital Filter set to Slow. 
 
When I first listened to it, before the firmware update, the device sounded incredibly bright and holographic through my UERMs.  Instrument and vocal placement was distinct, the soundstage was quite wide, and the upper trebles were detailed to the point where I felt that within an hour I would be fatigued.  Bass was strong, mids were clean, but it sounded almost artificial.
 
After the firmware update the sound was much improved (to my ears).  While placement was lessened, the over-brightness was gone and it felt much smoother.  The soundstage remained wide.  With my UERMs the sound was quite pleasing, although to my ears it was a bit digital. 
 
I ran through a number of tracks with both the UERMs and the A83s, going from the N6 to my Pono or vice versa.  I started and stopped tracks before swapping devices.  I attempted to match volumes as close as possible by ear.  Visually, both devices used about the same amount of power for my listening levels based on their volume indicators.  
 
What I heard was interesting.  The N6 has a very clean, detailed and almost glasslike sound.  All instruments seem distinct and separate from the others.  The level of detail was amazing.  The bass was strong when it was there in the track, the mids were strong and clear, the trebles were not overly bright but very distinct.  To my ears it sounded very digital.  When I would move to the Pono and play the same exact section of music at the same volume the sound was not as overtly clear, not as precisely detailed.  There was interaction between instruments and vocals, frequencies reverberating and mixing, that were not there with the N6.  There was much more timbre with the Pono.  The bass felt stronger, the mids seemed about the same but again not as detailed, and the trebles were not quite as bright.  But what the Pono had was a feeling of musicality.  It was anything but digital.  It sounded like music being made by people.  The N6 sounded like music assembled on a computer.  Maybe it is a matter of analogue sounding vs. digital sounding. 
 
Having had an iBasso DX50, a Colorfly C3, a  Fiio X5 and a Fiio X1, I would say that the N6 (which is obviously more expensive than all of them) sounded better to my ears.  Even though I appreciated the incredible amount of detail in the N6, it was too immaculate and too impersonal for my tastes, especially when compared to my Pono.   
 
I also a/b’d using my UERM by swapping out my single-ended cable for my balanced cable.  It just made the differences even more apparent.  The Pono took on even more timbre and musicality.  I didn’t try this with my Fidue (I can run it balanced as well) but I assume the same would hold true with it. 
 
For listening I chose music I listen to often.  I have relatively narrow tastes compared to some here.  I used Steely Dan Gaucho in 24/96, Donald Fagan Nightfly in DSD, The Beach Boys Pet Sounds in DSD, Thomas Dolby Best Of in 16/44, The Beatles Abbey Road and Past Masters 2 in 24/44, The Band The Band  in 24/192, The Band Stage Fright in DSD, Joni Mitchell Chalk Mark In A Rainstorm in 16/44, Bob Dylan Blonde On Blonde in 24/88, Paul Simon Hits in 16/44, Peter Gabriel 1 (Car) in DSD, Stevie Wonder Music Of My Mind in 16/44, Talking Heads Little Creatures in 24/96, Traffic Heaven Is In Your Mind and Traffic in 16/44, Van Morrison The Best Of in 16/44, Brian Wilson No Pier Pressure in 16/44, and Brian Wilson & Van Dyke Parks Orange Crate Art in 16/44.
 
Some of the above had better/worse sound to my ears.  Paul Simon’s Me And Julio sounded really artificial on the N6 (this was the worst track I heard), even though it sounded fine on the Pono.   Most of The Beatles songs sounded fairly similar on both devices (these were from the 2009 remasters in 24 bit, a very nice set with very good sound).   Mostly it was the feeling of relative thinness from lack of timbre that bothered me with the N6.  Even though there was plenty of bass, there was no real resonance.  Sort of a crystalline sound, not brittle but impersonal. 
 
Would I recommend the N6.  Sure.  It’s a good device, well made, that delivers an incredible level of detail, separation and soundstage.  Will I buy one?  No.  It doesn’t suit my sound signature.  Might it have had a different response to different kinds of music that I didn’t play on it?  Sure.  I’ll leave that to other reviewers. 
 
Thanks again to hakushondaimao and EmpJ of CTC Audio for making this tour happen. 

 

[H20Fidelity]

Thanks very much for stopping by with some impressions @olddude much appreciated. 

 
Our Australian Cayin N6 tour unit will be staying with @d marc0 until the 24th - August then heading to @T.R.A.N.C.E.

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

Kewl, N6 might intercept the Hum try out (thanks H20) so I will do a comparison of  N6, Hum, Pono, DX90, F887, QA360, P90SD. Fyi my fave's are Pono and P90SD for portable and fat dap respectively.

 

[H20Fidelity]

  Kewl, N6 might intercept the Hum try out (thanks H20) so I will do a comparison of  N6, Hum, Pono, DX90, QA360, P90SD (and maybe a Sony dap). Fyi my fave's are Pono and P90SD for portable and fat dap respectively.

 
Sounds good to me mate. Let's see where N6 fits into your rankings over the demo period. 
 
I think olddude definitely heard some stronger aspects with N6 over his Pono Player, though found N6 a little bright or less organic with his IEMs.
 
Yourself having owned DX90 and enjoy it will be interesting from that angle with Cayin N6. 

 

[Loquah]

I'm keen to read how the QA360 rates vs Pono, N6 and Pervasion, too

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

Found a Cayin N6 at my door when I got home today, will give initial impressions tomorrow as I'm too tired to concentrate on a comparison atm.

 

[Wyd4]

Sounds good to me mate. Let's see where N6 fits into your rankings over the demo period. 

I think olddude definitely heard some stronger aspects with N6 over his Pono Player, though found N6 a little bright or less organic with his IEMs.

Yourself having owned DX90 and enjoy it will be interesting from that angle with Cayin N6. 

I would agree here
I found the n6 to be a more refined dx90 that sounds SLIGHTLY less artificial.
Not canning the dx90, I loved mine, but I paired it with a govibe portatube for perfection. The n6 I felt no such need

 

[H20Fidelity]

I would agree here
I found the n6 to be a more refined dx90 that sounds SLIGHTLY less artificial.
Not canning the dx90, I loved mine, but I paired it with a govibe portatube for perfection. The n6 I felt no such need

 
Thing is, I compared these DAPs extensively with my Tralucent 1Plus2.
 
I was in high hopes Cayin N6 would offer me an upgrade from my DX90 / 1Plus2 rig (which is very good). After testing I still preferred the synergy with DX90.

 

[Wyd4]

Thing is, I compared these DAPs extensively with my Tralucent 1Plus2.

I was in high hopes Cayin N6 would offer me an upgrade from my DX90 / 1Plus2 rig (which is very good). After testing I still preferred the synergy with DX90.

Yeah I can see how that might be the case
The n6 is very neutral/bright. This played well with my ref1 as they are a little on the dark side.
With the 1p2 though the match might not be so great.
I loved it with my ref 1. Ideal match. But found it to be less versatile than the dx90.

 

[H20Fidelity]

Yeah I can see how that might be the case
The n6 is very neutral/bright. This played well with my ref1 as they are a little on the dark side.
With the 1p2 though the match might not be so great.
I loved it with my ref 1. Ideal match. But found it to be less versatile than the dx90.

 
I need to reassess N6 when it pops back around in another month or two, I didn't especially hear N6 being bright like yourself and oldude, not on the firmware it was running. I think there's absolutely IEM out there capable of drawing N6's full potential, several. Just for my preferences 1Plus2 wasn't one of them. It sounded good certainly, just missing some clarity I hear on the DX90 combination. As compensation no other DAP I've tried with 1Plus2 does what DX90 can with firmware v2.2.0, not even DX90 can beat itself on other firmware. So N6 isn't the underdog at all.
 
Just some freak me out synergy I have going between the 1Plus2,  Tralucent silver cable and iBasso DX90 - V2.2.0. Even down to a specific tip I use.

 

[olddude]

I probably should have unpacked my 846s and tried them with the N6.  But with the UERMs and the A83 using 3.1 firmware, bright.  My guess is that a bright iem like the 1+2 will have the same issue.  

 

[H20Fidelity]

I probably should have unpacked my 846s and tried them with the N6.  But with the UERMs and the A83 using 3.1 firmware, bright.  My guess is that a bright iem like the 1+2 will have the same issue.  

I have a track I use: Taylor Swift - This Love. I use this as reference point when testing DAPs with 1Plus2. Only DX90 produces the near tear inducing airy clarity levels. If the DAP fails this test it's out of the game.

Brutal tactics.

 

[olddude]

I use a 24bit Beatles track from Sgt. Pepper, "Getting Better," a 16 bit track from Steely Dan's Aja, "Aja," and Thomas Dolby's "I Love You, Goodbye," from his Best Of in 16 bit.  These three give me a range of sounds and frequencies that I use as benchmarks for lows, mids and highs.