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Headfonics 2015

The N6 DAP by Cayin

Final Thoughts

The Cayin N6 represents a very solid mid-tier investment if you are out looking for a DAP that covers all the bases in terms of hi-res and lossy music formats. It has a love it or loath it design and I can see very few on the fence in that sense. It is unique that is for sure but it is also one of the biggest DAPs I have held that’s name is not Colorfly C4 Pro. Only the Shanling M3 came in at the same size and everything else is smaller more discreet and more portable. But it sounds good, oh so very good and that size is very forgivable for a DAP that sounds this well controlled and expansive as the N6.

Like the FiiO X3 2nd Gen it has a very broad range of codecs and the inclusion of native decoding will give an extra oomph for those exploring the hi res scene with confidence. It just does it on a much higher level than the X3 and without the AK240 price tag also. That $600 price tag places it right in between the slew of mid-range Chinese Daps and the AK Jnr just announced. It is also a few $100 cheaper than the next stage up with the AK gen 2 basic units as well as the Hifiman HM901 and 901s also. There are not too many really good DAP’s for that price out there right now so whilst it’s not budget it feels attainable.

My only concern, as with any of these DAP’s is the ability to meet demand, sell in the right channels and keep the marketing positive feedback going long enough to make it a worthwhile investment. Firmware development is a continuing must for me with the N6 because whilst I felt the speed and stability was rock solid the whole tagging and music category system was a bit unevolved. Good feedback is coming out on HeadFi which I am glad to see and if Cayin follow the example set by Ibasso and FiiO in churning out the improvements in future firmware and keeping pace then the N6 shelf life might just be long enough to justify the price tag.

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Price: $619.99

Links: http://en.cayin.cn/

Technical Specifications

Technical
DAC Dual PCM1792A
MCU Dual Core 600MHz Ingenic Xburst JZ4760
PLD SA2000
Volume PGA2311
Features
Headphone 220mW+220mW @ 32 ohm
USB-DAC Asynchronous USB up to 24bit/192kHz
Volume Control 0-99
Gain Selection High/Low (+6dB)
Channel Balance -10~+10; +/- 10dB
Equalization 10 bands, +/- 10dB
Power Saving Auto Power Off, Backlight time off, Breakpoint Resume
Interface and Storage
Display 2.4” TFT 400×360 IPS screen
Analog Output 1x 3.5 mm (headphone)
1x 3.5 mm (line)
Digital Output 1x 3.5 mm S/PDIF (coaxial)
Physical Control 1x Multipurpose Jog Dial
4x General Navigation Button
Volume +/Next
Volume -/Pre
Language English, Chinese (Traditional, Simplified)
Storage 1x micro-SD card (up to 128G)
Audio Format
DSD DSD64 (DSF, DFF), DSD128 (DSF, DFF), SACD ISO
WAV Up to 24bit/192kHz
FLAC Up to 24bit/192kHz
ALAC Up to 24bit/192kHz
APE Up to 24bit/192kHz
WMA Up to 24bit/96kHz
AAC Supported
OGG Supported
MPEG MP2; MP3
Battery
Battery Capacity 5600 mAH
Charger 1.2A (to be revised)
Power LED Green: Standby, Flashing: Charging
Battery Life 6 ~ 8 hours (to be revised)
Charging Time 2.5 hours ~ 4.5 hours (to be revised)
Physical
Dimension (L) 68mm~72mm
(H) 126mm
(W) 17.6mm~19.7mm
Weight 230g
Discontinued

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