Cayin N7 DAP Review - What does $2000 get you in a portable music player?
Ғылым және технология
Cayin's N7 is the first portable digital audio player (DAP) to use 1-bit playback, in the manner of high-end Japanese CD players, rather than a conventional DAC chip. I put it through its paces.
------------
You can buy the Cayin N7 from HiFiGo and support my channel at the same time:
www.hear.audio/go/n7
------------
Don't forget to read the FAQ! hear.audio/faq
------------
Become a member, see my reviews and product impressions in advance, and get my buying advice any time:
buymeacoffee.com/currawong
------------
I have been using Backblaze’s unlimited cloud backup to protect all my data - terabytes of it - for a flat monthly or yearly fee, for years. I highly recommend them as a backup solution.
amos.io/backup
------------
Recommended "must have" genuine micro SD cards on Amazon: (Affiliate links)
Sandisk Extreme (32GB to 1TB): amzn.to/3zrw9Xm (Very fast. Shown in video.)
Sandisk Extreme Pro 1TB: amzn.to/3MJOmpl (If you need speed.)
Sandisk Ultra (32GB to 1TB): amzn.to/3LLzohd (Better value, especially the 400GB card.)
PNY (64GB to 1TB): amzn.to/3gmseDC
Samsung EVO (32GB to 512GB): amzn.to/2v76uX5 (Shown in video.)
Lexar (Up to 1TB): amzn.to/3MKvDtv (Very fast cards.)
Silicon Power (64GB to 256GB): amzn.to/2S5T6vz (Lesser known, but good brand.)
Other cards:
Teamgroup: (16GB to 1TB) amzn.to/35mb9U0 (Ratings are all for lower capacities. The reliability of this brand for 1TB cards is unknown.)
Amplim (16GB to 1TB): amzn.to/3glLxwG (See the comments where someone tested the 1TB card. Long-term reliability is unknown.)
Buying through these links supports making these videos.
00:00 Start
01:43 What is 1-bit Audio?
06:33 Sound Impressions - Amplifier
10:03 Sound with Full-sized Headphones
12:13 Sound impressions - DAC
15:54 Storage and Micro SD cards
17:28 Compared to other devices
20:16 Conclusion
22:22 Thanks
Пікірлер: 42
Currawong, Thank you very much!
Great review. WIll you do a (hifiman) dekoni cobalt review?
I have the N7 and use it with the Aroma A100TB amplifier as well as the Cayin C9. I get longer battery life as I'm only using line out. Most of my listening is from FLAC files and I find an almost analog sound from the N7. It pairs nicely with the C9 but really sounds best wirh Aroma TB100. I have op amp rolled with the Aroma with Muses 02 on the input and Burson Iv5's on the outputs. With this combination the sound is analog and dynamic, deep and rich.
@Currawong
10 ай бұрын
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for reviewing this. I have the RU7, and have had 4499 DACs, so I know what you mean about the polished sound characteristic. I've found that Yamaha music instruments have a similar experience. Not lacking in detail, but they "beautify" things a little for the listener.
How does this sound compared to the Kann Ultra??
Would it pair well with Shure KSE1500?
Another great review thank you 👍 any chance you’ll review the HiBy RS8 in the future?
How would this compare to the RS6?
Will you be doing a review of the RU7? I'm curious how it compares with the RU6.
@Currawong
10 ай бұрын
Yes, that's coming soon.
@CoffeeXmusic
10 ай бұрын
@@Currawongpatiently waiting for it. Looking to get a dongle soon. Can't decide.
Cayin should make a standalone 1 bit desktop DAC for those who just want a great DAC to plug into a tube amp or something at a reasonable price. Tried using the RU-7 in this manner, but it had noise issues (even with my iPad using supplied usb c cable across two 2 units, both had noise). I could tell the RU7 dac was producing a good sound, minus the noise crackling. I know Schiit is working on 1 bit dacs. I wonder if they are the future. I did some research and read that 1 bit DACs are more susceptible to noise than multibit dacs, which would seem to be accurate based on my experience.
@Currawong
10 ай бұрын
I don't think it's as simple as that. If you want a 1-bit desktop DAC, there are quite a few R2R DACs that also have DSD ladders, though you'd need something like HQPlayer to convert all your music to 1-bit during playback.
Looking forward to the review of the RU7. I bought one and I can't seem to get it to run off of my cell phone It stutters. I tried a second cell phone and it stutters there too and they're both USB 3.0 so I'm not sure what's going on I don't know if I got it defective one or if it draws quite a bit of current? When it isn't stuttering I can tell the sound is really really smooth and I'm actually not that sure how enamored I am with that presentation I like the FC-6... a lot which is really different of course
@Currawong
10 ай бұрын
It draws a lot of current.
@Truthtalks86
9 ай бұрын
I started using USB audio player pro and the dropouts went away. I'm glad for that, but I have no idea why . OH and I love the sound ! Definitely benefited from burn in. It's just great.
@scottmuhlbaier1945
Ай бұрын
Be careful of your phone's battery because that thing will drain it quickly. The RU7 uses a lot more power than the RU6. 13:41
i wonder how far the ru7 with lets say a decent dap as source might be from it?
@Currawong
10 ай бұрын
Not as detailed, basically. Bit more of a bloom to the sound as well. Not as much power for headphones either.
@nusu5331
10 ай бұрын
thank you for fast reply! that was to be expected, but seems not much of a trade off to me, as i am mostly into soundstage and dont care for details @@Currawong
What's the best portable Bluetooth DAC amp that you reviewed
Am confused by commentary. Does this use a r2r ladder dac?
@genotabby
10 ай бұрын
1 bit is different from r2r
500mw? You mean 5000mw? Or is it really just half a watt?
@Currawong
4 ай бұрын
A portable device cannot put out 5000mW at this size.
You mention the Sony DAPs. The Sony NW-WM1AM2 is a wonderful sounding DAP as well. Very detailed but warm in presentation. You would need a Japanese or US version to have High Gain enabled though
@nusu5331
10 ай бұрын
still far to low gain after all
It's a shame that a lot of these DAPs are so expensive
@nusu5331
10 ай бұрын
try building one for cheap
@ItsWhatever736
10 ай бұрын
@@nusu5331 I never said I don't get why they're expensive. There's a lot in them.
@ornobislam5106
9 ай бұрын
Better to use dongles with phones
Best micro-SD Cards are Military grade / industrial type. They have the best reliability and magnetic shielding which vastly improves music quality. The best I've tried is Micron i400 Industrial MicroSD Cards. you will hear a massive change in the sound quality.
@RFerreira2009
7 ай бұрын
😂
4.4 should be the new standard.
More $$$$ = more better!
My only issue with these kind of players at this price is the Android. I’d rather have something that is purely and only a music player
@muntdouken9841
10 ай бұрын
They should at least be dual boot systems so you have choice and flexibility.
@MikeDawson1
10 ай бұрын
Agreed, I want something that doesn't also contain an operating system that will go out of date in a few years
@nusu5331
10 ай бұрын
ibasso does that @@muntdouken9841
It's definitely not for me, thank you for another great review.
How much?! Hell no. You probably pay that much for electricity monthly with all that sweet gear behind you!