【N5在海外】Cayin N5與iBasso DX80, Aune M2 Pro,thebit Opus #1的對比

Ever since Astell & Kern hit it big with their original AK100, the Digital Audio Player (DAP) market went into overdrive. Companies with all sorts of audio backgrounds showed their hand at the game, from classic HiFi companies such as Cayin, more consumer known brands such as Onkyo and Pioneer and even brands such as thebit who started out with sat-navs! Honestly we have just not been able to keep up with them all and while we have looked at a few of the top end options such as the AK380 and Lotoo Paw Gold, Josh and I thought it was time to scratch the surface with some other brands at the cheaper price points. By no means have we got them all, oh no that would be madness but we have got 4 rather interesting models to go head to head. We are going to break down the DAPs into pieces and individually assess their abilities in what we think are the most important areas. It’s going to be a long ride but hopefully it will show both ourselves and you where the current DAP market is, what are the problems, what are the strengths and most importantly, make it easier to pick the right one for you.

The Models

I think it is important that we get a background and overview of the 4 products we plan on shooting out, lets run through in price order.

We first of all have the Cayin N5, the cheapest of the bunch but one that in terms of specs deserves as much attention as the others and certainly deserved to be in the mix with the more expensive competitors. Cayin are one of your more traditional HiFi companies based in China. Looking through their portfolio you will see some glorious tube amplifiers and wooden encased CD players but like a lot of speaker related companies, they have seen the light which is portable audio. Starting off with the extremely well acclaimed C5 portable amp, they moved to the N6 as their first DAP which I have off good authority from my friend and owner over at Headfonics (Marcus Downey) is an impressive product. The N5 is their second attempt at a Digital Music Player and also a cheaper one than the N6 that seems to remain as flagship. The price in the UK is £249 from Advanced MP3 Players who I know to be solid but is £10 cheaper from EGlobal UK who is an unknown to me.

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What a DAP can do is certainly very important and while I appreciate that you certainly may want different features from reader to reader, there is becoming a rather standardised set of abilities and specifications. That being said there are still smaller differences that let some units stand out more than the others. For the most part this chart will cover the most important things but I have babbled into little more depth if that interests you.

FeaturesiBasso DX80Aune M2 ProCayin N5Opus #1Battery13 hours (3600mAh)6.5 hours (3500mAh)9 hours (4200mAh)10 hours (4000mAh)Micro SD Slots

2

1

2

2

CoaxialYesNoYesNoOptical YesNoNoYesBalanced OutNoNoYesYesLine OutYesYesNoNoSignal to Noise114dBN/A108dB114dB (SE)

115dB (BAL)

THD

0.002%

0.0009%

0.006%

0.0007%

Digital Filters

2

4

2

0

For me connectivity is really quite important but again for some of you as long as it has a headphone jack you don’t want no more. It is without doubt the Aune that is the most basic, as will become a bit of a trend for the physical sections of this review. It is limited to just two outputs, both 3.5mm jacks and one being dedicated for a line out, the other a headphone out. While I appreciate the line out it is the only model that lacks a digital output. Of course if you don’t want an external DAC and use its own specifically designed internals then that won’t be needed, but I like the option of a digital out as it allows you to hook up your DAP with your HiFi which is cool.

The other three have either a 3.5mm coaxial output (Cayin and iBasso) or their headphone output doubles up as an optical output in the case of the Opus (like its inspiration the AK series).The DX80s coaxial out is actually even more special as it doubles up as a mini optical, for double the digital output. While I do feel the Opus and Cayin are the best for connectivity (Cayin actually as I prefer coaxial to optical) since they both feature a 2.5mm balanced output, they do lose the dedicated line output of the other two. The Cayin does have a line out option and the Opus can of course be set to max for use with a portable amp but I still don’t think it classifies as a true option like the Aune and iBasso. The DX80 and N5 also can both behave as USB DACs which is also very handy. Considering the N5 is the cheapest it really is the most kitted out in this area.

Now considering that all 4 of these players can handle DSD and hi res PCM (nothing past 24/192 mind you), memory is an important feature. As Astell & Kern moved into their 2nd generation of players their biggest mistake was going from 2 to 1 micro SD ports. Fortunately other companies realised how smart having two ports is and have adopted that as a feature. That is the case for the Opus, DX80 and N5 while the Aune only has one measly port. This instantly puts the Aune at a heavy disadvantage, especially with the fact that along with the iBasso and Cayin it has no onboard memory. Only the #1 has 32gb on board so you will be needing micro SDs with all of these to have a decent chunk of your music collection with you on the way. With 128gb and 200gb cards being a thing now you can get 400gb at least on any of the players that have two slots but Aune is much more limited with their website saying it only takes up to 128gb cards, ouch

Lastly I thought we should look at the internals for the product. I have to say that while the Aune has looked a little disappointing up until now in terms of features, this without doubt looks like the one that has had the most time put into the internal design. Instead of just boasting what DAC chips it uses (AKM4490 like the AK380), it puts emphasis on the class A headphone amp section and also the Crystek clocking, low noise power supply and even comes with 4 digital filters. Like the Aune the Cayin also uses a AKM4490 DAC chip but doesn’t go into near as much detail for the rest of internal design. It does however out do the Aune in DFs with 5 to boot! Opus and iBasso both opted to have their take on the DAC chip selection of the AK240, making these both dual DAC designs using Cirrus Logic’s CS4398. While both these companies do mention a little about clocking, jitter and the amp section, just look on the Aune website for the technical manifest they offer.

The Cayin being the cheapest is surely the big surprise here, offering just so much at the price and really being quite the complete package. It even offers more than Cayins flagship N6 hinting that perhaps everything people requested for the N6 ended up in the N5. The iBasso and Opus seem to be pretty well rounded as well and also come to boot with touch screens, which may or may not tickle your fancy. It certainly seems that the Aune is by far the lowest denominator here, with low battery, poor memory and little connectivity, it is a cause for concern. Thankfully it does seem like while they may have forgotten about all these things they have been VERY serious about the components and design of the PCB for this and with me already knowing how good their portable amp sounds this keeps the DAP in good stead for the sound section.

UI

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The Cayin actually instantly gave Josh a dose of De Ja Vu because it uses an identical GUI to the Shanling M3 he previously reviewed. While the actual button layout and control scheme is completely different, everything on screen is that same, from the themes to the menus. You can read all about the Shanling here. The combination of the buttons and scroll wheel did not once leave me wishing for a touch screen. While it is admittedly a very basic UI it is very easy to control and I ran in to very few problems, thats what is important.

Build Quality

My first impression on everything apart from the iBasso/Opus was how it is nice to see a metal body. It feels good in the hand and obviously is more durable than plastic. That being said the apparent lack of any real volume knobs also stood out, something similar to what Astell & Kern have always provided at any price point. There is something more special about a tactile pot than plus and minus buttons. Aune actually have a pot but it also is a scroll wheel so still is not something of simple task. That being said all buttons on all units were responsive with the Cayin having an especially nice click to them and iBasso and Aune having nice size. I think Opus’s few buttons are a little well… little.

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Hiss and IEM Performance

I don’t think any one DAP works as good with every type of headphone. Lots of factors such as power output and amp design will come in to play to decide how it works with an individual type of headphone. For me personally DAPs main focus should be IEMs and earphones. Now because they tend to be of low impedance and have multiple drivers with different impedance ratings, a low output impedance of a DAP is vital to not over dampen or skew the frequency response of the in ear monitor at hand (or should I say ear). Fortunately all four DAPs here a very competent rating, especially the iBasso which is said to be lower than 0.1 ohm. The lowest number I would be worried about is 5 ohms and as you can see we are well under that. If using IEMs it may benefit you to try the balanced output of the Opus to get it a little lower as you can see from the chart below.

Driving Planar Magnetic and High Impedance Headphones

I will kick off how we started the last section, and that is with some specs.

The Cayin N5 puts out 200mwpc in single ended configuration and this is increased to 300mwpc when the balanced output takes control. The DX80 is rated at 260mwpc output which is slightly more than the Aune which tops out at 230mwpc. All of these are into 32 Ohms by the way. If only we had some for the Opus too! In all seriousness though, specs don’t always tell the full story, it’s the same with FR graphs.

The first headphone I tried with these players with was the low end and easy to drive Sennheiser HD218 they are £70-80 and nothing special at all, but they were my first ever headphone and the least demanding thing I had on hand! All four players had no trouble at all really taking hold and pushing this headphone. Every player did a better job than my HTC M8, which is a relief!  Once that was established and I was feeling happy enough there was at least some level of ability to drive something above IEM’s, I moved upwards to something more challenging…

Sonic Technicalities and Sound Signature Comparison

Cayin

This player is the most musical of the bunch but still pretty neutral by all accounts. The N5 just lacks the airiness and spaciousness of the Aune which means it sounds warmer in general. Its vey much a preference thing though because while I say the N5 lacks airiness, others will say the Aune sounds 『empty』 by comparison. See what I mean? A more relaxed treble and weaker bass impact all contribute to a smoother sound. Despite this, it’s actually such a fun and enjoyable player to listen to. Plenty of detail and good dynamism too!

Bass is well controlled actually; it’s a very capable but softer sounding device at the bottom end. There is a lack of weight right down in the rumbly regions but that is something you generally don’t notice (I’m being picky).  I can see this is designed to be that enjoyable yet top performing player that I genuinely believe will appeal to most people, bass is really well formed and presented to nail this signature.

Mid band is full of clarity and dynamism too which is helped by a rather energetic sounding upper mid/low treble. It’s all very natural and there is no sense of grain to be found. Don’t think there is any sloppiness or lack of direction though, because there isn’t, the N5 just has a very natural, engaging and fun mid range.

Treble is the only area that is a little too soft for me, having said this, if there was super extended shimmering top end it might not be as cohesive as it is in its current state. It is so easy to just get lost in the music with this player, there is never I time where I fell fatigue from the sound of this player, it’s just super enjoyable even if it isn’t a reference tool.

The soundstage is average, and while everything is nicely separated in terms of precision it is more of a lump of sound rather than an airy space. The 2.5mm balanced output tightens everything up, the whole stage is more refined and complete which is why I always tend to use this output when I can with the Cayin! It’s a really lovely little player this, it has a fan in me!

8 Scores on the Door

I think the overall feeling of these players as been summed up pretty well from what me and Josh have had to say. As Josh noted the sound of these across the board was really impressive, surely approaching the much more expensive players but it seems the area they lack more than anything is with the overall package. Even then in some of these areas they outclass more expensive models such as with the iBasso feature set.

Without doubt the three signatures that the Opus, Aune and Cayin all possess could appeal to one of you or work better with your earphones in terms of synergy. With that being said it does seem that the Aune was at the highest in terms of overall technical ability. Sadly the iBasso was at the bottom.

Out of the three players that do seem viable the sound alone could be the big selling point, which I know some of you will base your opinion off. That being said when it comes to overall package things do change up a little. Josh said he would take the Cayin N5 if he could only have one and you no what, when I have been in a rush to go to the gym or walk over town, for simplicity the Cayin has been my pick. If in a more relaxed environment then I grab the Aune for sound pleasure and Josh is the same if it is purely for sound.

The Cayin has to be the best value, it is the cheapest player, it has a very functional UI albeit basic, a bucket load of features and while it did hiss a little with the more sensitive CIEMs, it had the trade off of being able to drive higher impedance cans quite well from its balanced output. Paired with a fun but not overdone signature it has a lot of merits to offer and at the price you will be getting an overall great price to performance ratio. I have not dealt with Cayin products before but as first impressions go this is pretty darn good. We have also decided to give the Cayin our Great Value award.

This article has certainly helped us gather a better insight into what is going on with all these new DAPs and the bottomline is we are impressed and are going to try and keep more up to date with the latest offerings. We already have the HiSoundAudio S6 in our hands for future review and will surely be looking at the stuff like Echobox Explorer which will soon see release!

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