Cayin N5II / Mark 2 Digital Audio Player

Cayin N5ii – The Killer

Cayin

Cayin is a premium Chinese high end audio brand (since 1993) and their focus has mostly been on dedicated HiFi equipment, covering every chain in the music reproduction path, from CD player to speaker, but the essence is no doubt their tube amplifiers. Their equipment ranges from around US$100 to just below US$10,000 per item, covering the needs of different requirements and budgets. Cayin has built over 400 products up to date and lately Cayin has been focusing on the portable market as well with successful units such as the N3, N5, N6, i5 portable players and the C5 portable amplifier. Now Cayin is back with the N5ii, an Android based DAP with extreme versatility and as the name suggests it is the N5 DAP’s successor.

This is a rather comprehensive review and it has a big part that’s not about sound. Why? Simply because all characteristics are very important in a DAP, and so is usability, etc. On top of that this is the very first Cayin N5ii Production version review on the web, and so it has to be detailed and complete.

N5ii aka N5 MK2

The new Cayin N5ii, just like the original N5, comes with a balanced 2.5mm output and it featured double MicroSD slots. Apart from that, the new N5ii is completely different from the original. The Cayin N5ii is a modern styled, perfectly built DAP that offers great value for money.

Product Highlight:
MCU: Rockchip RK3188
System: Custom Android 5.1
Display: 3.65" 854x480 TFT touch screen
RAM: 1G DDR3
DAC: ESS9018K2M
Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz
Op-Amp: OPA1622 x 3
Bluetooth: BT4.0
Storage: 32GB + TF (upto 256GBx2)
Headphone: 3.5mm +2.5mm (Balanced)
Line: 3.5mm (shared)
Digital: Coaxial, USB Audio (in/out)
USB: Type C (2.0), charging, OTG
Battery: 3000mAH
Duration: -12 hours
Charging: -3.5 hours (2.1A)
Dimension: 115*57*15.3 (mm)
Weight: -150g