Cayin N8iii is the third generation of Cayin’s flagship tube DAPs – a category that Cayin pioneered with the release of the original N8. A key feature of the N8 lineup has been the ability to switch between solid state and tube modes, but that’s a feature that’s become widespread across the industry – with products like the iBasso Nunchaku portable DAC giving you the option tube output right from your phone. In the changing landscape of portable high-end audio, does the N8iii bring something new to the table to set it apart and help it stand out against the competition?

Build and Design

Cayin N8iii features a similar design to previous N8 players and also the Cayin N7. It features a large screen and a thick aluminum chassis. The gold-tinted adornments on the buttons and volume knob looks classy and offer a heightened sense of luxury to the design. N8iii is pretty heavy, weighing in at 580g or 1.25 pounds, so while you might be able to squeeze its moderately sized frame into your pocket, you’d better make sure your belt is tightened up first.

Cayin N8iii includes a leather case, screen protectors, a USB-C cable, and adapters to convert 2.5mm terminations to 4.4mm or 3.5mm. The case is one of the best I’ve seen from Cayin, with a nice feel, and a simple closure with an attachable wrist strap. It also leaves the microSD card slot accessible, which is helpful if you frequently update your card and don’t want to have to take the whole case off each time. The adapters are a nice touch as well since many people still have cables with 2.5mm terminations that they may not want to replace.

Using N8iii

In terms of general operation and use, N8iii is pretty much just like every other DAP out there. You get a mostly stock Android 12 experience, with decent general performance from the Snapdragon 665 SoC, along with some the Cayin player app and configuration options. The overall UI performance is above average, but not particularly notable. Included in the selectable features are:

• Gain Settings: High, Medium, Low

• Power Mode (Current Level): P, P+

• Amplifier Class: AB, A, A+

• Hyper Mode (Activates Class A+ and P+ mode with one touch): On/Off

• Timbre Settings: Tube, Solid State

• Tube Timbre: Classic, Modern

While, for the most part each setting creates only a subtle difference, combined, they can deliver a pretty broad range of tonal shifts for the player, moving from something that’s warm and just a little bit soft, to something that’s clean, dynamic, and very hard hitting.

From an UI and general use perspective, N8iii’s biggest standout feature is something that I wouldn’t have expected: the battery life. With many flagship players and portable DACs, getting 10 hours of playback on a single charge is nothing short of a miracle, and if you’re using high gain mode or any additional features, you might find yourself getting closer to 5 hours. N8iii really shines here, delivering 8-12 hours of playback time in real world circumstances, using high gain, P+, tubes, and the full suite of features.

Sound

Put simply, N8iii sounds like a flagship DAP. In fact it sounds like a couple of them. That is to say that N8iii delivers excellent tuning and technical performance, with options that deliver a range of sonic options, with each set of options providing a different version of a flagship experience – rather than one or two options being the “right” choice with the others not sounding as good.

The Amplifier Class option largely impacts the dynamics, with AB feeling a little softer and more relaxed, while A+ is the fastest, most dynamic and energetic option. Between Tube and Solid State, Tube mode is warmer with a small rolloff in the highs, while Solid State delivers a cleaner, purer sound. Solid State and Class A+ is dynamic and energetic, while also feeling tight and accurate. The Modern and Classic option is basically a “Tube” and “More Tube” option, with Modern landing somewhere in between the dynamics and clarity of Solid State and the warmer Classic tube mode.

Whichever option you decide to go with, you’re going to get a wide soundstage, strong imaging with a weighty, holographic feel, and flagship level detail and resolution. The soundstage is impressive, offering an expansive three-dimensional space, and within that space, well-recorded tracks will provide an immersive listening experience with a strong “in the room” feeling.

N8iii has solid output power, especially when it’s maxed out. N8iii had no trouble with a number of moderately hard-to-drive headphones, while still delivering a black background for sensitive IEMs. Over-ear headphones like the Audeze LCD-5s and HIFIMAN HE1000 Unveiled sound great, and sensitive IEMs like Campfire Andromeda 10 get a black background, even with the tubes on.

Comparison: Astell&Kern SP4000

As a flagship $4000 DAP, there’s really only one comparison that's more important that any other: Astell&Kern SP4000. I’ve said before that SP4000 is the best sounding portable audio device that I’ve ever heard, so is N8iii really in the same league?

In terms of the user experience, it depends on exactly how you use your player. Astell&Kern maintains the best experience for users who primarily listen to their own collection of downloaded music, but – in spite of massive improvements in user experience over the last couple generations – lags behind slightly for app users. The battery life is also a big factor here for many users, and N8iii just blows SP4000 out of the water here. I’d estimate that in any given use case, N8iii lasts nearly twice as long as SP4000 off battery. So if you’re talking fully maxed out features with over-ear headphones, SP4000 is going to get 4-5 hours. N8iii gets 8-9. In my practical experience, you can expect 6-7 hours of normal practical playback time from SP4000, but under the same circumstances, N8iii gets closer to 12.

In terms of sound, this ends up being a similar discussion to when I compared Astell&Kern SP3000 with Cayin N8ii. Then, like now, I found that the Cayin player had a wider range of sounds available, and that aspects of the sound were on par with aspects of Astell&Kern’s flagship player, but in terms of the one singular “best” sound, Astell&Kern is still at the top. Solid State mode is as detailed and dynamic as SP4000, but not quite as tonally balanced. Modern Tube mode is like 99% of the way there in every other category, but it loses just a little bit of the fast dynamic feeling where N8iii matches SP4000 in Solid State mode. They’re very close in every regard, but I think it really comes down to whether you want a “one and done” singular incredible sound, or a variety of excellent sounds to try to match with your music or headphones.

The Bottom Line

While some of the improvements over N8ii, like the sound quality and power output, are simply iterative, others, like the battery life, represent a large, notable improvement. Putting it all together, Cayin N8iii is the perfect evolution of Cayin’ flagship line. It improves on the features, usability, battery life, and sound of the previous iteration, making this Cayin’s best DAP yet.