Name: Cayin N8ii | Digital Audio Player
Brand: Cayin
SKU: CAY-N8II
Price: 3499.0 USD
Availability: OutOfStock

Cayin N8ii top 3 quarter over white background

Cayin N8ii front 3 quarter over white background

Cayin N8ii top 3 quarter highlighting volume wheel over white background

Cayin N8ii rotated front over gray background

$3,499.00

The Incredible Cayin N8ii: a Master Quality DAP with Dual Flagship DACs, Dual Vacuum Tubes, and Pro Precision

Dual Flagship ROHM BD34301EKV DACs
Dual KORG Nutube 6P1 tubes for warm, smooth audio
Bluetooth v5.0 with LDAC, UAT, AAC, and SBC | Wi-Fi 2.4G/5G a/b/g/n/ac
3.5mm SE and 4.4MM Balanced headphone and line-outs
Extremely premium feeling and functioning DAP with tons of bells and whistles

Cayin N8ii over dark silk background with yellow ribbon and tarot cards

Luxurious, Flexible, Portable

The Cayin N8ii DAP is a premium, flagship portable music listening device. Expertly crafted, conveniently compatible, and jam-packed with every feature you ever wanted, the N8ii redefines what your music can sound like. It features dual flagship DACs, balanced dual-Timbre Nutubes, a fully balanced discrete amp, Android 9, Hi-Res wireless DAC tech, HP and line out 3.5mm / 4.4mm, three digital interfaces, and much more!

Cayin N8ii all features with thumbnails

Digital Audio Circuit

The digital audio circuit is designed around (x2) ROHM BD34301EKV chipsets, its first time being implemented in a DAP. Each chip operates in mono mode, maximizing its performance. Two low-pass antialiasing filters (PCM mode) and three DSD Filters are available to fine tune sound signature. The audio circuit also features:

Two Femtosecond Crystal Oscillators with extremely low phase noise (-100dBc) to ensure high precision low jitter digital playback
2x2 Current to Voltage I-V Converter Network as low noise high current output stage of the ROHM DACs
6-layer PCB enhanced signal isolation for lower the background noise and interference to critical components such as oscillators.

Dual Vacuum Tube

Fully balanced vacuum tube timbre circuit via (x2) KORG Nutube 6P1 double Triode. Both Nutubes are rigorously tested and matched before installation. Delivers smooth and sentimental musical through 3.5mm or 4.4mm balanced headphone output. Zero Gain negative feedback loop circuit delivers strong current and impressive handling at difficult loads. The transparent, transient extension rivals the best solid state circuits but remains warm, smooth and involving.

Innovative Suspension System

The N8ii features an exclusively designed system to minimize mechanical shock and vibration to eliminate microphonic effect of the Nutubes. The compartmentalized CNC Aluminum chassis creates an isolated, fully dampened chamber for Nutube system. A flexible printed circuit is utilized to minimize shock transmission to and from the main PCB. An in-house designed Shock-absorption Silicon Housing holds and shields the Nutubes, and a Suspension pin mounts the Nutube and Silicon Housing into the designated chamber securely.

Dual Output Mode

Regulate the operational voltage of the headphone amplification circuit to offer
two distinctive outputs. P+ (High Output) will increase output and handling power over P (Standard) with a more saturated sound signature.

Single-ended Phone out: 720mW (16Ω)
Balanced Phone out: 1200mW (16Ω)

Dual Amp Operation Mode

The Dual Amplifier Operation Mode allows you to switch between Class A and Class AB modes instantly through the pull down menu. Choose the sound signature to fit your personal preference of sound, genres, and/or pairing with different IEM/headphones:

Class A Mode
Low distortion, optimum playback condition. Silky smooth, warm and lush. Best fit for sentimental music with lots of detail and macro dynamic.

Class AB Mode
Higher efficiency and dynamic. Clean, tight, extended, and authoritative slam. Best fit for music with high dynamic range and liveliness.

Fully Discrete HeadAmp

Features 4-channel discrete circuit with low-noise audio grade JFET (Junction gate Field-Effect Transistor) and BJT (Bipolar Junction Transistor). Going discrete allows more room to fine tune sound signature and deliver superior performance over op-amp based design.

To maintain all channels at almost identical gain for Class A amplification, critical components were matched and installed into the PCB manually before reflow soldering.

Professional Precision

Features a low noise, low distortion electronically controlled resistor ladder analog volume control from JRC, commonly used in audiophile preamps. The 4-channel-in-1 integrated controller offers higher precision, zero channel imbalance, and lower power consumption than 2 stereo volume controllers.

The dedicated PVD gold-plated brass volume knob engraved with glamour 3{4} dodecagram provides precise control and an elegant visual.

Cayin N8ii horizontal front over silk background highlighting gold-brass knob

Dual Line Out

Both 3.5mm and 4.4mm balanced line out bypass the headphone amplification circuit completely. Thus, the N8ii can serve as a high-quality analog source for active speakers or portable/desktop amplifiers, even those with high input impedance.

Maximum compatibility with configurable output levels.

3.5mm: 2.0V (High), 1.5V (Mid), 1.0V (Low)
4.4mm: 4.0V (High), 3.0V (Mid), 2.0V (Low)

Optimum Thermal Structure

N8ii features a specially designed thermal structure which allows the device to stay cooler even with long-term usage. The Nickel-silver plating and graphite sheet attached to core components transfer heat to the CNC-machined internal aluminum frame working as a heat sink that distributes the heat properly. The structure maximizes thermal efficiency and ensures sustained, optimal performance.

Cayin N8ii thermal component explosion with descriptions

Specifications

MCU: Snapdragon 660
System: Customized Android 9.0 (Google Play preinstalled)
Memory: 6GB LPDDR4X
Storage: 128GB eMMC, TF (up to 1TB)
Display: 5" (1280 × 720) OLED multi-point touch screen
Physical Control: Volume knob, power on/off playback buttons
USB-C: USB3.0, OTG, QC3.0, Digital Audio
Chassis: Sandblasted CNC Aluminum
Vacuum Tube: KORG Nutube 6P1 (x2)
DAC: ROHM BD34301 (x2)
Bluetooth: v5.0 | LDAC, UAT, AAC, SBC
Wi-Fi: 2.4G/5G IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Headphone Out: 3.5mm SE, 4.4mm BAL
Line Out: 3.5mm SE (dedicated), 4.4mm BAL (switch in OS menu)
Digital Interface: I²S, SPDIF Coax (embedded), USB Audio (in / out)
Battery: 3.8V 10000mAh (38Wh)
Battery Charge Time: ~7 hours (5V-2A) | ~4.5 hours (QC3.0)
Playback Time: ~9.5 hours
Dimensions: 5.8" x 3.1" x 1"
Net Weight: ~15.6 oz
Cayin 1 Year Warranty
Full N8ii Audio Specs

In the Box

N8ii DAP
Leather case
4.4mm to 2.5mm (F) adapter
3.5mm to 2.5mm (F) adapter
USB-C cable
Temper Glass screen protector
Hi-Res stickers (x2)
User Manual

Cayin N8ii retail package with open lid displaying contents

I love this DAP!

I love this thing. I got the SP3000 first, thinking it'd give me what I need in terms of a holographic soundstage and beautiful sound. My use case for a DAP was mostly to use as a source, both streaming and CD storage and then as a DAC into my amps, both desktop (Woo WA23 and Feliks Envy) when I wasn't using my desktop DAC and portable (Woo WA8). I just wasn't getting on with the SP3000's sound, so Andrew allowed me to exchange for the N8ii. Within 5 seconds, I smiled, realizing it gave me the holographic soundstage sound I was after in the SP3000 (the SP3000 had it too, but something in the timbre wasn't quite resonating with me). This was using as a streaming source and just the DAC into my Envy. As I liked the DAC enough, I wasn't planning on using the amp section much, but as an all-in-one, it's phenomenal with all headphones that I've been using it with (Meze Empyrean, Audeze LCD-3, ZMF Caldera & Atrium Closed). The Tube mode with the P+ and AB amp is amazing. The soundstage and imaging is definitely affected in the best way, while still keeping the dynamics that you'd want from a solid state sound. Overall, I'm very happy with this and even a little surprised in how much I've been liking it. A couple of other, seemingly small things but ultimately add to a very high-end experience, is the resolution with the volume (it plays well with all headphones and you can fine-tune the exact volume you want), the way the volume looks when it's being changed (the white and yellow with the circle and stars theme is very cool to me aesthetically) and also the weight (it feels perfect in your hand). Highly, highly recommend it and thanks to both Andrew and also Steve for suggesting the N8ii.

Cayin N8ii | Digital Audio Player