Cayin N7 Review

For the last DAP in this comparison we’re going back to Cayin, with the good old N6ii DAP, sporting the R01 R2R module. Already from a design point of view these DAPs are very different. The N6ii of course being much smaller and having replaceable boards. Both units are versatile and easy to work with but the N7 is much newer and quite a bit ahead in what it has to offer. The big advantage of the N6ii is that you can completely tune the sound to your liking. For this quick comparison we of course have chosen the R2R module.

The N6ii’s sound is not as evolved and technically strong as the N6ii’s. It’s slower, less energetic, less extended, less precise. The N6ii is softer on the ears but it is quite hard listening to it when coming from the more extended, spacious and lively N7. The difference in performance and resolution is substantial, and there’s really no competition. I added the N6ii in this comparison for people who are thinking to upgrade to the N7, but it’s a no-brainer really. I don’t think this will be a surprise to anyone.

Power & Headphone synergy

Looking at Cayin’s N7 power specs, we can see it isn’t the most powerful player on the market. The N7 delivers 250mw@32Ohm in single-ended mode and 500mW@32Ohm in balanced mode. While that’s certainly enough for most of the popular IEMs, it’s not as powerful as the N8ii with its P+ mode and getting good synergy with full-sized headphones might be a bit harder.

For IEMs there’s nothing to worry about and depending on the tuning of the IEM, you can easily switch between A and AB mode to get the best synergy with your IEM. Now let’s check out some of the popular full-sized headphones to pair with the N7.

The Meze Audio Liric is one of the best closed back headphones on the market, and one of the only ones I take with me on the go. The synergy between the N7 and the Liric connected in balanced mode with Hifiman’s latest cable is really good, and you can even just stay in low gain. Medium gain is perfectly fine, but I find it to sound its best on low gain with the volume around 55. With the Liric in CLASS A mode you get excellent dynamics, good speed, perfect control, liveliness (great vocals and treble section) and a high musical delivery. Recommended.

The Hifiman Arya Stealth must be one of the most popular planar magnetic open back headphones of the moment. In balanced mode I find it to sound best in CLASS A mode, with medium gain and a volume of 40. While the Arya still sounds very nice, it’s not as sublime as with a good desktop sized amplifier. The Arya does scale up nicely and here it’s very noticeable. That said, as a temporary or backup solution, this combo still works and you get great dynamics and speed. What is missing here to me are resolution, dynamics and body/impact. So the combo is good but not the best Arya performance.

The latest Sennheiser HD660 S2 is one of the headphones I use a lot, even straight from my laptop when I’m in video calls. I prefer the HD 660S2 on medium gain with the CLASS A amplification circuit. This way you get controlled yet lighter body, excellent dynamics, and a high level of precision. The combo is engaging and musical, but it isn’t as full, precise and refined as with a desktop amplifier.

Testing other headphones really has been a hit or miss. While some combos work well, I – to get the very best results – would advise hooking the Cayin C9 or any other portable amp to the N7. For IEMs, I never felt this need.

End Words

The Cayin N7 is a really fun Android based portable player to use. It’s not the smallest or lightest but at this level we’re not really expecting that either. The N7’s layout is excellent and it’s impressive to see how many digital and analog in- and outputs Cayin has provided. There’s not only that, there’s also the CLASS A/AB amplification circuit.

From a sound quality point of view, the N7 also impresses. It’s not as perfect as the N8ii when it comes to technicalities, but it is very close. I would recommend using the N7 with any level of IEM. If you’re planning on using it with full-sized headphones, I recommend trying out the combo first or adding a portable amplifier to the setup.

All-in-all I am really pleased with the N7’s performance and I with my monitors even end up using it more than the N8ii. Cayin is putting the bar very high for themselves and the competition. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Pros:

• Usability
• Versatility
• Build Quality
• CLASS A/AB
• Sound quality

Cons:

• Only 64gB RAM
• Power (especially when connecting headphones)
• Battery life
• Dimension & weight
• Gets warm during use

Page 1: Cayin, Intro, N7 intro + Details

Page 2: N7 details, Sound Pt. 1, Comparisons

Page 3: Sound Pt. 2, Synergy, End words