Cayin N8ii - Tube Magic – Audio Essence

It's been a few days now since the new Cayin N8ii DAP (Digital Audio Player) arrived here. And yet these few days were enough to usher in a new era of mobile music playback for me personally.

I tested the N8ii with the following IEMs/headphones:

The long wait

I've been waiting for this expensive piece of technology for a long time, since it was announced in 2021 as the most anticipated piece of mobile hi-fi of 2022 for me.

My expectations were high, very high, because if Cayin have released a new device, I have never been disappointed. This time, however, I wasn't so sure. With the fantastic N6ii-R01, Cayin released a DAP in the mid-range segment in 2021 that even put the in-house flagship N8 in its place - and at half the price!

Whether this works well?

I waited almost anxiously for the big official unveiling of the final N8 successor, the N8ii. After it became known that Cayin was not using R-2R as expected, which would have been expected after the N6ii-R01, but rather a combination of tubes / solid state and Delta Sigma DAC, my heart sank a bit the pants. Add to that the announcement of a new and largely unknown DAC chip (ROHM instead of AK) and the fiasco seemed inevitable.

It's finally here.

At the end of February, Cayin unveiled the new N8ii with lots of pictures and information and I followed the corresponding Head-Fi forum day and night, where wild discussions broke out. Then we were finally allowed to order from Cayin.

Last Thursday, March 10, 2022, I finally held the brand new N8ii in my hands. I felt like a child who had been given a long-awaited toy for Christmas.

Test listen

Full of anticipation, the first thing I plugged in was the Empire Ears Odin. Some people who heard the N8ii and Odin at New York's CanJam 2022 reported sharp highs and upper mids. Some spoke of fantastic sound and that the N8ii was actually sold far too cheaply. So what was true??

How does the N8ii sound now?

This question is not that easy to answer - although - actually it is:
The Cayin N8ii sounds the way you want it to!

Confused? I was at first too, but after some trying I understood. The Cayin N8ii can change or adjust the sound to a wide extent using various sound modes. This is made possible by combining
different sound modes.

Endlessly flexible

The N8ii offers the following settings that may affect the sound signature:

Antialiasing filter: Sharp roll-off, slow roll-off
DSD filter: Low, Medium, High
Dual timbre: Tube vs. Solid State
Dual amplifier operation: Class A vs. Class AB
Dual output mode: P vs.P+
Gain: High, Mid, Low

You can select each of these settings independently except P+ in Dual Output Mode + Class-A in Dual Amp Mode.

This is what the sound modes do

Solid state vs. tube operation

The tube mode "smoothes" the "edges" so to speak. I don't know if I would describe this as "tubular". The details are still there, but overall the sound becomes more “voluminous” and “fuller”. The highs are still there but with rounded tips if you know what I mean. This is certainly a more relaxed presentation than Solid State. In summary, I would say that tube mode is about
the whole piece, while solid state is about discovering individual features and nuances. The differences are very easy to spot if you use capable headphones and good quality music.

Class-A vs. Class-AB

This is a tough question , as I have a hard time hearing the differences clearly. At least in the current (before burn-in) state of the N8ii. If any, the differences are rather small and less pronounced. I think I heard a little more difference when using Odin than when using the Traillii. This could be due to the E-stats of the Odin compared to the BAs of the Trailliis used for the treble, I don't know yet. The Class A on the Odin seemed a little more energetic, but again the difference is very subtle. Maybe different devices produce different results...

Performance Mode P vs. P+

This is the easiest to hear. The difference is big, at least with Traillii and Odin. The P+ mode opens the stage, pushes the instruments further apart, makes everything more three-dimensional. There is also more air and shine. The bass also has a bit more energy. Voices come forward as if the singer were taking a step closer to the microphone/listener. P+ mode simply intensifies everything that is there.

Combinations

You can combine almost anything with anything to tailor your device to your personal taste. The only combination that doesn't work together is Class-A and P+. With the Traillii, for example, you can achieve everything from relaxed (tube & P-power mode) to exciting and intense (solid state & P+ power mode). As I write this I'm listening to Hugh Laurie's "Junkers Blues" and I can leave it playing in the background or focus all my attention on it, making it almost impossible to concentrate on writing.

The first time

My first listening test of the Cayin N8ii was with the Empire Ears Odin. The Odin is usually my first choice when testing equipment because it reveals weaknesses in the connected sources and is certainly not the limiting factor. Below are my notes from this first session:

Cayin N8ii: Fresh out of the box, Settings: Tubes, Class-A

Extremely airy with fantastic resolution
Excellent channel and instrument separation
Very balanced frequency spectrum. I wouldn't say any frequency is artificially boosted. Rather, the N8ii uses what is available and fully exploits the potential of the Odin
The bass is the best I've heard from Odin so far. Incredibly deep, voluminous and impressive.
The midrange is warm and natural. Nothing more needs to be said about it.
The treble/upper mids are wonderfully detailed and without any sibilance (I'm very sensitive to treble and even my sibilance test songs pass without any problems)

For me, the N8ii takes the Odin to another level. I had wanted the N8ii to be a mix of LP P6 Pro (musicality and emotion) and LPGT-Ti (resolution, air, momentum)... My wish was granted! Actually, I was super tired all day because we had a bad night. I've been sitting here listening for 3 hours now.

In the coming days I alternated between testing the Empire Ears Odin and Oriolus Traillii. Both top in-ears were fully exploited by the Cayin N8ii and, thanks to the variety of sound settings, played perfectly with Cayin's new flagship.

Conclusion

The number of possible combinations to tailor the sound to your own preferences and devices makes the N8ii arguably the most versatile (flagship) DAP available - and probably one of the most versatile and adaptable sources currently available on the market are.
Android and a fast processor & enough RAM - this has never been the case with a flagship DAP!

The Cayin N8ii is my new personal dream player, because it not only meets all of my high expectations fulfilled but even exceeded them.

With the Cayin I can fully exploit any in-ear and drive it to peak performance and even adapt the sound to my current mood - and at the highest sound level - WOW!

Cayin N8ii