Cayin N8

[Franck.T]

Je suis pas client de DAP, mais franchement ça me rappel le Paw Gold avec un look a dormir dehors... On croirai que c'est un accessoire pour un film de Bollywood ahahahaah

[ilcanzese]

on dirais le DAP a Sarkozy !
technique énorme mais trop bling bling a mon gout

[Td310]

Il a l'air assez massif en fait. Pas très nomade Transportable plutôt comme le 901s

[ilcanzese]

j'avais pensé plutôt a une Renault Avantime :
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voici les spécifications corrigés par cayin sur head-fi : https://www.head-fi.org/threads/cayin-n ... ry.879025/

[Td310]

Le tube serait utilisé que sur le jack 3,5 et non la sortie balanced ?

[bourbon kid]

Pour la sortie symetrique, il faudrait un tube dual mono

[ilcanzese]

voici les explications de Andy de Cayin:
I'll try to tackle several tube output related issues in one post:

the Nutube is part of the headphone amplifier circuit, this is the only place we can use it. The line out signal path will definitely bypass the headphone amp circuit in order to remain as clean as possible. In N8 design framework, both balanced and single end line out are as close to DAC chipset output as possible, we only implemented a Low Pass Filter with buffer between the DAC chipset and line amplifier. For the record, we still need a line amplifier if we want to achieve a high quality desktop grade line out instead of wire the DAC output to the line out connectors directly. The main different between a line amplifier and a headphone amplifier is the former involve only voltage amplification while the later involve both voltage and current amplification.

If we use Nutube for balanced audio output, we need two pieces of Nutube, there is no exception, even cost-no-objective design will not be able to override this requirements. The N8 is fairly big for DAP already, we have do all we can to make it possible to control most (definitely not all) features with single hand, and fairly easy to hold with one hand. If we use Two Nutube instead of one, either the screen will be reduced to a 1.5 inch 4-lines text-based LCD display and battery life as short as 2-3 hours per change, or we need to extend the N8 by roughly 35mm long and battery life at around 4+ hours. Isn't it common sense that cost-no-objective does mean we can ignore the scientific (physic and electronic engineering) constraints, and there issues that can't be solve by money or devoting more resources. So the true meaning of cost-no-objective is to deliver the best result even when the solution required out-of-proportion resources?

When you are listening to the 3.5mm output of N8, you are still using TWO DAC at the same time. To explain this in simplified terms, the LEFT AK4497 delivers the L+ and L- signal, the RIGHT AK4497 delivers the R+ and R- signal. The 4.4mm balanced output will utilize all four L+, L-, R+ and R- signal, while the two 3.5mm single-ended output will use L+ and R+ signal from LEFT and RIGHT AK4497. Using two DAC chipset instead of one in single-ended purpose does offer better THD, dynamic range and channel separation, so Cayin is not being nonsense.

To summarize, you can change between tube and Solid State in 3.5mm headphone output, but you only have solid state output with 3.5mm line out and 4.4mm headphone out and line out.

[Lem0n]

J'ai lu en diagonale, mais ils parlent bien de quelques heures d'autonomie ? Ça serait normal avec les triodes, mais c'est du coup totalement inintéressant, a ce prix si c'est pour avoir un truc sédentaire autant prendre un dac/tablette de bureau et on en parle plus ! Il est énorme, moche (bon ça c'est une affaire de goûts) et en plus ne tiens qu'une petite aprem en écoute...
Ils ont un peu déconné sur le coup, a moins que son utilisation ne soit clairement pas prévue pour du nomade, dans ce cas mea culpa .

[bourbon kid]

je crois comprendre ( en traduisant ) que si il aurait mis 2 tubes ( pour la sortie 4.4 ) il n'aurait tenu que qq heures .
la , c'est pas le cas car 1 seul tube reservé pour sortie 3.5 assymetrique

[ilcanzese]

quelques précisions très importantes .................et rassurantes
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Did I miss it, or have the output voltages not been released yet?
No, you didn't miss it, we haven't publish the power rating. We shall measure the engineering units later. The demo units will head to Bejing right after the High End 2018 for its debut in China (26-27 May), we should be able to provide more detail along this line by early June.
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This is a series of introduction aimed at our customers in China, we don't have solid plan to synchronized the content, so can't promise English version to start with. The same apply to the explanation I have written in English, they are not available in Chinese either.

We shall explore more detail of N8 design concepts and features later on, we have to complete the migration from R&D to production in due course so we are at least 2-3 months away from product launch. Our usual practice is to launch a DAP in domestic market first, international market will launch at 2-4 weeks after that.
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While the home button can theoretically (but unlikely) be changed to a different shape (or color for that matters), the size of the screen are fixed due to space constraint. You have nailed the reason for that: fitting the Nutube into N8 requires a lot of consideration. Let's examine the dimension in more detail.

The tentative dimension of N8 is 128mm x 70mm x 20mm (LxWxH), the Nutube required 46.7mm x 17mm x 6.2mm (excluding the pins), and it will sit on 1mm above the PCB. the 7.2mm (6.2mm + 1mm) "thickness" requirement has ruled out the option to put the screen on top of the Nutube, and right now, if you look at the N8 photo carefully, you'll notice that the screen are installed immediately above the Nutube. that is the reason why we can't use a bigger (or longer) screen in N8.

To install a bigger screen, we have to overlap the screen "over" the Nutube. Assuming we can resolve the heat dispenser problem, this will require a dramatic increase in thickness of N8.

On the other hand, while the screen might looks small on the overall N8 form factor, the important issue is to make sure it function as a display and control (touch screen) of a DAP effectively.we can comment on that when I publish the final version of UI design, but I fairly happy with what we have right now, and I hope most, if not all, N8 users will agree with me eventually. :beerchug:

[woophie]

Parlons de beauté intérieur :

[Kooka]

Ho, les belles entrailles !!

[Eykxas]

Je comprends rien à leur schéma.

Et utiliser de l'opa1612 partout est-ce vraiment bien ? ne vaut-il pas mieux utiliser des opamp spécialisé dans leur rôle ? (comme des LMH en buffer par exemple).

[woophie]

5h d'autonomie avec l'utilisation en amplification tube.
" la durée s’étendra considérablement si l'on considère les autres modes de fonctionnement "

[kyo9999]

Entre le N8 et R2R2000, c'est la course à l'autonomie, apparemment!
Qui durera le moins longtemps!?