One of the biggest mistakes I made after getting drawn into the Head-Fi rabbit hole was not paying enough attention to the source devices I was using!
When I started getting into the hobby, I was mainly experimenting with more moderately priced gear, especially IEMs. DAPs were much more of an afterthought. Whenever I was looking for the next thing to try, most of my attention went towards the IEM itself, while the source was often treated as something that would simply “do the job”.
I know better now and I suspect that some of my dissatisfaction over the years was simply down to not having a source that was good enough to make my ears happy.
Even just a few days ago, the Watercooler community ran a small poll around source devices – the importance of the full chain when evaluating audio quality – and it was a good reminder of something I have gradually come to appreciate: the source plays a much bigger role in how we experience an IEM and ultimately the music itself than I used to give it credit for.
One of the most impressive DAPs I have owned in this regard was the N30LE, Cayin’s 30th Anniversary edition. Leaving the sound aside for a moment, which I will come back to shortly, the build quality of that thing is simply exceptional. Whether something like the EvoAria Ti or CU comes close is probably debatable, but for me, they don’t quite reach that same level.
The newest release from Cayin very clearly follows in the footsteps of its predecessor. N8iii carries quite a bit of that N30LE DNA, particularly when it comes to the ambition behind its sound and architecture, but Cayin has also made some compromises along the way, fortunately not in sound
Compared directly with the N30LE, the build and perhaps even more noticeably the packaging and accessories feel a little less extravagant. That is not necessarily a bad thing. After all, some of what made the N30LE so special was also what made it such a beast of a device and at the same time, not exactly the best all rounder.
The N30LE has a very particular architecture and, importantly, its analogue and tube implementation is a big part of its sonic identity. So much so that, even though I absolutely loved it for what it did, I eventually ended up selling it for pretty much the same reason.
As a side note , I tend to prefer bass elevated, denser and fuller lower mids with a richer overall presentation and N30LE definitely delivers on that front. It was one of those DAPs where the character of the source was always very apparent … maybe even too apparent in many cases
Before deciding to give the N8iii a chance, I also had the SP4000 for a short while, which Luc already shared his impressions of here: Mikaik Audio – Astell&Kern Edition.
The reviews, combined with a few days of listening when I had the SP4000 at home from a friend, eventually made me want to give it a try myself.
I have always liked Astell&Kern, and the SP4000 is, in my opinion, one of their best DAPs to date. It has a more potent amp section than the SP3000, a fuller yet still very much reference-oriented tuning, and, as you would expect from A&K, an outstanding level of build quality.
What made me sell it relatively quickly had very little to do with its sound performance or the lack thereof. In fact, I really liked what it did with mainly any IEM I listened to with it. The main issue for me was the battery life, combined with the fact that I felt I was missing part of the sound I knew the DAP was capable of delivering when DAR was disabled. Why would I disable DAR, you ask?! Well… mostly because I like my freedom. 😄
I don’t really want to own a DAP that needs to be hooked up to a charger on a constant basis just to get the performance I am looking for. For a portable device, battery life and being able to actually use it without constantly worrying about the next charge matter quite a bit to me.
Coming back to N8iii, and yes – the battery performance issue experienced with the SP4000 is fully addressed – I initially had a bit of a bias. I honestly expected the N8iii to be more or less “the same old thing”, just with a few new tricks and some gimmicks added here and there. To my surprise, I was wrong and I am very happy I was.
The biggest difference between the N8iii and some of the other DAPs I have owned would be that it doesn’t feel like a source that is simply trying to impose its own character on whatever IEM is connected to it. It has a character, absolutely, but there is enough resolution, control and transparency underneath it that the IEM still gets to speak for itself.
N30 LE – elegance and beauty in the flesh
Cayin N8iii – the understated newcomer
So, where does the Cayin N8iii improve on the N30LE, and what exactly has Cayin done differently this time?
Cayin N8iii vs N30LE — technical specifications:
| Cayin N8iii | Cayin N30LE | |
| DAC | 2 × AK4191EQ + 4 × AK4499EX | 2 × AK4499EQ |
| DAC architecture | 4-channel fully balanced, parallel/mono | Dual mono, 8-channel differential |
| Tube | 2 × Korg 6P1 Nutube, 6th gen | 2 × Korg 6P1 Nutube |
| Tube implementation | Fully balanced | Fully balanced |
| Tube modes | Classic / Modern | Classic / Modern |
| Solid-state mode | Yes | Yes |
| Amplifier | Fully balanced 4-channel discrete | Fully balanced discrete |
| Amp modes | Class A+ / Class A / Class AB | Class A / Class AB |
| Power modes | P / P+ + Hyper | P / P+ + Hyper |
| Max balanced output | 1,285 mW | ~1,100 mW* |
| Max SE output | 900 mW | ~500 mW* |
| PCM | Up to 32-bit / 768 kHz | Up to 32-bit / 768 kHz |
| DSD | Up to DSD512 | Up to DSD512 |
| Internal storage | 256 GB | 256 GB |
| microSD | Up to 2 TB | Up to 1 TB |
| RAM | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| SoC | Snapdragon 665 | Snapdragon 665 |
| OS | Customized Android | Customized Android 12 |
| Display | 6″ FHD | 6″ 2160×1080 |
| Battery | 13,500 mAh | 12,570 mAh |
| Weight | ~580 g | ~650 g |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Wi-Fi | Dual-band | 2.4/5 GHz |
| 3.5 mm | SE / LO / PO | Dedicated SE PO + shared LO/PO |
| 4.4 mm | Balanced / LO / PO | Dedicated balanced PO + shared LO/PO |
| Digital out | USB / S/PDIF / I²S | USB / S/PDIF / I²S |
| Launch price | $3,999 | $4,999 |
| Production | Limited to 500 | Limited to 300 |
The connectivity is also very well thought out, and pretty much everything I could want from a DAP is here:
- 3.5 mm PO — single-ended headphone output
- 4.4 mm PO — balanced headphone output
- 3.5 mm LO / Pre-Out — single-ended analogue output
- 4.4 mm LO / Pre-Out — balanced analogue output
- USB-C — charging, data, USB Audio, and digital output
- I²S — digital output
- microSD — music storage
- Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 5.0 for wireless connectivity
The N8iii has quite a few tuning options, which is obviously a good thing, although I generally prefer a more “one and done” approach rather than constantly tinkering with sound settings. This is also one area where the N8iii genuinely surprised me. I have never really been a tube guy, and I always thought a good quality solid-state implementation was all I needed. Well… apparently not.
Cayin has managed to improve the N8iii in quite a few areas compared to it’s predecessor and the DAPs solid-state performance is definitely one of them.
With the N30LE, the presentation was so full and authoritative that I often had the feeling that every IEM sounded good with it. Not necessarily because every set was actually better, but because the flavour the N30LE injected into the sound was so strong that, at times, the DAP and the IEM almost started to blend together. It became harder to tell which qualities were coming from the IEM and which were coming from the source.
With the N8iii, Cayin manages to retain that musicality while pushing the resolution and detail further. There is excellent clarity, plenty of detail, powerful and well controlled bass, very good treble extension, and the mids have a really nice quality to them with a touch of warmth. It is one of those presentations where I can simply listen and enjoy the music rather than thinking about what the DAP is doing.
The stage is already impressive in solid state, but this is where the tube modes add another layer to the presentation. Everything seems to open up a little more, with more width, depth and overall atmosphere. The mids, in particular, become a little less weighty and more transparent. Maybe this is what people mean by “tube magic”.
On the N8iii in Tube Timbre Classic, while the overall presentation becomes denser, the mids themselves feel a little less weighty and more transparent to me. It’s as if the additional tube density comes more from the space and atmosphere around the notes rather than simply adding more body to the mids. The trade-off is that the bass loses some of its grip, punch and authority compared with solid-state, becoming softer and slightly more diffuse.
“Diffuse” is probably the best word I can think of to describe the difference I hear when switching from SS to tubes. It is not necessarily worse, just different. Everything becomes a little more relaxed and spread out.
Tube Timbre Modern is probably the middle ground for me. It keeps some of the density and spaciousness of Classic, while retaining more of the control and punch of solid state.
So, in very simple terms:
Solid-state: tighter, punchier, cleaner, more dynamic, with excellent bass authority and a special sense of density.
Tube – Classic: richer, wider, more spacious and atmospheric, but slightly softer and more diffuse, particularly in the bass.
Tube – Modern: somewhere in between.
Interestingly, I have actually started to enjoy tubes more since getting the N8iii. That wider stage and rich, three-dimensional, atmospheric presentation can be quite addictive, especially considering that the trade-offs are relatively small for what you gain in return.
Solid state remains the more technically precise option, with greater bass authority and a more controlled presentation. On the other hand, the tube modes bring something that SS simply doesn’t have: a more expansive stage, greater atmosphere and that little bit of “tube magic” we all love.
Having the ability to switch between the two with the press of a “button” is simply fantastic. It gives the N8iii a level of versatility that few DAPs can match, and, to me, it is also a great demonstration of Cayin’s experience and the amount of work that went into creating a device like the N8iii.