Cayin N3-Ultra High Resolution Player

Cayin N3-Ultra High Resolution Player

Vintage Tubes, Cutting-edge Sound
The N3Ultra uses a fully-customized operating system that streamlining to focus solely on audio application. Creating a device that provides an authentic and minimalist experience, allowing users to enjoy the new auditory pleasure brought by the vintage JAN6418 vacuum tubes.

Placed at the voltage gain stage where it will yield the biggest sonic impact, the small output of these pentodes make their presence heard on all four analog outputs by popular request – 3.5mm single-ended phone out, 4.4mm balanced headphone out, 3.5mm single-ended line-out and 4.4mm balanced line-out.

Indeed, N3 Ultra is a huge upgrade. It throws out the lossy DAC digital volume control of its Pro predecessor – catastrophically located in the signal path before the tubes back then, already diminishing dynamic range performance before the arrival of the precious decoded analog at arguably the noisiest section of its circuit.

Never again. N3 Ultra incorporates a JRC NJW1195A electronically controlled analog volume control only far AFTER its tube gain and right before its power stage, where its quality can be showcased.

This resistor ladder volume control comes only after the voltage drivers, kept far from the input signal for maximum integrity, and the best signal-to-noise performance.

Cayin count on the square law function of N3 Ultra's JAN6418 to push down distortion at the drawing board. The huge operating voltages of this valve section, and their Class A operation, in a portable player means that open-loop linearity exceeds virtually every other non-tube DAP ... at any price.

The signal that goes in, comes out amplified the same. You'll hear from N3 Ultra the kind of effortlessness yielded only by high operating voltages, Class A bias and the non-existent capacitance of tubes. These factors allow minimum negative feedback to be applied, as what enters Cayin's JAN6418s has little error that needs correction.

You can focus on the music in either Classic or Modern – the latter working each JAN6418 as a pentode – tube modes, knowing that you're hearing back the track close to the way it was recorded.

The single-ended operation of Cayin's valves emphasises even-order harmonics for natural, engaging and warm sound. And the small quantity of tube feedback means distortion remains low order, rather than complex intermodulation.

N3 Ultra's highly-linear small signal is then converted to balanced and flows into the player's differential solid-state output stage. These op-amp buffers give Cayin's prodigy the grunt to drive lower impedance IEMs and headphones perfectly.

In this way, you can bask in the natural allure of tube sound, and still trust your player to act as a proper voltage source, packing low output impedance and high damping factor.

You'll want to get your music aboard N3 Ultra, and Cayin build in a Snapdragon processor as well as lightweight, non-streaming Android skin to keep operation bloat-free.

Microphonic control is well in place around N3 Ultra's tubes – learnt from generations of Cayin tube music players – and abundant heatsinking is applied around them to keep rising temperatures away from critical components.

FEATURES

• Employs The JRC NJW1195A Four-Channel Volume Controller
• Low Noise Low Distortion Resistance Ladder Analog Volume Chip Commonly Used In Audiophile Preamp
• 4-Channel In One Integrated Controller Offers High Precision And Lower Power Consumption
• Employs TWO Accusilicon AS318 Femtosecond Oscillators
• Ultra Low Phase Noise (-100dBC) Maintaining Signal Conversion Accuracy With Significantly Lower Jitter
• Minimize Digital Artifact And Enhance The Musicality And Naturalness Of Playback