Cayin N7+ Digital Audio Player

The Cayin N7+ is a high-end Android music player built around Cayin’s own pure 1-bit DSD DAC rather than an off-the-shelf chip, with a fully discrete, fully balanced design from DAC to headphone output. The successor to the N7 brings more power (330mW single-ended and 690mW balanced, up from 250mW and 500mW), upgraded components, longer battery life and an all-new titanium finish, in a lighter 370g body.

A pure 1-bit DSD DAC

Cayin designed a micro-miniaturised 1-bit DAC from fully discrete components. A resistor network of 128 high-precision thin-film resistors (four groups of 32) converts the digital signal to analogue. Before it, an FPGA enhances the digital signal and outputs separate L+, L−, R+ and R− bitstreams for fully balanced decoding, while the audio bridge passes DSD through unaltered and converts PCM to a 1-bit DSD512 bitstream, re-clocking, de-jittering and re-shaping the data on the way. Dual femtosecond oscillators keep the timing precise, and a sophisticated low-noise, highly isolated power supply feeds the digital and analogue sections separately.

Fully discrete, fully balanced

Going discrete is technically more demanding than using op-amp-based circuits, but it gives Cayin more room to fine-tune the sound. A balanced circuit uses differential inputs and outputs, so every stage carries L+, L−, R+ and R−, and the N7+ uses a symmetrical double-sided circuit board to minimise interference and keep the signal paths as uniform as possible. The low-pass filter after the DAC is discrete too: a symmetrical Class A push-pull circuit built on dual NPN+PNP bipolar transistors, delivering high performance in little space with low power use and heat.

A discrete headphone amplifier, Class A or AB

The four-channel discrete amplifier uses low-noise audio-grade JFETs as the differential input stage and bipolar transistors for voltage amplification and the output stage, optimised for low-impedance in-ear monitors and portable-friendly headphones. Choose Class A for the richest sound or Class AB for longer battery life. For the N7+, Cayin fitted four PHPT610030NPK power transistors for better instantaneous current handling, and upgraded its seven OPA1612A op-amps to the SOIC-8 package, for better thermal stability and a better pin layout that reduces signal delay and crosstalk. Output rises to 330mW from the 3.5mm output (32% more than the N7) and 690mW from the 4.4mm balanced output (38% more), into 32Ω. A four-channel JRC electronic volume control sets the level.

Tuned for exceptional sound

Cayin’s engineers carried out extensive joint listening and tuning sessions over several rigorous rounds, testing the N7+ with a broad range of popular headphones and documenting how its character changes with each pairing, to improve both listening enjoyment and compatibility with a wide range of headphones.

Android, streaming and connections

A Snapdragon 665 with 4GB of RAM runs customised Android 12 with Google Play, so you can install streaming and music apps, and Cayin Music and HiBy Music (with HiByCast) handle local playback from 64GB of storage and a microSD card up to 1TB. The 5-inch 1080 × 1920 touchscreen, dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0, sending and receiving UAT, LDAC, AAC and SBC, complete the player. It is also a hi-fi source: 3.5mm and 4.4mm line and pre-amp outputs (up to 4Vrms and 7Vrms), I²S on a mini HDMI socket, S/PDIF coaxial on USB-C, USB audio output, and an asynchronous USB DAC mode for Windows, macOS, iOS and some Android devices.

Battery and build

An optimised power system and a 9,000mAh battery give up to 13 hours from the 3.5mm output in Class AB, or about 9 hours from the 4.4mm output in Class A, and PD2.0 fast charging fills it in about 3.5 hours (20–80% in about 2). The new titanium-finish body is CNC-machined from aerospace-grade aluminium-magnesium alloy, light yet strong, with a fine metallic lustre and Cayin’s gold volume knob.

Good to know

• The I²S output uses a mini HDMI socket but is not compatible with standard HDMI devices.
• Windows computers need Cayin’s driver for USB DAC mode.
• In the box: N7+, leather case, USB-C cable, 4.4mm and 3.5mm to 2.5mm female adapters, tempered glass screen protector and user manual.