Introduction to the Cayin N3Ultra Review
Cayin, established in 1993, is one of the most interesting audio brands within our audiophile market. Years ago, Cayin was mostly known for its tube amplifiers. I used to try some of those back in the day and I was always impressed by their build quality and most importantly – sound quality.
For the past couple of years though, Cayin has been expanding their offering into a more portable audio solutions. We’ve reviewed quite a few Cayin products in the recent years, but by far the most impressive was the N3Pro, which received our first “Product of the year” award back in 2020.
It was the first DAP in the world that utilized tubes, which have a special place in my heart. Even though it was revolutionary, it had its cons, mainly the fact that tubes were only limited to unbalanced output. So you had a choice – got for the tube sound, or for a superior sound in general via its balanced output.
The new Cayin N3Ultra which we review today marks a new milestone for the DAP market in general. Most importantly, it now offers both tubes and balanced output at the same time, which is incredibly important. Additionally, the price of the Cayin N3Ultra remained very similar to that of N3Pro, which is just exceptional news, considering that everything is significantly more expensive than it was in 2020.
Packaging
The packaging of reviewed Cayin N3Ultra is pretty simple and elegant. Inside, you’ll find the Cayin N3Ultra together with some accessories, like a transparent case, a USB-A to USB-C cable, and a tempered glass screen protector.
Considering the price which is very close to the original N3Pro, Cayin had to cut the cost somewhere, and I’m beyond glad that they decided to do it here. You’re getting everything you might ask for in a minimal yet sophisticated package. No need for some fancy unboxing experience which would have raised the price tag significantly. This one does the job.
Alternatively, you can get an optional leather case for just 30 bucks, which I sincerely recommend. It’s high-quality, looks nice, and adds a proper level of protection to your new DAP. The price is very reasonable, so if you’re planning on using the reviewed Cayin N3Ultra outside, this case gets my recommendation for a day 1 buy.
Design and Build Quality
If you’ve ever used the N3Pro, the new Cayin N3Ultra is going to feel familiar to you. The build quality is quite similar, as the first model was already a beautifully crafted DAP.
The N3Ultra is bigger than its predecessor, but not by a lot. This was probably the biggest question mark about this device. One of the main reasons why I loved the N3Pro so much was its perfect form factor, especially in times of huge DAPs. The N3Pro was just tiny in comparison, and that made it so much more convenient and comfortable to use.
I’m happy to report that tested Cayin N3Ultra, even though it’s significantly bigger than the N3Pro, is still a handy DAP. It’s very comfortable to use, it fits in pockets, it doesn’t feel like a brick. Considering how much more we’re getting with this launch, the fact that it’s still quite small impresses me a lot.
The whole device is made of aluminum and glass, and it’s a very robust feeling device in your hand. There are no squeaks, no sharp edges, no imperfections.
Compared to N3Pro, the Ultra has some changes, that are all in a good direction in my opinion. First and foremost, the volume knob no longer acts as a button, which is a great change. Instead, you now have a dedicated power button on the top of the device, and the volume knob is just…a volume knob.
Secondly, there’s no window that let’s you have a sneak peek at the tube south of the screen, instead, the tubes are now visible on the left side of the device, just like in Cayin’s flagship N8ii.
Because of that change, Cayin was able to squeeze a significantly bigger screen into the reviewed Cayin N3Ultra. By no means the screen of the N3Pro was too small, I actually liked it a lot. However, having a bigger screen is always a good thing, as long as it’s not making the device huge. Here, it’s well-balanced and easy to use even with one hand.
On the bottom of the device, you’ll find a USB-C port, a 3.5mm line-out, a 3.5mm headphone-out, and a 4.4mm output that works as a line-out and headphone-out. It’s quite functional and easy to remember. No more 2.5mm…it certainly won’t be missed.
Overall, the N3Ultra screams quality. It has a great form factor, it’s comfortable to use and the materials used are of good quality. It feels like a more expensive device than it really is, especially if you consider what’s packed inside.
Tech
It’s a DAP at the end of the day, so the most important thing is what’s inside. And let me say that Cayin really did a fantastic job with the interior of the N3Ultra.
First of all, the elephant in the room, the Cayin N3Ultra now uses two vintage NOS Raytheon JAN6418 tubes which let you use a tube circuit even via balanced output. This is huge news, as the lack of it was probably the only con of the original N3Pro. Having to choose between tube and balance was always slightly problematic since you really want to have that extra juice and separation of a properly designed 4.4mm output.
Now, you don’t have to choose anymore, and that’s the best thing that could have happened to the N3Pro’s successor.
The DAP is built around two AK4493S DAC chips and it’s running on Android. However, the system has been deeply customized and it doesn’t support any type of streaming. Call me a madman, but I absolutely love that decision. Instead of creating yet another “does-it-all” device, Cayin wanted to offer the best-sounding device they could at a VERY fair price. So, you don’t have access to Spotify, Tidal, you don’t even have Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. It’s an OG DAP that has only 1 focus – to sound as good as it’s possible. I love it!
On the front of the device, you have a 4.1 inch TFT screen that looks alright and works well. It’s not the brightest, and it doesn’t even come close to modern smartphone standards, but does it need to. It’s not like you’ll be watching any content on this little guy, just use your phone for that. While speaking about the screen, I also have to give you a comment on the performance of the system as well – it’s brilliant. The N3Ultra is fast, and snappy and it doesn’t lag. That’s another reason why I love my DAPs simple – they just run fast, and they give you no headache. Simple always works best.
Reviewed Cayin N3ultra has a 4500mAh battery that gives you around 10h of playback. It does support QuickCharge 3.0 though, so you’ll be able to charge it from 20% to 80% in just about an hour, which is a good result. Together with a good battery life, it gives you plenty of time to enjoy your music, and you won’t have to leave it charging for too long before you can get another few hours of juice.
You can also use reviewed Cayin N3Ultra as a USB-DAC, which is a great feature to have. You can use it on your way to your work, and then just plug it into your work PC and still enjoy high-quality music. It’s convenient and it just adds value to the DAP.
There are also 2 more things that need to be said about the tubes. First up, Cayin N3Ultra has 3 timbres to choose from: Solid-State, Modern Tube Timbre (it sounds like a hybrid of tube and SS in a way), and Classic Tube that gives you that legendary, warm and lush timbre that all tube enthusiasts love. While the latter is perfect for cozy, late-night listening sessions, I’ve used the Modern Tube the most, as it gives you the “best of both worlds”.
Lastly, Cayin couldn’t have just inserted the tubes in the aluminum chassis and called it a day. They came up with an advanced suspension and shock absorber to reduce the microphonic effect. While the original N3Pro tends to get some microphonic effect, the N3Ultra basically got rid of it. The suspension has been vastly upgraded and you shouldn’t be able to hear the tubes even while running with the N3Ultra in your pocket. The tubes are now basically silent, which is a beyond impressive engineering from Cayin.
Sound of the reviewed Cayin N3Ultra
Okay, let’s dive into the sound, the most important aspect of every DAP on the market. All those technologies would have been for nothing if it didn’t sound good.
I’m happy to report that reviewed Cayin N3Ultra sounds absolutely spectacular, surpassing the original N3Pro by quite a margin, which is very impressive, to say the least.
By far the biggest change is the fact that you can now use both tubes and balanced output at the same time, resulting in a sound that is in another league compared to the N3Pro. You no longer have to choose, you can use both. Regarding timbre modes, use the Classic one for a more relaxed, lush, and super chill type of sound, and use the Modern one if you want that tube goodness paired with great separation and fast, detailed sound characteristics.
Don’t expect Cayin N3Ultra to have the absolute best detail retrieval or best measurements in the market. It’s not meant to be this kind of a device. Instead, it’s meant to give you a sound that you’ll fall in love with, providing you with an emotional and fun-to-listen-to sound that will keep you entertained for hours.
Now, let’s pick the modern tube timbre, plug our favorite IEMs into the 4.4mm output, and get right into the sound.
Let’s start with the bass, which is quite thick, agile, and has a great texture. It’s by no means a slow or muddy-sounding bass, which sometimes is to be expected from tubes. Thanks to the balanced topology and good power output, the bass is fast and detailed, never slowing down or being overly thickened. It has all the qualities you’d expect from a modern-day device, with added warmth and body due to the tube character of the sound. When compared to the N3Pro using a balanced output, reviewed Cayin N3Ultra offers more body and more richness to the sound in the low frequencies, and it’s much faster and snappier when compared to the 3.5mm output with tube mode of the N3Pro. Double win for the N3Ultra, and it’s a significant win.
The midrange is the star of the show of this device. It offers a wonderful mix of texture, resolution, and lushness. The overall timbre is to die for, giving you a sensation of listening to your favorite music live, with all the color and richness you’d expect. On the other hand, it’s also spacious and accurate sounding, giving you, quite literally – the best of both worlds. A level of performance of a modern, good-quality DAP, with a soul and emotions from a classic tube amplifier. It somehow doesn’t have cons of either, which is even more impressive.
No matter the mastering, both male and female vocals and all instruments sound mature, accurate, and pleasant, with no artificial thinness or lack of body. Tested Cayin N3Ultra is just an enjoyment machine, always making sure that you’ll have a good time while listening to music. Fantastic.
The treble is once again, accurate and fast, but also thick and delicate, with basically no fatigue whatsoever. All the sounds in high frequencies have a proper body and weight, further improving that natural and rich feeling. At the same time, the detail retrieval and resolution of the treble are both great, giving you an insightful and accurate sound for all you detail-chasers out there. While it’s not the final word in terms of detail, it does add that beautiful color and richness to it, which is more than a fair trade in my book.
It’s also tuned so well that it never gets tiring for me, even though it doesn’t sound dark or veiled by any means. It just sounds how it’s supposed to, and a little more. A wonderful pairing of technicalities and the sheer beauty of the sound. It’s wonderful how mature and refined this sound is, considering the asking price of the N3Ultra. If you don’t need functionality, you have a big music library and you just want a DAP that plays music, then I don’t know if there’s anything better in the market, especially at this price.
Proceeding to the soundstage, I’m still impressed. Cayin N3Ultra offers a spacious presentation with very good separation between the instruments, with lots of air. It definitely has an ability to sound intimate and up close, but when the recording requires, it opens up its soundstage beautifully, crafting a vast and open stage. The imaging is also spot-on, even when listening to busy tracks or big orchestras.
The instruments are big and bold, but not to the point where they sound incorrect. It’s just a well-tuned and natural-sounding soundstage that does what it’s meant to do.
Comparisons
A lot has been written about comparing these two already, but let’s sum it all up.
The N3Ultra is an upgrade to the already fantastic N3Pro in every single way regarding the sound. It combines the best aspects of its balanced and tube outputs and then adds even more quality.
So, if you use a balanced output of the N3Ultra together with a tube timbre, you can expect a level of finesse, refinement, and richness that even exceeds the one found in the N3Pro tube output, married with dynamics, speed, and resolution that’s a level above N3Pro’s balanced output. Not only the N3Ultra combine the best aspects of both N3Pro’s modes, but it also improves on both even further.
It does all that why remaining similarly priced and not being a whole lot bigger. The Cayin N3Pro was our 2020 Product Of The Year, a fully deserved award back then. Now, the successor to that device is an even better product, and it’s better without drawbacks. If that’s not what a perfect upgrade is, I don’t know what is.
Now let’s compare the Cayin N3Ultra with the great iBasso DX170.
The functionality aspect goes fully to the iBasso, and it’s not even a close one. However, bear in mind that it does it at the price of being bigger, less pocket-friendly, and overall less convenient to use as a music player.
However, when the sound quality is concerned, this is getting more interesting. I would say that in terms of technical performance, the DX170 is VERY slightly more capable, but at the same time, the N3Ultra just sounds much more mature and refined.
The DX170 in comparison sounds bland and uninspiring, whereas the N3Ultra has a far superior timbre and that unique lushness to it.
In fact, if you’re indeed looking for a neutral, does-it-all device, the DX170 is a better choice here. However, if you just want to enjoy the music and you don’t need Tidal and other functions, the N3Ultra is just a significantly more interesting and beautiful sounding device of the two.
Now the story is somewhat similar to that of the DX170. The M23 is vastly more functional than the N3Ultra, so if you’re looking for streaming capabilities, full Android, and such, the choice is easy.
However, once again, the N3Ultra has unique sound characteristics about it that are just so different from those of the M23. It’s that touch of magic and refinement that the M23 doesn’t simply have because it’s a different type of product, aimed towards different customers.
Technically the M23 comes superior, functionality as well. However, when all I care about is the sound and I’m about to have my late-night listening session, I always grab the N3Ultra.
It’s really hard to say that one is better than the other. They are just strong in different areas, and both represent a fantastic value in the DAP market. However, the N3Ultra has that “something” about it, that makes you want to listen more, and that’s (in my opinion), the most important aspect of an audio product.
Cayin N3Ultra – summary
The Cayin N3Ultra is a definition of the word “upgrade”. Cayin took the already great N3Pro and simply made it better, yet offers it at a very similar price.
The N3Ultra is a spiritual heir to what DAPs used to be years ago. It’s a music player, nothing more, nothing less. It may not offer an extended functionality, but when it starts singing, it does it with heart. It has become my go-to device for listening to music with my IEMs and I don’t feel like it’ll change anytime soon. It’s just THAT GOOD.
Wildly recommended!
Big thanks to Cayin for providing us with the N3Ultra for this review. I wasn’t paid or asked to say anything good or bad about this product, all of the above is just my personal, unbiased opinion.
Founder of Ear Fidelity. I’ve been into audio for many years, working in production, distribution, retail, and marketing throughout my career. Now trying to revolutionize the art of reviewing audio gear, but one thing will never change: Music is the most important.
