Cayin RU6 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier

Product Information

As a result, OS mode offers better measurable performance, however, it can be argued that the purer signal provided by NOS mode introduces fewer artefacts, phase distortion and jitter. Adding Cayin C9 amp beefs up the bass a bit with more weight in sub-bass and mid-bass, but even without C9, it was still a great pair up. With NOS mode, you get the unadulterated input signal while in OS mode, the digital audio bridge up samples digital audio data to 384kHz using digital filters. The R-2R DAC circuit is very demanding on incoming data integrity and the digital volume of mobile phones will damage the sound quality badly.

The RU6 also offers oversampling as an option that increases the bit-rate of the input sample to 384kHz - it decreases noise and increases detail level; according to me, both NOS and OS have very solid replays. The recent chip shortage, led many companies to revert back to the roots, the R-2R era where digital conversion was done with this particular method before the invention of the modern D/S DAC chip.The good thing is, this crispiness approach is still very polished and mature if I am to compare it against the likes of Hidizs S9 Pro, E1DA 9038SG3, TempoTec Sonata E44 etc. balanced cable termination, Cayin added an extra op-amp, unity gain amp identical to the primary headphone amp op-amp. The RU6 with its full 4V swing and 213mW/32Ω of power output, is powerful and can drive a wide range of headphones with good grip and plenty of headroom.

The accuracy of resistors is of paramount importance within an R-2R design and Cayin adopted high precision, low-Temperature Coefficient of Resistance (TCR25) Thin Film Resistors rated at ±0. High Precision Resistor Array Volume Control is implemented and I can attest this being one of the most refined volume steps adjustment that I have ever tested so far with Dongles. The soundstage is not as extended and wide with the same laser sharp positioning of the FiiO KA3 but it has far better holography, a more dimensional shape and it is further convincing in communicating the ambience of the recording venue.I haven't had that same level of uppermids harshness since then, and initial warm-up period was only a minute or two as this unit is quite small and getting it up to operating temperature should be quick. By holding down the multi-functional button that lights up or switches off the screen display, users could access the settings for over-sampling/ non-oversampling mode, high or low gain levels, and the screen-off timer.