Cayin N8 User manual

N8 Master Quality Digital Audio Player
User Guide
1

Thank you for choosing Cayin N8 master quality digital audio player. Please read through
this User Guide before you start to use the player. Please keep the User Guide accessible
for future reference.
Product Highlights
Cayin N8 is our attempt to achieve best possible high fidelity audio performance for
portable audio player. The followings are some of the highlights of N8 DAP:
1. Choice of Vacuum tube and Solid State amplification in single-ended headphone output.
2. Support 4.4mm balanced and 3.5mm single-ended headphone output.
3. Support 4.4mm balanced and 3.5mm single-ended line output.
4. Support USB Audio, S/PDIF and I2S digital output.
5. Support multiple Bluetooth audio profiles.
6. Support OTA firmware upgrade through 2.4GHz and 5GHz dual band WiFi wireless
connection.
7. Outstanding digital audio capability, Playback all popular music file format, PCM
decoded up to 32Bit/384kHz, DSD up to DSD256, handle SACD-ISO directly (do not
support DST encoded)
8. Massive 128GB internal storage and one external TF card upto 512GB. Can extend
storage capacity through OTG extended storage,
9. USB3.0 high speed data transmission.
10. Proprietary OS with touch screen Quick charge ready, support QC2.0 from Qualcomm
and Pump Express from MediaTek.
11. Support interface, innovative physical button (dual multi-function dials on side panel
and Home/Return button with smart glow playback indicator in front panel) to facilitate
quick or blind control.
12. Comprehensive cables and accessories bundled.
2

Packaging and Accessories
The Cayin N8 Master Quality Digital Audio Player comes with the following accessories in
the package. Please check carefully and make sure everything is in place. Please contact
our distributors if any accessory is missing.
tCayin N8 Master Quality Digital Audio Player x 1
tUser Guide (as attached, with Warranty Card and QA Certificate) x 1
tTempered Glass Protective Screen x 1
tHi-Res Audio label x 2
tProtective Case x 1
tType-C USB Cable x 1, for charging , music files transfer and USB-DAC connection
tType-C to 3.5mm Coaxial Cable for S/PDIF coaxial output
tType-C to RAC Coaxial Adapter for S/PDIF coaxial output (when connect to a standard
RCA coaxial cable)
t4.4mm to XLR adapter for balanced line out
t4.4mm to 2.5mm balanced adapter,
to connect 2.5mm balanced headphone or line out
Control and Operation
1. 4.4mm Balanced Line Out/Headphone Out
2. 3.5mm Single-ended Headphone Out
3. 3.5mm Single-ended Line Out
4. Multi-function Volumed Knob
5. Multi-function Playback Control Dial
6. HOME/Return
7. Multi-purpose USB Port (Type-C)
8. TF card
9. I²S Output via Mini HDMI (Type C)
10. RESET
11. Status LED
12. Touch Screen
13. Vacuum Tube indicator
3
1 2 3
4
5
6
11
9 8 710
12
RESET
BAL
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Basic Operation
1. Multi-function Volume Knob
tThe Multifunction Knob allows you to control the volume, turn on/off the player, and
lock/unlock the main display screen.
tPower On: when the player is power off, press the center of the knob into the player for
1 second, the player will turn on and entered the Home screen
tPower Off: when the player is power on, press the center of the knob into the player for
2 second, the player will display a pop-up message to confirm your instruction, select
OK to turn off the player
tCompulsory power off: when the player is power on, press the center of the knob into
the player for 6 second, the player will power off in regardless of operation status
tTurn off (lock) screen: when the screen is on, click the center of the knob once, the
screen will turn off and the control buttons will be locked according to the system setup
definition*.
tLight up (unlock) screen: when the screen is off, click the center of the knob once, the
screen will turn on and the control buttons will be unlocked.
tVolume Control: rotate the multi-function knob clockwise to increase or counter-
clockwise to decrease volume output. The screen will display the volume control
interface when you rotate the knob, you can also slide up and down on the touch
screen to control the volume output.
*You can select your preferred setting from the lock screen option of system setup menu,
your options are: Lock all, Lock volume, Lock up and down, Unlock.
2. Multi-function Playback control Dial
The Multi-function Dial allows you to play/pause/stop the player operation, jump to next
or back to previous track, and fast forward/rewind during playback.
tSkip track: Toggle the dial upward plays previous track of current playback, toggle it
download plays next track. You can also select the Next and Previous button on the
playback screen to skip tracks.
4

tFast Forward/Rewind: Toggle and hold the dial upward will fast forward the current
playback, toggle and hold the dial downward will rewind the. You can also drag or point
to a particular location at the progress bar to achieve fast forward and rewind.
tPlay/Pause: Press the center of the dial into the player will pause the current
playback, push in again will resume the playback. You can also select the Play/Pause
button on the playback screen to play and pause the playback.
tStop: Press the center of the dial into the player and hold for 2 second will stop the
playback and go back to Home page.
3. HOME/Return
tHome: Press and hold Home/Return button at any location will bring you back to the
Home screen.
tPlayback Screen: Press Home/Return button during playback will jump to the
playback screen.
4. Browse and Playback
N8 organizes music files according to folder, album, artist, genre, songs and classified
list, you can browse through your music resource according to your favorite
categorization.
1) Folder: Select Folder in the Home screen, and then specific the storage location
(Local Storage, TF card and OTG) you want to playback from and N8 will display the
folders and files on the storage in a folder hierarchal listing.
2) With the exception of Folder category, all other categories will required the user to
Scan the Music before the information can be displayed correctly. You can activate
Music Scan from Storage Location screen.
3) When the music scan is completed, you can continue browsing your music library by
choosing your preferred categorization: Classified List, Album, Artist, Genre and
Songs.
4) When you select a music file form a list, N8 will start to playback the file and displayed
the Playback screen, you can specify your playback mode, perform Play/Pause, jump
to Previous/Next track, fast forward and rewind on this screen.
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Music file format supported: dsf, dff, sacd-iso, wav, flac, aiff, ape, wma, mp3, mp2, ogg,
aac, opus, cue File System supported: FAT32, exFAT, NTFS
5. Headphone output
This player is equipped with one singled ended and one balanced headphone output.
This should cover a wide range of earphone and headphones in the market.
1) Singled-Ended Headphones: N8 provides a 3.5mm TRS headphone connector for
single-end earphone/headphone; it can also playback with all TRRS single-ended
earphone/headphones with mic .
2) Balanced Headphones: N8 provides a 4.4mm TRRRS headphone connector for
balanced earphone/headphone.
3) Cayin has provided a 4.4mm to 2.5mm balanced headphone adapter. If you are using
a 2.5mm TRRS terminated balanced earphone/headphone, you can plug it into the
2.5mm female connector of the adapter and gain access to the balanced headphone
output of N8
Note:
tN8’s 4.4mm balanced connector is shared between headphone output and line
output, when you plug a balanced headphone into the connector, you have to set the
4.4mm output to PO (Phone Out) from the pull down menu (drag out from top of
screen)
tThe volume control will take effective when you are using the headphone output of
N8.
tThe pin definition of 4.4mm TRRRS balanced connector is as follow. It is important
not to create a short circuit between the L+, L-, R+ and R-, this might cause serious
damage to the player. The Ground connection must not be short circuit as well.
6. Line output
This player is equipped with one singled ended and one balanced line output (shared with
headphone output), you can connect the line out of N8 to an outboard amplifier. You need
an appropriate analogue audio interconnect with reference to the input of your amplifier.
6
L+ L- R+ R- GND
4.4mm TRRRS Pin Definition：

1) Single-ended Line out:
tFor safety sake, please turn down the volume of your outboard amplifier before
connection.
tIf you are connecting to the single-ended input of a desktop amplifier, you’ll need a
3.5mm to 2xRCA interconnect. Connect the 3.5mm plug of this interconnect to the N8
3.5mm Line out and then connect the RCA to the single-ended input of your amplifier.
tIf you are connecting to the single-ended input of a portable amplifier, you’ll need a
3.5mm to 3.5mm interconnect. Connect one of the 3.5mm plug of this interconnect to
the N8 3.5mm Line out and then connect the other 3.5mm plug to the single-ended
input of your amplifier.
tThe volume control of N8 will be defeated during Line Out connection, please turn up
the volume of the amplifier, you should be able to hear the N8 output from the amplifier
via single-ended line out.
2) Balanced Line out:
tFor safety sake, please turn down the volume of your outboard amplifier before
connection.
tCayin has designed a 4.4mm to dual XLR male adapter for balanced line out
connection. Connect the 4.4mm plug of the adapter to the 4.4mm connector of N8, and
then connect the female ends of a XLR balanced cable to XLR side of the adapter. The
other end of the XLR balanced cable will plug into the balanced input of your amplifier.
tIf you are connecting to an amplifier with 4.4mm analogue input, you’ll need a 4.4mm
male to 4.4mm male interconnect. Connect one of the 4.4mm male plug of the
interconnect to the 4.4mm connector of N8, and then connect the other 4.4mm plug to
the balanced input of your amplifier.
tIf you are connecting to an amplifier with 2.5mm analogue input, you can use a 2.5mm male to
2.5mm male interconnect. Connect one of the 2.5mm male plug of the interconnect to 4.4mm to
2.5mm adapted (as suppliedin N8 package) and then plug the cable and adapter to the
4.4mm to 2.5mm adapted (as supplied in N8 package) and then plug the cable and
adapter to the 4.4mm connector of N8, and then connect the other 2.5mm plug to the
balanced input of your amplifier.
tSet the N8 Balanced output to LO from the pull down menu.
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tThe volume control of N8 will be defeated during Line Out connection, please turn up
the volume of the amplifier, you should be able to hear the N8 output from the amplifier
via balanced line out
7. Digital output
N8 offers 3 digital output options: S/PDIF, I²S and USB Audio. You can select the
appropriate digital output that fit you needs accordingly.
1) S/PDIF digital output
Cayin has embedded the S/PDIF signal into Type C connector. Cayin has bundled two
Type-C to Coaxial adapter cable so that users can connect N8 to various outboard
DAC with S/PDIF input.
NOTE:
tTo enable N8’s S/PDIF output, you have to set the digital output option from Pull down
menu to S/PDIF.
tYou have to disconnect all 3.5mm and 4.4mm connections before the S/PDIF output is
available.
2) I²S digital OutputN8 implements I²S digital output through the HDMI Type C (Mini
HDMI) port located at the bottom of the player. To connect N8 to external DAC with
compatible I²S input, you need a Mini-HDMI to HDMI cable or a HDMI to Mini-HDMI
adapter and then connect to DAC with a standard HDMI cable.
NOTE:
tTo enable N8’s I²S output, you have to set the digital output option from Pull down
menu to I²S
tYou have to disconnect all 3.5mm and 4.4mm connections before the S/PDIF output is
available.
tThe I²S through HDMI Type C Connector is an proprietary implementation. The pin
definition was defined in-housed and was designed to work with Cayin DAC with I²S
input. It is incompatible with standard HDMI audio visual device, and we cannot
guarantee compatibility with other DAC with I²S input.
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3) USB Audio output
The USB Audio output is available for the Type-C USB connector. Please use high
quality USB OTG cable to connect N8 to outboard DAC with USB Audio input.
NOTE:
tWhen N8 connected to outboard DAC with USB Audio out, the 3.5mm and 4.4mm
analogue output and I2S digital output via HDMI Type C connector will be disabled.
tMost desktop DAC use USB Type-B as their USB Audio input, you’ll need a Type-C to
Type-B USB cable for this connection. The cable is readily available in the market and
is not supplied in N8 package.
8. USB DAC:
N8 can be used as a USB DAC when connect to a outboard player with USB output. The
bundled USB Type-C to Type A cable might be applicable for this purpose.
NOTE:
tTo use USB DAC function, you have to toggle USB mode from the Pull Down menu
until then “USB DAC” icon is displayed.
tWhen connected to an outboard player through USB cable, N8 will display DAC user
interface screen and stop all local playback function.
tSupport Windows(drivers required), Mac OS and Android(partial) system.
tComputer, Tablet, Smart phone and even Cayin Digital Audio Player can be used as
outboard player for N8 USB DAC function. You need to acquire an appropriate USB
Type-C HDMI Pin Definition Diagram
NC
DSD/PCM
NC
GND
MCLK+ LRCK+/DSD DATA L+
GND
SCLK+/DSD CLK+
DATA+/DSD DATA R+
GND
+5V
NC
MUTE
MCLK-
GND
LRCK-/DSD DATA L-
SCLK-/DSD CLK-
GND
DATA-/DSD DATA R-
1
19
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cable with reference to the USB port of these outboard players.
NOTE:
tWhen connected as USB DAC, the outboard USB player will feed USB signal and
charge the N8 at the same time. Please make sure the outboard USB player can fulfill
this requirement.
tWindow system might require an appropriate USB Audio Driver before it will recognize
N8 as a USB DAC. Please download and install appropriate USB Audio driver from
http://en.cayin.cn/
9. File Management
Toggle USB mode from the Pull Down menu until then “USB Storage” icon is
displayed, connect the Type-C USB port of N8 to one of the USB port of your computer
through an USB type-C to Type-A data cable (bundled in N8 package), your computer
should detect the N8 within a minute, and prompt you the appropriate action. Follow the
instruction of N8 and your computer to establish a high speed connection. When you see
the folder tree of your internal storage or TF card display on your computer screen, you
are ready to manage your N8 music library from your computer.
10. Charging the DAP
N8 will start to charge up the battery when you connect the player to a USB charger via a
Type-C USB cable (as supplied). A battery charging icon with battery capacity will display
on the N8 screen when the unit is charging. The smart LED on the Home/Return button
will function as a charging indicator: it will flash while charging, and lighted up
continuously when charging is completed.
Note:
tN8 is support QC2.0 from Qualcomm and Pump Express from MediaTek. You can use
appropriate QC ready chargers or standard 5V 2A USB charger although the charging
time might be different in view of the USB charger is in used. USB charger is not
included in N8 package, please acquire high quality USB charger that support N8
locally.
tPlease place N8 at a well-ventilated environment when you charge the player because
the temperature of the player is higher than normal playback during charging. Please
don’t cover up the player during charging.
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tPlease charge up the battery at room temperature. Charging at very high or low
temperature might cause battery failure during the charging process.
tThe battery installed in N8 is rated at 7000mAH (3.8V), charge it from a standard USB
charger of the USB port of a computer will take considerably time.
tWhen N8 is connected to a USB charger, it can play music while charging is in
progress. If N8 is connected to an USB port of a computer and charging, the player will
stop playing music.
tPlease do not use the player during charging
tCharging Recommendation: Appropriate battery care can extend the lifetime of the
battery and the player. Lithium Polymer battery does not have memory effect, it can be
charged regardless of its current capacity and will not introduce negative effect to
battery performance. Shallow discharges and recharges are better than full ones,
because they put less stress on the battery, so it lasts longer. Regular full discharges
or repeatedly charge up to 100% will speed up the aging of the battery. In general, you
should be keeping your battery above 20 percent and stop charging at round 90% for
optimum battery life. When the battery has been used without a complete full
discharge after a long period (approximately 30 charging cycle), it might result in
inaccurate gauge and lead to incorrect battery capacity estimation, a full discharge
followed by a full charge immediately will calibrate the gauge.
11. Multi-color smart glowing LED
11
Indicates sampling rate during playback ：
Tangerine：Lossy compression
Yellow：44.1/48 kHz
Green：88.2/96 kHz
Blue：176.4/192 kHz
Violet：352.8/384 kHz
White：DSD
Charging indicator:
Red breathing light when charging;
Lighted up continuously when charging is
completed.
Note:
You can enable or disable the Smart LED
at the System Setup menu. If you
playback music during charging, the
Smart LED will be function as charging
indicator only.

12. Expandable Storage: TF card
You can extend the local storage capacity of N8 by copy the music files to a TF card (up
to 512GB) and insert the TF card into the TF card slot at the bottom of N8.
13. Expandable Storage: USB On-the-Go (OTG)
The USB Type C connector of N8 supports OTG feature, you can plug in USB Flash
Drive or card reader to extend the local storage capacity of N8.
14. System Reset
If the system behaves abnormally, you can use a nonmetallic pin (e.g., toothpick) to
activate the reset button inside the reset hole, the system will reboot and resume.
Wi-Fi connection
1. Select the WiFi option from the System setting menu
2. Click the On/Off button to turn on Wi-Fi function
3. The Player will scan for available network automatically; you can also select the
“Scanning for network” option to invoke the Wi-Fi Scanning manually.
4. Select the desired network name from the Available Networks list, enter password and
select connect.
5. When the network is connected, the network name will move up to Matched Networks and
designated as “Connected”, and the WiFi connection icon will display at the top status
bar.
Bluetooth Connection
1. Select the Bluetooth option from the System setting menu
2. Click the On/Off button to turn on Bluetooth function
3. The Player will scan for available Bluetooth device automatically; you can also select the
“Scan Bluetooth device” option to invoke the Bluetooth Scanning manually.
4. Select the desired Bluetooth device from the Available Devices list.
5. If you selected a mobile phone or computer, you might be request to confirm the
12

connection request from the designated Bluetooth device. When connected, the N8
screen will display a big Bluetooth logo, and the Bluetooth connection icon will display at
the top status bar.
Note: please turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth if you are not using these wireless features
because they will consume the battery and reduce the duration of playback.
Firmware Upgrade
Cayin will release new firmware as needed to improve and optimize the function of N8.
Please follow the instructions of the firmware released by http://en.cayin.cn/ to complete
the firmware upgrade procedure.
Safety Information
1. Do not use the device in extreme environments such as overheating, supercool, dusty or
smoky, or highly moisture.
2. Do not place the device near anything can disperse strong magnetic field
3. Do not use the device at thunderstorm.
4. Beware of falling or squeezing or colliding with other hard objects.
5. Do not use chemical solvents or detergents to clean the device.
6. It is normal that the device heats up during charging or playback.
7. Please control the volume! Please confirm that the volume value is in the proper position
before inserting the headphones.
8. Please do not use the player during charging
9. If you do not use this device for a long time, you need to periodically charge this device to
maintain its battery performance.
10. Please do not attempt to disassemble the device, this may cause damage and void the
warranty. Please contact your local dealer when you need warranty and/or repair
service.
11. Do not place the unit in a fire or attempt to heat up the player, this may cause the battery
to explode. If you notice the battery of the device displace high temperature, please
turn off the player and unplug the charging cable, headphones, and whatever connected
external devices.
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Disclaimer
tThe manufacturer, distributor, importer and reseller will not responsible for any damage
caused by improper usage or operation of this product, including accidental or human
damage.
tThe user manual is a documentation of the product based on the specification at the time
of print. Cayin reserved the right to change product specification without prior notice.
Cayin might include additional features or introduce new technologies subsequently. All
specification or function might subject to change without prior notice.
tUnder no circumstances will manufacturer, importer and reseller responsible for loss of
data as a result of using this product.
Trouble Shooting
14
Symptom
Explanation
Remedial Action
Unable to
turn on
The battery is too low to be
powered on
Charge the battery and
try to turn on again
The temperature of using environment
is too high or too low
Avoid using the devices in
extreme temperature environment
Auto shut down
while playing
The battery is too low
Charging before using, avoid using
the player when the battery is too low
No sound from
headphones
Volume is too low
Adjust the volume to a suitable position
The headphone is damaged
or bad connections
Change the headphone, make sure
all cables are firmly connected
Unable to
playback
music file
Music file has been damaged
Delete damaged music file or
playback other music files
The player does not support
the file format
playback other music files
File playback
error
Music file might have been
removed or edited
Update music library
USB DAC cannot
be recognized
The driver has not been installed
or setup properly
download and install appropriate USB
Audio driver from http://en.cayin.cn/
PC music playback software
has not designated this
device as playback output
Select N8 as system output device at
your music playback software on
your computer
System Halt
Hold on the Power button to restart
the player or RESET button to restart

specification
Product Highlights
DAC：AK4497EQ*2
Vacuum Tube：KORG Nutube 6P1
Bluetooth Version:BTv4.2
Firmware upgrade：
OTA and Manual（via TF card）
Display :IPS 3.2"（480*360）
Battery：3.7V 7000mAh
Dimension:128*74*21mm
Net Weight：380g±5g
Battery and Duration Parameters
Battery
Duration
Testing Condition
Screen off,all wireless disables,mid gain,volume 40,
playback multi-format music files
32Ω loading
3.5mm Single-ended
4.4mm Balanced
Vacuum Tube
Solid State
STD
8.5 H
9.5 H
9.5 H
HIGH²
7.5 H
8.5 H
8.5 H
Charging
ChargingCondition
Standrad（5V-2A）
Quick Charge QC2.0
Charging Time
~6H
~4.5H
15

Headphone Output
3.5 PO
Power rating
STD
32Ω
230mW
150Ω
70mW
300Ω
35mW
HIGH²
32Ω
400mW
150Ω
100mW
300Ω
50mW
Frequency Response
20Hz-20kHz(±0.2dB,Fs=192kHz)
THD+N
0.0008%（1kHz,Fs=44.1kHz;20Hz-20kHz,A-Weighted）
Dynamic Range
118dB（20Hz-20kHz，A-Weighted）
SNR
120dB（20Hz-20kHz，A-Weighted）
Channel Separation
75dB（1kHz，Fs=44.1kHz）
Output Impedance
0.6Ω
4.4 PO
Power rating
STD
32Ω
480mW
150Ω
150mW
300Ω
80mW
HIGH²
32Ω
750mW
150Ω
400mW
300Ω
200mW
Frequency Response
20Hz-20kHz(±0.2dB,Fs=192kHz)
THD+N
0.0006%（1kHz,Fs=44.1kHz;20Hz-20kHz,A-Weighted）
Dynamic Range
120dB（20Hz-20kHz，A-Weighted）
SNR
122dB（20Hz-20kHz，A-Weighted）
Channel Separation
110dB（1kHz，Fs=44.1kHz）
Output Impedance
1.2Ω
16

17
Line Output
3.5 LO
Output Level
2.1V（@10kΩ）
Frequency Response
20Hz-20kHz(±0.2dB,Fs=192kHz)
THD+N
0.0006%（1kHz,Fs=44.1kHz;20Hz-20kHz,A-Weighted）
Dynamic Range
120dB（20Hz-20kHz,A-Weighted）
SNR
122dB（20Hz-20kHz,A-Weighted）
Channel Separation
101dB（1kHz,Fs=44.1kHz）
4.4 LO
Output Level
4.3V（@10kΩ）
Frequency Response
20Hz-20kHz(±0.2dB,Fs=192kHz)
THD+N
0.0006%（1kHz,Fs=44.1kHz;20Hz-20kHz,A-Weighted）
Dynamic Range
120dB（20Hz-20kHz,A-Weighted）
SNR
125dB（20Hz-20kHz,A-Weighted）
Channel Separation
108dB（1kHz,Fs=44.1kHz）

18
S/PDIF
Coaxial
Connector：USB-C（75Ω）
PCM：upto 24Bit/384kHz
DSD：upto Dop128（DSD over PCM 5.6MHz）
USB Audio
Out
Connector：USB-C
PCM：upto 32Bit/384kHz
DSD：upto DSD 256
I²S
Connector：HDMI Type C ( Mini HDMI )
（The DAP transmits I²S signal with HDMI connector,it is not compatible with
standard HDMI device）
PCM：upto 32Bit/384kHz
DSD：upto DSD256
Digital Interface
USB Audio
In
Connector：USB-C,Asynchronous USB Audio Class 2.0
Support Windows（drivers required）,Mac OS,Android（partial）
PCM：upto 24Bit/192kHz
DSD：upto DSD 128,support Native,Dop and D2P
BT
Transmit Codec:aptX,SBC,support upto 16Bit/44.1kHz
Receive Codec:SBC,support upto 16Bit/44.1kHz