Cayin RU6 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier

Product Information

Treble sounded realistic as it is naturally vibrant, Mids as rich as the listening device capable of emitting, Bass having visceral density which is real and engaging. USB Audio with shielded USB-C connector, compatible with a wide range of mobile, consumer electronics and computers. Using Accubattery, I recorded a power draw 450-600 mAh which is slightly less than the similarly powerful Hidizs S9 Pro but still more than your average dongle. This is very high-quality volume control design that was frequently used in high-end preamps and integrated amplifiers.

On the high sensitivity speakers I far prefer the Cayin RU6 + Jitterbug combination to other DACs I have such as a Bifrost Multibit, Modi Multibit, Topping E30, and Dragonfly Red. Discrete R-2R is a low-power DAC circuit when compared to other highly integrated DAC chipset on the market, minimising power drain from mobile sources. I was trying to resist the temptation to try this, but curiosity got the better of me, and I had to see how this little engineering and packaging wonder sounded. Natural is the word to use again, not only to define the timbre but also for expressing the decay, the notes are born and then fade away with the perfect timing. 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.However if I am going to be nitpicking, I would say that I would have preferred RU6 to exhibit just a tiny bit more of smoothness.

All of the dongles come with great features and amongst them the W2 and the RU6 are the most powerful ones. If you are Cayin, after the introduction of R01 DAC/amp card for their modular N6ii DAP, the answer would be the first R-2R usb DAC/amp dongle. This is not a matter of right or wrong, it's a matter of preferences and I can understand some listener prefer it that way.The FiiO KA3 is one of the best examples of a well implemented D/S USB dongle with the least possible digital imprint but the RU6 is a step above with a more organic and natural texture. The hardware volume control buttons are backed by a sophisticated resistor ladder volume circuit, and users can select between Non-Oversampling or Oversampling mode through a simple menu setting. I gave to friends to try the RU6, friends that use tubes and R2Rs and Stax-es and they were not believing to their ears.

The product was provided to me free of charge for the review purpose in exchange for my honest opinion. Both technologies are not new to the market, but indeed, quite well established with a loyal following, even among modern audiophiles.And yet, it is such new technology that has breathed life into the old design and the first wave of products have proven to be surprisingly popular with discerning audiophiles. This will get rid of the digital filters in OS mode and maintain the signal in perfect time sequence. Cayin recommends using bit-perfect USB output, as well as fixing the digital output volume over USB to the maximum for the best performance.

Try spending time listening to actual live music or even studio sessions, they are anything but sterile clean.The basic idea of the R-2R ladder is a matched pair of resistors, the first is “R” and the other is “2R'' which has twice the value of R.