The Improbable Mid-Fi Achievement – A Review of the Cayin i5

None of my earphones received more Cayin-time then the Rhapsodio Solar BA10. Perhaps because the treble was tamed some by the i5, I couldn’t get enough of the Solar. I could hear just how detailed this player is. Above all, the i5 excels in musicality. Solar filled up like a balloon, delighting in such potent, uncompromised tonality. The Rhapsodio is not my current favorite IEM—that goes to the U12—but this pairing possessed a special kind of magic I found myself drawn to again and again. Solar brought out the virtues of the i5 like a champion.

I’ve come to think of the Audio Technica ATH-IM03 as the poor man’s Solar. Their sonic presentation shares so much in common it can be easy to forget which is which if you become distracted. Unfortunately, the IM03 is discontinued. But if you can find one, buy it. It does everything the Solar does for the i5, just a tad bit lesser. Eminently scrumptious sound!

During my first sojourn with the i5, I felt it was too warm for the likes of the 64Audio U12. As a monster of warmth itself, the U12 didn’t like all that mid-bass Cayin pumped into it. The soundscape grew veiled and closed-in. Dark is the proper way to describe it. Now… well. With the new firmware, and fully burned-in, I must say, I quite like the i5>U12 pairing. Or maybe it’s just my brain that’s burned-in. Whatever the case, I no longer find this match so terribly offensive. Smooth, rich, and meaty. The ultimate in soothing melodies. Yes, it’s not as clear or transparent as with the Opus#2, but it delivers one compelling, pleasurable performance.

The Meze 99 Classics is God’s gift to Cayin owners. I swear each of these was built with the other in mind. Meze has more than enough vigor in the treble department to overcome the i5’s recessed highs. The vocals, crystalline on the Opus#1, takes on extra note weight, and become only the slightest bit less clear with Cayin. And oh sweet Jesus, that bass! The 99C fills out the lows with a liquid sub-range that blossom into an enormous spectacle you never want to end. The i5 only helps that along with top energy and extreme driving power. What more can I say? The Meze 99 Classics are my favorite headphones for this DAP.

Speaking of driving power… even on Low Gain I can push my Sennheiser HD6XX to loud volume. Thanks to the i5’s tremendous dynamics and fat-ass-bass, these headphones sound pretty damn good, even. They deserve a full-size desktop amp, and they benefit from one, though some DAPs can trick them into mimicking that performance. The Cayin i5 is one such DAP. My Sennheiser sounds neigh unto complete.

Like Solar and the Meze, Noble Audio’s Kaiser Encore has all the right charms to bring out the best in this music player. The treble is seriously bright, which the i5 reins in a bit. Encore reproduces some of the clearest, most detailed mids around. Cayin adds color and warmth to them, resulting in sultry vocals that are very hard not to love. While I don’t claim Encore’s bass is weak, it is more on the neutral side compared to Solar or U12. I find the aggressive low-end of the i5 works beautifully for this co-flagship by Noble. It will also take full advantage of the i5’s soundstage, as Encore is one of the most spacious-sounding IEMs on the market. Its capacity for resolution, imaging, and its ability to reveal ALL, makes this one of my new favorites. This is the earphone you put in if you wish to learn the whole and utter truth of the Cayin i5.

Pinky didn’t know what to expect with Cayin’s foray into full-on Android extravaganza. My experience with FiiO’s similar turn left me underwhelmed but intrigued. Cayin fell for a number of the same pitfalls, but ultimately maintained the sense of self that separates them from the crowd. The i5 does not feel like a soulless block of circuitry with a touchscreen interface. It feels like Cayin brought the old artisan techniques into modernity, and did so with tremendous skill.

I enjoyed the Cayin i5 so much that, should anything happen to my Opus#2 or AK120II, I would be VERY tempted to replace it with Cayin’s new masterpiece. Finally we have an offering from this company that sounds as good as it looks. I doff my hat to you, Cayin. Well done.

-~::Pinky_Powers::~-

The Cayin i5