Cayin RU6 USB DAC Headphone Amplifier

Product Information

The RU-6 also pairs very well with the Burson Soloist 3X and the TEAC HA-501 enhancing the natural replay of the first and the musicality of the second and paired with these two gives me same but also a bit different enjoyment vs the Mytek Liberty DAC. There is next to no harshness with a liquid-smooth output with an appropriate amount of air to keep the midrange layered and clear. Digital filter-less, no post-processing, optimised in time domain, low phase distortion and jitter, no ringing artefact. Derived and differentiated from the N6ii R01 R-2R board’s technology with a newly implemented stepped resistor for volume control, this USB-powered dongle offers impressive performance even under USB power constraints.

The appearance is quite modern and minimalist while finish and build quality are excellent with the only negative being that the glass surface is a fingerprint magnet but if you ask me, I wouldn't care a lot. It reaches deep but neither very low end or mid bass are pronounced - just detailed and right sounding. In this post, we review the Cayin RU6 which is the first-ever 24BIT discreet R-2R implemented dongle-type portable DAC and headphone amplifier.The RU6 answers energy spikes well with good control, and again the oversampling mode enhances separation and helps the vocal cut through the mix more clearly. I did not have any issues with getting audio working with any of the devices, however with the Chromebook, I did get the occasional stutter and pop when I was loading a webpage or doing other background activity that was may have interfered with the audio stream. Bass could have benefitted from a little boost, but overall, the bass has a deep extension, nice fast punch, mids have more neutral lower mids, clear detailed upper mids and vocals, and detailed crunchy treble with a nice airy sparkle.

After about 30 minutes, the harshness subsided, and I believe the quick and initial "burn-in" was complete. Nonetheless, with all my music the RU6 was punchy, full sounding with great macro dynamics from electronic music to classical. Chie (Remastered) - Konstantin Wecker" and " Dreams (2001 Remaster) – Fleetwood Mac" you can feel the the deep attack of the different instruments with just enough details. Both modes are immersive with superb articulation, and you can feel the nuances in the vocal’s edge and transients when circulating between the two options. All of the dongles come with great features and amongst them the W2 and the RU6 are the most powerful ones.This circuit design combined with the R-2R architecture enables the RU6 to support hi-resolution PCM and DSD audio formats with support for 384kHZ PCM and DSD 64/128/256 natively. According to Cayin, while they have realized a growing demand for high end usb dac dongles, they were not satisfied with off-the-shelf DAC solutions for dongle application and were not in a rush with their own dongle.

To minimise interference, RU6 circuitry is split into TWO 6-layers PCB, with digital and analogue circuit installed in separate boards. It has a snug fit and soft button covers that don’t overly dampen feedback, a good investment for those worried about scratches.

And: 1/ no BT is not a deal breaker - how would you listen to music with the UM Mest and use BT, BT is crippling your music; 2/ the BTR5 is a good dac/amp but it is quite below the level of the UM Mest and the RU6.

The superb performance of the Cayin RU6 makes it an easy recommendation to anyone who is looking for a dongle with R2R capabilities. For Oversampling mode, the Digital Audio Bridge will upsample the digital audio data to 384kHz through digital filters. The RU6 has a rectangular shaped body which is bulkier and heavier than the usual D/S USB DAC/Amps like the EarMen Sparrow. It subverts what you may expect, delivering powerful bass but also an energetic and detailed top end. One that preserves a tube-like musical quality but with much finer volume control and packed within a favorable form factor.I must say that the refinement is on par with what I get from my all time favorite the CEntrance DACport HD. Cayin states the playback will become very musical with a natural, organic and coherent presentation. Another optional accessory which I highly recommend is their leather case which comes in blue and orange colors.