Cayin
C9 Reference Portable Headphone Amplifier
$1,499.00 USDFeatures
A/AB Class
2600mW p.c. 32Ohms
Fully Discrete, Fully Balanced
Line Input – SE/BAL
Pre-amp input – SE/Bal
4.4mm/3.5mm Input and output
SE/BAL Conversion
Electronic Volume Control
Modular battery USB-C QC3.0
5.5-15 Hrs Battery Life
160x80x28 (mm)
What's in the Box?
Warranty
The C9 from Cayin is the perfect accessory to your favorite headphones whenever you're on the go. The portable headphone amplifier has the option to switch between class A and AB, tube or solid state, high or low gain, and plenty of other options and features. Pair the C9 with you favorite source for rich, organic sounding high-fidelity audio.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Tube/Solid State Dual Timbre
- A/AB Class
- 2600mW p.c. 32Ohms
- Fully Discrete, Fully Balanced
- Line Input – SE/BAL
- Pre-amp input – SE/Bal
- 4.4mm/3.5mm Input and output
- SE/BAL Conversion
- Electronic Volume Control
- Modular battery USB-C QC3.0
- 5.5-15 Hrs Battery Life
- 160x80x28 (mm)
VACUUM TUBE OR SOLID STATE
Your choice of timbre: vacuum tubes or solid state. The C9 has a tailored-designed, fully balanced 40ch dual timbre circuit. It comes equipped with a quad set of Toshiba 2sk209 JFET and a pair of KORG Butube 6P1 double direct heated triodes. They're applicable to both single-ended and balanced phone output.
- Vacuum Tube Timbre Circuit: this is a redesigned timbre circuit featuring the two miniature double direct heated triode (DHT) Nutube 6P1. Applicable to both single-ended and balanced output, with carefully implemented NFB, reduces THD+N to 0.03%. It delivers a euphoric and energetic presentation with the utmost delicacy.
- Solid State Timbre Circuit: The solid state option is a fully discrete buffer and amplification audio circuit. It's designed around two matched pairs of high-quality, low-noise audio frequency Toshiba 2sk209 JFET. They deliver a warm and rich timbre that is realistic and engaging.
DUAL AMP OPERATION MODE
Switch between Class A and Class AB modes instantly. You can customize the sound signature to fit your personal listening preferences, music genres, and headphone pairings.
- Class A Mode: Low efficiency and low distortion. Musical, smooth, warm, and lush sounding.
- Class AB Mode: Higher efficiency and more dynamic. Clean, tight, great extension and slam.
DUAL GAIN CONTROL
Choose between high and low gain modes. MCU controlled and optimized automatically.
- Primary Gain: Custom designed 6dB voltage gain circuit.
- Secondary Gain: Gain circuit in electronic volume control.
The C9 is designed with electronically controlled analog volume control with a 4-channel ALPS potentiometer with a pair of MUSES series low noise, low distortion resistance ladder stereo electronic volume.
DUAL INPUT MODE
Choose between line input and pre-amp input.
Line: receives fixed voltage audio signals from the line level output and functions as a headphone amplifier with local volume control.
Pre: receives variable voltage audio signals from the pre-amp output
FULLY DISCRETE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER
The C9 is equipped with high-quality 4-ch JFET and BJT based fully balanced headphone amplification circuits for portable applications. To achieve the desired audio performance, the input signal is handled by a quad set of WIMA coupling capacitors and two matched pairs of LSK289 DUAL JFET differential amplifiers. The final output stage is composed of a matched quad set of doubled BJT in parallel, providing ample power for IEMs and headphones.
EFFECTIVE HEAT DISSIPATION
Cayin attached PBS (Pyrolytic Graphic Sheets) to components inside the C9 amplifier that generate the most heat. This was carefully designed for effective heat management to divert and dissipate heat energy efficiently, right down to the placement of the components themselves. The C9 portable headphone amplifier maintains consistently low temperatures due to this design.
REPLACEABLE BATTERY TRAY
The C9 amplifier contains a reliable power supply from 4x Sony VTC6 3000mAH 18560 Lithium batteries, with 8-12 mOhm low internal resistance and 30A maximum continuous discharge. Four batteries in series provides +/- 8.4V direct power. Dedicated power protection and management to ensures that all four batteries will be fully charged at the same pace. The C9 is compatible with QC3.9 and PD compatible Fast Charging through the USB Type-C interface with an LED indicator to display charging and battery capacity status.
Specifications
Headphone Amplifier Specification
Product Information
| Input: 3.5mm TRS, 4.4mm TRRRS | Timbre Circuit (Tube): KORG Nutube 6P1 X 2 |
| Output: 3.5mm TRS, 4.4mm TRRRS | Timbre circuit (SS): Toshiba 2SK209 JFET X 4 |
| Electronic Volume Control: MUSES72320 X 2 | Input Differential Amp.: LIS LSK489 JFET X 4 |
| Battery: Sony US18650VTC6 (3000mAh 3.7V) X 4 | Charging: USB Type-C (QC3.0) |
| Dimension: 160 x 80 x 28 (mm) | Net Weight: 550 (+5g) |
Battery and Duration
Battery Duration
| Timbre | DAO | Single-Ended (3.5mm) | Balanced (4.4mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class AB | ~15 Hours | ~10 Hours | |
| Solid State | Class A | ~12 Hours | ~7 Hours |
| Class AB | ~9.5 Hours | ~9 Hours | |
| Vacuum Tubes | Class A | ~8 Hours | ~5.5 Hours |
Note:
- Test condition: Input of a standard line level audio signal, volume at 10 o'clock position, lo gain, connected to 32Ω headphones.
- Charging time might extend if the four lithium batteries are in different voltage (capacity).
Charging
| Condition | Standard Charger (5V-2A) | QuickCharge 3.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Time | os 6 Hours | ~3 Hours |
Headphone Amplifier Audio Specification
Headphone Output
| Setting | Test Condition | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loading | 16Ω | 32Ω | 150Ω | 300Ω | ||
| Power 3.5mm SE | Tube/Solid State | 1200mW | 700mW | 160mW | 80mW | High/Low Gain |
| Power 4.4mm BAL | Tube/Solid State | 4100mW | 2600mW | 640mW | 320mW | High/Low Gain |
| Freq. Response | Tube/Solid State | 15Hz-60kHz (+0.5dB) | 15Hz-60kHz (+0.5dB) | 15Hz-60kHz (+0.5dB) | 15Hz-60kHz (+0.5dB) | High/Low Gain |
| Single-Ended/Balanced | Conversion | SE>SE | BAL>SE | SE>BAL | BAL>BAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid State | 0.00% | 0.01% | 0.01% | 0.00% | @1kHz, 1Vrms, | |
| THD+N | Vacuum Tube | 0.03% | 0.03% | 0.05% | 0.03% | A-Weighted |
| Solid State | 120dB | 114dB | 114dB | 123dB | 20Hz~20kHz | |
| Vacuum Tube | 112dB | 111dB | 111dB | 114dB | High Gain, A-Weighted, | |
| Dynamic Range | Solid State | 122dB | 119dB | 119dB | 125dB | 20Hz~20kHz |
| Vacuum Tube | 118dB | 117dB | 117dB | 120dB | Low Gain, A-Weighted, | |
| Solid State | 120dB | 114dB | 114dB | 123dB | 20Hz~20kHz | |
| Vacuum Tube | 112dB | 111dB | 111dB | 114dB | High Gain, A-Weighted, | |
| SNR | Solid State | 122dB | 119dB | 119dB | 125dB | 20Hz~20kHz |
| Vacuum Tube | 118dB | 117dB | 117dB | 120dB | Low Gain, A-Weighted, | |
| Solid State | 75dB | 97dB | 114dB | @1kHz, | ||
| Channel Separation | Vacuum Tube | 75dB | 90dB | 110dB | A-Weighted | |
| 1.5V | 3.0V | 1.5V | 3.0V | High Gain | ||
| Line In | 3.0V | 6.0V | 3.0V | 6.0V | Low Gain | |
| Input Sensitivity | 2.1V | 4.2V | 2.1V | 4.2V | High Gain | |
| Pre In | 4.2V | 8.4V | 4.2V | 8.4V | Low Gain | |
| Output Impedance | Tube/Solid State | <50mQ | <50mQ | <50mQ | <50mQ | High/Low Gain |
Note:
- Unlesss otherwise stated, all parameters are measured at 32Ohm loading.
- All parameters are measured when the battteries are fully charged.