Cayin RU3 HIFI DAC AMP Review – Quad Balanced Bloomy Song
Cayin RU3 is a $99 USD Dongle DAC AMP available in multiple colors and sold onto multiple platforms including Amazon, HiFi shops as well as Aliexpress. This is currently the most affordable Cayin product that we’ve reviewed and the company usually focuses in High-End products, so today we will explore how RU3 stands against energetic fighters from FiiO, ddHIFI and other entry-level high performers.
Introduction
Cayin is not exactly the first company I think of when it comes to recommending a dongle DAC AMP, as they are known for high-end and flagship DAPs and other luxury and lavish products, but today they want to show us that they can deliver high performance for a low cost. RU3 happens to be more than just an audiophile electronic device, it is a fashion device as well, available in multiple beautiful colors, including Light Cyan, Black and Purple. Cayin products can be bought from multiple sources and all are equally good.
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Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4rgw5nh
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3PuOFR9
Build Quality – Design
Cayin RU3 is a high-performance DAC AMP built around the ESS ES9069Q high-performance DAC. It has a hyper mode that allows it to output signals as loud as 560mW + 560mW, and it offers decoding up to 768 kHz / 32 Bit or DSD512. With a nifty 0.96″ IPs display, it allows you to configure it and should also be very resistant to burn-in compared to DACs using an OLED display. An interesting point about RU3 is that it has full 5-Star ratings from customers on websites that have a rating system, which highlights the high perceived performance relative to the cost.
Cayin RU3 is powered by a single ESS ES9069Q DAC configured in a dual-channel configuration, built around ESS’s latest Hyperstream IV Dual DAC architecture, and advanced Sabre HIFI technology. Each Channel is powered by its own independent OP-AMP stage, and RU3 has a dedicated LDO power system and ultra-low phase noise crystal oscillator.
At the power core, Cayin used two TI OPA1602 OP-AMPs, a very common choice in the entry-level price range, for high precision I/V conversion, and line driving, paired with two SGM8262 low-noise amplifiers for a quad-drive design. There are two power modes, a Hyper Hyp mode and a STD Standard mode. Engaging the higher Hyper mode draws more current, so STD is better for mobile devices and phones, to lower the total power consumption for a cooler operation and longer batt life.
First unique component in the architecture of the Cayin RU3 can be spotted in the processing, where it uses a Dual-Core Audio processor, the SPV5068 processor, which offers a low latency, high compatibility, and high energy efficiency. You can use the Cayin control app, or any other music app, but their own app offers EQ for RU3, and you can use either of the headphone outputs, one being a 3.5mm and one being a 4.4mm output. RU3 is compatible with both iOS, Windows, macOS and allows switching between UAC1.0 and UAC2.0.
There is a vast difference in driving power between the two outputs, as the 4.4mm output is fully balanced and offers a 560mW + 560mW output power at max, while the SE 3.5mm output offers a 180mW + 180mW output at max, both for a 32 OHM impedance. With a weight of 24 grams, RU3 is light and portable and it has a high technical performance with SNR of 115 dB for the SE output and 117dB for the Balanced output.
USB DAC – Subjective Usage
Cayin Ru3 is a very simple dongle DAC AMP but it features a couple of extra useful features like EQ, multiple UAC modes as well as Gain settings. Browsing the menus is a slow experience, you have to click on each option and wait for the RU 3 to register that click, to understand what you did.
You can keep pressed on the volume buttons to quickly adjust the volume, but pressing it once for a single press fine adjustment will be a slow experience. It gets rather warm during usage and could even be hot, especially in Hyper mode. No gain adjustment setting or hyper mode setting will completely eliminate the background noise floor and hissing. If no music is playing, there is no background noise, which shows to a class D or Class AB.
RU3 has a low delay, around 50 ms and it is perfect for playing games or watching movies as this is within what you can expect from a fast reacting DAC AMP.
Sound Quality
Pairings – I have paired the Cayin RU9 with a selection of headphones and IEMS, including Kiwi Ears x Z Serene, Sivga M300, AFUL Performer 5+2, ZiiGaat Crescent, Lily Audio Genesis One, Dita Prelude, ZiiGaat Horizon, Letshuoer S12 Ultra, Raptgo LEAF D01, Palma DHS-1, KBEar Cepheus, Crosszone CZ-10 Enhanced, Erzetich Thalia, Erzetich Mania V2024, TinHIFI T7, FiiO FT13, NFAudio NE4, Sivga Peng, Moritz Dragon, Crosszone CZ-8a Enhanced, Sendy Audio AIVA 2, Tangzu TianPeng, Soundz Flame, YanYin Canon PRO, Dunu Vulkan 2, Letshuoer Mystic 8, and HIFIMAN Isvarna.
It can drive most of them, but it is a hard thing to switch between IEMs and Headphones because it has that delay when pressing on the volume button, so going from a very loud to a very quiet volume and vice versa takes a lot of time. It also has an audible background noise and hissing once it is playing something. This is not really audible with music playing, but it will be more pronounced with very sensitive IEMS and can degrade the listening experience.
Overall Signature – Cayin Ru3 goes back to the roots of the company, having a bloomy, dark-ish sound, with a big bass, relaxed texture, but dynamic and engaging midrange, and vocals. It is quite vivid in the presentation, full of life, and rounded in the soundstage. It is genuinely fun without being harsh or aggressive, but it can hide certain details in its pursue of the more relaxed textures.
Bass – Bass has always been a central element for Cayin products, and RU3 is no exception, as it has a bloomy, full bass with an intact impact, powerful, punchy and deep. It can put the backbone even in headphones and IEMs that wouldn’t have it and it can transform an already bloomy and punchy, deep sounding pair of IEMs or headphones into a real bass cannon. Quite impressive for EDM, Electronic, Dubstep, the bass is natural in speed and full in width / depth, so it works equally well for metal, rock and pop music. While not my first choice for
Midrange – Voices are slightly dominated by the lush coming from the bass, so the midrange can be a bit dark, slightly centered around the lower midrange, and with less upper midrange emphasis and energy. This works really well for songs and compositions with a lead male voice but it works less well for songs with a female lead voice. Midrange has slightly less detail than the bass, which creates a sound that is relaxed and has a texture that’s smooth and really far from fatiguing.
Treble – Treble is relaxed, smooth and slightly softly rolled off. This means that all music will be laid-back and lack the edge in the treble that typically gives songs brilliance. On the plus side, it really helps with old and fatiguing recordings, but it takes away the sharpness from bands like Infant Annihilator, or rings of saturn in their older recordings like Dingir.
Dynamics And Textures – Despite the relaxed tuning, RU3 is super engaging and has a dynamic sound, with an excellent overall resolution for the price range. Textures are almost always relaxed and smooth, which allows you to hear more without cringing or feeling like lowering the volume.
Loudness Saturation Gradient – Cayin RU3 handles high volumes really well, has a really low THD and distortion, and increasing the volume does not increase the background noise or hissing levels. It sounds very similar across all volumes, which is a staple of high quality products, as you can purchase and enjoy it regardless of your preferred listening volume.
Soundstage – RU3 has a rounded soundstage, medium in size, but with a similar extension in both width and depth, height and with a good instrument separation. Nothing is exaggerated, there is minimum scattering and it just sounds cohesive and balanced, with a good extension in all planes.
Value and Conclusion
This is the first Cayin product with a price tag of 99 USD that I review, and the first affordable product that I know they make. It has a very high performance, and I consider RU3 to be an excellent choice if you’re looking for a high-performance, low-cost DAC AMP.
If you’re looking for a fun, dynamic and engaging dongle DAC AMP with a good construction quality from a reliable company, and really good resolution for the price point, CaYin Ru3 delivers well on all those points and has a relaxed, smooth tuning with a huge bass that I’m sure fans of the company will appreciate.
PROs
- Simple but efficient design
- Resolutin and sonic quality excellent for the price
- High driving power
- Balanced driving power, can work well with IEMs and headphones
- Rounded soundstage with good extension laterally and good instrument separation
- EQ options on board
- Low delay, good for watching videos or playing games
Cons
- Slow reaction to button pressing
- Background hissing and noise with sensitive IEMs
Product Link
Amazon – https://amzn.to/4rgw5nh
Aliexpress – https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c3PuOFR9
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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