As a portable audio enthusiast, over the past 1 and 2 years, I've experimented with a lot of audio gear. In terms of playback devices, I started by just using my iPhone directly, and later tried out a bundled setup. Of course, I also used the popular "national brick" portable lossless music player.
Later, I accidentally came across the Kaiyin N3 and was surprised by its sound quality despite its small size. From that moment on, I began to pay more attention to the Kaiyin brand.
However, the N3 is still an entry-level device, especially when it comes to driving my favorite large headphones. I could clearly feel the lack of power, which made me think about upgrading my equipment. Around July and August, I heard news that Kaiyin's mid-range model, the N5, was about to be updated. Then, I had the chance to hear the "Mark Rabbit" at the Guangzhou Sound Show in September. At that point, my plan to upgrade was basically set.
Since I'm an old user of Kaiyin (though my N3 only started in March this year, so I'm not really an old-timer), I was able to get the first batch of N5ii pre-orders in early November. But that opportunity has now passed, so I ended up pre-ordering through Jingdong recently.
Reasons to Purchase
Before the Guangzhou Audio Show in September, I wasn't sure if I would go ahead and buy the N5ii. The options I was considering included the Shanling M3s, the Haibei R6, and the Sony ZF300, which was also worth considering at the time.
Among these, the Shanling M3s didn’t make the cut for no real reason—I just don’t like their product development style. There was a story once where a woodcutter dropped his M1 into a river, and the river god asked him whether it was the M1 he lost, the extended M2S, or the longer M3S.
Then, a few days before the show, I heard about the Seashell R6. After listening to the N5ii at the show, I went straight to the Seashell booth to check out the R6. The R6 had great specs and good sound performance, and the interface was very smooth—Seashell has been working on their system for a while, and it shows.
But the R6 also had its downsides…
The screen had a bottom navigation bar that didn’t auto-hide, making it look like a “three-chin†design. Plus, it was over budget!
As for the Sony ZX300A, it was praised in the HiFi community with terms like “black brick decentralization,†“belief in the blast,†and “4.4 balanced choice.†I listened to it with faith, but…
Single-ended output was just average! For a headphone that needed more power, any 4.4 balanced interface would work better, but the 3.5mm single-ended port was just too weak. Especially when pushing big ears, it was a struggle. Pass!
So, in the end, the N5ii was my only choice.
Appearance Gallery
Kaiyin is a state-owned company. Their previous product designs and packaging were nothing special. But when I received the N5ii, I was pleasantly surprised by the clean outer packaging.
The front of the box features a black box with a small gold logo in the lower left corner, and the Kaiyin logo and the outline of the N5ii are printed in a pearlescent oil finish. This minimalist style looks much better than most of Kaiyin’s other products.
As for the back, it's pretty standard—just text describing the product features. I didn’t bother taking a photo.
Inside the black flip box, you can see the N5ii sitting on the left side. On the right, there's the Type-C cable and a brown hard case. A paper manual is tucked inside the left pocket.
I took a few photos just to help the company with product shots. The older Kaiyin players weren’t exactly ugly, but they weren’t particularly appealing either. From the N6 drum machine to the N5 washboard and the N3 soap, Kaiyin’s design has gone through a lot of changes. But on the N5ii, I finally saw a mature design that felt refined.
The N5ii has a minimalistic look, with no extra lines on the front. It almost feels like a design extension of the first Android player, the i5. The front has a 3.65-inch touchscreen. Because of the deep customization of the Android system, there’s a touch key at the bottom to return to the previous menu (long press goes back to the main interface). The scroll wheel from the i5 is retained but modified into a semi-enclosed design, reducing accidental touches. However, this makes the top part a bit longer, giving the N5ii a slimmer look.
Before the show, I thought the N5ii would be big and bulky. But in reality, it’s quite compact. Its width is similar to the N3, but it's taller and thicker.
However, the screen resolution of 480x845 isn’t enough for a music player. The colors aren’t vibrant, and the backlight is dim, which affects the viewing experience in bright light.
The back material no longer uses the “ancestral†carbon fiber, but instead uses a new silver fish scale pattern, which looks fresh. The screen and back panel come with a factory-applied protective film, which is a nice touch.
The frame is made of aluminum alloy CNC-molded, which looks good and helps with heat dissipation. It’s common for a “national brick†to get hot in your pocket. When I listened to the N6mod, I couldn’t stand the heat, let alone the LH GO2pro. The N5ii’s heat level is acceptable. After an hour of continuous use, the device feels warm, with the main heat concentrated around the front screen area.
Many long-time fans have a habit of “tuning†the knob every time they switch tracks, seeing it as a ritual. So the N5ii continues the i5’s tuning knob and highlights it with a different color. However, compared to the bright gold version seen at the show, the official version’s pale gold appears more understated.
In terms of feel, the knob has a step-by-step design, offering some tactile feedback. Although the layout is mainly for right-handed one-handed control, I prefer using my left and right index fingers to move the knob from the back, which feels smoother.
Currently, the knob is used for volume adjustment via encoding. I think adding a scrolling function during folder browsing would make it much easier to use.
On the left side of the N5ii, there's only one power button. On the right, there are three playback buttons (rewind, play/pause, forward) and dual TF card slots integrated.
I think the physical buttons are a bit small, and from a usability perspective, they don’t match the larger buttons found on devices like the ZX300A and R6.
The advantage of the dual card slot is obvious. Not only does it increase storage capacity, but two 128GB TF cards are significantly cheaper than a single 256GB card of the same brand. Plus, the N5ii supports up to 2x256GB TF cards, so I no longer have to worry about running out of space for my music!
PS: The N5ii comes with 32GB of memory, but the actual available space is about 25.1GB. With the Android system, it’s best to leave this memory for the system and third-party apps. Song files should be stored on the TF card instead for reliability.
Currently, balanced port output is becoming increasingly popular among national bricks, and many mid-end models priced between 2 to 3 thousand yuan now support it. The N5ii is no exception. In addition to the original 3.5mm single-ended, Line Out, and S/PDIF OUT interfaces, it also includes a 2.5mm four-pin balanced port, following the trend of national bricks.
Additionally, the N5ii uses the Type-C USB charging/data interface from the N3. However, fast charging is still not supported, reportedly due to heat concerns.
Experience Feelings
It’s been less than a week since the device arrived, so many features are still being explored. Most of the experience will be covered in the next article in the series.
Let me briefly talk about the setup. The current player market is roughly divided into two major system camps:
One is a closed system based on Linux development. The previous N3 falls into this category. Most basic functions of the player can be achieved, including Bluetooth reception/transmission, but online streaming is not supported, and playback doesn’t support third-party apps.
The other is a growing trend of deeply customized Android systems. The advantages of this structure are clear: it supports third-party apps, offers a better UI experience, and shares core hardware with mainstream phones, like the N5ii and the previously considered Seashell R6.
However, Android also has its drawbacks. Earlier, HiFiman’s head chef Nankai Rice openly stated that “Android’s sound is garbage.†Although I learned from Seashells that issues like SRC, which are commonly discussed, have been resolved in hardware, system drivers, and first-party apps, third-party Android apps may still face these issues for some time.
So, choosing between the two is more about personal preference. I actually don’t care too much about this.
Because the N5ii uses relatively low hardware specifications, I felt it wasn’t as smooth as the Seashell R6 at the show (after all, people can play “The King’s Gloryâ€). However, after a few days of use, I still think Kaiyin needs to further optimize the system’s fluidity through firmware updates.
It might seem vague, but here’s a straightforward example: nearly every operation on the N5ii has a delay of about 1 second in response time, including song switching and volume adjustments. This may be fine for users not used to flagship Android devices, but for those accustomed to iOS, it feels a bit uncomfortable.
Why did I buy the N5ii? Because I use it to listen to music, not to play games or do anything else!
In terms of sound quality, I think the N5ii exceeded my expectations.
Although many people find it confusing that the N5ii, as a new generation mid-range model, still uses the ESS 9018q2m DAC from a few years ago, judging from the number of 9018q2m devices I’ve tested, the N5ii’s performance isn’t universally regarded as “hard†or “digital.†In fact, its sound quality is among the best.
I’ve carefully listened to the Triumph portable player, which includes the N3, N6mod, and home amp C5, as well as the i5 at the show. As for the previous generation of the N5, the general reaction I heard was that it was a bit stuffy.
The N5ii’s sound was clearly refreshed, with a transparent and detailed sound. While it may not match the N6mod in density and fullness, compared to the younger brother N3, the N5ii’s sound density has improved significantly, with clearer lines. Compared to the i5, the N5ii is less biased toward a specific HiFi style, and it handles different music genres better.
Regarding the tri-band distribution, the N5ii leans more towards the midrange vocals. Even though I’m not a big fan of female vocals, the N5ii’s performance is excellent. The high-frequency section is better controlled than the N3, making the performance of instruments like violins smoother. The low-frequency is more restrained than other players, and even when pushing powerful headphones like the Titan5 to full volume, it doesn’t feel overwhelming.
Additionally, in terms of dynamics and soundstage, thanks to the near-perfect low noise floor of the N5ii (as seen in the AF2000 test data on everyone’s altar), the clean black background makes overtones clearer and smoother, creating a more open sense of space.
However, the N5ii also has some shortcomings. For example, when driving iron headphones, it’s still a bit too clean and insensitive. Although Kaiyin’s aluminum plate beam repeatedly emphasized “only DAC theory,†I still think this chip is 9018q2m going back!
Also, the above listening experience is based on the 3.5mm single-ended interface. I currently don’t have a balanced headphone, so it’s hard to judge whether it’s truly “ascended†as others say.
To Sum Up
Since the time since receiving the device is still short, and I’ve been busy with the Sennheiser AMBEO 3D recording headphone’s public measurement report, this unboxing review is written like this. I’ll wait a while and then write a detailed experience report after trying the balanced headphones!
Still, according to the old rules, all reviews must list pros and cons. So I'll be “irresponsible†and list a few:
- Pros:
- 1. The appearance and craftsmanship have made significant progress. Compared to Kaiyin’s previous portable products, the N5ii really looks good;
- 2. Sound quality is versatile and adaptable;
- 3. The knob! Must have a knob! It’s truly a great design;
- Cons:
- 1. No fast charging, and the Android system consumes more power. It doesn’t last as long as the N3—listening 2–3 hours a day, it’s estimated to last 2–3 days;
- 2. The physical button design is still not ideal—too small;
- 3. The system’s fluidity isn’t great. I hope future updates will improve it;
Finally, here’s a beautiful back view of the N5ii. Enjoy the highlights yourself!
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Xuzhou Jiuli Electronics Co., Ltd , https://www.xzjiulielectronic.com