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13 reviews
Apr, 2025
alaTest has collected and analyzed 13 reviews of Cayin Spark C5 DAC Portable USB DAC + Headphone Amplifier. The average rating for this product is 4.1/5, compared to an average rating of 4.1/5 for other products in the same category for all reviews.
We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other products in the same category the Cayin Spark C5 DAC Portable USB DAC + Headphone Amplifier is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 86/100 = Very good quality.
Consumer review (head-fi.org)
Thanks to Cayin to organize a review tour program for Cayin C5 DAC! I've given around 2 weeks to use and observe the quality of the C5 DAC. Usually I would need a minimum of 1 month to do a proper review of a DAC, so I hope within the short period I...
Multi-platform driver-less USB operation; Powerful headphone amplifier; Very good battery life; Very soft On-Off popping noise.
Low gain output is too high for general IEMs; No line output; No SPDIF input.
Consumer review (head-fi.org)
There has obviously been a number of reviews of Cayin's C5 Dac recently, due in large part to Cayin's recent product review tour that had its genesis here on Head-Fi. I was one of those who signed up for the tour A.) because I was curious what a...
Good Sonics, iOS Connectivity, Digital ins and outs
Plastic Cap, Casework durability
Consumer review (head-fi.org)
I first joined Head-Fi in November of 2014. At the time I owned a couple of pairs of IEM's, and had just purchased my first DAP (Fiio X3) and over ear headphones (Sennheiser HD598). I really liked the X3 with my IEMs, but found something missing with...
Warm, detailed, addictive sound signature; impressive soundstage; power; solid DAC implementation; value
Inconsistent design and aesthetics; lack of fine volume control with sensitive IEMs; cable overload when pairing with iPhone
Consumer review (head-fi.org)
Table of Contents Introduction Features and Ergonomics Sound Quality With IEMS With full-size headphones Comparisons to other audio gear For whom is this player good for? Conclusion (Before I even begin with the introduction, I want to warn the reader...
Form factor, lots of useful features, great amp section
Not-so-great DAC section, volume control gets too loud too quickly
Consumer review (head-fi.org)
At the time this review was written the Cayin C5DAC was on sale at Penon Audio for $215.00 USD. Here is a link to their listing: http://penonaudio.com/Cayin-C5DAC?search=cayin%20c5dac Here is a link to Cayin's web page which displays all that the C5DAC...
Tons of power, Very impressive sound with powerful low end and great separation and detail, Works for Android, PC and IOS
Too much power in low gain for sensitive earphones, Finicky occasional loss of connection with DAC function
Consumer review (head-fi.org)
The Cayin C5 Spark Portable Amp/DAC: Inner Beauty Cayin has been making its presence known on head-fi with some well-received portable offerings in the past couple of years, and they were kind enough to set up a tour for a bunch of us, so I'd like to...
Ease of use, sounds quite nice, bass boost has some gonads, battery life, can handle a range of headphones reasonably well
Build quality not on par with the sound it pumps out, only goes up to 24/96, design has a lot of room for improvement
Consumer review (head-fi.org)
As an Audiophile; if you're left alone on a desolate island and if you are asked to bring only one device (to connect to your phone and HP) which DAC/AMP would you bring with you? My answer is simple. Read-on and you'll understand why What is Cayin...
Great sound quality and power, versatile, no EMI, no POP&Click sounds, no Hiss with most iem's, can play while charging, can even charge your phone!
Overpowered for high sensitivity iems/HP’s, some heat production, no USB 3.0 support
Consumer review (head-fi.org)
Introduction! Right off the bat I would like to give a shout out Cayin for letting me be a part of the Cayin C5DAC tour, thanks guys and gals! Some info about me is that I would generally call myself someone who listens to lots of different genres and...
Amp sound quality, Powerful amp, Versatile, Bass Boost
Mixed DAC sound quality, Too powerful for most IEMs, Clunky for desktop use
Consumer review (head-fi.org)
Cayin C5DAC Review [[SPOILER]] Intro: Founded in 1993, Zhuhai Spark Electronics Equipment Company is a high-end audio equipment manufacturer based in Guangdong, China. They release their own gear under the Cayin brand name. Well-versed in amplifier...
Very detailed high energy sound with great note separation, well-done bass boost, long lasting battery, coax out, thoughtful accessories
Cannot charge while being used as a dac so not suitable for desktop usage, battery indicator only shows 3 levels, long recharge time
Consumer review (head-fi.org)
INTRODUCTION Let's cut to the chase, I'm a former Cayin C5 owner. I loved the sound signature but found it's amp section to be ridiculously over-powered on the low gain setting. I could barely turn the volume knob before I felt like my eardrums might...
Sounds great. Attractive design. Multi-use audio tool. Powerful amp section.
A bit too much power for IEM. Gold on gold writing not easy to read. Build is good but not stellar.