User Manual

We want to thank you sincerely for choosing iDAC-6 HiFi Audio D/A Converter. We
have prepared this user manual to help you understand the features and get familiar
with the operation of the DAC. We suggest all customers read through this manual
before they start to use the device.

Attention
 Please make sure the serial number on the package, chassis and warranty card
are intact and identical. In case of damage, missing or tempered on warranty card
or serial number, Cayin reserves the right to refuse warranty service for the
machine.
 All rights reserved. Reproduction, translation or adoption of N5 documentations
and/or system firmware is prohibited without written approval from Cayin.
 The user manual is a documentation of the product based on the specification at
the time of print. Cayin reserves the right to change product specification
without prior notice.

Package Content

Please examine the product package before you open it, the package should be free
from any physical damage or water stain. You should find the following items when
you open the package:
1. IDAC-6 HiFi Audio D/A Converter (1 unit)
2. User Manual (1 copy)
3. Replacement Fuss (2 units)
4. USB Cable (1 piece)
5. Warranty Card (1 copy)
6. Power Cord (1 piece)

Attention: the product package should include only the items in the list.

Please fill in the warranty card and mail to your local agent or Cayin’s Sales
Department, we shall provide comprehensive after sales service in the future. We
recommend you to keep the package and protection material, this will be most
convenient if you need to re-package the product in the future.
Design Features

 Independent power supply to digital circuit and analogue circuit, left/right channel
of digital circuit, DAC circuit and analogue circuit are powered by independent
power supply system, reduce power interference among different circuit, and
make sure all components will have clean power all the time.
 Employ state-of-the-art high resolution USB Audio technology, will accept and
decode Hi-res digital audio bitstream through USB interface, a centerpiece of a
high-end CAS playback system.
 Supports DoP (DSD over PCM) on Coaxial digital input, decode DSD at 1 bit
(require front end digital equipment supports DoP output on Coaxial)
 Versatile to fit different needs, user can select RCA (single-ended) or XLR
(balanced) output for their needs, and the RCA output provides choice of
transistor or vacuum tube output for different sound signature.
 Output can be configured as Line out or Pre-out (with volume control), can fit into
different systems easily.
 Deploy OLED display screen for first class visual effect.
 Fashionable design, compact and minimal, can easily blend into SOHO or
household environment.

Technical Highlight

 Incorporated two pieces of AK4490 DAC chipset from AKM, and each chipset will
work for a single channel. This is a genuine balanced DAC circuit with 4
channel active LPF that will fully explore the potential of the two DAC chipset.
 Built-in 5 digital filter at your choice
 Deploy dedicated, high quality Op-Amp for Low Pass Filter circuit
 Deploy 4 pieces of 6N1B vacuum tube at buffer stage, appealing and good for
day-long listening.
 Built-in Phase selection to ensure perfect playback
 Extensive Mute protection and noise control, minimize pulse noise when Power
on/off, and noise generated at changing of operational stages such as UNLOCK.
 Solid chassis with aluminum alloy and sand blast finishing, can eliminate exterior
interference effectively.
 Diagram 1：iDAC-6 Front Panel illustration

Front Panel Functional Description

1. POWER On/Off
Turn on and off. Press down the button to turn on the DAC, Press again the
button will resume to original position and the DAC will power off.
2. Power indicator, indicate the working status of the DAC
a. Indicator flashing: in the process of initialization
b. Indicator always on: machine in regular operation
c. Indicator flashing rapidly: machine malfunction
3. Source
Select input source, click repeatedly to cycle through the following options: USB
AUDIO, OPTICAL, COAXIAL, and AES/EBU；
4. Timbre
Select output timbre, click repeatedly to cycle through TRANSISTOR or
VACUUM TUBE
5. Line/Pre
Select output status, click repeated to cycle through Line or Pre. When Line is
selected, the screen will display LINE as output status, the output of the DAC will
be at fixed level, and the volume control will not be functional. When Pre is
selected, the screen will display PRE as output status, and the output of the DAC
will be affected by the volume control.
6. OLED display : Display the current working status of the DAC
7. MENU/Volume
 FILTER: Click once to enter digital filter selection screen, rotate the control to
cycle through the following options: Sharp, Slow, Short Delay Sharp, Short
Delay Slow, and Super Slow.
 PHASE: Click twice to enter phase selection screen, rotate the control to
cycle through Normal and Inverted.
 VOLUME: control the volume when output status is set to PRE, turn
clockwise to increase volume, turn anti-clockwise to decrease volume.
 Diagram 2：iDAC-6 Rear Panel illustration

Rear Panel Functional Description

1. Single-ended connector (RCA)

Connect the single-ended output of the DAC to the single-ended input of an
amplifier with a pair of RCA audio signal cable, please make sure the left and
right channel is connected correctly.
2. Balanced connector (XLR)
Connect the balanced output of the DAC to the balanced input of an amplifier with
a pair of XLR audio signal cable, please make sure the left and right channel is
connected correctly.
3. USB
Connect the USB port of the DAC to the USB port of a computer with a USB
cable (provided in the product package)
4. OPT (Optical)
Connect the optical input digital audio signal of the DAC to the Optical output
digital audio signal of a player with a Toslink (Optical) cable.
5. COAX (Coaxial)
Connect the coaxial input digital audio signal of the DAC to the Coaxial output
digital audio signal of a player with a standard 75ohm coaxial cable.
6. AES/EBU
Connect the AES/EBU input digital audio signal of the DAC to the AES/EBU
output digital audio signal of a player with a standard 110ohm AES/EBU (XLR)
cable.
7. AC voltage selector
“230”: recommended for 220V-240V power supply voltage
“115”: recommended for 110V-120V power supply voltage
Default setting is 230V
8. FUSE
If in case you need to change the fuse, please resort to replacement fuse with
 same specification with the original.
9. Power input connector
Connect to AC Power supply

Note: Please make sure the AC Voltage Selector is setup correctly for your local
power supply voltage. Incorrect input voltage setting will cause damage to the
machine or might even lead to serious household accident, Cayin reserves the right to
refuse service or responsibility on related instances.

Preparation

1. Connect Power source

Verify that the AC Voltage Selector has been set correctly for your local power
supply voltage, then plug in a power cord and connect to a AC power outlet.
When selector is set at “230” (as displayed on the selector), the DAC is set to
work with 220V-240V power supply voltage. When selector is set at “115” (as
displayed on the selector), the DAC is set to work with 110V-120V power supply
voltage.
Attention: Please make sure the power cord has been disconnected before you
adjust the setting of the AC Voltage Selector.
2. Connect to Audio Source
The connection diagram illustrates how to connect the DAD to a CD player, a
computer and the iHA-6 audiophile headphone amp as a complete system.
a. Connect to CD player: Connect the coaxial input digital audio signal of the
DAC to the Coaxial output digital audio signal of a player with a standard
75ohm coaxial cable; or connect the optical input digital audio signal of the
DAC to the Optical output digital audio signal of a player with a Toslink
(Optical) cable, or connect the AES/EBU input digital audio signal of the DAC
to the AES/EBU output digital audio signal of a player with a standard
110ohm AES/EBU (XLR) cable.
b. Connect to a computer: connect the USB port of the DAC to the USB port of
a computer with a USB cable (provided in the product package)
c. Connect to headphone amplifier: Use XLR audio cable to connect the
balanced audio output of the DAC to the balanced audio input of the iHA-6,
or use RCA audio cable to connect the single-ended audio output of the DAC
to the single-ended audio input of the iHA-6, please make sure the left and
right channel is connected correctly.
Attention:
 Please make sure that the AC Voltage Selector has been set correctly for your
local power supply voltage
 Please turn off al equipment when you connect the audio signal cables, this will
avoided pulse or high magnitude noise from headphone amplifier and causing
damage to associated equipment.
 The vacuum tubes takes 15 seconds to warm up to desirable working condition,
the DAC will be muted during this period of time and there will not be any audio
signal output from the DAC
3. Install Driver
If you plan to use iDAC-6 with a window-based computer, you need to install a
USB Audio Driver in your computer before you can use the DAC as an outboard
USB sound card for your system. You can install the driver from the following url:
http://en.cayin.cn/html/down/qdxz
The steps to install the drivers are as follows:
(1) Connect the DAC to the computer with a USB cable
(2) Turn on the DAC by press the Power ON/OFF button on the front panel
(3) Double click the “ ” icon to activate the driver installation process, skip
all warning until the installation process is completed.
(4) If the driver has installed successfully, you should be able to see the name
“Cayin iDAC-6) at the Device Manager interface of your computer, or
sometimes the device name will be displayed as “XMOS XS1”
 (5) Select “Cayin iDAC-6” or “XMOS XS1” as audio output device in your
computer playback software

Basic Operation

1. Please make sure the AC Voltage Selector is setup correctly for your local power
supply voltage. When selector is set at “230” (as displayed on the selector), the
DAC is set to work with 220V-240V power supply voltage. When selector is set
at “115” (as displayed on the selector), the DAC is set to work with 110V-120V
power supply voltage.
 Turn on the DAC by press down the Power ON/OFF button on the front
panel, the Power Indicator will start to flash and the display screen will light
up
 The initialization process will take around 15 second, the Power indicator will
stop flashing and become always on, and the DAC is ready for playback.
Note: Please do not remove any audio cable when the DAC is in normal
operation, this might cause damage to the amplifier or other associated
equipment.
2. Source Selection
 Select input source, click the SOURCE button repeatedly to cycle through
the following options: USB AUDIO, OPTICAL, COAXIAL, and AES/EBU；
 The DAC will remember the previous setting even when the device is power
off, and will resume to the previous selected source when power up again.
3. Using AES/EBU, coaxial and Optical input
 After the digital cables are connected, you can select AES/EBU, COAXIAL
and OPTICAL by click the SOURCE button repeatedly to select your
desirable connection.
 Once the DAC can lock into a digital connection, the screen will display the
bit rate and sampling frequency for your reference.
4. Using USB decoding
 Before you proceed with USB decoding, please confirm again that
appropriate drive has been installed in your computer (if needed), otherwise
USB decoding will not be functional.
 Connect the USB port of the DAC to the USB port of a computer with a USB
cable (provided in the product package), Click the SOURCE button
repeatedly until USB AUDIO is selected.
 Once the DAC can lock into the USB connection, the screen will display the
 bit rate and sampling frequency for your reference.
 Please setup your playback software such as Foobar2000 in your computer
correctly otherwise the system will not be able to output the original
unaltered bitstream to the DAC for decoding, you might need to install plugin
such as ASIO or WASAPI to achieve that.

Safety Precautions

1. Please make sure the AC Voltage Selector is setup correctly for your local power
supply voltage.
2. Unplug the power cord if you are not going to use the DAC for an extended period
of time, and keep the machine in proper condition
3. Please handle with care, avoid tempering to the machine
4. The DAC will not functional appropriately if moistures has developed inside the
DAC, please avoid operate the machine until internal moistures has cleared.
Moistures can be caused by:
 Placing the DAC at a location when heater or steamer has just turned on
 Moving the machine from a cold environment to a warm location
 Moving the machine from a chilled (e.g., air conditioned room) to a hot and
humidity environment.
5. Do not attempt to service this product yourself. Opening the cover may expose
you to electric shock or other hazards.
6. The DAC must be keep away from water dripping or water splitting, do not place
any objects filled with liquids such as vases or some others on the top or around.
7. Do not attempt to disassembly the machine, all service and maintenance must be
conducted by authorized service technician.
8. Please disconnect power cable before you attempt to clean the machine.
Please use soft clean cloth to wipe clean the chassis, do not use volatile solution
or corrosive cleaning product.
9. Place the DAC at a flat surface, make sure all four supporting tips are evenly
loaded.
10. Do not place any flammable material on the DAC
11. Do not operate the DAC under direct sunlight or high temperature, will cause
serious deviation or even damage to the electronic components.
12. The machine will become hot during operation, Please keep the DAC at a
well-ventilated environment and do not cover the DAC with anything.
13. Please Contact your Cayin agent or retail shop, or our after-sales service if the
 machine is not working properly.
This product is designed to work at 2000m altitude or below and non-tropical climate.
Please make sure there are amper space around so that the power cord can be
disconnected when needed.

Trouble Shooting

To ensure the DAC will function at premium condition, please follow the basic
operation and safety precaution as advice. Improper operation might lead to
malfunction, if you run into trouble as stated below, please check before you panic.
Sometime the problem are related to associated equipment or cables, please also
check and make sure everything is in proper condition. Please contact your Cayin
agent or retail shop, or our after-sales service if the problem cannot be rectified.

Problem Cause Remedy

No sound Power Power is not connected Make sure power cable is
from Indicator is properly connected to a power
headphone OFF outlet and there is proper
after power power supply from the outlet.
on Main fuse is out Replace fuse with same
specification with the original.
Power No signal input Make sure you have selected
Indicator is the correct source from the
ON front panel,
Check if the source equipment
is functioned properly.
Audio cable has not Connect audio cable properly
connected properly
Computer cannot USB cable does not Replace a proper USB2.0
recognise the device conform to standard cable
USB driver has not been Install USB driver
installed correctly
USB driver error Restart computer
Abnormal audio output USB Interface error Use another USB interface
when USB Audio is used Computer is busy Optimise computer for audio
playback, reduce the number
of concurrent process in the
computer
Processing Power and/or Upgrade computer facilities to
peripherals cannot meet processing requirements
catch-up with audio
playback requirements
Specification

Output Level Line Out RCA：2.2V RMS

BAL:4.4V RMS
Pre Out RCA：2.2V RMS (Max.)
BAL:4.4V RMS (Max.)
Frequency Respond 20Hz~30kHz (±0.5dB，Fs=192kHz)
THD+N Tube: ≤0.8% (Fs=192kHz)
Transistor: ≤0.004% (Fs=192kHz)
S/N Tube: ≥105dB (A-weighted)
Transistor: ≥110dB (A-weighted)
USB capability DSD: support DSD64 及 DSD128
PCM: support upto 32Bit/384kHz
AES/EBU, Coaxial, PCM: support upto 24Bit/192kHz
Optical capability
Max. Power 30W
Consumption
Dimension 240mm x 252mm x 69mm (WxDxH)
Weight Approx. 3.8kg