Cayin has brought its decades of tube-amplification experience to a pocket-sized format with the CP6, a portable CD player built around a pair of genuine vacuum tubes. The Cayin CP6 pairs old-school disc spinning with USB-DAC functionality, bidirectional Bluetooth and switchable sound signatures, and has just picked up a Gold award in an independent German audio test, a nod to how seriously Cayin has taken the brief.
Two real tubes, three sound signatures
At the centre of the Cayin CP6 sit two selected Raytheon JAN6418 NOS vacuum tubes, the same family of new-old-stock valves Cayin has used in its full-size tube CD players. A front-panel button switches between Classic Tube, Modern Tube and Solid-State voicings, and the selected mode carries across the headphone output, line-out and even the Bluetooth transmitter, so the tube character follows the listener rather than being tied to a single output. The fully symmetrical, discrete four-channel headphone amplifier switches between Class A and Class AB operation and covers an unusually wide 8-600 ohm impedance range, comfortably driving both sensitive in-ear monitors and demanding high-impedance headphones.
CD, USB and Bluetooth in one chassis
Digital duties are handled by two Cirrus Logic CS4308P DACs alongside an XMOS XU316 USB processor and a Qualcomm QCC3083 Bluetooth chipset supporting Bluetooth 5.4. The Cayin CP6 accepts CD, USB and Bluetooth as inputs, works as a USB DAC for a laptop or phone, and can rip CDs losslessly straight to USB storage. On the output side there are 3.5mm and 4.4mm headphone and line jacks plus coaxial, optical and Bluetooth digital outputs, giving it more flexibility than most players in its class, mobile or otherwise.
Built for the road
A 7,300mAh battery gives the Cayin CP6 up to 7.5 hours of runtime depending on mode and output, with QC and PD fast-charging cutting recharge time to as little as two and a half hours. It can also run from external DC power, in which case the balanced 4.4mm output climbs to 1,300mW plus 1,300mW into 16 ohms. The whole thing is wrapped in an aluminium chassis with a 2.3-inch colour display, app control via the Cayin Control app, and a proprietary anti-shock CD mechanism to keep playback stable on the move. For anyone who has enjoyed a fixed disc spinner such as the Marantz MODEL 70 and CD 70, the CP6 offers a portable route back into physical media with a comparable emphasis on tube-flavoured sound.
Availability
Full specifications, image galleries and ordering information for the Cayin CP6 are available on the official Cayin product page.
Pricing and availability
The Cayin CP6 is available now through Cayin’s European dealer network at a price of €998.
Key specifications
- Portable CD player with 2 x Raytheon JAN6418 NOS vacuum tubes
- Three sound modes: Classic Tube, Modern Tube, Solid-State
- Dual Cirrus Logic CS4308P DACs; XMOS XU316 USB platform
- Bidirectional Bluetooth 5.4 (Qualcomm QCC3083) with LDAC, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD
- USB-DAC mode and lossless CD ripping to USB storage
- 3.5mm and 4.4mm headphone/line outputs; coaxial and optical digital outputs
- 7,300mAh battery, up to 7.5 hours runtime, QC/PD fast charging
- Dimensions 167 x 151 x 29mm, weight approximately 720g
- Price: €998
