The Watercooler-- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first

Sony WM1ZM2 vs Shanling M9 vs Cayin N8ii

M2:

Sony DAPs have a unique Sony sound. It's a thing. It's warm but doesn't stifle a good treble. Its bass is deep, impactful, rumbly, and punchy. Its midrange is lucid, NEVER forward. Its lower treble is present without ever being peaky. Its upper treble is smooth and on the friendlier side of the fence.

M9:

The M9 is a masterclass of a DAP. It sounds like delta sigma done right. It sounded the most neutral of all three DAPs to me. Its linear with class-leading bass and treble extension. There is a lot of clarity to its sound and if you like some treble forwardness and bass presence without overdoing on either, this is a good DAP to get. I do percieve the M2 to be ever-so-slightly more resolving than the M9, with better staging and imaging, and an ever-so-slightly better timbre.

N8ii:

The Cayin N8ii is a very popular DAP and it sounds pretty darn good, but its aesthetics and form factor did not jive much with me. Its a bit bulky to hold in the hand, owing to its greater thickness. The curves around the edges are not particularly functional and don't feel great to touch. The volume dial is also a bit over-the-top, given my tastes. Sonically, I also did not find it to be as neutral as the M9. I know there's a perception that the M9 is warm, but if by that people mean that its bassy, well yeah, I can see that. But the overall M9 signature is certainly not more clockwise-tilted (my definition of warm) than the N8ii's. In fact, the N8ii, even off the stock mode, sounds on the lusher side compared to the M9, while the latter sounds thinner (only relatively, not absolutely). I didn't find the N8ii to be neutral-bright, although that was the impression I had of it from reading reviews, going in.

I do have to say that differences in DAPs are rather miniscule compared to differences in headphone or IEM sound presentations, so if all DAPs sound the same to you, all power to you.

My favorite from these three was the Sony, because on extended listening, it just had the most natural and analog presentation I have heard on a DAP, from bass to treble. I wouldn't compare it to non-streaming DAPs because I use streaming services a lot. It also has a masterful EQ. The Sony EQ, which have been raved about in certain quarters, albeit not parametric, can be used to greatly tweak the sound of an IEM and add a touch of clarity, bass, air, or (almost) whatever else you wish to add (or tone down).

Sources: Sony DMP-Z1 | Sony WM1ZM2 | Brise Tsuranagi Transducers: Campfire Trifecta + Effect Audio Centurion | Dita Perpetua + Dita Celeste | Aroma Fei Wan (Incoming) + PW Audio Orpheus YT Channel: Amplify Audio Show