Cayin Fantasy

disclaimer: I received the Cayin Fantasy as part of the review tour on head-fi.org for a two week listen.  I have no financial interest in Cayin, its distributors, or Head-fi.org and have received no compensation for this review.    For more information on Cayin Products, see their website or visit their facebook page.    Drop currently has the Fantasy for $479 which is a substantial savings compared to the original asking price and makes the Fantasy an even better value if interested in purchasing, I recommend you check drop for availability.

 

Unboxing / Packaging:

Cayin has always packaged its offerings more eloquently than a lot of its competitors and the Fantasy continues that trend.   The outer slipcover has precision cutouts to reveal the line drawing of the earpieces printed on the inner packaging.  that along with the Cayin Name and Fantasy model designation are the only gold elements on a flat black background.  The rear of the slipcover has the specs and accessories listed in Chinese and English.    Removing the slipcover shows a bureau style case with a lift top exposing the earpieces in a foam surround and two pull out drawers beneath it housing the tips, cables,  case, and other accessories.    Its a very stately affair although the lightweight cardboard may not be as durable as one would like for this style presentation case.   The kit itself is fairly complete with no less than 12 sets of tips in five varying styles (1 flanged, 2 foams, and 3 sets of SML silicones in 3 different styles), a cleaning cloth, case, cable, cleaning brush, and shirt clip are included.   The case is a soft case which won’t prove as useful as a hard case might for those who wish to travel with the Fantasy.     The tour kit also came with an upgrade cable that offered a 4.4mm pentaconn termination in addition to the 3.5mm provided by the standard cable.   My testing was conducted with a mix of both the standard cable and the upgrade version.  I have noted any differences where appropriate below.

 

Build/Fit:

The Fantasy uses a polished 316 stainless steel shell with a mirror finish that makes inadvertent self-portraits all too easy to do while taking the build pictures.    The face plate is faceted with a central flat and three angled faces along the edges.  It is an interesting combination of industrial design and elegance with no sharp corners or edges to be found while at the same time maintaining a very angular appearance.    The left earpiece has fantasy etched in one of the angled flats while the right has Cayin etched in the opposite flat.  Both words are subtle and not visible at distance.    The under shell is equally well polished with a vent immediately behind the nozzle and a second vent in front of the bi-pin connector on the top edge of the shell.  Nozzles are not part of the inner shell but are well matched and fitted.    Nozzles have a distinct forward rake when in ear and a very mild upward rake as well.    The Fantasy also supports screw in filters at the end of the nozzles although only a single set of screw-ins is provided.  The filter also act as the tip retention as its diameter is slightly larger than the nozzle body so the filter effectively forms a lip.     Overall size is medium with the body of the Fantasy sitting mostly in the ear and weight despite its all steel construction is comfortable.    I had no issue with wearing the Fantasy for an extended period and with the deep insertion of the nozzles and heavy construction isolation is a bit better than average.

 

Internals:

The heart of the Fantasy is a 10.3mm dual-cavity driver with a 9.5mm beryllium plated bio-cellulose diaphragm.   These new dual magnet/dual cavity drivers have become popular as a way to get more range from a single dynamic driver shaped housing.   The shell also plays a role in tuning the driver as the fantasy does not use a closed sound bore from the driver to nozzle so the venting and shell shape do influence the sound that reaches the ear.     Nominal impedance is listed as 37Ω with a sensitivity of 108 dB/mW.     I found the Fantasy could be driven well by most dongles as its sensitivity is high enough that even with a slightly higher impedance than most in its class it does not require a ton of power to reach average listening levels.    The Fantasy does scale some with better sources qualitatively but simply doesn’t need the power provided by something like the Kann and easily does its best with source like the WM1A or N3 Pro.   I found it paired nicely with the N3 Pro in tube linear mode.

Cable:

The included cable is a hybrid of 6N OCC and silver-plated copper strands in a clear casing.   The outer strands are all silver plated so one would be excused for not realizing the cable is a hybrid without reading through the marketing materials.    Fixtures are  polished aluminum cast in a hexagon shape with the Cayin name on one of the flats.   The housing on the jack also incorporates a set screw to help keep the cable firmly attached (a nice touch).    Both the jack and splitter have strain reliefs of clear plastic (the splitter only on the lower side) that help protect the cable from wear.   Above the splitter,  a clear bead style chin slider provides adjustment as there is roughly a foot of cable above the split so the cable should be able to accommodate most users easily.   The cable does have pre-formed hooks but no memory wires and the hooks are more flexible than most and were more comfortable than many for me.    The northern terminations are clear housings containing gold-plated 0.78mm bi-pin connectors in QDC hood style.     The housing have red and blue dots on them to index right and left which is a nice touch as far too often R and L are cast in the plastic housing and are all but invisible to my aging eyes.     If there is a surprise at this price level it is that the cable does not offer any ability to switch connectors for a balanced option.   Most competitors at this price are offering a jack with interchange capabilities to accommodate 2.5, 3.5, and 4.4mm connectors.     An upgrade 4.4 cable is mentioned below but probably should have been part of the kit.

 

Upgrade Cable:

The upgrade cable provided with the review kit is similar in most regards to the base model.  Both sport similar hardware with the hexagon shaped jack housing and splitter albeit not the same color.  While the stock is bright metal, the upgrade is gun-metal gray.   The jack again has short strain relief and a set screw and again the chin slider above the splitter is of the same material.    While both sport a mix of copper and silver-plated strands, the upgrade cable splits the elements into 4 strands of each material so the weave is two tone.    I found both cables very similar in pliability and wear characteristics and similar in tonality as well.   I did make use of the upgrade cable to do a good bit of my testing as a balanced option was not available in the standard kit.   Those looking for a 4.4mm or 2.5mm connector will want to order the upgrade cable along with the Fantasy.

 

Tips:

As mentioned earlier, Cayin provides a larger than average selection of tips with the Fantasy with bass, vocal, balanced, double flanged, and memory foams.   We have seen a rise in the use of tip options to influence tuning and some are more useful than others.   The tips provided with the Fantasy do have an impact on sound but I found I didn’t necessarily agree with the labels placed on them by Cayin.  For example, I found the balanced tips to thin the upper mids and push the lower mids a bit forward.  The tip doesn’t seem to have a lot of influence outside of the mids so while it does alter the signature, I’m not sure it balances it.    The bass tips do enhance the sub-bass and to a degree the mid-bass but also enhances the lower treble range (which is a good thing).    Overall the bass tips definitely lend a more V shaped tone which may explain why the other tip was referred to as balanced as it is a little less V-shaped if not dead neutral.   The Vocal tips have a bit too much lower treble emphasis for me with a tendency to become slightly harsh.  The treble shy will want to avoid these tips as sibilance is a very real possibility.    Foams may be the best option for the Fantasy as the bass is leveled out nicely, the sound is mid-centric with a little less of that treble emphasis that makes the vocal tips less than desirable.   I found the foam to be a more balanced option than the balanced tips and although they limit the length of time I can wear the Fantasy comfortably, they would still by my tip of choice among the stock tips.

 

Sound:

Balanced tips used for Frequency Response graph.

 

Bass:

The Fantasy has good bass extension but does taper off gently from an emphasis in the lower mid-bass and while it has some sub-bass rumble, it certainly isn’t the dominant feature of the soundscape.  Bass has good texture and speed and in many ways is reminiscent of planar bass rather than a dynamic driver as it is very clean and articulate but not particularly impactful.  Mid-bass follows the same pattern although it is a little more forward than the sub-bass.  It again is quick and tightly defined but more something you hear than anything you feel.  Slam and rumble are both limited, but for those looking for an in-ear with well textured neutral bass, it is a good option.   The tips can go a long way to tone down the treble to bring it inline with the mids but without using the tips or EQ to back the treble down, the Fantasy comes off as a bit bright.

 

Mids:

Mids are definitely the star of the show here with more emphasis as you move up the range.  Lower mids have good weight and texture but male vocals do sound a small step behind their female counterparts due to the upper mid push.   Guitar has good growl with sharp attack and good rasp.  Strings are also well voiced with violins having enough energy to sound lifelike but without the harsh edge that can often accompany that energy.     The upper mids do push forward and depending on tips can be strident if recordings tend that direction anyway.   I found foam tips helped balance that push well but limit how long I could wear the Fantasy without physical fatigue kicking in.  Those who are particularly sensitive to the 3-4kHz region may want to use a bit of judicious EQ to help level out that push.

 

Treble:

The mild upper-mid push is carried over into the lower treble and here again tips or EQ can be used to help shape the tone.   The lower treble has good energy with snare rattle having nice sharp edges and cymbals have good energy without sounding overly metallic or sharp.   There can be little doubt that the tuning on the Fantasy is on the bright side, but it walks the line between bright and harsh well albeit dependent on tip selection.     I found the balanced tips and bass tips did cross into territory of being a bit too harsh while foams and some after-market tips did a better job of settling the upper-mids and lower treble and made for a much more comfortable listen.     The plus to that extra energy is good air and sparkle up top and for those that are not treble sensitive, the Fantasy delivers a nice open top end with enough room to feel natural.

 

Soundstage / Imaging:

The Stage on the Fantasy has good depth and height but width is slightly larger than either of the other two dimensions.   The fantasy stops short of the stage on some of the open backs, but does manage more than a lot of closed back models.  Seating the orchestra is straight forward with good instrument separation without the additional width making the stage feel too wide and flat as it sometimes can.   Imaging is also good with positions being easily identified and movements being tracked around the space.  Imaging is not quite as tightly defined as some but still quite good for the price point.  Layering is good as well adding to an already above average performer in its class.

 

Pairings:

It seems only appropriate to pair the Fantasy to Cayin’s line of DAPs so I tried with a borrowed N8 and my N3pro and N6ii models.  I found the Fantasy did its best work with the tube modes on the N8 and N3 Pro.   The N6ii and its T01 was a bit dryer than either of the tube models and really brought out the detail retrieval in the Fantasy at the expense of a little bass impact.   Likewise the WM1A brings out a lot of detail but lacks some of the impact of the tubes.  Adding the Oriolus Ba300 brings the best of both with the tonality of the tubes and the detail of the WM1A and may be the best pairing I tried with the Fantasy.      If looking for a more budget conscious option, the Opus #1s has a similar tone to the WM1a/Ba300 combo and although it loses a little detail, it does bring out the best possible tonality in the Fantasy.

 

Thoughts / Conclusion:

The Fantasy is Cayin’s second in-ear and a large departure from the earlier YB-04.    The Fantasy carries model number YD-01 which gives some insight into Cayin’s thinking.  The YB-04 was a 4 balanced armature model while the YD-01 is a single Dynamic driver. I’d like the think the letter Y looks like an in-ear so if that was the logic it makes the naming convention pretty straight forward.      The earlier YB-04 was larger and more industrial looking while the Fantasy is more polished, smaller, and overall more high-end looking by comparison.    Sound wise, both show a similar tuning as neither has a big bass boost and both concentrate on delivering great detail and tonality with a focus on mids.    Now that we have more than one model to audition, we can start to see elements of Cayin’s house signature emerge.  Neutral bass with good speed and textures, big mids that stand out, and a treble with enough top end to deliver some air and sparkle while at the same time carefully walking the line between too much and not enough.   Choosing the wrong tips or amp can push the Fantasy a bit too far in either direction so one has to be a bit judicious when pairing the Fantasy and selecting the best tips.   When paired well with a slightly warm source and a tip that helps tame the upper-mids/lower treble a bit the Fantasy can indeed be a fantastic listen.  I do wish it included more cable options at the $799 price, but its still well worth an audition.