[jlemaster1957]

I am having a tough time finding a suitable amplification for the DCA Expanse. The Diablo was unable to drive bass driven music at moderate to loud volume without constant bass clipping. I have an HPA4 which drives them fine, but is perhaps too lean for my personal taste. I have a Cayin N6ii and I love the exciting, forward sound signature of that and this is what I am looking to bring to the Expanse in terms of the source. How would the C9 fit in here? Potentially, I could look to partner it with a N8ii.

I have N6ii and regularly connect it to C9, both SE and balanced. I usually use the R01 module which will allow you to use either output into C9, and configure C9 as a power amp (since the R01 module doesn't have LO only PO output ports). This works very well for Hifiman Aryas and LCD-X but looking at the Expanse on line I couldn't see what was its impedance or sensitivity (even on the DCA website to buy one) so it would depend on that. Susvaras would be too much for the C9 to drive- I have absolutely no issues on my gear and it's very capable, though is in fact really aimed at IEM users, and while you could hook it up to a balanced DAC via XLRs (dual XLR --> 4.4 mm plugs are out there), I would not recommend it, as it is really meant to connect to a battery-powered DAP. Connecting it to a powered source is likely to lead to a short circuit with the C9 ground and damage your DAC or HPs or both. But the N6ii would be fine.

 

[jerick70]

I am having a tough time finding a suitable amplification for the DCA Expanse. The Diablo was unable to drive bass driven music at moderate to loud volume without constant bass clipping. I have an HPA4 which drives them fine, but is perhaps too lean for my personal taste. I have a Cayin N6ii and I love the exciting, forward sound signature of that and this is what I am looking to bring to the Expanse in terms of the source. How would the C9 fit in here? Potentially, I could look to partner it with a N8ii.

I pair the C9 with a Hiby RS6 and this combo sounds wonderful with the DCA Expanse. I think the N8ii would be a worthy source for the C9 also.

 

[kwilkins]

Today I charged the C9 (after not using it for months) got a full charge but it won't power on. The light on the front doesn't come on when I push the power button, I tried with the C9 plugged in as well.

Any thoughts? Is there a reset or reboot process?

 

[jerick70]

Today I charged the C9 (after not using it for months) got a full charge but it won't power on. The light on the front doesn't come on when I push the power button, I tried with the C9 plugged in as well.

Any thoughts? Is there a reset or reboot process?

Remove the battery module and take all of the batteries out of the module and then reseat the batteries and put the battery module back in.

 

[jlemaster1957]

Remove the battery module and take all of the batteries out of the module and then reseat the batteries and put the battery module back in.

Also after doing so plug in the unit to power and allow it to charge for an additional 10 sec (try 30 sec to be sure). Sounds like your protective circuit has been triggered- this is all to reset it.

One other thought - When I first got my C9 it came with a set of batteries that was discharged for a long period of time, and when I plugged it in it appeared to be fully charged. In fact however, The batteries were not rechargeable anymore, and the unit behaved exactly as you described. This type of battery doesn’t like to sit in a discharged state for a long period of time. If you do what we suggested and you still can’t get it to turn on, my recommendation is to replace the batteries before doing anything else ie considering repairs.

 

[kwilkins]

One other thought - When I first got my C9 it came with a set of batteries that was discharged for a long period of time, and when I plugged it in it appeared to be fully charged. In fact however, The batteries were not rechargeable anymore, and the unit behaved exactly as you described. This type of battery doesn’t like to sit in a discharged state for a long period of time. If you do what we suggested and you still can’t get it to turn on, my recommendation is to replace the batteries before doing anything else ie considering repairs.

Thanks again for your help. I've tried all you suggested without success. It seems I have the dead battery issue you had with yours. I'll get some new batteries and see if that sorts it out. I recall a while ago there was some debate on which batteries to use - any recommendation?

 

[jlemaster1957]

Thanks again for your help. I've tried all you suggested without success. It seems I have the dead battery issue you had with yours. I'll get some new batteries and see if that sorts it out. I recall a while ago there was some debate on which batteries to use - any recommendation?

Sony Murata VTC6- which is the same as the original that came with C9.
If you are in US or Canada, they are available now from BatteryMart.com which is reliable. There are loads of cheap fakes on the web that pretend to be VTC6’s so do be careful.
https://www.batterymart.com/SEARCH.html?q=Vtc6

I also have a set of Orbtronics 18650 flat tops which work fine though the charge doesn’t last quite as long (but they are less expensive) and has the curious flaw that they keep the C9 charging light glowing ‘4 lights’ after charging and even after disconnecting the cable even when the C9 unit is off. I get around this by removing/storing separately 1 battery when I am not using the C9. I also bought the extra charging unit from Musicteck which allows me to always have a charged set of batteries ready to slide into C9.

Orbtronics 18650
https://www.orbtronic.com/3500mah-18650-imr-battery-high-drain-rechargeable-orbtronic-li-ion

C9 charging unit
https://shop.musicteck.com/products...sEFNyats8pyt2QKj5OkLqZ5cdUKbLKdoaAjIZEALw_wcB

Hope you get this sorted out. I bet new batteries will fix your problem but pls let us know.

 

[kwilkins]

Perfect. Thanks so much for all the information.

 

[Halimj7]

Can the C9 be used well as a preamp to connect to other Dac/amps? Thanks

 

[bflat]

Thanks again for your help. I've tried all you suggested without success. It seems I have the dead battery issue you had with yours. I'll get some new batteries and see if that sorts it out. I recall a while ago there was some debate on which batteries to use - any recommendation?

Whenever I change batteries or use a external charger instead of the module, I find I have to do the following:

1) Insert batteries into the module
2) Connect USB power
3) 4th LED light should start blinking
4) When 4th LED light stays on, I disconnect power (around 5-10 sec)
5) Insert module to C9 amp

I have not been able to reset protection mode while the battery module is inside the C9 so I always remove the battery module before resetting in the steps above. However, I've only experienced protection mode changing/charging batteries outside the module.

 

[Halimj7]

Does the C9 really sound like a tube amp when using the tube timbre?

 

[Slim1970]

Does the C9 really sound like a tube amp when using the tube timbre?

Not really. When compared directly to something like the Woo Audio WA8, the tube mode on the C9 falls short to my ears. The C9's tube mode does take the edge off the music, but it's just not all that tubey sounding.

 

[CayinSupport]

Can the C9 be used well as a preamp to connect to other Dac/amps? Thanks

Hi sir, C9 cannot be used as a preamp. It has Pre in but not Pre out function.

 

[Ichos]

Does the C9 really sound like a tube amp when using the tube timbre?

Given the size and the scope of use , I think that it is pretty good.
Not OTL type of tube sound but you still get that tube magic.

 

[CayinSupport]

Thanks again for your help. I've tried all you suggested without success. It seems I have the dead battery issue you had with yours. I'll get some new batteries and see if that sorts it out. I recall a while ago there was some debate on which batteries to use - any recommendation?

In this case, the batteries cannot be charged inside C9. Please remove the batteries and charge them with a separate 18650 charger. If they also cannot be charged on the 18650 charger, we are afraid the batteries need to be changed.