Cayin Fantasy Review – Out of This World

General Comparisons –

GAudio Nair (€759): The Nair targets a neutral, linear sound and executes this with great success. The Fantasy is a much more engaging earphone with more contrast and energy. It offersa much more dynamic, deeper-extending and harder hitting bass with greater slam and mid-bass punch too. Its midrange is thinner and its vocals have greater clarity. Both sound natural, though the Nair sounds noticeably more linear with a more consistent voicing between tracks and also noticeably greater coherence.

The Fantasy is more vivid but also not quite as accurate. Treble is much more aggressive on the Fantasy and more accurate and textured on the Nair. Despite this, the Fantasy has slightly more fine detail retrieval in the foreground and offers clearly better extension and more sparkle above too. The soundstage is much larger and imaging sharper on the Fantasy.

Astrotec Phoenix ($799): The Phoenix is a similar style of earphone but with a different execution. I’ve also added a layer of swab to the nozzle to tame the peaks. The Phoenix has a grander bass with even better sub-bass extension and a more weighted slam, its dynamics are exceptional. It also has a bit more fullness in the mid-bass alongside good driver control. The Fantasy sounds quite a bit cleaner on the flipside, offering more definition and speed alongside a slightly more accurate timbre. The Phoenix’s midrange is even more sculpted. It too is clear, forward and open. However, the Phoenix sounds warmer from its bigger bass and its vocals aren’t as powerful due to its more peaky nature.

The Fantasy has a more natural voicing though the Phoenix has a slightly more inviting tone. The Fantasy has a brighter, more aggressive lower-treble with more bite and crispness. Meanwhile, the Phoenix, with its EST tweeters, has a bit more middle-treble focus. It has slightly better fine detail retrieval and a cleaner transient response yet. Both have great energy and sparkle into the top-octave. Both also have similar soundstage dimensions, the Fantasy being a bit wider, the Phoenix a bit deeper. The Fantasy has noticeably sharper imaging, however, sounding more organised.

Oriveti O800 ($799): The O800 is a vocal-focused monitor with a much smoother and more coherent voicing. The O800 doesn’t have quite the same dynamics and sub-bass extension, but a slightly more robust mid-bass for a warmer, fuller voicing. It offers similar speed with great mid-bass definition. The O800 has a noticeably smoother midrange, similarly quite clear and forward but with greater vocal size and body. Its articulation especially is smoother, the Fantasy being cleaner, more vivid and open but also thinner and a bit more intense.

Both are naturally voiced so it is a matter of preference. The Fantasy is much brighter, the O800 being quite smooth with only a lick of treble emphasis. Nonetheless, fine detail retrieval is similar between the two despite the Fantasy being much more forward. The O800 has a darker background with less sparkle, the Fantasy sounds more energetic. The soundstage is a touch wider on the O800 and it has more defined layers. The Fantasy is sharper and a bit more holographic in terms of imaging.

Beryllium Showdown –

While there are many other options, the Fantasy, Fiio FD5 and Final A8000 are most comparable in terms of approach and feature-set. All offer a single Be-DD design, all offer gorgeous stainless shells. The Fantasy and A8000 especially share many similarities in regard to tuning. However, all vary greatly in pricing, retailing for $299, $799 and $1999 USD respectively.

Ironically, the cheapest model, the FD5 will likely provide the most crowd-pleasing sound tuning; being neither as bright as the Fantasy nor as intense as the A8000. It has a U-shaped signature with an energetic lower-treble, slightly laid-back vocals and a punchy, mid-bassy low-end. The Fantasy is a bit more balanced through the bass and treble with the swab mod, however, its treble stands out in isolation. The Fantasy’s sub-bass extends a bit better and it is noticeably faster and more technical. The FD5 is fuller, warmer and less dynamic, but still well-controlled. In direct comparison, it does sound noticeably sloppier than its pricier compatriots.

The midrange voicing is natural on all, the FD5, however, lacks any forwardness. The Fantasy is more transparent, tonally cleaner and has a more neutral note body. The FD5 is a bit warmer and fuller which means it isn’t quite as revealing but is better for easy listening. The treble is crisper on the Fantasy but also quite crisp on the FD5. While the FD5 isn’t as forward, it immediately lacks the separation and detail retrieval of the Fantasy. The same goes for its soundstage. The Fantasy only has a little more width, but its imaging is much sharper and transients are faster, it also has better layering. While the FD5’s sound signature isn’t perfect either, the Fantasy is subjectively a little more polarising. However, it also represents a large step forward from a technical POV as you’d hope given the huge price jump.

This comes further to light during comparison with the big daddy A8000. The A8000 is both more balanced than the Fantasy and technically a bit better though the difference is surprisingly small in many regards. Sub-bass extension is similar on both, being very good. The A8000 has a bit more bass overall and also greater slam and rumble, while the Fantasy offers slightly more mid-bass thump and warmth. Subjectively, this is in good taste, as both are very agile and controlled so separation is never remotely lacking. The midrange is interesting here, the Fantasy is actually a little more inviting tonally, the A8000 being dead neutral but also a touch thinner which can make it sound more intense. The A8000 has a slightly more natural voicing in return, with slightly more coherence in the upper-midrange and less over-articulation.

They’re about on par in terms of timbral accuracy with separate pros and cons, the A8000 is simply a little more pleasing out of the box which means it can be further enhanced with the swab mod to listener preference. Lower-treble is more forward on the Fantasy which skews it further into brightness. Despite this, the A8000 is still more detailed with or without the swab cover. The A8000 benefits mostly from its slightly less peaky tuning which means it picks up more fine details and textures. The A8000 also has a cleaner background whilst relinquishing no extension or headroom. Soundstage wise, the A8000 really pulls ahead, it is truly one of a kind. Though space-wise both are similar, the A8000’s imaging is noticeably more multi-dimensional, its presentation has many layers and coronal positioning is much more precise. Of course, once again we see diminishing returns.

Verdict –

As my first experience with Cayin’s earphone designs, I really had no idea what to expect. But colour me impressed! The Fantasy is not an earphone without its faults but is undoubtedly a technically impressive design with some killer qualities. Depending on your preference for sound, it even represents good value for money. In particular, if you’re allured by the FAD A8000 experience, the Fantasy definitely gets very close at a far more reasonable price. In the same vein, I would strongly advise against this model if you are averse to brightness (especially in the treble) as, even with the mod, this is a crisp, aggressively detailed monitor. Similarly, if you require heaps of isolation, the Fantasy isn’t for you. If you can live with some peakiness in the lower-treble and enjoy a balanced sound elsewhere, however, there’s not much else that would leave you wanting. The imaging and technical performance is sensational, one of the strongest performers I’ve heard around this price range. This alone justifies the bit of fiddling you may need with filters and tips which can bring the tonality more in-line with common sound preferences. Altogether, the Fantasy is a comfortable and beautifully constructed earphone with plenty of Beryllium magic applying to its sensational technical performance but also to its proclivity for sharpness in stock configuration.

The Fantasy can be purchased from Cayin and HiFiGO for $799 USD at the time of review. I am not affiliated with Cayin or HiFiGO and receive no earnings from purchases through this link.

Track List –

AKMU – SAILING

Billy Joel – The Stranger

Cream – Wheels of Fire

Crush – Digital Lover

Daryl Hall & John Oates – Voices

Dire Straits – Communique

Dirty Loops – Next To You

Fleetwood Mac – Rumours

H.E.R – I Used To Know Her

Joji – Sanctuary

Kanye West – Ye

Radiohead – OK Computer

TALA – ain’t leavin` without you

The Beatles – Abbey Road

The weeknd – After Hours