SHANLING M8 DAP REVIEW
An Incredible Desktop System Masquerading as a Digital Audio Player!
Shanling, founded in 1988, creates and produces high-resolution, portable music players, portable amplifiers, headphones, and a host of two-channel audio products—SACD/CD players, amplifiers, etc. Shanling’s stated mission, “is the careful consideration of its employees, continued innovation, product quality, and customer satisfaction.” These are, of course, admirable goals.
The Shanling M8 ($1659) represents my first review of a Shanling product, which happens to be its Reference Level or Top-of-the-Line (TOTL) “Portable Audio Player.” The Shanling M8 will render all current audio formats—DSD512, 32-bit/768kHz, MQA—is Bluetooth 5.0 equipped, and can, as a result, handle high-resolution wireless. Additionally, the M8 can accommodate all DAP/headphone socket pairings, via a unique pop-out, pop-in technology, and it is beautifully designed and very well built.
I did not expect the Shanling M8 to perform to the level that it has, nor did I expect it to embody, via its musical rendering, our stated motto—outstanding musicality, see-through transparency, and compelling engagement—and so incredibly well. But it did, which necessitated very long listening sessions with all manner of IEMs and headphones. And the M8 was able to drive them all, including the Obravo RA-C-CU IEM (review coming soon) with its middling efficiency (93dB) and relatively high impedance (182Ω ), while other DAPs could not drive the RA-C-CU and certainly not very well.
REFRAIN: Unlike most reviews, this review will be non-sequential, as it will start with how the equipment actually sounds and not the process of physically “undressing” it and/or laying out its various accoutrement, specifications, etc. Think of this review then, as a non-linear movie—Memento, Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, Terminator, The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, etc—that, likewise, starts at the end and winds its way to the beginning.
The Sound
The Shanling is, again, one of the clearest demonstrations of a product, that meets our stated purpose head-on and with conviction. And in doing this, the Shanling M8 has set the bar rather high on DAPs, if not also on some desktop systems.
After a suggested burn-in of 100 to 150 hours, I began my listening with the VISION EARS ELYSIUM IEM, that was in the final stages of its own soon to be published review, and the alliance was quite good. However, the synergy between the M8 and the oBravo RA-C-CU was breathtaking. I have used the word “breathtaking” very rarely across my long years of two channel, high fidelity listening, perhaps three times, but certainly no more. Interestingly, however, it is happening more readily across the Head-Fi space. Perhaps the various technologies now on hand, the advent of high resolution music, and its ubiquity via the online music compendiums are jointly responsible for that. Hazzah!
The M8 delivers an analog-like, natural warmth and ease and shoulder-dropping musicality, that compels one to listen even when one tries desperately to review. This coupled to the M8’s ability to capture and render a wealth of macro and microdynamic detail and dynamic swings, with complete and unwavering coherence, brought to life recordings that prior DAPs could not. The Shanling M8 is also chameleon-like in its ability to conjure the holographic, the intimate, the vast, and the ethereal when called to do so. Then there are the nuances and the incredible transient speed of the M8 which allows it to capture the rapidity of angry, percussion mallets, as they bang away at the timpani! A feat uncaptured by previous DAPs in my remembered experience. This is when I knew that the Shanling M8 was more than a “Portable Audio Player.” There have been desktop systems, for instance, that have been unable to clearly differentiate the rapid, sequential explosion of those angry mallets upon tympani, across Eiji Oue’s Le sacre du printemps: Part I Adoration of the Earth: Spring Rounds.
Further, the actual movements of the orchestral musicians, the creaking of their chairs, the turning of pages, breathing, the differentiated pitch of various instruments were all beautifully and clearly resolved and this spoke to incredible transparency! It is a transparency that frees abundant detail and microdynamics, that rise from black-quiet stages, and that brings a sense of anticipation to the music, so deeply quiet was the space in-between. And this was experienced across all IEMs.
The Shanling M8’s volumetric cube—its soundstage—width, depth, height layering, positioning, and separation—is, perhaps, one of the most impressive and the most cavernous in a portable player, that I have experienced, to date! And its transparency easily surpasses those DAPs that I have heard, auditioned, and reviewed. Add to this a musicality that challenges desktop systems and you have, as earlier stated, a “Portable Audio Player” masquerading as an incredible desktop system! There was not a single IEM whose performance the M8 did not lift. Suffice to say, that the Shanling M8 has become my go to as a “Portable Audio Player.”
The Shanling M8 for the purposes of this review was listened to with everything in house (and the M8 played them all well), but was paired with the VISION ELYSIUM (review coming), the Obravo EAMT-2C, and the Obravo RA-C-CU.
I often have to take a break from listening to DAPs after having listened to the incredible desktop systems currently in house. But this was not the case with the Shanling M8, so adept was its ability to render an incredibly musical and engaging experience regardless of associated IEM. In essence, while there was a gap, the gap was not quite as wide as it had been with other DAPs.
Bass
The bass of the M8 as allied to the oBravo RA-C-CU ($10,000) is potent, prodigious, rich with detail, and, above all, natural. Across Eiji Oue’s Stravinsky album, nuance rose as if in bold relief, while a wealth of microdynamic cues betrayed placement, separation, and layering, which were extraordinary. Eiji Oue’s The Sacrifice: Ritual of the Ancestors (Stravinsky, Reference Recording) plays and the M8’s transparency, across this region, provides greater insight into each and every passage relative to other DAPs, heard, auditioned, and reviewed. These things, of course, rendered this passage both engaging, alive, and thunderous! Dave Holland’s Emerald Tears (Emerald Tears, ECM) plays now and there is a skin to bone transparency and resolution that highlights Dave’s finger work of the bass, its texture, and the concomitant decay of notes.
Midrange
The Shanling M8’s midrange is alive, astonishingly transparent (and thus detailed), rich of tone/timbre, and above all captivating. While it was clear via the evaluation of the M8’s bass that it stood out more as a desktop system than a DAP, the midrange assessment would further confirm that reality. Joan Shelly’s Wild Indifference (Joan Shelly, No Quarter) was rendered naturally, with an incredible richness of tone/timbre, whose timbral shading were beautifully differentiated. The words repeated throughout my notes, via the M8 and Obravo’s RA-C-CU alliance, are natural, transparent, rich, and alive. Joan’s voice and her vocal articulation of word and phrase were beautiful! Joan Shelly’s We’d Be Home Now plays and as a guitar enters right, then left, and Joan’s voice thereafter, a relaxation falls over this reviewer, reminiscent of a late night session with Nottingham’s SpaceDeck turntable, a Shelter 501 cartridge, an E.A.R. phono preamp, Audiomat’s Opera integrated, and a pair of Verity’s Fidelio speakers. It is, of course, a musical simulacrum but that it conjures that memory, at all, is quite telling of what the Shanling M8 delivers. And there are no adverse artifacts—stridency, grain, harshness, sibilance—at all, across the midrange.
Treble+
The review of the treble begins with Sara Saint’ Ambrogio’s Etude, Op. 25 No 7 (The Chopin Collection, Sebastian Records) and it is alive, extended, transparent to every breath, every passionate, vocal expression. The tone, texture, and extension of her cello is rich and engaging and musical to no end. The M8 and the RA-C-CU provide for a wondrous combination, and while this combination may not be real world—a six hundred percent price differential—it is magical, nonetheless. I owned at one time the Audiomat Opera integrated amplifier, as referenced above, which had few if any equals for its stunning musicality, transparency, and its ability to parse tonal shadings like a four-star chef. A simulacrum, again, but that, nonetheless, conjures the memory. And that the RA-C-CU’s treble does not roll off, but extends via its AMT—Air Motion Transformer—driver beyond all IEMs heard or reviewed, to date is astounding. Together the transparency, resolution, microdynamic cues, air, and lightening-fast transients speak to a DAP that stands above all others, in our subjective opinion.
The Wrappings and Accessories
The Shanling M8’s comes in a beautifully designed, seemingly, phosphorescent containing box that reflects blues, oranges, reds, and even silver. Its top cover presents the model number, its function, and the Shanling logo all printed in a silver foil.
Once the top of the box is removed, its box bottom in similar dress reveals the wooden top of the box containing the Shanling M8 and its various accessories. This inner wooden box is accessed via a drawbridge like opening at the front of the box bottom, which lets down and allows the wooden box to be slid out. Another subtle but brilliant design solution.
The top of the wooden inner box folds back on golden colored hinges and reveals the Shanling M8 and a leather pouch, which contains the various headphone sockets. Both pieces are neatly ensconced in a firm, black foam bed, which when lifted shows a black box beneath that contains:
1 x USB Type-C Charging/Data Cable
1 x Warranty Card
1 x User Manual
2 x Screen protective films
The Shanling M8’s outer box, its inner, wooden box, and the overall layout is both beautifully and elegantly executed and serves as a compelling reference for Top-of-the-Line Product design.
Design—Look and Feel and Fit
The Shanling M8 is a black, metal rectangle, sculpted from an aluminum block, that is beautifully streamlined, and minimalist, in terms of buttons and sockets. It brings a substantive feel to the hand, easily reminiscent of the dialogue, “Are they heavy?…Then they’re expensive put them back (1).” However, if you’re a music lover, you won’t want to put them (it) back. And despite its near iPhone length and width and two iPhone depth, it will fit into medium to large pockets, and all backpacks, purses (perhaps even some cocktail purses), lunch boxes, and shoulder bags too.
The Shanling M8 from outer box to inner box to the M8 Portable Music Player speaks to rather exceptional graphic and industrial design far above its price point and relative to its much more expensive competition.
Functionality/Features
The Shanling M8 is apparently equipped to take on all comers from MQA to DSD512 to 32-bit/768kHz signals, inclusive of High-Resolution Wireless. And with 842mW of gain at 32Ω (balanced) it is in many ways, as mentioned above, an excellent desktop system masquerading as a truly incredible, transportable DAP.
A list of the Shanling M8’s features consists of:
Interchangeable Headphone Sockets
Dual AKM AK4499EQ
5” Full Screen HD
DAC 840mW@32Ω output (Balanced)
32-bit/768kHz
DSD512 High-Resolution
Via Qualcomm Snapdragon—4GB RAM, 64GB Storage, up to 2TB SD
Open Android System
AGLO Technology
Qualcomm CSR8675 Bluetooth
7000mAh Battery
MQA
High-Resolution Wireless
Further, Shanling employs its AGLO—Android Global Lossless Output—Technology which purports to correctly process music streaming from all apps correctly, at its full quality, and without any process degradation.
A rather unique development is the Shanling M8’s pop-in, pop-out sockets, which allow for the exchange of 2.5mm, 3.5mm, 4.4mm, and 3.5mm Pro headphone sockets. This, of course, represents one of the most efficient solutions for utilizing a mix of headphones and their differing terminations. Shanling points out that the greatest fidelity comes first from the 4.4mm balanced output, then the 2.5mm balanced output, then the 3.5mm single-ended output.
And it is the Shanling M8’s Xmos XUF208 USB interface that supports all high resolution playback formats from MQA to native DSD512 to 32-bit/768kHz, which when combined with Qualcomm’s CSR8675 Bluetooth 5.0 chipset, insures a range of “stable connections and low latency,” across a number of Bluetooth codecs
The Specifications
Basics
Dimensions: 138mm x 80mm x 20mm
Screen: 5-inch 1080x1920 Touchscreen
Weight: 342g
System: Open Android 7.1
Audio Formats: DSF/DFF/ISO/DXD/APE/FLAC/WAV
AIFF/AIF/DTS/MP3/WMA/ACC/OGG
ALAC/MP2/M4A/AC3/M3U/M3U8
High Resolution: up to 32-bit/768kHz, DSD512
Gain: Low, High, Turbo
Storage: 64GB built-in, Micro SD card slot up to 2TB
DAC: AKM AK4499EQ x 2
Digital Filters: 6 filters
Bluetooth
Version: 5.0
Supported Codecs: Transmitting: LDAC/LHDC/aptXHD/aptX/SBC
Receiving: LDAC/LHDC/aptXHD/aptX LL/aptX/AAC/
SBC
Single-Ended
Output
Output Power: Low Gain: 18mw@32Ω
High Gain: 48mW@32Ω
Turbo Gain: 260mW@32Ω
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 40kHz (0.5dB)
THD: 0.00089%
Channel Separation: 75dB @32Ω
Signal to Noise Ratio: 121dB
Dynamic Range: 121dB
Noise Floor: >115dB (1.7uV)
Output Impedance: <1Ω
Balanced Output
Output Power: Low Gain: 71mw@32Ω
High Gain:184mW@32Ω
Turbo Gain: 840mW@32Ω
Frequency Response: 20Hz - 40kHz (0.5dB)
THD: 0.00085%
Channel Separation: 115dB @32Ω
Signal to Noise Ratio: 123dB
Dynamic Range: 123dB
Noise Floor: >113dB (2.1uV)
Output Impedance: <2Ω
Wifi
Connectivity: 2.4G/5G, Wi-Fi Transfer/SyncLink
DLNA/AirPlay/OTA Updates
Battery
Charging DC 5V/2A, Support QC3.0
Battery Life: up to 14 hours (SE)/ 9 hours (Bal)
Battery: 7000mAh
Comparisons
The Shanling M8 was played via connection to its 3.5mm single-ended output, in Turbo Gain mode (260mW@32Ω), versus High Gain with both the iBasso DX220/AMP1 MkII (≈199mW@32Ω) and the Cayin N6II/A01 (245mW@32Ω). The IEM used for the review comparison was the VISION EARS ELYSIUM (105dB, 16.4Ω) and the Obravo RA-C-CU (93dB, 183Ω).
Four well known tracks were used for the review:
Kandace Springs’ I Can’t Make You Love Me (Kandace Springs, Blue Note)
Olafur Arnalds’ Árbakkinn (Island Songs, Mercury (Universal France))
Massive Attack’s Angel (MEZZANINE, Virgin) and
Eiji Oue’s The Firebird Suite (1919 version): VII Finale (Stravinsky, Reference Recordings)
iBasso DX220 AMP1 MkII: ($979)
Across the same pieces of music and, in particular, Eiji Oue’s Le sacre du printemps: Part I Adoration of the Earth: Spring Round the iBasso DX220, an AudioKey Reviews Gold KeyNote award winner, brought a rather distant perspective to the music, that was less coherent and with less body relative to the Shanling M8. The DX220 brought a very good measure of weight and transparency across the bass but it did not match that brought by the Shanling M8, nor was the iBasso DX220 as musical. Another conundrum, is the fact that the Shanling M8 is, apparently, channeling a very good desktop system, whilst betraying its DAP heritage (not a bad thing really). On vocals from Joan Shelly to Kandace Springs to Shirley Horn the M8 appeared to trace an analog wave form rather than a digital waveform, its true domain, when rendering these voices.
Cayin N6II/A01 ($1399)
The Cayin N6II/A01 an AudioKey Reviews’ HIGH NINES award winner provided excellent detail across the frequency range, though it possessed not the transparency, nor the openness, nor the weight relative to the Shanling M8. And while the Cayin N6II brought a wonderful measure of taunt, driving bass it, nonetheless, appeared as a DAP, which it is, relative to the desktop system that the Shanling M8 appears to be emulating. I have always thought the dynamics of the Cayin N6II quite exceptional, the Shanling bettered even this and decidedly so. Further, the Shanling M8’s soundstage would engulf the Cayin N6II’s soundstage across width, depth, and height. And the Shanling M8’s refinement, coherence from top to bottom was beyond reproach as was its weight and openness, ease and naturalness. This proved truly surprising.
Synergy
The Shanling M8 was utilized via connection to its 3.5mm single-ended output, in Turbo Gain mode (260mW@32Ω), with Digital Filter 2—“Slow Roll-Off”—selected for playback across the various IEMs.
FIIO FD5 IEM ($299)
Do not take the FiiO FD5’s price as any indication of its ability, as it is truly a TOTL product, dressed beautifully, from an industrial engineering perspective, and designed to challenge other TOTL IEMs. And it will challenge them across all relevant, measured, criteria—bass and treble extension, transparency, transient speed and dynamics, noise floor, staging, etc. The FD5 as allied to the M8 provided for thunderous bass, an engaging midrange, and a greatly extended, at times, crisp treble, though additional burn-in may be the culprit here. The FD5 provided a good match for the Shanling M8 but it was, certainly, not its best.
VISION EARS ELYSIUM ($2500)
The VISION EARS ELYSIUM brought more coherency, to the mix than the FiiO FD5, but it was not its equal in bass response. Allied to the M8 the ELYSIUM rendered good bass, but it is one that would not reach to the stygian depths of the Holy-Bass-Head-Grail. The combination did provide for a clear, extended, and detailed treble, great transparency, and transient speed. Interestingly, despite the ELYSIUM’s many strengths in its alliance to the Shanling M8, the combination was good but not the M8’s best.
OBRAVO EAMT-2C ($2999)
The oBravo EAMT-2C is always stellar, regardless, of its accompaniment and so it was with the Shanling M8. It was a synergy that easily eclipsed both the FD5 and the ELYSIUM and other paired matches tried but not reviewed here. There are many who would end here, with this particular combination, and be happy for quite some time if not indefinitely.
OBRAVO RA-C-CU ($10,000)
The synergy between the Shanling M8 and the oBravo RA-C-CU was on another level altogether. The Cayin N6II and the iBasso DX220, on the other hand, could not drive the RA-C-CU to a musical or an engaging end, at all. It is interesting to note that while the Shanling M8 appears to be masquerading as a very good desktop system, the oBravo RA-C-CU, likewise, is apparently masquerading as a very good planar magnetic headphone, with shades of an electrostatic headphone. Like attracts like or so it appears. Perhaps this is why their synergy is so powerful and engaging and musical—they both excel far beyond their product classification. The Shanling M8 and the oBravo RA-C-CU are two components that will, no doubt, be added to our Magical Synergies directory.
Conclusion
When moving from desktop system to DAP reviews, it is often better to take a day or so to reacclimate to the differences in overall sound quality, which is often quite stark. The Shanling M8 provided for less of a difference across “platforms” than I have ever experienced from a DAP and this was truly amazing.
The Shanling M8 is an extraordinary “Portable Music Player” more detailed and extended than the DX220 AMP1 MkII, more musical and engaging than the Cayin N6II/A01, and it is as powerful as some desktop systems (and more transparent). The Shanling M8 also proved outstanding as a digital transport to the Border Patrol SE-i DAC. The iBasso and the Cayin are both quite good, highly rated DAPs, the M8, however, is on another level altogether in what it brings to the rendering of one’s music.
If you are a music lover, and for me, I imagine that in every music lover there is a bit of the romantic, the artist/poet—engaged or frustrated—the habituated realist, and the lover of all things beautiful (art, architecture, design, etc.), then this may well be your last DAP or “Portable Music Player.” In some ways it will be soothingly reminiscent of vinyl played on a good turntable. And, of course, this is my subjective opinion.
The Shanling M8’s many features, its voice and outstanding musicality, its transparency, its build quality, design, and its ability to bring forward enough power to drive the oBravo RA-C-CU (93dB, 182Ω), are astonishing! Perhaps it is, after all, a desktop system or component misnamed or masquerading as a DAP. That said, the Shanling M8 is the third product to receive our GOLDEN KEYNOTE award for excellence.
Pros: Incredible musicality, transparency, transient speed, bass and treble extension and, decidedly, next-level performance.
Cons: Some firmware issues which have been and are being corrected.
(1) Jurassic Park-the hated lawyer soon to meet his death.
System(s)
N/A
THE COMPANY
SHANLING
Shanling M8 $1659
SHANLING