Shanling M3X Portable Lossless Digital Audio Player & USB DAC

£9.9
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Shanling M3X Portable Lossless Digital Audio Player & USB DAC

Shanling M3X Portable Lossless Digital Audio Player & USB DAC

RRP: £99
Price: £9.9
£9.9 FREE Shipping

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Description

With full Android and all the advanced features, of course, we are able to hook this DAP up to other USB devices. Like what we have experienced on the M8 and M6 series, there aren’t any issues connecting to other USB devices also no sudden volume changes or pops that will make you jump. does not give the idea of being an entry level DAP, especially from a qualitative and multimedia point of view. The treble has some extra pep and sparkle around 9 kHz -10 kHz, after which it rools off gently. Having a slightly more enhanced treble doesn’t mean that it is bad for treble sensitive people, as it has a slightly softer character to that treble, rather than having a metallic and strong-edged one. It tends to uplift most IEMs without making them annoying or too sparkly, so IEMs that tend to be a bit dark will gain body and sound more open in the treble. Already thin IEMS may not work as well given the softer bass impact. Having that softer bass helps a lot with music that’s fatiguing an the treble being a bit smoother works too, so you could say that M3X is a forgiving DAP. Shanling M3X is a high-end DAP priced at 340 USD, with one microSD slot, Balanced output, MQA support, and up to 23 hours of battery life from a single charge. The main competition is going to include iBasso DX160, FiiO M11 PRO, Shanling M2X, and iFi xDSD. M3X is a downsized variation of M8, rather than a downgrade, so a lot of the awesome tech and advantages found on the Shanling Flagship can be found on M3X.

Dynamics could be a bit better. (High gain mode helps with the dynamic issue, but not without introducing some cons. See Part 3 - "Low gain vs High gain mode" for more info) Audio-wise, Shanling used the ESS’s ES9219C DACs in dual mode, which can offer high efficiency and x16 MQA support. Shanling also used large-capacity AVX tantalum capacitors to further enhance the low-frequency performance of the M3X. Additionally, they integrated two Japanese KDS crystal-oscillators and combined them with their custom FPGA algorithm to improve the performance and decoding capabilities of the M3X.Gear used​Lotoo PAW S1, iFi GO Blu, Shanling M3X, IKKO OH10, THIEAUDIO Clairvoyance, UM MEXT, Moondrop Variations and Sennheiser HD560S.

INTRODUCTION: I wrote the review after 150/200 hours of listening (more or less). The curiosity of listening to a Dac Saber (ES9219C) mounted on a Shanling was remarkable. I had listened to the Shanling M6 Pro (loaned by my friend Xinlisupreme) and I must say I enjoyed it greatly. M6 Pro is equipped with the AKM AK4497EQ Dac and therefore with M3X I was able to have a term of comparison from the point of view of the converter, because otherwise M6 Pro stands at a price range higher than M3X. Although M3X. The AnTuTu measurements are similar to what we have seen on other Shanling Machines, which is satisfactory in offering enough calculation power to music apps and other simple apps. M3X AnTuTu Score Sound Impressions Summary However, the new ESS ES9219C DAC/amp chips are extremely efficient enabling superior battery life. In addition, the chips have no additional circuitry since they include a dedicated headphone amplifier circuit and a final output stage. As a result, the ESS Sabre chips function with both DAC & amp capabilities and operate in dual-mono configuration. In my opinion, if you are looking for a DAP that is warm-neutral, with full forward mids, snappy bass, and airy treble, the Shanling M3X Limited Edition should definitely be considered. It is not a DAP for bass lovers beyond all things. In the sense that it has a full-bodied, present, warm bass, but always very correct, defined and circumscribed. And here the Dac Saber does its part. In the mid-range M3X plays with exemplary body and correctness, again in reference to its price range, of course. The amplification is really excellent, which always seems to work smoothly and always leaves the feeling of still wanting to turn up the volume. With the VE3, M3X amplifies its full potential as it seems to fit perfectly with the Vision Ears sound philosophy. Although I personally preferred (but here it comes down to subjectivism) Faerless S8P and Dunu SA6, where everything manifests itself in a faster, clearer, more open way to the detriment of the warmth of the mid-range, its body and its involvement. emotional. With the TSMR 5s, the MX3 sounds very similar to the VE3s but with a slight high-end brilliance. The opening of Prince's 1999 song (listened over and over again with all the IEMs listed) made me prefer the balance of the VE3 to the brilliance (but I'm on top) of the TSRM 5. For the rest the two IEMs behaved the same way. In terms of nuances, the quality of the VE 3 was preferred, but the TSMR 5 had an enormously wider and wider stage. And here it becomes a matter of preference.FiiO JH3​I have a hard time using the JH3 due to the rather intense treble. It has a very sharp and piercing upper energy that just doesn't work well for me. I did this pairing due to the neutral treble the M3X provides. It did indeed help calm the violence down a bit in the upper treble and while it was still a little too bright up top for me, I was at least able to listen to it longer than normal. The Lows are still fairly ok with a little more fullness. The mids still have a slight grainy sound but since it’s much more tolerable, I was able to get a feel for the instruments and vocals. I thought the M3X did a good job of handling the treble and I got decent detail retrieval from the JH3. The staging was just a bit more open than I remember with other gear. In terms of imaging, it is also clean and precise with great image separation. Thanks to the well rounded and wide soundstage presentation, pinpointing where instruments are coming from is, imo, almost effortless. Pair this with the M3X Limited's ability to resolve details and you are in for a treat.

The tuning has Shanling’s usual mid-lows coloration, also gentle roll-off in the treble to color the vocal sweet and rounded, without compromising transparency by adding a bit of brightness to the treble. Under the hood, we have an 8-Core Snapdragon 430 CPU, with 2GB of RAM and 32-GB ROM. MQA Supports extended as far as full 16X Unfolding, and there is support for both 5G and 2.4G Wifi signals. The Bluetooth support includes LDAC, LHDC, aptX, aptX HD, and SBC. The bluetooth signal is great on my unit, and in line with most other high-end DAPs. M3X also works as an LDAC receiver, if you want to use it as a Bluetooth DAC/AMP. The typical file support includes Mp3, FLAC, and High resolution files, including DSD, and even Opus and ISO files, for those who like to listen to an entire album in one go.I have previously worked on their M5s, M6 and both of these were the best sounding DAP of their time, much better at balance and value proportions than their competitors like DX120 or DX160. Even the Sony ZX300 had more colored and uneven emphasis across the spectrum. The M3X is equipped with the new Dual ES9219C DAC chips, a chipset that is not yet widely used. Shanling has USD Sabre before, for example, the Q1, but further up, such as the M6 Pro, you will notice they use AKM chipsets so this new ESS implementation will give the M3X a different character in sound. There is a hint of warmth in the mids that adds to the lushness of the vocal and paints the whole picture softer. This works well with expressive music and balances out the tighter clean treble. The M3X uses Shanling’s proprietary AGLO (Android Global Lossless Output) technology to bypass Android limitations and not degrade or downsample data, supporting up to 32/384 kHz sampling.

SPECIFICATIONS: To handle the Android properly the M3X carries over the Snapdragon SD430 soc (octacore) from M6 but now has only 2GB of ram with 32GB of onboard storeage. Out of the 32 GB only 24.2GB are available for storage. Ram management too is very good, most of the time it has more than 1GB of RAM is available. If you want to run games on the HD display let me tell you the SD430 can run subway surfer and other low on graphics games without much trouble but don’t expect it to run PUBG or COD. Bluetooth connectivity is also satisfactory, as long as you don’t move or turn around fast the signal remains stable. The device supports receiving and broadcasting a Bluetooth signal, supporting LDAC, SBC codecs as a receiver, and can emit LDAC, SBC, LHDC, aptX HD, and aptX as a transmitter. All tests are done using the balanced mode and linear phase fast roll-off filter aka the factory default.

It should be noted that I have absolutely no affiliation with Shanling. I’d like to thank Shanling for providing the sample for this review. This review reflects my personal experience with the Shanling M3X. Every opinion expressed is mine and I stand by it. The purpose of this review is to help those interested in Shanling M3X find their next music companion. Hello thanks for the great review. I have a little question which DAC is more worthwhile (as a fun player) {I already own a FiiO M11 / M15 & others} the M3X or rather the M6 ​​2021? I can not decide….*thx and kind regards INSIDE: System: Open Android 7.1.1, with AGLO, very fluid, smooth. Excellent brightness and visibility even in sunlight. CPU: 8-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430



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