Shanling M2 DAP

nmatheis said:

As long as the DHL ninjas don't sneak past me, the M2 should be in my hands for testing tomorrow. I'll drop some first impressions fo sho!

@hakushondaimao: Is yours coming tomorrow, too?

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I'm looking forward to reading your first impressions too as I will probably buy this player (and the case!) before the end of the week. So unless you have something really terrible to say about it, it's as good as purchased. I hope the scroll wheel is a lot smoother and accurate than that on the Fiio DAPs. Needs to be durable too.

Any chance of Australian tour?

nmatheis said:

As long as the DHL ninjas don't sneak past me, the M2 should be in my hands for testing tomorrow. I'll drop some first impressions fo sho!

hakushondaimao: Is yours coming tomorrow, too?

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Yup. Just paid my "duties" (read "DHL tax") online. Delivery to the office by end of day,

Man, DHL really is evil in Canada

But at least it's not stuck in Customs

nmatheis said:

Man, DHL really is evil in Canada

But at least it's not stuck in Customs

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I hope FEDEX is better..well in my experience they are. I ordered the M2 from Shenzhen Audio but they wont be shipping it until Friday. I knew I wouldn't be able to wait!

bruce1967: Haha! Couldn't resist, eh

Just curious, what made you choose the Shanling over other DAPs in this price range? I think your answer would be of value to others considering a new DAP and Shanling.

nmatheis said:

@bruce1967: Haha! Couldn't resist, eh

Just curious, what made you choose the Shanling over other DAPs in this price range? I think your answer would be of value to others considering a new DAP and @Shanling.

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Well from what I've read about it the build is very good so hopefully it will last awhile. The scroll wheel is supposed to be pretty durable also. I heard good things about Shanling too..good customer service. Any questions I've had about the M2 I emailed them and got answers to my questions the next day. Much like Fiio, I think this is a company that will stand behind their products. Also in reading your review of the M3 I was impressed with what you had to say about that player and I expect the M2 to be as good or better. Oh, and I love the design!

bruce1967: Thanks for your thoughts. Shanling's a new kid in the block when it comes to releasing DAPs, so even though they're quality kit, people just don't know about them. I'm hoping we can change that!

As an aside, I was touring Shanling's H3 & M3 in the US & Canada. I just recalled them before they head up to Canada so they could visit with their little brother. Since the M3 arrived, how much do you think I've used my DX90 or X5? Not much, not much at all

As an aside, I was touring Shanling's H3 & M3 in the US & Canada. I just recalled them before they head up to Canada so they could visit with their little brother. Since the M3 arrived, how much do you think I've used my DX90 or X5? Not much, not much at all

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I’m curious to hear this.  I’ve read your review of Shanling’s earlier DAP a few times, but the one aspect you weren’t able to convey sufficiently was what exactly brought you back to that player as opposed to others, why you seemed to favor its sound over other brands.  It almost seemed like an ephemeral quality that couldn’t be described, almost as if you couldn’t put your finger on it.

Really ASpencer? I described the sound as more natural vs. DX90 and X5, pointing out several factors that made the difference to me. I tried. I really did.

I think that's the interesting thing about Shanling's sound. When I first heard it, I was like meh... Others were, too. Nothing really jumps out at you. It's not as exciting a first listen as something like the DX90 or X5, but give it time and the sound grows on you.

I know you're not looking to buy one now that you've got an X7, but maybe you should be on the M2 tour to provide your perspective. You're in the US, right? Interested?

nmatheis said:

Really @ASpencer? I described the sound as more natural vs. DX90 and X5, pointing out several factors that made the difference to me. I tried. I really did.

I think that's the interesting thing about Shanling's sound. When I first heard it, I was like meh... Others were, too. Nothing really jumps out at you. It's not as exciting a first listen as something like the DX90 or X5, but give it time and the sound grows on you.

I know you're not looking to buy one now that you've got an X7, but maybe you should be on the M2 tour to provide your perspective. You're in the US, right? Interested?

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You wrote a fine review, but the factor that grew on you fell into je ne sais quoi.  I may just get one since it's inexpensive and Shanling is such a cool company.

Crappy cell phone pic time, guys :wink_face:

Outer box


Inner box


M2 top


M2 bottom


M2 overhead


Chinese menu at startup


Language selection


Changing it English


That's better


I thought \m/ was going to be the Metal EQ, but nope it's the Rock EQ


Here's the Metal EQ \m/ \m/


Now Playing screen with Theme 2


Now Playing screen with Theme 3


Haven't had a chance to listen yet, but here's some first thoughts…

It's smaller than I thought it'd be. It's roughly 5mm narrower and 10mm shorter than my iPhone 5s, but it's also about twice the thickness.

The singular metal piece covering the top and sides is nice and solid. The back plate has a little flex if you really press on it.

Shanling: Is the back plate metal with a carbon fiber skin? Plastic with carbon fiber skin? Real carbon fiber?

The control ring / d-pad, button are all plastic. In my heart of hearts I was hoping they'd be metal.

It was ~75% charged out of the box and sprang to life due to the deep sleep mode. It was a shock to push the power button and have the screen light up without booting.

The user interface has a lot in common with other Chinese DAPs from Cayin, Fiio, etc. So if you've used one of those, you'll feel right at home.

There's absolutely no lag scrolling through lists and backing out of menus.

The width and control placement make it very easy for one-handed operation - especially for righties. It's not too bad for lefties, though. Screen placement means lefties can reach over the top metal part in the front plate without obscuring the screen. I know this was a concern, but it actually looks ok.

Volume control only activates after spinning the wheel a bit. At first I thought this was weird, like it was laggy. But on second thought, it seems like an intentional choice to ensure you really want to increase the volume.

I've had a few mispresses so far, but I think I'll get used to it.

If you use folder browsing like I do, you'll want to set up top-level folders of some sort to prevent endless scrolling. I use A-C, D-E, etc.

Volume has 60 steps like M3 and the Fiio X3 & X5 used to. I'd love to see this changed to 120 steps for better control over IEM. Shanling?

Press & hold on the Return button from basically anywhere drops you back into the main menu.

Press the Return button during playback to bring up a quick menu.

Press the middle button during playback to quickly switch between tracks in your current album / folder / playlist.

Ok. I think that's enough for now. I need to start listening

Got yours yet hakushondaimao?

I get a lot of stuff (audio, photography and Amateur Radio) shipped from the US. My best experiences are with US Post to Canada Post. Door to door with no brokerage charges whatsoever.

peter west said:

I get a lot of stuff (audio, photography and Amateur Radio) shipped from the US. My best experiences are with US Post to Canada Post. Door to door with no brokerage charges whatsoever.

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Hi Peter West. hakushondaimao is getting an M2 direct from Shanling for the Canadian tour delivered via the devil erm, DHL. Whenever I send him gear, I always use USPS.