Battery-powered desktop decode amp: SHANLING mountain spirit H2.2

nmatheis · Apr 16, 2017 at 7:56 PM

I just got word of a new desktop DAC/Amp @Shanling will be bringing us soon. Lots of functionality in this guy, so let's get to it...

nmatheis · Apr 16, 2017 at 8:04 PM

Here are some early impressions out of China: LINK.

Battery-powered desktop decode amp: SHANLING mountain spirit H2.2

17:45 2016-12-30 | Posted by: ywen | View: 582 | Comments: 0 | author: Trail

Introduction: Some time ago Shan Ling sent a small machine, out of the box to see, look cute, feeling and the spirit of the same style of the standard size of the machine is not the same, it is very Meng, short and pith, I was attracted to it. This machine model is H2.2, is a battery-powered headphone amplifier. Because of a good impression, ...

Some time ago the mountain sent a small machine, out of the box to see, look cute, feeling and the spirit of the standard style of the machine is not the same size, it is very Meng, short and pith, I was attracted to it. This machine model is H2.2, is a battery-powered headphone amplifier.

As a result of a good impression, the first time would like to try H2.2, but the first time to use the open method seems to be a problem. Because H2.2 has built-in battery, which means that it does not need an external power supply can boot, then press the panel switch button, the machine no response. Is the real switch behind? Sure enough, behind a switch can be a toggle, which is a lot of audio equipment, the practice, the full use of electronic control, but reserved for mechanical switches. But behind the switch when the factory was transparent plastic cover, and tighten with screws, manufacturers why do this? Puzzled, and perhaps manufacturers have their own reasons. Switch next to the DC24V power interface, charging, usually the battery when there is no need for external power supply, so there is one thing is wonderful - with H2.2 without dragging a long tail, anytime, anywhere.

H2.2 and the spirit of the standard style of the machine is not the same size, it is very Meng, short and pithy, I was attracted to it

Carefully observe the back of H2.2, said the amp, the interface is a lot, it seems very powerful function. The top layer has "LINE IN" and "LINE OUT", which is the line input and output, and one of them is balanced output, configuration high. The middle layer is a digital input and output, as well as USB interface, and Bluetooth antenna interface. Thus H2.2 is omnipotent.

Speaking of USB input, think of something, now a variety of players, decoders are popular DSD file decoding or playback, H2.2 there is no? Look at its instructions, conspicuous position did not mention ah, I thought, to the spirit of the technology can not support. Finally, in the humble corner of the manual to see two lines: "The machine supports the latest DoP technology, which is the use of PCM frame transmission DSD signal, and in accordance with the DSD format decoding. DSD transmission also use the USB interface, the user can download the DSD format Music, Windows and Mac have the corresponding player. "That is to say H2.2 can support DSD format decoding, and confirmed that the hard solution.

01.H2.2 of the analog board, the amplifier part of each channel by the two groups of amplifiers; 02. Open the top of the H2.2, the top of the analog board has been extracted part of the author; 03. Collection of various IC Of the digital decoder board. Here the collection of decoding, digital reception and analog low-pass filter circuit; 04.H2.2 is the bottom of the power supply, a total of 10 Sanyo's NCR18650PF battery;

Or a summary of it: H2.2 is the introduction of a new generation of desktop Ling decoders, it sets the headset to enlarge and decode the two functions to support balance headphones, support USB decoding (support DSD hard solution) and Bluetooth music player, with 2 Gain and two kinds of digital filtering options. H2.2 the biggest bright spot is powered by the rechargeable battery, built-in 10 Sanyo NCR18650 battery, battery life of 8 hours; amplification part of the full balance design, the ampule for the class A discrete circuit; decoding part of an AK4490 D / A conversion chip.

05.H2.2 ampule part of each group of the final stage of the amplifier using a pair of C5171A1930 power tube output; 06.XMOS USB receiver chip; 07.H2.2 analog low-pass filter, each channel with a OPA1612 op amp; 08. This is an AK4490 DA conversion chip that can decode 32bit / 384kHz digital signals and can handle decoding capabilities in DSD format

Get started for the first time

The fastest way to use H2.2, the most convenient is to use Bluetooth to connect mobile devices to play music, first to install the Bluetooth antenna, so H22 more than a small tail, this little tail is not dragging the power cord To the cumbersome. Then open the machine on the back of the switch on the transparent plastic sheet, the switch to the ON position, press the panel power button, the machine displays "WAIT", two or three seconds into the boot state.

Power, switch the input source, but H2.2 panel switch button is really small, so that the author bother to find a few seconds, in fact, it shows the input source on the left side of the place. Switch to the Bluetooth input state, open the iPod on the hands, open the Bluetooth, look to find H2.2, Bluetooth connection is convenient. Connected to my beloved Beiya DT990 headphones, rotating VOLUME several laps, only to hear the music, it seems H2.2 VOLUME itinerary is relatively long, the sound adjustment is more moderate, individuals prefer. This VOLUME is very flat, spin up a bit not used to, but now popular flat design. At this time I think of it, H2.2 is a remote control function, so get the remote control, which is more convenient, and finally from the machine to carry out a variety of operations.

Bluetooth playback is only a small supporting role of H2.2, the current Bluetooth music and USB decoding to connect the computer to play the music gap is not small, so to really enjoy high quality music, or use H2.2 to connect CD player, or through USB to connect computer. CD machine connection H2.2 is too simple, you can input through the analog interface can also be input through the digital interface. As for the USB input, in fact, very simple, as long as the installation of the official USB driver can be provided. As H2.2 is fresh baked products, not yet listed on the sale, the new even to the official website are not updated, so I can only follow the instructions of the factory, to M1 product page to download a generic USB driver. The final installation is very smooth, a successful, then H2.2 can immediately find the equipment.

From the out of the box boot, intermittent with H2.2 two days, in the first use of the case, the power is also squeezed by the author was almost, so connect the charger to charge it, press the manual guide press the panel "CHARGE" button Remote control also has this button), H2.2 into the state of charge, in this state the machine will not carry out a variety of work.

01. Look at the back of H2.2, said the amp, the interface is a lot, it seems very powerful function; 02. The factory is behind the switch is located in the OFF position, and now you see is located in the ON position, The author has moved the hands and feet; 03.H2.2 is the card design, the whole board can be the same as the drawer push and pull, to achieve the exact degree of fitting, and the connection is not much, plug very convenient

Explore H2.2

H2.2 back is very special, the back is not a whole piece, but up and down a total of three components, and each piece has a screw fixed, which caused the author's attention and guess - is it card-type The So decided to open it to see what happens, it is estimated that this thing will not be too difficult to demolition.

Open the H2.2 roof, set off the moment to see the dense parts, the most prominent is the two sides of the power tube in the two cooling bridge, the two cooling bridge through the thermal plastic and the top cover connected, then the top Cover the role of heat. H2.2 amp part is a Class A amplifier, the working current will be larger, good heat is necessary. This is the top level of H2.2, is the analog amplifier board, set the headset zoom, analog input and output lines.

At this time can also be confirmed that H2.2 is indeed a card-type, and the whole board can be the same as the drawer push and pull, to achieve the exact degree of fitting, and wiring is not much, plug very convenient. I think that the advantages of this form is to facilitate the maintenance and replacement, the other mountain spirit will be introduced to upgrade the function card? It seems possible.

Carefully observe the simulation board, the author found H2.2 part of the amplifier part of each channel by the two groups of amplifiers, it is estimated that this is done with balanced output, so that it is more than the cost of single-ended amp, Because each channel more than a group of amplifiers. This 4 sets of amplifiers using discrete components to produce, the final stage of each amplifier using a pair of C5171 / A1930 power tube to do the output, it seems manufacturers of the amp part of the input is a lot.

Remove the top of the analog amplifier board, into the eye is a collection of various IC digital decoder board. Here a collection of decoding, digital reception and analog low-pass filter circuit. In the decoder board on the center of the location, is the decoder chip, which is an AK4490 D / A conversion chip, look at the information that can decode 32 / 384kHz digital signal, and can cope with DSD format decoding capabilities, see Is also a good chip. In the left front of the decoder board, I see a familiar figure, it is XMOS USB receiver chip, XMOS in the USB reception reputation is very good, so many manufacturers will use their program, according to the author's experience, XMOS program to do USB decoding, the sound will not be bad where to go. In addition, I see H2.2 digital receiver chip is CS8416, the information that it can ensure that professional and consumer audio products exchange S / PDIF and AES / EBU audio data. Decoding analog low-pass filter circuit is also very important, H2.2 per channel with a OPA1612 op amp, the author more than a bit of information, this guy's distortion as low as 0.000015% (1kHz), the noise is also very low.

H2.2 is the bottom of the power supply, remove the digital decoder board, you can see the battery trace, light green loaded, a total of 10 models NCR18650PF, Sanyo products. The biggest benefit of battery power is pure, there is no interference with the AC, thereby enhancing the sound performance. Of course, not any audio products are suitable for battery-powered, such as high current and high voltage equipment is not suitable.

Sound experience

H2.2 sound in the end how? For which the author found three pairs of headphones to match it, one on their own hands on the Beyerdynamic DT990 (250Ω), the market price of about 1,500 yuan, the second pair is priced at more than 10,000 Sennheiser flagship headphones HD800S (300Ω), and finally HIFIMAN Edition X flat headphones (25Ω), the price is more than 10,000. Sound source Or choose to use the computer to connect H2.2 USB interface to play music, it is called the trend. Here to talk about the feelings with the deputy headphones it

◎ Mountain Spirit H2.2 + Sennheiser HD800S

The Sennheiser HD800S connected to the balance headphone output interface, playing the symphony when the sound is full of heavy, the scene is magnificent, reflecting the strength of Senhai headphones, this time the high-frequency meticulous not sharp, look comfortable; play voices seem very comfortable, There is no sense of oppression, the voice of the sound of the tail almost can not hear the burr, tail short rounded, sound like a good, meticulous and balanced, not lack of real sense; play Xu Xiaofeng "helpless", sound warm, high-frequency clear bright, Full and no flexibility; the last play Hugo recording "lazy thrush", Xun's voice is full of air, but also very soft, rich sound of the sound, triangular iron crisp and sweet, a variety of musical instruments positioning clear.

This match is completely listening to the style, sound neutral, precise and delicate, low-frequency fast clean, little dye, suitable for listening to the style of the user.

◎ mountain spirit H2.2 + Bayern power DT990

Playing symphony when the sound full, low frequency mixed thick, the overall balance is acceptable, the scene is not as good as with the Sennheiser HD800S so great, the sound density is also lower, relatively low frequency to be slower, the sound is also a little bit dark. Playing more prominent when the human voice, but the tail is longer, sharp and transparent voice. Play Xu Xiaofeng's "helpless", low frequency is still vigorous, but also slightly slow, the overall frequency of dark; the last play "lazy thrush", Xun's soft sound is not lack of air, positioning can be clear, With Sennheiser HD800S to be less.

This with the high frequency is more prominent, the IF will be less, the taste is also slightly rich, the overall performance was significantly inferior to the previous match, after all, DT990 in the grade than the Sennheiser HD800S much lower, this combination from the price difference is a bit big, Shan Ling H2.2 with DT990 really wrong, DT990 performance has been improved, but H2.2 did not play a real strength.

◎ Mountain Spirit H2.2 + HIFIMAN Edition X

Play the symphony when the scene is ambitious, the sense of layering is quite good, the sound is not natural no noise, the violin is full of wood flavor, it is very beautiful, low frequency sounds better than with Sennheiser HD800S slower. Play when the voice is more prominent, bright voice, knot slightly larger, the tail will be longer, but the overall taste good. Play Xu Xiaofeng's "helpless", low-frequency vigorous, the sound is still slightly slow, in the high-frequency dark, but very relaxed. Finally play "lazy thrush", Xun's sense of air and space is quite good, the sound open and relaxed, clear positioning.

The sound of this match is soft and natural, there is no lack of woody taste, sounds very comfortable, natural sound, the sound of the taste is also very good, suitable for the pursuit of voice charm of the user.

to sum up

In the sound style, H2.2 or slightly thicker, more neutral, high-frequency bright and clear, the sound speed is not too fast, to deal with these three headphones, H2.2 driving force is enough, of course, with different Headphones will show different results, it is loyal to the back-end, will not add too much of their own color, but the quality of the sound more stress, of course, Class A or give it a little warm tone, a sense of stability and wide sound field, In addition, H2.2 with high-end headphones, its performance is better. In the choice of headphone output and single-ended output, I believe that the balance of the output sound will be more comprehensive, sound neutral fast, the driving force is also stronger, with H2.2 balance with the earphone will be better.

With a headset to listen to music, is a very convenient and very free music appreciation, so this way more and more people of all ages, a mobile phone or portable player with a poor quality of the headset can enjoy Wonderful music, in order to correspond to mobile music playback equipment, large headphones have low resistance to the trend, but it can not explain the low impedance is easy to promote, proved to be difficult to promote a headset, with a special amp can also be obvious To enhance the performance of the sound, for headset enthusiasts, the big headset with desktop amp is the best choice.

Look at H2.2, although it is the amp, but it combines a high-quality decoding function, you can connect the computer through USB to play music, but also both Bluetooth music player, designed for balance headphones, and it has high-quality lines Output, can be connected to the sound system as a source, can also be used as a senior class of advanced speakers, it is battery-powered desktop amp, so that the amp is not what people pursued?

glassmonkey · Apr 17, 2017 at 4:57 AM

I'm not sure it's perfect for a picnic in the park, but I definitely know some folks like @Takeanidea who would dig a portable full function DAC/Amp solution. Those batteries in the bottom are awesome. They are totally user-replaceable and widely available. You can order those batteries off of Amazon and they are the same batteries used in e-cigs, so should be available at the local level too.

I'm very curious how this one will sound. My experience is still that I've not heard a bad sounding AK4490 implementation.

Crazypaladin · Apr 17, 2017 at 6:31 AM

Now the question is how much is this unit?

jinxy245 · Apr 17, 2017 at 10:06 AM

Looks really good spec-wise...looking forward to impressions.

nmatheis · Apr 17, 2017 at 11:51 PM

Shanling - Please join in the discussion. I know people will appreciate your participation and support!

RAFA · Apr 18, 2017 at 10:51 AM

Wow. I like this!

EDIT:
I do not know how legit this is, but this shop has them and the price i rather high.

https://beststore-online.com/item?id=544379523062

nhtran1 · Apr 18, 2017 at 12:30 PM

crazypaladin said:
Now the question is how much is this unit?

$1,275.99 plus shipping from China.

Might trade in my Oppo SDAC for this if/when it becomes available in the US

https://www.hifi-amplifiers.com/en/shanling-h22-dsd-ak4490-dac-full-balanced-xlr-decoding-amp-xmos-usb-p-2307.html