[monsieurfromag3]

I will let you know once I receive my M3X. Maybe today or tomorrow... I am not using my DX160 for a long time now. I switched to DX300

Comparisons to DX300 would be welcome too! In terms of how big the gap is, how the tunings differ and how they are to handle (pretty much opposite projects on that front).

 

[Mitr1anton]

Comparisons to DX300 would be welcome too! In terms of how big the gap is, how the tunings differ and how they are to handle (pretty much opposite projects on that front

yes! very intresting!

 

[Ferdze]

By the way, which SD card has good transfer speed without breaking the bank? I always cheaped out on SD cards, but for the M3X I‘m gonna get a 128GB one at the very least, and at the usual 25MB/s speed of cheaper cards, it’s gonna take a looooong time to fill it up!

I got a 512gb Sandisk Extreme Pro for its read speed. it has 170mbps read and 90mbps write. I don't care much for the write but would like the advantage of faster scanning of music files or refreshing the list

 

[fabio19]

M3X is a dap that for its price range really offers a lot in terms of musicality. I wouldn't gloss over the construction and elegant beauty either. A really great purchase. I did not even believe that in a similar price range a dap would come out that could very well compete with dap of much higher price categories ...

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/shanling-m3x.25057/reviews

 

[walkman666]

Good points on the construction and beauty, too. It is a nice, sturdy and well-designed DAP. I listened some more this am while exercising and like the improvement for what I would consider to be a relatively affordable price range in this market.

 

[originalsnuffy]

Wow, 1 TB was going for $140? On Amazon now they are $229. Need to watch for more sales like that.

So I have not really focused on this unit as much as I probably should. Few questions....

Can this run Amazon HD and allow downloads? Does it have the capability of bypassing Android limits of 24 - 48 for all apps like Amazon ?

Does the native music player handle SACD ISO files and gapless FLAC?

If it does run Amazon HD in full hi res; how snappy or slow is it? I have a HiBy R5 which has good sound but boy howdy it is really slow when it comes to Amazon HD.

It feels really weird for me to not own a Shanling device at the moment. With the sole exception of my original M2 I have been happy with all my other Shanling units (M0, M1, M2S). Fortunately Amazon let me trade in my original and somewhat buggy M2 for about 60% of what I paid which was not a bad deal all things considered.

 

[monsieurfromag3]

M3X is a dap that for its price range really offers a lot in terms of musicality. I wouldn't gloss over the construction and elegant beauty either. A really great purchase. I did not even believe that in a similar price range a dap would come out that could very well compete with dap of much higher price categories ...

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/shanling-m3x.25057/reviews

Would you care to name names of more expensive DAPs it competes with? Or if that seems less uncomfortable, how would you price the M3X if you didn’t know its MSRP?

 

[Victory112]

Would you care to name names of more expensive DAPs it competes with? Or if that seems less uncomfortable, how would you price the M3X if you didn’t know its MSRP?

I prefer the M3X over the SR25 (double the price of the M3X) for its OS being full Android after you sideload the Google Play Store. SR25 has amazing build and got in the hand but the M3X isn't too far behind on both fronts. Both have great battery life and similar output, from what I heard. The SR25 has some extra warmth compared to the Qudelix-5K which I didn't quite like, though that's just my tastes. Not sure if the M3X has similar sound issues but for the price I could tolerate that. (I do want to make the comparison at some point.)

 

[monsieurfromag3]

I prefer the M3X over the SR25 (double the price of the M3X) for its OS being full Android after you sideload the Google Play Store. SR25 has amazing build and got in the hand but the M3X isn't too far behind on both fronts. Both have great battery life and similar output, from what I heard. The SR25 has some extra warmth compared to the Qudelix-5K which I didn't quite like, though that's just my tastes. Not sure if the M3X has similar sound issues but for the price I could tolerate that. (I do want to make the comparison at some point.)

Thanks for that! The Play Store has to be sideloaded? I thought it was installed from the start. Only a minor annoyance though.
You mean to compare the M3X vs the Qudelix? That one’s a cold little beast indeed. I’d be very interested on your comments since I actually own the 5K, while I’ve never heard the SR25.

 

[macaddicted]

You can also consider Samsung Evo Select 512gb, lowest it went for was $64 which is a better deal than the Sandisk 512gb since the write speed is significantly faster up to 90mb/s.
I missed out on the Sandisk 1tb deal a few days ago which went for the lowest all time at around $140.

Geez. I finally stopped with the fountain pens only or jump into a different black hole.

 

[Shanling]

Can this run Amazon HD and allow downloads? Does it have the capability of bypassing Android limits of 24 - 48 for all apps like Amazon ?

Does the native music player handle SACD ISO files and gapless FLAC?

If it does run Amazon HD in full hi res; how snappy or slow is it? I have a HiBy R5 which has good sound but boy howdy it is really slow when it comes to Amazon HD.

It feels really weird for me to not own a Shanling device at the moment. With the sole exception of my original M2 I have been happy with all my other Shanling units (M0, M1, M2S). Fortunately Amazon let me trade in my original and somewhat buggy M2 for about 60% of what I paid which was not a bad deal all things considered.

Yes, M3X can install streaming apps, including Amazon Music HD. For downloads, we recommend to use internal memory.

All audio on M3X avoid resampling of Android. Audio from all apps will be played as the app tells it to.

Shanling Music player has support for ISO files, but no support of gapless.

Thanks for that! The Play Store has to be sideloaded? I thought it was installed from the start. Only a minor annoyance though.
You mean to compare the M3X vs the Qudelix? That one’s a cold little beast indeed. I’d be very interested on your comments since I actually own the 5K, while I’ve never heard the SR25.

GMS is pre-installed, so you only need to install Play Store app itself, if you wish to use it.

 

[Photoman]

@Shanling please have a function to ignore shuffle when queuing next play so that the song can play next regardless if it on shuffle mode or not.

 

[Rockwell75]

I ordered one of these to serve as a more portable compliment to my M8. I should have it in my hands tomorrow

 

[fabio19]

Would you care to name names of more expensive DAPs it competes with? Or if that seems less uncomfortable, how would you price the M3X if you didn’t know its MSRP?

I'll give you some examples: I had purchased the iBasso DX200. I have never been able to listen to it with pleasure, beyond all the possible configurations both with different ems and with alternating cables. And I sold it after about ten days. I own the Kann. Obviously in terms of amplification and sound quality M3X pays the Kann duty, but for example I have noticed that M3X makes low quality mp3s sound better (compared to Kann). While with the Kann the thick mp3 reveals many more defects and background hisses. I own Dethonray DTR1. Sound different from M3X (which then may like more one or the other is a different speech) but while the Prelude has a more open and clear sound, M3X has a great body and a very pleasant warmth with certain types of musical genres. Let's leave aside the multimedia and connective part because M3X is in front of the DTR1 light years, as the Dethonray Prelude I use it ONLY for simple listening with the micro sd card.
The Kann for example on metal, hardcore, sludge songs, loses a little detail. M3X on the other hand does not have the same speed, but precisely for this reason the notes do not end up on top of each other and everything remains pleasantly in line with the audibility and purity (pass me the term) of such compressed musical genres. the Kann costs 900/1000 euros. The Dx200 costs around 600 euros and the DTR1 Prelude around 600 $ .......
Obviously if you listen to Flac or DSD with the Kann, the quality and silence are better than with M3X.
But speaking a lot in general, even assuming that all three daps I mentioned (Kann. DX200, and DTR1 Prelude) are in some ways better than M3X (but in some cases it isn't) anyway the price difference in terms of pure musical quality, it is not entirely corresponding to listening. But this more generally then depends on countless factors: Advertising, steps of the same brand, investment that has been made on the dap, innovations introduced in terms of engineering, materials, solutions .... etc. You enter a field so vast and remote that it is difficult to get out of it.
But if in a hypothetical test in the dark I had to qualify the price difference (for example) between M3X and Kann it certainly does not equal a difference of $ 340 against $ 1100.

 

[Victory112]

Thanks for that! The Play Store has to be sideloaded? I thought it was installed from the start. Only a minor annoyance though.
You mean to compare the M3X vs the Qudelix? That one’s a cold little beast indeed. I’d be very interested on your comments since I actually own the 5K, while I’ve never heard the SR25.

Yep 5K and M3X. I'll be sure to ping you when I make the comparison.