Shanling M5 Impressions & Discussion Thread
May 17, 2016 at 1:00 AM Post #151 of 1,113
Glad you have heard it and conform that M5 is an exceptional DAP, my fellow DAP-aphile:wink:


N6 has brighter, more analytocal sound with bigger soundstage. M5 has fuller sound that isn't so bright yet isn't lacking in detail. M5 soundstage isn't so big as N6. All that said, I prefer M5's musical sound to N6's analytical sound by a wide margin. For Cayin DAPs, I actually much prefer N5 to N6 and am looking forward to i5. For Shanling, I honestly haven't heard a bad DAP yet :wink:


Yeah, I just noticed the Cayin i5.. It has really good specs.. Still no Muses chips, so I might pass on it.. At the moment, the M5 has all the internals I want.. For example.. Some people either love Porsche, Ferrari, Apple, Android, Etc etc.. I have a certain "Fan boy bias" towards products containing the CS4398 or the AK4490, over the WM8740 or Sabre ES9018.. The WM8740 is a little too warm and the ES9018 is just a little too analytical for me.. This is an over simplification/generalization of course.. But it's to get the idea across.. For e equipment and listening preferences, the DAPs containing the CS4398 and the AK4490 just sounds the best for the music I listen to and earphones I own. As always, "YMMV" part of me does wish for a touch screen, but then other times I am reminded that touch screens can lead to lag due to heavier processor number crunching. Which leads to sound degradation.
 
May 17, 2016 at 1:57 AM Post #153 of 1,113
 
That is a typo on the M5 dynamic range spec. The AK4490's typical dynamic range is 120dB so the M5's implementation should easily exceed 100dB, not 10 dB.

It's 110dB, sorry for the typo. 
 
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May 17, 2016 at 10:28 AM Post #154 of 1,113
You like Cayin N5 sledgeharvy?


Yeah, plenty of power, option for "Balanced Output", very good sound stage, not too bright but vibrant sound signature, hefty bass, without being bloated.. It's very good.

The i5 seems like it's going to take everything of the N5 and just offer a touch screen to make the user interaction a more usable experience.. Looking forward to it..

I'm such a "Flapper" though.. Lol.. I love a lot of players for different reasons.. One I seldom lay hear about is the Colorfly C10.. Steampunk looks with fantastic Analog Natural sound. Only downfall is the volume control. Don't try shoving that in your pocket.. Lol..
 
May 18, 2016 at 7:07 AM Post #156 of 1,113
I think we're DAP brothers born from different mothers sledgeharvy :wink:

Lol.. Heck yes! With how many I always see you have on hand.. Absolutely.. Now to open my own store.. My area needs one. There isn't one for about 200 miles away. Which is Washington D.C.. With the amount of Military and "well-off" people on the beachfront and other places, I'm sure one would make a killing if there was a local shop.
 
May 18, 2016 at 9:58 AM Post #157 of 1,113
Along those lines, I went to test out the Campfire Audio IEM at ALO HQ here in Portland last summer. I used an AK380 they had. Browsing through the music, I noticed Steely Dan's Gaucho album. I'd never heard this "audiophile approved" album before, so I tried listening. I couldn't even make it through one song. It was just godawful for my tastes. I commented on it being on there, and one if the guys there said it's just on there because it's one of those albums people expect to test with not because they enjoyed it. That's definitely not my style. I didn't have Fleetwood Mac in my library until a DAP came around for testing and someone had left it in the internal memory. It was actually pretty sweet, so I got a copy for myself.


This is really old, and pretty random, but in Steely Dan's defense, I just love Gaucho. :)
 
May 18, 2016 at 10:23 AM Post #158 of 1,113
question for Shanling - akm4490 comes with 5 (or 4) selectable filters, so why cant we choose between them with M5? will it be possible in future firmwares?
 
May 18, 2016 at 10:24 AM Post #159 of 1,113
Based on specs, which I know can be difficult, how with i5 compare to the shanling m5? Less options I know but is a pure dap? Mass drop has the m5 at 420 right now. I was debating between waiting for the i5, or going m5 or m2.
 
May 18, 2016 at 10:58 AM Post #160 of 1,113
@nmatheis great thread and I'm impressed with your helpful nature. I look forward to some full reviews and a video. (subscribed)
 
ETA, can this be used as a source to an amp? I'm pretty sure it can but need to make sure.
Comments on the UI would be helpful since it's not a touch screen.
 
May 18, 2016 at 7:11 PM Post #162 of 1,113
@nmatheis
great thread and I'm impressed with your helpful nature. I look forward to some full reviews and a video. (subscribed)

ETA, can this be used as a source to an amp? I'm pretty sure it can but need to make sure.
Comments on the UI would be helpful since it's not a touch screen.


M5 has Line Out and Coaxial Out, so yes you can use it to feed an amp or DAC.

GUI is basically the same as Cayin, FiiO, Questyle if you've used those. I personally find Shanling's implementation suits me better, but that's a pretty personal thing IMHO.


Hi guys does anyone know how this would compare to the Fiio X7?


Prefer M5's fuller sound to X7 + AM1. I imagine X7 + AM2 might compete better, but you've got to drop money on the extra amp module. Personally don't like FiiO's music player app, but you can always use third-party apps. X7 has touchscreen and streaming if you care about those. Shanling is quite a bit smaller and lighter. Different animals, really...
 

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