Shanling M6 Pro (21)
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Shanling M6 PRO (21) - Breaking Barriers
Summary & Objective:
The @Shanling M6 Pro (21) is the newest release of the Shanling M6 Pro line in July 2021. This time on it addresses some of the limitations of the previous generation players and also comes with a plethora of connectivity options. More importantly, this is the 1st Shanling coming with Dual ESS Sabre ES9068AS DAC chips shifting away from the AKM chips. Obviously, like all newer generation releases it promises better sound performance.
Introduction:
The Shanling M6 Pro (21) comes with a single aluminium frame with glass panels on both sides - giving it a lush & premium look. It is the first ever Shanling player to feature the new ESS Sable ES9068AS DAc chip - the same chip found in much pricier DAPs of A&K such as - Kann Alpha.
The Shanling M6 Pro (21) is priced at $799.
Disclaimer:
This unit was bought by myself from @Shanling and they were good enough to give me a reviewer's discount.
Hence, all impressions mentioned here are my own honest opinions and I have not received any payments from anyone for this.
Design, Build & Features:
I wouldn't want to make this a very long review by describing each feature but for people who want to know here are some extracts from the Shanling website.
Specifications:
The Shanling M6 PRo (21) comes with $799 price tag and the specifications are as below:
https://en.shanling.com/product/404
OR
https://audio46.com/products/shanli...uetooth-portable-lossless-hi-res-music-player
3 Available filters:
Linear Phase Fast Roll-off
Minimum Phase Slow Roll-off
Hybrid Fast Roll-Off
3.5mm Single-Ended
2.5mm Balanced
4.4mm Balanced
NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT THE SOUND....
Items Used for this Review:
IEMs:
Kinera NORN, @MOONDROP Aria, @CampfireAudio Dorado 2020, Holocene, Honeydew, @UniqueMelody MEST MKII, CCZ Plume
Streaming Source: QOBUZ
Tracks Used:
The tracks I have used can be found from the below playlist that I have used and generally use for most reviews...
Shanling M6 PRO (21) Sound Impressions in Short:
The BASS:
The Bass sounds just great. has enough details and is able to produce enough attack in the mid base region as well. In tracks like : "Anna R. Chie (Remastered) - Konstantin Wecker" and "Dreams (2001 Remaster) – Fleetwood Mac" you can feel the the deep attack of the different instruments with just enough details. The thumps and slams are very enjoyable.
The MIDS:
The Midrange really just excels in terms of every single element. It is able to produce an good creamy smooth and textured midrange that is soothing to the ears while having enough details in it. The vocals are natural and both male and female vocals come with good amount of details. Instruments sounded natural. In tracks like: "Anchor - Trace Bundy" and "Ruby Tuesday - Franco Battiato" while you will love the overall midrange specially transients of the guitars, violins etc... instruments and the vocals.
The TREBLE:
Though some people may complain the ESS DAC chip being a bit bright signature specially in the Treble region - this implementation is just great and seemed quite the reference grade. Hence, the treble just sounded nice and full and without any unwanted peaky-ness.
STAGING & RESOLUTION:
The staging and resolution is just great and just the amount the track requires. Nothing artificial here. Tracks like: “ She Don't Know – Melody Gardot” or “Bohemian Rhapsody (live aid) – Queen” sound good & enjoyable. Resolution however seemed very average and was not a strong trait.
Pairing:
The best pairing experiences I have found are with slightly warmer or reference grade IEMs. Unlike some other ESS DAC implementations, this doesn't have the tendency to increase peaky-ness when paired with bright IEMs.
Combinations:
Apart from the usual pairing with IEMs and headphones, 1 pairing that had stood out for me and I have loved a lot is it's pairing with the @iFi audio Micro iDSD Signature DAC/AMP. when paired with this portable DAC/AMP - it enables a lot more power than the Shanling M6 pro (21) can usually drive and hence makes it a .great combination for driving power hungry IEMs and Headphones.
Comparisons:
Though I do not have any other player in similar price range - I though it would be best to compare it against cayin N3 pro priced at $480 which is slightly lower price range and the cayin doesn't support streaming.
Shanling M6 Pro (21) vs Cayin N3 pro:
Build quality: Both DAPs come in great build quality and has premium looks.
OS & Streaming capabilities: While Shanling M6 Pro (21) comes with Android OS and supports streaming apps, the caying N3 pro runs it's own proprietary OS and doesn't support streaming
Features & Amplification: The Cayin N3 pro comes with the unique feature of Dual Timbre through tubes which is not present in the Shanling M6 pro (21). However, the M6 Pro (21) has a plethora of connectivity features and ports that include all 3 popular ports of 2.5mm, 3.5mm and &44.mm are supported whereas the N3 pro supports only 3.5mm & 4.4mm and for tubes only 3.5mm
Sound performance: The N3 Pro comes with single AKM DAC chip, whereas the M6 pro (21) comes with DUAL ESS DAC chips. apart from that the M6 pro (21) has neutral reference grade tuning whereas the N3 pro comes with slightly warmer sound. both are perfect based on the preferences and pairings on different occasions. The M6 pro (21) outclasses the N3 pro in terms of amplification and power output capabilities.
Conclusion :
The superb performance of the Shanling M6 Pro (21) makes it an easy recommendation to anyone who is looking for a Streaming Android player below $800 range.
Summary & Objective:
The @Shanling M6 Pro (21) is the newest release of the Shanling M6 Pro line in July 2021. This time on it addresses some of the limitations of the previous generation players and also comes with a plethora of connectivity options. More importantly, this is the 1st Shanling coming with Dual ESS Sabre ES9068AS DAC chips shifting away from the AKM chips. Obviously, like all newer generation releases it promises better sound performance.
Introduction:
The Shanling M6 Pro (21) comes with a single aluminium frame with glass panels on both sides - giving it a lush & premium look. It is the first ever Shanling player to feature the new ESS Sable ES9068AS DAc chip - the same chip found in much pricier DAPs of A&K such as - Kann Alpha.
The Shanling M6 Pro (21) is priced at $799.
Disclaimer:
This unit was bought by myself from @Shanling and they were good enough to give me a reviewer's discount.
Hence, all impressions mentioned here are my own honest opinions and I have not received any payments from anyone for this.
Design, Build & Features:
I wouldn't want to make this a very long review by describing each feature but for people who want to know here are some extracts from the Shanling website.
Specifications:
The Shanling M6 PRo (21) comes with $799 price tag and the specifications are as below:
https://en.shanling.com/product/404
OR
https://audio46.com/products/shanli...uetooth-portable-lossless-hi-res-music-player
UPDATE FROM M6 PRO
- Dual ESS Sabre ES9068AS DAC
- Amplifier circuit now using OPA2211, up to 760 mW@32ohm (Original OPA1662 and 600mw)
- Improved battery, up to 16 hours (Original 13 hours)
- 64 GB Rom (Original 32GB)
- MQA Support
SELLING POINT
- Snapdragon 430 CPU
- Android OS
- 4G RAM + 64G ROM
- ESS ES9068AS X 2
- Two-Way Bluetooth
- 32/384 & DSD256
- Balanced 4.4mm+2.5mm
- QC3.0 Fast Charging
- 4.7 Inch Screen
- 4000mAh Battery
- Up to 16 hours battery
- Android Global Lossless Output
- Adjustable Gain
- Dual DAC
- MQA
FPGA CODING TECHNOLOGY BY SHANLING
Improved algorithm for an adaptive clock precision sampling provides a better clock signal accuracy and an enhance performance, for both PCM and DSD Playback.EXTRA POWER & LOW NOISE
With three gain settings, M6 Pro (21) can work beautifully with a wide range of headphones and earphones. Offering up to 760mW@32ohm for the most demanding headphones, while adopting a low-dropout regulator for a hiss free output, ideal for sensitive earphones.FULL MQA SUPPORT
ESS DACs in the M6 Pro (21) are designed with a native support of the MQA playback, supporting up to 16x MQA. To enjoy your Tidal streaming at its maximum potential.EQ AND DIGITAL FILTERS
To adjust the sound exactly to the listener's preferences, M6 Pro (21) offers a digital filter setting with 3 different filters and also a software EQ available in the Shanling Music App.3 Available filters:
Linear Phase Fast Roll-off
Minimum Phase Slow Roll-off
Hybrid Fast Roll-Off
CONNECTORS
With 3 different output options, M6 Pro (21) can be connected to a much wider range headphones and earphones without any need for an additional adapter.3.5mm Single-Ended
2.5mm Balanced
4.4mm Balanced
SPECIFICATIONS
- Size 71*17.5*133.5 mm
- Display 4.7inch 720*1280 IPS Screen
- Weigh 244 g
- System Android 7.1
- Audio formats DSF / DFF / ISO / DXD / APE / FLAC / WAV / AIFF / AIF / DTS/ MP3 / WMA / ACC / OGG / ALAC / MP2 / M4A / AC3 / M3U / M3U8
- Hi-Res support 32 bit / 768 kHz DSD256
- Gain setting Low, Medium, High
- Memory 4GB RAM + 64 GB ROM + MicroSD card
- D/A Converter ESS ES9068AS x 2
- Digital filters 3 preset filters
- WiFi 2.4G/5G, OTA Firmware update
- Battery Life 16H (SE, Single DAC), 13H (Balanced), 36 H (Bluetooth)
- Battery capacity 4000 mAh
SINGLE-ENDED OUTPUT
- Output power
- Low gain: 0.79V @32 Ohm (20mW)
- Medium gain: 1.38V @32 Ohm (60mW)
- High Gain: 2.76V @32 Ohm (240mW)
- Signal-to-noise ratio 124 dB
- Channel separation 75 dB @32 Ohm
- Dynamic range 125 dB
- THD+N 0.0005%
- Output impedance <0.3 Ohm
BALANCED OUTPUT
- Output power
- Low gain: 1.38V @32 Ohm (60mW)
- Medium gain: 2.76V @32 Ohm (240mW)
- High Gain: 4.93V @32 Ohm (760mW)
- Signal-to-noise ratio 126 dB
- Channel separation 110 dB @32 Ohm
- Dynamic range 124 dB
- THD+N 0.0005%
- Output impedance < 0.6 Ohm
NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT THE SOUND....
Items Used for this Review:
IEMs:
Kinera NORN, @MOONDROP Aria, @CampfireAudio Dorado 2020, Holocene, Honeydew, @UniqueMelody MEST MKII, CCZ Plume
Streaming Source: QOBUZ
Tracks Used:
The tracks I have used can be found from the below playlist that I have used and generally use for most reviews...
Shanling M6 PRO (21) Sound Impressions in Short:
The BASS:
The Bass sounds just great. has enough details and is able to produce enough attack in the mid base region as well. In tracks like : "Anna R. Chie (Remastered) - Konstantin Wecker" and "Dreams (2001 Remaster) – Fleetwood Mac" you can feel the the deep attack of the different instruments with just enough details. The thumps and slams are very enjoyable.
The MIDS:
The Midrange really just excels in terms of every single element. It is able to produce an good creamy smooth and textured midrange that is soothing to the ears while having enough details in it. The vocals are natural and both male and female vocals come with good amount of details. Instruments sounded natural. In tracks like: "Anchor - Trace Bundy" and "Ruby Tuesday - Franco Battiato" while you will love the overall midrange specially transients of the guitars, violins etc... instruments and the vocals.
The TREBLE:
Though some people may complain the ESS DAC chip being a bit bright signature specially in the Treble region - this implementation is just great and seemed quite the reference grade. Hence, the treble just sounded nice and full and without any unwanted peaky-ness.
STAGING & RESOLUTION:
The staging and resolution is just great and just the amount the track requires. Nothing artificial here. Tracks like: “ She Don't Know – Melody Gardot” or “Bohemian Rhapsody (live aid) – Queen” sound good & enjoyable. Resolution however seemed very average and was not a strong trait.
Pairing:
The best pairing experiences I have found are with slightly warmer or reference grade IEMs. Unlike some other ESS DAC implementations, this doesn't have the tendency to increase peaky-ness when paired with bright IEMs.
Combinations:
Apart from the usual pairing with IEMs and headphones, 1 pairing that had stood out for me and I have loved a lot is it's pairing with the @iFi audio Micro iDSD Signature DAC/AMP. when paired with this portable DAC/AMP - it enables a lot more power than the Shanling M6 pro (21) can usually drive and hence makes it a .great combination for driving power hungry IEMs and Headphones.
Comparisons:
Though I do not have any other player in similar price range - I though it would be best to compare it against cayin N3 pro priced at $480 which is slightly lower price range and the cayin doesn't support streaming.
Shanling M6 Pro (21) vs Cayin N3 pro:
Build quality: Both DAPs come in great build quality and has premium looks.
OS & Streaming capabilities: While Shanling M6 Pro (21) comes with Android OS and supports streaming apps, the caying N3 pro runs it's own proprietary OS and doesn't support streaming
Features & Amplification: The Cayin N3 pro comes with the unique feature of Dual Timbre through tubes which is not present in the Shanling M6 pro (21). However, the M6 Pro (21) has a plethora of connectivity features and ports that include all 3 popular ports of 2.5mm, 3.5mm and &44.mm are supported whereas the N3 pro supports only 3.5mm & 4.4mm and for tubes only 3.5mm
Sound performance: The N3 Pro comes with single AKM DAC chip, whereas the M6 pro (21) comes with DUAL ESS DAC chips. apart from that the M6 pro (21) has neutral reference grade tuning whereas the N3 pro comes with slightly warmer sound. both are perfect based on the preferences and pairings on different occasions. The M6 pro (21) outclasses the N3 pro in terms of amplification and power output capabilities.
Conclusion :
The superb performance of the Shanling M6 Pro (21) makes it an easy recommendation to anyone who is looking for a Streaming Android player below $800 range.
Just added in my Wishlist