Shanling UA2 Portable USB DAC/AMP

While most known for it’s portable audio line-up (DAPs, IEMs, DACs, Amps), Shanling is also a manufacturer of serious pieces of audio gear (desktop DACs, full-sized Amps, CD Players, and also a number of tube audio equipment). Also, many might get tricked into thinking that Shanling is a recently founded company, when in reality it was founded all the way back in 1988.

The UA line-up, consisting of the UA1 and the UA2, was announced in late 2020 and released around the same time. In this article I will be discussing both products and comparing them, addressing their differences and similarities.

Unboxing Experience

UA2:






Both devices share very similar packaging. In fact, the dimensions are the exact same. The visible difference is in the design, or to be more exact, the visual illustrations that are present on the front of the packaging. I must say that the unboxing experience was fairly pleasing and perhaps rewarding. This is mainly because of the flap system and the neatly thought out packaging. The flap system is similar to a wedding ring box or to the famous Pulp Fiction mystery briefcase (crazy reference, but I just cannot forget the fabulous nature of the briefcase when it was opened in the movie).

Once you open the flap, you will be met with hard foam that houses the UA1/UA2 and the USB-C to USB-A adaptor(s). Below the foam, you will find the Quick Start Guide and a Warranty Card. Unlike the UA1, which features a fixed cable, the UA2 has a USB-C to USB-C cable included in the packaging. I also received a USB-C to Lightning cable in a separate metal case.

Overall, a very satisfying experience for a package that only houses a portable AMP/DAC and an adaptor.



Design

While the UA2 is the bigger brother in size, it features a more minimalist design. Unlike the UA1, the body is stadium shaped — the shape and the form factor heavily resembles a slim Bic lighter.

Speaking of the body, both the UA1 and the UA2 share a similar visual design. Both devices feature the company’s logo, device name, bit depth/sample rate/DSD decoding capability, and a Hi-Res logo. However, there are some subtle difference in the arrangement of how these are printed and featured.

The UA1 features the company’s logo centered on the upper part, while on the bottom part the device name (UA1), bit depth/sample rate/DSD decoding capability are left-aligned and printed with the same technique and color as the logo. Also on the bottom part is the Hi-Res logo which is also printed in the same white color as the rest of the visual illustrations.

On the other hand, the UA2 looks cleaner due to its flat surface. On the left side is the print of the company’s logo, in the middle is print of the device name and the bit depth/sample rate/DSD decoding capability. Instead of a print, the UA2 features the famous gold metallic Hi-Res sticker.

And that about sums it up when it comes to visual differences. Obviously, the UA2 has the Balanced 2.5mm output on the front, next to the SE 3.5mm output. Another difference is that the UA2 has a dedicated "Mode" button which specifically allows it to be used on the Nintendo Switch.

There are three main technical differences that make the UA2 superior:
1. 2.5mm balanced output
2. Removable cable
3. Support for portable consoles like the Nintendo Switch

Build Quality

There is not much to say about the build quality except that both the UA1 and the UA2 are made of high-quality aluminum. The build quality is superb and I wouldn’t be concerned to carry either of the devices in my pocket.

The UA1 has a built-in cable, but it matches the cable quality of the separate cable that is included with the UA2. Both the UA1 and the UA2 feature a thick strain relief on either sides of the cable. It is also worth of mentioning that the housings on the cable and the adaptors are made of the same aluminum as their bodies.

Another visual difference is that UA2’s included cable & the USB-A adaptor feature the company logo on the aluminum housing. UA2’s adaptor also has a rounded design of the USB-A adaptor, unlike the rectangular design of UA1’s adaptor.

All in all, the build quality is more than pleasing at either of these price points.



Performance

Before I jump into the sound performance, I want to cover some details regarding the user experience you get from either of these devices. I mainly used both of these on through USB-A adaptor > MacBook Pro (Early 2015). Neither the UA1 nor the UA2 required any drivers. It was a plug & play experience. However, the UA2 is superior to the UA1 because it is immediately recognized by the system, whereas the UA1 requires you to plug in an audio device in its 3.5mm output in order for it to be recognized. If you plan to own only one of these, then it is not a big deal. However, as a reviewer, it is something that got in my way, especially when it came to A/B tests.

Unplugging my headphones from the UA1 and plugging them into the UA2 resulted in no latency. When I switched to the UA2 the audio playback was immediate. However, when doing the opposite, I had to wait for ~4 seconds until the audio playback started playing. This goes back to the fact that UA2 is immediately recognized by the system, while the UA1 probably has the latency because of the time it takes the system to load it up as an output device.

A possible turn-off for some people is that both the UA1 and the UA2 get quite hot, around 40˚C - 55˚C (104˚F - 131˚F). I first thought that this is overheating and that it is an issue. However, when I contacted Shanling, Mr. Frankie reassured me that the high operating temperatures are normal. Either way, this is something everyone should be aware of. I should also clear up that the high temperatures aren’t regular. The heating is irregular.

I am yet to test the UA1 (will update the review once I do so), but the UA2 definitely has some RMI/EFI noise. It can be as mild as some noise and crackling, but can also be extreme, to the point where there are loud pops and crackling. The worst thing that happened to me was when I was biking, the UA2 and the phone were in my front pocket, and the playback suddenly stopped and there were repeating beeping sounds — almost like the sticky notes sound on Windows. Once I took my phone out of my pocket, I found the playback fully stopped, so I had to go back to my music player and press play. I am yet to come across a dongle DAC/Amp combo which doesn't suffer from similar problems. I cannot give suggestions as to how to solve this, but I know that some people who had RMI/EFI noise issues on the EarMen Sparrow, they fixed it by buying a high-quality cable. I should say that I didn't encounter any of these issues when I was using the UA2 on my laptop.

Sound Performance

The table below represents the volume needed to power the following headphones on the same (subjective to my ears) volume level as on the iBasso DX300 digital-audio-player with the stock AMP11 MK1 module. The volume values below are for the UA2. The UA1 is roughly 0.5-1 MacBook volume bars quieter than the UA2, so you can subtract the below-shown values by that amount to get an idea of the volume levels on the UA1.

MacBook has 16 volume bars. When holding alt + shift, you can adjust the volume with micro bars. There are 4 micro adjustments, meaning that, in total, you can adjust the sound with 64 micro bars. When you see 0.5 (e.g. 1.5, 5.5, etc.), it represent 2 micro bars (4 micro bars are equal to 1 bar).

Single-Ended:


Balanced:

The balanced output is roughly 1-2 micro bars louder than the Single-Ended output. I don't recall hearing any noise when using it.

After dozens of A/B tests, I came to several conclusions and findings. One of the good things is that the UA1 and the UA2 sound just about the same, so switching between them should be a smooth experience. However, for some reason, there is a problem when pairing the UA2 with the HiFiMan Deva. The only other time I faced this issue was when pairing the Deva with some of the budget Tempotec amplifiers. The problem occurs in the sub-bass regions, and it is distinct on tracks like Hans Zimmer’s “Why So Serious?” and MOON’s “Hydrogen”. It is also present on just about any track that has a lot of lower frequencies. What happens is that there is a distortion on the right driver on the headphone, this distortion sounds like a rattle — a very unpleasing sound — but the same distortion is not present at extreme volume on the UA1 or other amplifiers. This leaves me at a dead end. It leaver me wondering why it is happening. It is also worth of mentioning that this distortion is not present on other planar-magnetic headphones like the Dekoni Audio Blue or the SIVGA P-II. I want to repeat that this problem only occurs at extreme volumes (>75%) and is only present with the HiFIMan Deva.

Besides this issue, the sound performance on both the UA1 and the UA2 is quite pleasant and free of problems (based on my usage on my laptop).



Conclusion

I think that both the UA1 and UA2 offer an exceptional performance for the price. They are of great value and do their job.

I’m assuming that you want to know whether the UA2 is worth extra $40. To answer this question, you must make some things clear to yourself:

Do you need a balanced output? Do you care about and/or need a removable cable? Do you want a blacker background (lower noise floor)? Do you need the DSD512 and 32bit/768kHz decoding capability as opposed to the inferior DSD256 and 32bit/384kHz on the UA1? Do you need 125mW (3.5mm SE) and 195mW (2.5mm balanced) output power as opposed to UA1’s SE 85mW max. output power?

These are the questions you need to answer to yourself to pick one of these two. Both are excellent, but one is more versatile and powerful than the other.

As humans, we always want more. We want more even when we don’t need it. With this being said, if you are not using power-hungry or high-sensitivity headphones/IEMs, you will be happy with the UA1. However, if you want one or more of the benefits that the UA2 offers, you will not regret paying the extra 40 bucks. The flagship ES9038Q2M is the same DAC chip used in the EarMen’s $250 TR-Amp, which I also loved.

If you are looking for a small DAC/AMP that doesn't break the bank, I can recommend either of these two devices.



Explanation for the rating: I believe that both devices deserve a firm 4.0 rating. Lack of MQA and in-line controls support is not a turn-off for me, but considering that people will most likely use either of these devices on the go, lack of in-line controls negatively affected the rating by 0.5. While the UA1 had the recessed USB-C ports, I had to remove another 0.5 rating points for the UA2, resulting in a final 4.0 rating. The UA1 was also affected by the lack of in-line controls, but I couldn't give it a rating of 4.5 considering it's not compatible with iOS devices.

Shanling UA2 - The new Portable Powerhouse USB DAC/AMP


Disclaimer:

I have bought this USB Dac/Amp with my own hard earned money and no one has paid me anything or supplied me with any review units. So, everything mentioned in this review are purely my own based on my experiences with the Dac/Amp.

Introduction:

Shanling is well-known for their wide range of Digital Audio Players and hence I do not see the need to introduce them to my audiophile friends.
Shanling had evolved significantly in last 5 years or so with a lot of products under their portfolio.

Based on the same great DAC / AMP chip as Shanling’s popular portable players and Bluetooth amplifiers, UA2 brings the same high-quality audio in smallerform and more affordable range. It is also an upgrade from their previous UA1 without a doubt.

It seems like Shanling has taken the guts out of their great Digital Players and put them into a smaller form. Shanling UA2 portable USB DAC/AMP comes with the same DAC chip that are being used in many high grade Digital players... the ESS Sabre ES9038Q2M DAC chip.
It also comes in a great minimalist form factor and is easy to fit into any pocket.

Website: https://en.shanling.com/product/396



While there’s no support for Bluetooth, it has support for Balanced 2.5mm port together with the regular 3.5mm port.
Also, this support Hi res audio up to DSD512 which is enough for most audiophiles.



Specifications Summary:

The specifications as mentioned in Shanling website is below:


The unboxing experience is quite minimal... It comes with a USB C to USB C cable and a USB C to USB A converter...


Audio Performance:

Following are the key traits when it comes to sound:
- Clean Sound
- Great Soundstage & Imaging
- Good resolution


In summary, the Shanling UA2 is a very powerful and great sounding dac/amp for the price.
I use Qobuz mainly and have paired it with both iPhone and iPad and in both cases found the performance to be great in all occasions.

Furthermore, I had paired the hip-dac with quite a selection of IEMs... such as: Fiio FD5, Mee Audio Pinnacle P1, Meze Rai Solo etc.. and the list goes on...


In Addition I had tried with different types of cable: 99% Pure copper and 7N 24AWG Pure silver cables to understand the differences in sound.

The tracks I have used can be found from the below playlist that I have used and generally use for most reviews...


The BASS:

Bass felt quite clear and textured. There is good extension and depth to the bass. Every instrument sounds natural and there is good depth in the bass also. Overall good neutral clear bass. nothing overwhelming or overpowering.

The MIDS:

Midrange felt great specially for instruments like Guitar - the sound is just rich & full of texture. Piano went down and decayed naturally, violins had good vibration, and was great sounding. Human voices are happening exactly in this region and very natural sounding for both male & female vocals.

The TREBLE:

It is pretty cool experiencing cymbals and bells in a very clear and defined way, there is more bite in there with some very occasional mild peaks. when paired with pure copper cable - this peak also went away giving way to amazing clear and textured treble.

The SOUNDSTAGE:

Soundstage is just great for the price bracket and I found it above average both in terms of width & depth. It enhances further if used with a pure silver cable.
It is not unnatural and changes with the actual track.

Imaging & Timbre:

The UA2 produces a good amount of the microdetails and nuances. I think it is one of their best qualities. Layering is done well and it gives the user a decent amount of directional information and placement. Imaging and timbre further shines with the use of pure silver cables.

Imaging & Timbre:

The Shanling UA2 provides a detailed, well-balanced sound, and while listening to few tracks, I was impressed by how such a small & portable DAC/AMP could produce such detailed yet powerful sound!

I've found the UA2 to be very musical with great resolution and power performance and I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for small & portable DAC/AMP within this price bracket.