Introducing Shanling CD-T35 - Three-Legged Summit-Fi CD Player & Streamer at $18,999 USD

[InvisibleInk]

Just add rotor blades and it'll deliver packages for you

To help it fly off the shelves

 

[HiFiWar]

Just add rotor blades and it'll deliver packages for you

That might make it worth a used Honda Civic.

 

[vcoheda]

it was this or another LE DAP, which will be out next month anyway.

 

[Lindholdt]

As a CD enthusiast, I think it's great to see a new ultra high-end player introduced
I'm never going to get one myself, but I'm sure some will be interested.

 

[Kevintj604]

I get that Shanling is trying to play in the ultra high end space but the actual buyer of this kind of product isn't really in the headphone market. They're in the higher end 2-channel market and in that space the buyer would almost always be looking at much more established/respected brand names like Mcintosh, Accuphase & Gryphon to name a few and they aren't looking at Chinese manufacturers.

Pricepoint is ridiculous for its featureset. If I was ever in the market for a high end CD player there's incredible options for under $4000 from AVM, Naim & Rega.

Best of luck to Shanling but the super high end isn't a space worth exploring in Chi-Fi.

 

[jamato8]

I get that Shanling is trying to play in the ultra high end space but the actual buyer of this kind of product isn't really in the headphone market. They're in the higher end 2-channel market and in that space the buyer would almost always be looking at much more established/respected brand names like Mcintosh, Accuphase & Gryphon to name a few and they aren't looking at Chinese manufacturers.

Pricepoint is ridiculous for its featureset. If I was ever in the market for a high end CD player there's incredible options for under $4000 from AVM, Naim & Rega.

Best of luck to Shanling but the super high end isn't a space worth exploring in Chi-Fi.

Why would you say that? Frankly that is an insulting thing to say regarding your last sentence.

 

[Kevintj604]

Why would you say that? Frankly that is an insulting thing to say regarding your last sentence.

Just being honest. That's from someone who currently owns and loves two Chinese products as my source equipment. I think Cayin and Questyle are two of the best brand names in the space but the higher end market isn't interested in Chinese manufacturers. My brother in law is one of the top sales reps at the premier audio store in Canada and they basically sell zero Chinese products. This has nothing to do with race. It's more to do with perception, reputation and build quality.

 

[Uncle00Jesse]

One of my biggest audio regrets was not buying a CDT2000 on eBay 12 years ago. I was so new in the hobby and I must have refreshed that page hundreds and hundreds of times over the course of those couple days. Man that thing was cool. I think it ended up selling for $600 back then. That being said, are we kidding with these prices? I genuinely wonder if they expect to move any units or if this is just a marketing thing and they’ll release the “baby” version for $3k

 

[Lindholdt]

Just being honest. That's from someone who currently owns and loves two Chinese products as my source equipment. I think Cayin and Questyle are two of the best brand names in the space but the higher end market isn't interested in Chinese manufacturers. My brother in law is one of the top sales reps at the premier audio store in Canada and they basically sell zero Chinese products. This has nothing to do with race. It's more to do with perception, reputation and build quality.

Well, you and your brother in law can't really speak for the whole world, can you? I'm sure you are right for most of the Western world, but I'm not so sure you are correct when it comes to Asia, which is a huge marked as well.
I would be quite surprised if Shanling made a product like this, without making sure that's there is some interest in a product like this somewhere
Edit: Typo

 

[Kevintj604]

Well, you and your brother in law can't really speak for the whole world, can you? I'm sure you are right for most of the Western world, but I'm not so sure you are correct when it comes to Asia, which is a huge marked as well.
I would be quite surprised if Shanling made a product like this, without making sure that's there is some interesting in a product like this somewhere

Who said I'm trying to speak for the whole world?

And in response to @jamato8 nothing that I said is insulting or racist so don't try to gaslight. The majority of my gear is Chinese made so clearly I don't agree with the super high end marketplaces perspective on Chinese manufacturing.

Look at the responses in two pages of a brand new product. Is anyone here remotely interested in this product at its price point. I can't find one positive comment. The truth is on the ultra high end Chinese manufacturing still has a very long road ahead to change the public perspective on build quality and value.

You might be right that there could be a very niche market for this product in China but in the western market the higher end buyer would never look at Shanling as an option.

 

[Jimmyblues1959]

Shanling Audio was established in 1988, but their history with CD players started in 1994 with the release of Shanling SCD-939. What followed was a decade of significant progress in both the domestic and international Hi-Fi markets, culminating with the release of the legendary CD-T300 in 2004.

With its famous Three-legend design, state-of-the-art DACs and Tube-based output, Shanling CD-T300 represented one of the pinnacles of the CD players of the time. Available only as a limited release at just 300 units, each of them going for 6995 USD. To this day heavily sought after by Hi-Fi aficionados.

Now, 20 years later, Shanling returns to this unique three-legged design and to the highest levels of High-End Hi-Fi, with the new Shanling CD-T35. A sort of amalgamation of the best components from the history of Shanling Audio, gathering the last remaining pieces of renowned parts for the final limited run of just 99 units. Crafted into one machine with all the experience Shanling engineers earned over the past 35 years and combined with the latest in-house developed streaming systems.

The ultimate High-End CD player for the modern age.

​

At the heart of CD-T35 lies two important components, two parts that proved to be crucial in the history of Shanling, two elements critical for the true High-End Sound, yet both are sadly not available anymore.

Firstly, the Philips CD-Pro 2, the legendary CD module featuring in some of the best CD players of all time. Likely the best Philips CD ever, utilizing linear tracking, housed in an overbuilt die-cast metal body and running an advanced decoding system for ideal error-free reading of the discs. It provides the CD player with a beautiful unique sound, simply unmatched by other CD mechanisms.

Then a pair of AKM AK4499EQ DACs. Released as the flagship component of the Japanese chip manufacturer, it earned its amazing reputation over many Hi-Fi devices, including Shanling M8 and M9, until production was sadly halted due to the fire at AKM’s facilities in 2020. It was the clear choice for CD-T35 thanks to its great High-fidelity potential and nice alignment with Shanling’s house sound.

Similar approach was taken with other parts of the audio circuit, with engineers reaching into their last remaining stock of the best capacitors, internal wiring and even solder material, all in the pursuit of the high-end performance of CD-T35. Combined with the latest in-house technologies developed by Shanling, including Constant Phase in All Frequencies Low Pass system and Custom I/V conversion circuit. And it wouldn’t be a proper Shanling CD player without tubes, featuring four hand-matched 12AU7 tubes for the optional added warmth and smoothness to the sound.

But CD-T35 is more than just a simple CD player, its insides hide Shanling’s latest Android-based system, powered by an Octa-Core Snapdragon CPU. Offering modern connectivity over Wi-Fi for DLNA and Airplay playback, alongside a range of streaming services including Tidal, Qobuz, Apple Music and Spotify. All controlled through an HD touch-screen directly on the CD-T35 or from the comfort of a tablet or smartphone with Shanling’s companion app. With dual split power supply assuring an ideal divide between the digital and analog sections of the CD player.

For Audiophile headphone users, CD-T35 comes in a special version with an additional high-end amplifier module. With four gain stages and offering up to 7.6 W @ 32 Ohm output power, this extremely powerful amplifier will be a matching partner for even the most demanding headphones on the market.


Shanling CD-T35 will be released on the international market in January 2024, with availability through Shanling’s chain of dedicated international distributors and Shanling official E-Shop.

Retail price of $16,999 USD for Shanling CD-T35

Retail price of $18,999 USD for Shanling CD-T35 with Headphone Amplifier Module

​

This looks like it flies! lol

 

[Lindholdt]

Who said I'm trying to speak for the whole world?

To me, it would like you are projecting the high end sales of Canada onto the rest of the world, which I don't think makes much sense.
If you throw in a couple of "IMO" or "I think", instead of using terms like " The truth is...", I wouldn't think you where trying to speak for the whole world, but just your own opinion. And that's what I think it is, your opinion, unless you ha e some sales figures from the world wide high end marked you can refer to?
My point is, that to me it sounds like you are stating a personal opinion as a fact, that's all.

Anyway, that's off topic and I'll leave it here. Have a great day

 

[LFC_SL]

I agree with the previous posts if you are going to go all in on pricing then offer SACD and multichannel support. And in the high end companies typically offer lifetime warranty and keep a stockpile of spare parts for example see Rega CD Players

 

[chesebert]

Why would you say that? Frankly that is an insulting thing to say regarding your last sentence.

Just to be clear, even audiophiles in China don't usually buy Chi-Fi for their high-end stuff. High-end Chi-Fis are usually for sale to "'mericans"

Also, you can save $5k if you buy from Taobao

 

[Kevintj604]

To me, it would like you are projecting the high end sales of Canada onto the rest of the world, which I don't think makes much sense.
If you throw in a couple of "IMO" or "I think", instead of using terms like " The truth is...", I wouldn't think you where trying to speak for the whole world, but just your own opinion. And that's what I think it is, your opinion, unless you ha e some sales figures from the world wide high end marked you can refer to?
My point is, that to me it sounds like you are stating a personal opinion as a fact, that's all.

Anyway, that's off topic and I'll leave it here. Have a great day

I understand your point but this thread along with almost the entirety of Head-Fi is peoples personal opinion so I don't think throwing in a couple extra words adds a whole lot more value. If you're looking for facts though here's a couple:

Shanling's list of International Dealers is focused almost entirely in the headphone marketplace not the ultra high end segment that this product is catered for. If a prospective buyer is looking for this they'd be buying it blind and without the exposure of the high end brick and mortar stores they wouldn't even know this exists.

Shanling has never produced a product even remotely close to this price point whereas the list of ultra high end CD player manufactures that are in high end stores have. Would you or any other buyer trust a manufacturer with $19,000 USD on a first of its kind for its brand name type of product? I highly doubt it.

We agree on one thing though. Both of us along with what appears like the rest of this thread aren't interested in this product so we're both off topic.