Introducing Shanling M1 Plus - New Generation of Compact MTouch Players at just $209

[hvalle]

I have been using the player for several days now and can already draw some conclusions. I will compare it with Hiby R3 II, which is a direct competitor, since it has approximately the same size and weight. Although now Hiby is noticeably cheaper (about $ 160), but at the start it cost about the same - about $ 200. My review of Hiby R3 II can be read here: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hiby-r3-pro-portable-bluetooth-dap.916299/post-17846074

I will start with the pros.
1. The firmware is MUCH more stable, faster and more convenient. Over the past six months, I have been pretty fed up with Hiby R3 II, which constantly freezes for no reason and stops responding. Shanling M1 Plus has NEVER frozen since the moment of purchase, it works flawlessly in this regard. I have already scolded Hiby for the fact that their firmware is getting worse and worse with each version. This applies not only to performance, but also to functionality and convenience. In Hiby R3 II, the brightness can only be changed through the settings, and it is not in the curtain, and to get to the settings, you need to make at least 10 swipes from right to left. This is complete nonsense, isn't it? Shanling took both problems into account - the brightness is adjusted in the curtain, you can get to the settings by pressing one button in the same curtain, and you can always return to the track by pressing one button. In M1 Pro, everything is at hand and easily accessible.
2. The screen is much brighter and does not blind in the sun.
3. Winter has not yet arrived and I have not yet had the opportunity to test the touchscreen in the cold, but at least the touchscreen works with gloves - this is a big plus for use in winter. In Hiby R3 II, the touchscreen does not react to static electricity, but to heat, so it only works with bare hands and only in the warm season.
4. Sound is a matter of taste, but Hiby R3 II made me hate many of my headphones. The reason is that it has a noticeable V-shaped frequency response with a significant dip in the center and strongly protruding lows and highs. And therefore ANY headphones connected to Hiby R3 II began to sound the same. Shanling M1 Plus, according to first impressions and comparisons, has a more neutral sound. Right after Hiby R3 II, Shanling M1 Plus seems like there is no bass at all, although this is not true. And this allowed me to happily return to some headphones that I liked before Hiby R3 II.
5. Good battery life. I can’t clearly and accurately compare with Hiby, but it feels at least no worse.

Of the shortcomings, I can only highlight this:
1. Although the width, length and weight are similar to Hiby R3 II, the player is noticeably thicker. In addition, due to the sharp edges, it is impossible to use it without a case. A case is another plus to the cost, additional weight and additional thickness.
But I will write a separate post about some software failures that I encountered.

 

[hvalle]

These are the software errors I encountered:
1. When connecting to one Wi-Fi, I can't connect to another. For example, if I connect to Wi-Fi in one room, I move to another, where there is Wi-Fi with a better signal - the player refuses to switch to another Wi-Fi, it does not respond at all to clicks on other Wi-Fi points in the list and nothing happens. I can only turn off Wi-Fi completely, turn it on again and then select another Wi-Fi point.
2. The "remember volume" function does not work. After turning off the player and turning it on again, it immediately sets the maximum volume, and not the one with which it was turned off. I have to use the "default volume" function so that when turning on it sets 20% volume, and not 100%.

These are not software errors, but I would like to see these functions:
1. Displaying the charge as a percentage. It's hard for me to predict how much charge is left and how long it will last based on the battery picture. Percentages provide a much more intuitive experience.
2. It would be great to add the ability to slightly increase the font size of the text.
3. I can't get used to scrolling through the track list, with a slight swipe I see dozens and hundreds of tracks at once, it would be great if this could be configured (I saw such a setting in one of my previous players, I think in Xduoo).

 

[Wahid]

So what's w

@Wahid

I responded with ??? because I didn't understand why you were commenting so negatively on my post. Simple as that. Sorry if that somehow irritated you. Peace.

So whats with the 'hey dude, you can't force people to take your life changing advice' etc stuff? OK forget it. I wasn't being negative. I was giving an opinion related to how too many layers of technology do not help us to enjoy listening to music. It gets in the way and adds layers of frustrations and needs to the process. My first streaming device was a black and white TV, and we were waaay less stressed back then. It was an opinion, not instructions, and any tone you read into it was yours alone. You kids have gotta relax. Chew some peyote or something. Open your mind. Have a nice day.

 

[FriendlySparrow]

These are the software errors I encountered:
2. The "remember volume" function does not work. After turning off the player and turning it on again, it immediately sets the maximum volume, and not the one with which it was turned off. I have to use the "default volume" function so that when turning on it sets 20% volume, and not 100%.

That's a weird one and sounds potentially dangerous (to both your devices and your hearing). I definitely haven't had that issue and I set mine to remember volume. Maybe something with the PO (phones out)/LO (line out) option in the quick menu (I only use PO), or maybe just needs a factory reset?

 

[rlw6534]

So what's w

So whats with the 'hey dude, you can't force people to take your life changing advice' etc stuff? OK forget it. I wasn't being negative. I was giving an opinion related to how too many layers of technology do not help us to enjoy listening to music. It gets in the way and adds layers of frustrations and needs to the process. My first streaming device was a black and white TV, and we were waaay less stressed back then. It was an opinion, not instructions, and any tone you read into it was yours alone. You kids have gotta relax. Chew some peyote or something. Open your mind. Have a nice day.

That wasn't my post.

 

[Shanling]

These are the software errors I encountered:
1. When connecting to one Wi-Fi, I can't connect to another. For example, if I connect to Wi-Fi in one room, I move to another, where there is Wi-Fi with a better signal - the player refuses to switch to another Wi-Fi, it does not respond at all to clicks on other Wi-Fi points in the list and nothing happens. I can only turn off Wi-Fi completely, turn it on again and then select another Wi-Fi point.
2. The "remember volume" function does not work. After turning off the player and turning it on again, it immediately sets the maximum volume, and not the one with which it was turned off. I have to use the "default volume" function so that when turning on it sets 20% volume, and not 100%.

These are not software errors, but I would like to see these functions:
1. Displaying the charge as a percentage. It's hard for me to predict how much charge is left and how long it will last based on the battery picture. Percentages provide a much more intuitive experience.
2. It would be great to add the ability to slightly increase the font size of the text.
3. I can't get used to scrolling through the track list, with a slight swipe I see dozens and hundreds of tracks at once, it would be great if this could be configured (I saw such a setting in one of my previous players, I think in Xduoo).

For number 1. - Wi-Fi, Our software team is aware of this issue.

For number 2. - default volume, please are you using it with Wired headphones, Bluetooth headphones or USB out? Because we haven't seen any issues with default volume on our players, I really can recall any time this happening.

When turning off the unit, do you wait for the prompt and then click yes or just keep holding it until it shuts down?

Maybe try to do a factory reset.


For the other 3 things:
1. Our software team do not wish to implement % on this model, as it has issues with accuracy on these smaller batteries (Same as M0 Pro)

2. Not in our plans.

3. Our software team always adjust this based on feedback, will see how it will progress with M1 Plus. It's first time we using this screen, so it can take a bit to get it right.

So what's w

So whats with the 'hey dude, you can't force people to take your life changing advice' etc stuff? OK forget it. I wasn't being negative. I was giving an opinion related to how too many layers of technology do not help us to enjoy listening to music. It gets in the way and adds layers of frustrations and needs to the process. My first streaming device was a black and white TV, and we were waaay less stressed back then. It was an opinion, not instructions, and any tone you read into it was yours alone. You kids have gotta relax. Chew some peyote or something. Open your mind. Have a nice day.

That wasn't my post.

Can you please take this to PM and away from our threads?

Thank you

 

[hvalle]

For number 2. - default volume, please are you using it with Wired headphones, Bluetooth headphones or USB out? Because we haven't seen any issues with default volume on our players, I really can recall any time this happening.

When turning off the unit, do you wait for the prompt and then click yes or just keep holding it until it shuts down?

PO, wait for the prompt and then click yes.

I had this happen once after charging, but now I can't reproduce it.

 

[hvalle]

Having listened to both players for a while on different songs and with different headphones, I was convinced that Hiby R3 II is noticeably more bass-heavy, while Shanling M1 Plus is a bit lighter. Both players, i think, lack midrange. Vocals are always a bit in the background. In terms of sound, I like Hiby even more on a number of tracks, but in terms of firmware, stability and convenience, it's definitely heaven and earth not in favor of Hiby, which constantly freezes, glitches, and the interface seems to have been made for aliens, not for people.

 

[sofastreamer]

quick question, which is the default filter?

btw anyone else noticed, that high gain gives a significant bass boost? dont like that tbh

oh and since it doesnt connect to my bta30 pro i bought a Creative bt-w5 transmitter. And while it does connect to this, the right channel is completely distorted. non other of my bt deivces has that, all connect flawlessly to either the fiio or the creative. the Shanling is the only device that does not. And yes, i already factory reseted all devices multiple times and everything is on the latest software.
also i compared the software to the version on my old m0 (non pro), which is about 6(!) yrs old and i noticed that not much happened since than. its still not multi-window-able, so when you use it as a dac via usb or you use it via bt (which is more of a gimmick than a usable feature tho) you will have to stay in the screen which shows the connection, the moment you want to change a filter, gain or whatever, you will loose the connection (even on usb) and have to reconnect. its a shame.
if i would have known about the bt issues (there are even more than i wrote), i would have returned it. Sadly the 2 weeks where this was possible are over now and i got a new paperweight which isnt even nice to hold in my hands..

 

[rlw6534]

I don't believe that either Shanling or Hiby have made much progress/improvements on the non-android players in recent years. Sure, a new hardware version comes out every year but the software is essentially the same, with the same bugs and issues.

 

[ybbobserrot]

quick question, which is the default filter?

btw anyone else noticed, that high gain gives a significant bass boost? dont like that tbh

oh and since it doesnt connect to my bta30 pro i bought a Creative bt-w5 transmitter. And while it does connect to this, the right channel is completely distorted. non other of my bt deivces has that, all connect flawlessly to either the fiio or the creative. the Shanling is the only device that does not. And yes, i already factory reseted all devices multiple times and everything is on the latest software.
also i compared the software to the version on my old m0 (non pro), which is about 6(!) yrs old and i noticed that not much happened since than. its still not multi-window-able, so when you use it as a dac via usb or you use it via bt (which is more of a gimmick than a usable feature tho) you will have to stay in the screen which shows the connection, the moment you want to change a filter, gain or whatever, you will loose the connection (even on usb) and have to reconnect. its a shame.
if i would have known about the bt issues (there are even more than i wrote), i would have returned it. Sadly the 2 weeks where this was possible are over now and i got a new paperweight which isnt even nice to hold in my hands..

That's just too many product negatives to justify buying that gear. Sound quality will only get you so far. When you buy such products, you're buying the whole package which includes, design, durability, compatibility, user experience and sound quality. Toss that paperweight into a drawer or something.

 

[spectrum48k]

*del*

 

[Wahid]

I discovered this by accident today. The dual headed usb cable CAN POWER THE ONIX ALPHA without any powerbank or type c charger connected and it can now be used with INCOMPATIBLE PHONES. Here in the video, you can see me turn on the dongle.

I have personally tried this with the R4 as my dap where previously using even the stock usb c cable won't turn it on.

Before you let your little fingers do your thinking on thr keyboard, just look at the video first. Try it yourself if you have this same cable.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YIQy4AyQ9g4QRh_L-v1IZ6N03XtpOVfm/view?usp=drivesdk

That is really very cool. I wonder if this trick would work with other dongles where there is a problem?

 

[FriendlySparrow]

That's just too many product negatives to justify buying that gear. Sound quality will only get you so far. When you buy such products, you're buying the whole package which includes, design, durability, compatibility, user experience and sound quality. Toss that paperweight into a drawer or something.

True, but isn't that every mid-range consumer device these days? I have so many things with useless, afterthought, poorly-implemented features on the box I'll never use. I'm not going to skip a TV with a great screen just because I disable all the smart TV spyware and the motion smoothing and other stuff that I technically have to pay for. If I could buy a streamlined version of this DAP that was cheaper and didn't have any wireless functionality at all, I would, since I only bought it for wired headphones which take full advantage of the DAC, and use other stuff better-designed for wireless gear.

Not saying feature creep isn't a problem, because it definitely is, and I agree with you. I'm tired of seeing a bunch of feature checkboxes which I know are just there to add perceived value but aren't actually very good. Threads like this are important, because when there are people that actually want to use those features, features which are, afterthought or not, advertised functionality, they need to know if they're getting a good experience for their money, and for that I salute the early adopters and their expensive paperweights.

I know I've said this, but my overall experience with this DAP is that its primary purpose is to load it with music files and play music (ideally wired). For that, it's really great and I think easy to recommend (even with my hopefully incorrect assumption that my personal biggest issues with the software won't be fixed). Everything else about it I've tried has "worked" (streaming to it via Bluetooth, Airplay, DLNA, etc) but is clearly barebones and not really designed around. For me that's fine, because good streaming/wireless devices are already so ubiquitous now, and devices designed primarily around loading them up with music files are so niche now with a niche audience, and I think the price is reasonable for that. Granted, it would be MORE reasonable if every device didn't need software bloat with extra stuff that isn't very good and only serves to annoy people that actually do need those features, but that's the unfortunate reality of modern consumerism. In the end, it's all about just knowing what your end goal is and doing the research to get the best device to meet that goal, and there's really no one-size-fits-all solution.

For what it's worth, as a counterpoint to some of the Bluetooth issues I've read about here: I have used Bluetooth earbuds (Airpod Pros) with it while doing some chores, and frankly I was surprised that they worked flawlessly (played a full album which was about an hour). I was able to walk around both levels of my house - which is loaded with potential wireless interference - with the device left in another room. It maintained a connection the whole time and the pause/play functionality on the buds worked with no issue. I'll probably rarely do this because while it sounds fine, it's no better than a phone over Bluetooth (which defeats the purpose of why I bought it), but I honestly had no issues with that aspect.

 

[Wahid]

Having listened to both players for a while on different songs and with different headphones, I was convinced that Hiby R3 II is noticeably more bass-heavy, while Shanling M1 Plus is a bit lighter. Both players, i think, lack midrange. Vocals are always a bit in the background. In terms of sound, I like Hiby even more on a number of tracks, but in terms of firmware, stability and convenience, it's definitely heaven and earth not in favor of Hiby, which constantly freezes, glitches, and the interface seems to have been made for aliens, not for people.

Apropos of nothing, I have just done a side by side of Hiby R3ii with Tempotec V1 (yes, you heard that right). V1 mops the floor with the Hiby, not even close.