Shanling ET3 - Dedicated Digital CD Transport, With USB Drive and Wi-Fi Support

[BillHart]

Bill,
I find it incredible the ET3 approaches your vinyl setup, you seem a pretty discerning guy when it comes to your gear, and you wouldn’t say that lightly.

That was very encouraging that I’d done the right thing with the ET3.
I know it easily bettered my previous Audiolab 6000CDT and modified Oppo 203 transports, was you know what it’s like, you always look for that other comparison that other folks have done in their system.
And yours is a pretty big one!

Can you explain a little more please about your adding a DDC setup?

My Dac (PS Audio Directstream) has i2s input, and Imconnect directly, but know in the world of 1s and 0s not everything is necessarily as you’d expect.


Thanks.

I really don't compare the two- the system is voiced for vinyl and that comes down to tube choices as well has how the horns and subs are tuned. But, my past digital experience always left me cold, whereas the combo, ET3 running into the Gustard U18 (which affords me a compatible I2s output to the Gustard X26Pro) is quite musical- and get front to back depth, skin sound on drums and a much more natural attack and decay of harmonics, whereas previous digital sounded "flat." I have not invested much money in the digital front end- to the contrary, it is probably less than the retail cost of one cable here. But I'm impressed with this modest digital front end and suspect that those who have really invested the time and effort to do digital effectively can get great results. Obviously, much still comes down to source material, but some of it isn't even high res and sounds great. The DSD and higher res PCM can be fabulous. I'm still a record guy, I guess, but I'm also aware that I have a considerable pile of valuable private pressings and rare copies that I may want to preserve-- I hate the idea of even handling some of those copies though I was always a "if you own it, play it" and had that attitude with cars, too. (People thought I was nuts to put miles on exotics but what's the point if you don't drive 'em?).
The ET3 I2S output was not directly compatible with the Gustard DAC and I couldn't find a source for a custom made I2s cable, which led me to the Gustard DDC. One of the reasons I asked about context was, I'm not sure how much of the improvement is also owed to the better isolation of usb on the DDC. If you are ever in Austin, you are welcome to visit.
Bill

 

[Shanling]

And how about that Roon certification? Still in progress?

We got a first Roon Ready certification for SM1.3 last month, will see how it will evolve over time for other devices, Can't comment any further on this.

Hopefully a glitch I DO get affected by will be sorted in a future firmware update:

One of the things I use my ET3 for is a NAS server feeding 2TB worth of tunes on a connected USB SSD drive.
The Eddict App is great for local playback, but theres next to no functional playback software ability; Playlists, Favourites and the like.
Its just not robust enough at the moment.
Appreciate Shanling last FW update improved DNLA playback for other non Eddict software, but using MConnect, the ET3 doesn't always let itself be seen on the Network as a DNLA playback device?

Its frustrating, as theres no repeatable fix for this, SOMETIMES switching the ET3 off and on fixes it, but not always.
Cycling through the inputs after deactivating the Wifi can do it, but not always.

Hopefully it can be picked up as the software team continues to iron out the niggles with this (still) new player.

We use Mconnect as our main DLNA app and don't see such issue. It was reported to our QC team to test it further.
Can you please tell us which exact app version of MConnect you running?

If anyone from Shanling is watching, I have to repeat that the Eddict player rearranges the tracks within a folder. It’s not a problem with most of albums, but some of them made as a whole composition with proper transitions between the tracks are suffering from this randomisation. In general, I like the Eddict player more than HiBy music app. Though the latter is fully functional with iOS.

We are aware of this, but so far there was no fix on this from software teamn.

3 - The manual could explain all the ET-3 many menu settings, but he get zero information on that!

For the #3, we have advanced user manual for ET3, it's linked on our website and you can find it here directly:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gG3DKF71QQFx_fCXXfFkAnpWH1Kl3PyE/view?usp=drive_link

Thank you for helping, firstly! I am not sure what you mean by 'indexed the files from within the Eddict app'. I have indexed them in ET3 and I can play only song after song but cannot jump from album to album. Just go next and next.
I have the SynkLink to on on the ET3 and in the Eddict.
I can see the folders in NAS, in My devices, in Device resourse. When choosing one of these 3, I can choose ET3 and than Albums (let's say), and after that I see in the albums the tracks, and I can choose a song. And it starts playing in the screen of the phone but not on the screen of the ET3 and out of it (it continues with song that I have on and that I have started manually from the ET3).
So, I cannot find the place in the Eddict app from where to control the USB flash drive library. And I am not sure if I have indexed the USD deive library in the app.
Please, advice!

In Eddict player app, please go to SyncLink setting and make sure that in the SyncLink Menu ET3 is shown under "Connected Device".
If connected correctly, take a step back in the app and you should see most items in main menu and side menu will be greyed out. If all items are still accessible, it means you are not correctly connected to ET3.

If they are correctly connected, please go to "Local music" in app and click on Folder browsing, to see if it correctly shows the content of the USB drive you have connected to ET3. In some cases you can actually just see music stored on your phone, not the actually ET3.

 

[Sharppain]

Bill,
I find it incredible the ET3 approaches your vinyl setup, you seem a pretty discerning guy when it comes to your gear, and you wouldn’t say that lightly.

That was very encouraging that I’d done the right thing with the ET3.
I know it easily bettered my previous Audiolab 6000CDT and modified Oppo 203 transports, was you know what it’s like, you always look for that other comparison that other folks have done in their system.
And yours is a pretty big one!

Can you explain a little more please about your adding a DDC setup?

My Dac (PS Audio Directstream) has i2s input, and Imconnect directly, but know in the world of 1s and 0s not everything is necessarily as you’d expect.


Thanks.

Excuse me jumping in. I2S is a digital signal specification that was originally developed in the 1980s to specifically connect the signal coming off the CD reader hardware to the DAC inside a CD player. It has at least three lines: the bit clock, the word select, and a data line. Word select is used to specify which of the stereo channel, left or right, the data should be sent to. The I2S signals are relatively high frequency and low voltage, making them more sensitive to interference than signals intended to be carried outside an appliance (so keep your HDMI cable as short as possible). The general benefits are (1) it is a serial interface protocol for transmitting two-channel, digital audio as PCM between IC components of an electronic device and out of it; (2) I2S bus separates clock and serial data signals, resulting in simpler receivers than those required for asynchronous communications systems that need to recover the clock from the data stream; (3) practically the signal 'bares' less digital manipulation since I2S signal is quite direct and DAC does not need to 'decode' it (simply said). The more complex explanation is that I2S protocol’s physical simplicity directly translates to its data format. In contrast to other protocols relying on intricate bit sequences to match particular patterns for the recipients to understand the message, I2S doesn’t rely on this approach. Instead, the clock signal continuously runs, and the bits representing the audio data are also placed continuously on the single data line. The transmission does not occur in frames of fixed sizes. Rather, the active transmitter sends any data available for transmission, while the receiver reads as many bits as received, as long as it gets them.

 

[Sharppain]

We got a first Roon Ready certification for SM1.3 last month, will see how it will evolve over time for other devices, Can't comment any further on this.



We use Mconnect as our main DLNA app and don't see such issue. It was reported to our QC team to test it further.
Can you please tell us which exact app version of MConnect you running?



We are aware of this, but so far there was no fix on this from software teamn.



For the #3, we have advanced user manual for ET3, it's linked on our website and you can find it here directly:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gG3DKF71QQFx_fCXXfFkAnpWH1Kl3PyE/view?usp=drive_link


In Eddict player app, please go to SyncLink setting and make sure that in the SyncLink Menu ET3 is shown under "Connected Device".
If connected correctly, take a step back in the app and you should see most items in main menu and side menu will be greyed out. If all items are still accessible, it means you are not correctly connected to ET3.

If they are correctly connected, please go to "Local music" in app and click on Folder browsing, to see if it correctly shows the content of the USB drive you have connected to ET3. In some cases you can actually just see music stored on your phone, not the actually ET3.

Hi Shanling,
The Advanced User Manual helped a lot. All cool now, all works well. The trouble for me was that in the app when you switch the SyncLink you lose the SynLink controller screens get hidden, so practically it controller should be set-up first .... So, in conclusion, very very solid device with supreme set of functionalities and supreme audio replay.
Just the Mconnect story... you know.

 

[VinceP]

Both the ET3 and new XST20 have cutouts on the side of the disc for easy disc manipulation. In my experience and from the hi-fi show demos, it's always more than enough to grab the edges of the disc.

As a human with normal sized hands (57 male large glove size), I have no problems removing a disc from the ET3. I can’t speak for the sausage fingered users out there…

 

[naka9]

As a human with normal sized hands (57 male large glove size), I have no problems removing a disc from the ET3. I can’t speak for the sausage fingered users out there…

I have “regular” fingers maybe on the thin side and although I find that there not enough depth on the fingers “holes”, the main problem is that they aren’t in an oblique position (like those on my Rega Saturn) making the handling a bit unnatural… unless one loads / removes the disc from the side. Doing it through the front is difficult…
Also the lid handle is too shallow to pick it up with total confidence, especially when the thing is made of glass!…

Top loaders should be a breeze to handle and not as delicate as this is…

 

[plikestechno]

Yeah would have been nice to have finger holes on each side. I do get scared of scratching the laser sometimes as it looks exposed. That said, when i remember to use the holes, I have no problems and I have big fingers. But yes, north south holes would have been nice in addition to the east west ones.

 

[DrDen]

I’d like to know if the Shanling software team is planning to fix the aforementioned bugs. Is there anyone to ask them (and get a definite reply)? Should I invest in a hi-end USB cable for my ET3, or it’s better to pay a little more for another CD transport? Wireworld Platinum versus Denafrips Avatar. I can’t use the ET3 I2S output because of incompatibility with my DAC. USB sounds better than coaxial, even with the no name cable. Funny, the glitch is much more noticeable over USB. Certainly longer!

 

[naka9]

@Shanling
Is there any plans to do a superior (to the ET-3) CD transport based on the 1.3 chassis?
I could see a top loading CD transport using the big display of the SMT and wireless connection to show the metadata of the CDs , especially the album covers (like the new Rotel Michi does).
I love my ET-3 but I feel that it is too small: to sit on the rack alongside the other full size components, for handling the CD in and out, and that mini display is very hard to see from more than a meter way.

A 1.3 CD transport would fit beautifully side by side to the new SMT 1.3 and create an amazing digital front end, to connect to whatever dac one has… or to a Shanling dac, of course.
So why not to have a dedicated dac on the same chassis, with a tube output option, something that Shanling did so well in the past.
Keep doing the good work

 

[DrDen]

@Shanling
Is there any plans to do a superior (to the ET-3) CD transport based on the 1.3 chassis?
I could see a top loading CD transport using the big display of the SMT and wireless connection to show the metadata of the CDs , especially the album covers (like the new Rotel Michi does).
I love my ET-3 but I feel that it is too small: to sit on the rack alongside the other full size components, for handling the CD in and out, and that mini display is very hard to see from more than a meter way.

A 1.3 CD transport would fit beautifully side by side to the new SMT 1.3 and create an amazing digital front end, to connect to whatever dac one has… or to a Shanling dac, of course.
So why not to have a dedicated dac on the same chassis, with a tube output option, something that Shanling did so well in the past.
Keep doing the good work

From my point of view the ET3 is absolutely great in regard of its size and functionality (still waiting for an update to fix the most annoying issues). You can’t install a large screen in that small device. I use the Android phone to control the playback from USB drive, someone might use even a tablet to see the finest details. It would be nice if it worked also with iOS.

 

[naka9]

From my point of view the ET3 is absolutely great in regard of its size and functionality (still waiting for an update to fix the most annoying issues). You can’t install a large screen in that small device. I use the Android phone to control the playback from USB drive, someone might use even a tablet to see the finest details. It would be nice if it worked also with iOS.

The good thing about a versatile piece like the ET-3 is that allows very different users to use and configure it according to each individual needs.
My interest is relays only on the CD transport capability (and i2s output) with the remote control operation. I even don’t want to have my iphone in the room. I find the miniature size to be to much for my regular size system.
The 1.3 chassis is very suitable to what I have referred: bigger screen and more space for a proper top loading system.

 

[DrDen]

The good thing about a versatile piece like the ET-3 is that allows very different users to use and configure it according to each individual needs.
My interest is relays only on the CD transport capability (and i2s output) with the remote control operation. I even don’t want to have my iphone in the room. I find the miniature size to be to much for my regular size system.
The 1.3 chassis is very suitable to what I have referred: bigger screen and more space for a proper top loading system.

It’s easy to build a larger body with the same filling. It’s a matter of marketing.
Edit: Please don’t ask them to develop any new CD transport, let them fix the one we’ve already bought

 

[Sharppain]

It’s easy to build a larger body with the same filling. It’s a matter of marketing.
Edit: Please don’t ask them to develop any new CD transport, let them fix the one we’ve already bought

100% supported

 

[naka9]

It’s easy to build a larger body with the same filling. It’s a matter of marketing.
Edit: Please don’t ask them to develop any new CD transport, let them fix the one we’ve already bought

As a ET-3 owner I don’t mind suggesting a superior transport because, that entry level one is still needed and must be continually improved (through firmware updates). The one that I am suggesting probably would be based on the ET-3 so all the existing glitches would be investigated even further.
Note: I would keep my ET-3 even if buy another more sophisticated CD transport.

 

[petzibaer]

https://store.shanling.com/Onix-Zenith-XST20-SACD-Transport-pd569104158.html


It’s a SACD but it is bigger.

For my purposes the et3 is the right size