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

[DrDen]

That’s what I’ve got from other Audiobyte Hydra Vox user:
“VOX needs to have from the source 3.3-5v voltage on pin 18 of the HDMI input in order to "unlock" the port. Otherwise it won't work even if all other HDMI pins are ok for PS audio standard.”
Does ET3 provide this?

 

[plikestechno]

That sounds similar to the issue people with Topping DACs had. You might have to get a custom cable made but Shanling or another user might be able to tell you for sure.

 

[DrDen]

That sounds similar to the issue people with Topping DACs had. You might have to get a custom cable made but Shanling or another user might be able to tell you for sure.

Just today I asked another seller from AliExpress if he can build this cable. And what do you think he said?
“I know it (ET3) has the iis output interface. But it can't be used”.
I already asked another seller who makes different custom I2S cables, he said “no” as well.

 

[plikestechno]

Hmmm... Well i never had that problem. I have a denafrips pontus ii with adjustable i2s configs and setting 2 on the pontus with a normal hdmi cable worked perfectly for the et3 with me. Sorry to hear about your situation.

 

[amrutmhatre90]

Shanling Team,

When can we expect a new update?

Many users are experiencing issues with the ET3 and how it was marketed. For instance, the USB doesn’t support upsampling at all. Now, the AES and coaxial outputs only offer PCM upsampling, with no DSD support. The only output that supports DSD upsampling is i2s. But what about those who purchased the ET3 for its upsampling capabilities and don’t have an i2s input on their DAC?

The website still misleadingly claims that DSD upsampling is possible through all outputs.

Additionally, I won't even start on the vinyl-spinning display art on a CD player—who thought that was a good idea?

The ET3 is an excellent CD transport, and I am using it with i2s to my Gustard R26, but it falls short due to the misleading claims about the other outputs.

I hope this gets resolved soon.

 

[plikestechno]

Can coax or aes do dsd output period on any device of any brand? I always thought those outputs on every device can only to DoP but not native? That said the description is a bit misleading for those that dont know that. Maybe DoP could have been put in brackets.

But there are definitely some changes id like to see including the long CD glitch being fixed and a better, or the ability to pick from a few different display options. At least when streaming or pulling from a usb drive the display doesnt look as terrible. DLNA is better after the last update but still a bit hit and miss. Gapless or Qobuz/Tidal connect is probably a pipe dream at this point.

 

[DrDen]

What about the Eddict Player? Some tracks on USB drives are displayed and therefore played in wrong order. In classical opera it’s inacceptable. HiBy Music never did that way.
Fortunately I have two different digital transports connected to my DAC. Neither is perfect

 

[Brummle]

All right, now I've finally tested my new ET3, and it plays with very low noise and distorsion. It maybe sounds a little "thin", but I expect this is due to that it needs some burn-in time

That Addict player keeps crashing though, as soon as I start it.. probably some issues with my Android phone..?!

 

[DrDen]

All right, now I've finally tested my new ET3, and it plays with very low noise and distorsion. It maybe sounds a little "thin", but I expect this is due to that it needs some burn-in time

That Addict player keeps crashing though, as soon as I start it.. probably some issues with my Android phone..?!

Congratulations!
With the upsampling enabled it sounds more solid.
As I recall the Eddict Player didn’t work properly at the first day, but my Android phone was also brand new, I’ve bought it only to control this app
Maybe restart would help.

 

[Brummle]

Congratulations!
With the upsampling enabled it sounds more solid.
As I recall the Eddict Player didn’t work properly at the first day, but my Android phone was also brand new, I’ve bought it only to control this app
Maybe restart would help.

Thanks I will try to get the app to work, later on. I have a date this evening, so I will only be playing music now, to get me in the right mood for the date tonight

Everyone, have a good one!!

 

[DrDen]

Women usually don’t appreciate other than budget audio. But the ET3 looks really sexy
Don’t expect anything from Shanling soon, they are on vacations.

 

[Brummle]

Date went great, dinner at my place next week

Back to the ET3, the streamer sounds really good; I wonder how it stack up against more expensive and dedicated streamers..?
Compared to my Roon/Ethernet setup, the bass especially seems more controlled.. The higher notes sounds maybe a bit more "digital" for now, but I have a feeling that will improve with some more burn-in..??

How many hours of burn-in time before it really shines?

 

[BillHart]

I've come across this forum several times, though not really a headphone listener- I referred a number of people to DubStep Girl's comprehensive survey of 5AR4/equivalent rectifiers. Though I'm loathe to appear dumb in my first post to this forum, I have an ET3 arriving tomorrow, and wanted to make sure I had the latest firmware upgrade standing by. I've had a devil of a time doing what should be a simple task; an IT guy helped me pull the file from Shanling's page and unzipped it b/c my Mac laptop gave me a smaller zip file and an empty unzipped folder using their native utility. I did shoot a note to Shanling, though on the cusp of a weekend, don't necessarily expect an immediate reply. And it's not life critical--I intend to use the unit first simply as a CD transport, having just sent off my C.E.C. TL5 for some attention. (Good support stateside).
I may have crossed paths with some of you on other fora. Hope to contribute as well as ask for help. I went from digiphobe to someone who first learned the value of the medium in archival restoration to enjoying the sonics (depending on disc), though still primary a vinyl guy. But I digress. TIA.
Bill

 

[BillHart]

Update: Shanling ET3 arrived today, earlier than expected. AES/EBU to one DAC, coax to a R2R DAC (both modest). Having trouble sorting out the wi-fi connection to see if I can do a firmware update that way. But I'll figure it out.
First impressions: sounds good out of the box, warm character- I can see why people like the sound of these units. I never collected CDs but had a few thousand and still probably have half of that. Wolfert Brederode, Black Ice, on ECM is a "demo" disc-- musically pretty mellow. Stunning, cymbal strikes with the decay sounded very real. The track "Baltimore" by Lyle Lovett on Joshua Judges Ruth is a mournful ballad that is right up my alley-- because the more recent vinyl reissue was problematic (finally got a clean player), I had relied on the CD. I don't think my system is particularly forgiving, and as voiced for vinyl, is balanced just so, augmented by multiple woofers and big subs. I can hardly pass judgment based on an hour of play--the tubes had barely warmed up fully--but I would deem this a good sounding unit as a barebones CD unit out of the box. More anon as I come to grips with its other features. System context is probably important but as a newbie, I have to see if I can complete a profile. It's basically Avantgarde Duos with Lamm ML2s and a top tier vinyl front end, phono, power supply line stage- tubes all the way. (Except for the woofers and subs, which are DSP'd and roll off at 55hz on a steep (24 db/octave) slope. Suffice to say, different transports sound different.

 

[Brummle]

Update: Shanling ET3 arrived today, earlier than expected. AES/EBU to one DAC, coax to a R2R DAC (both modest). Having trouble sorting out the wi-fi connection to see if I can do a firmware update that way. But I'll figure it out.
First impressions: sounds good out of the box, warm character- I can see why people like the sound of these units. I never collected CDs but had a few thousand and still probably have half of that. Wolfert Brederode, Black Ice, on ECM is a "demo" disc-- musically pretty mellow. Stunning, cymbal strikes with the decay sounded very real. The track "Baltimore" by Lyle Lovett on Joshua Judges Ruth is a mournful ballad that is right up my alley-- because the more recent vinyl reissue was problematic (finally got a clean player), I had relied on the CD. I don't think my system is particularly forgiving, and as voiced for vinyl, is balanced just so, augmented by multiple woofers and big subs. I can hardly pass judgment based on an hour of play--the tubes had barely warmed up fully--but I would deem this a good sounding unit as a barebones CD unit out of the box. More anon as I come to grips with its other features. System context is probably important but as a newbie, I have to see if I can complete a profile. It's basically Avantgarde Duos with Lamm ML2s and a top tier vinyl front end, phono, power supply line stage- tubes all the way. (Except for the woofers and subs, which are DSP'd and roll off at 55hz on a steep (24 db/octave) slope. Suffice to say, different transports sound different.

Mine was delivered with firmware 1.7 a week ago... You need to upgrade with a USB stick, as I've understood it