Shanling H7 - High-End Portable DAC/AMP/Player, Featuring new AKM AK4499EX Flagship DAC

[Shanling]

Hi,

Thanks for your answer.

I have ordered the H7, but before I go to the store and get it, can you answer these questions ?

1°) If I use my DAP to feed the H7 with USB, it will not charge while connected to H7. At least I assume it swill not charge. So the question is : will an adpater like one of these allow me to use the DAP and charge it at the same time ? I will use a Shanling DAP (I have the m2x, the m3x, the M6, the M6 pro and the M8).
https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B0C491XN6Q/ref=ewc_pr_img_2?smid=A1NH1C0DL2GSMV&psc=1
https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B0B15FBBM8/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A2W62H4J9SPE5C&psc=1

2°) How does the digital in work ?
Should a cable like this work and allow to use the Optical out of my computer to connect to the H7 ?
https://www.amazon.fr/


My scope would be to have the DPA connected to the HY with USB and the computer with optical and switch inputs of the H7 when I want to listen to the computer / listen to music.

Thanks a lot for your answers.

Regards.

1) Can't say, not something we tested.

2) Your link doesn't seem to lead to any cable?
Optical input on H7 is using 3.5mm jack, so look for that type of Toslink cable.
Here is example: https://www.audioquest.com/cables/digital-cables/optical-toslink/pearl

 

[PenguinHeadphoner]

HI,

I am probably partly masochistic. I took the H7 despite it being dependent on the Eddict Software which is really not on par with Shanling design of superbly sounding devices.

Going through all posts, I have learned that the H7 can not act as a "storage" player and thus, I'll have to take away the SD card to fill it. That is a first thing I would have avoided.

I also would like to know it it is possible to avoid using the Eddict software. In other words : is there another App on Android that uses SyncLink or similar which would allow to navigate in the SDCarde structure more efficiently than Eddict ?

Of course, my experience with Eddict is from more or less 10 months ago, so there may be some changes, but honestly, I do not expect it to have improved that much

Took the H7 as it was offered here for 640€ and because I can return it should I not like it...

 

[PenguinHeadphoner]

1) Can't say, not something we tested.

2) Your link doesn't seem to lead to any cable?
Optical input on H7 is using 3.5mm jack, so look for that type of Toslink cable.
Here is example: https://www.audioquest.com/cables/digital-cables/optical-toslink/pearl

1) I've bought those cables and will report here if they do work...
[EDIT 1] : cables arrived and connected to M6 Pro DAP. This is the seirdest thing I ever saw. The DAP is powered off. When I briefly push the "Power On" Button, it shows a battery charging. BUt the weird thing is... The indicated charging level is DECREASING ! It went from 62% to 54% in about 2 hours !!! I think there is a ghost in that cable The M6Pro is probably not the cuplrit so not blaming that

2) I've bought a cheap 3.5mm / Toslink adapter. Let's hope it will work
[EDIT 2] Bought a cable and just a small adapter to put upon the termination an optical/optical cable. Both working. So I can have sound going out of computer. That is good. Now let's see if I can get sound from the DAP/tablet...

 

[Shanling]

HI,

I am probably partly masochistic. I took the H7 despite it being dependent on the Eddict Software which is really not on par with Shanling design of superbly sounding devices.

Going through all posts, I have learned that the H7 can not act as a "storage" player and thus, I'll have to take away the SD card to fill it. That is a first thing I would have avoided.

I also would like to know it it is possible to avoid using the Eddict software. In other words : is there another App on Android that uses SyncLink or similar which would allow to navigate in the SDCarde structure more efficiently than Eddict ?

Of course, my experience with Eddict is from more or less 10 months ago, so there may be some changes, but honestly, I do not expect it to have improved that much

Took the H7 as it was offered here for 640€ and because I can return it should I not like it...

To our knowledge there is no other app compatible with SyncLink.

 

[PenguinHeadphoner]

To our knowledge there is no other app compatible with SyncLink.

Hi,

Thanks a lot.

Will report about how it goes and how my set-up lookis like with the H7
Just got it and just unpacked it for now.

All I can say (for now, I have not returned home) is :
- it is much smaller than what I thought ;
- it looks nice in Titanium colour ;
- it seems to be built like a tank... which means it is not an the "light" side ;
- the display does not appear super legible under bright lights (but I've read that the display contrast can be adjusted and oob it might be set to minimum) ;
- it is super easy to pair with Eddict app ;
- it is immeadiatly recognized as a BT device from my Phone.

I'll also receive the cables to see if I can charge the DAP while it output data to a DAC ; 2 adapters to see if I can hook up my computer with optical ouptut and preserver USB for DAP.

Regards.

[EDIT 1] : cables arrived and connected to M6 Pro DAP. This is the seirdest thing I ever saw. The DAP is powered off. When I briefly push the "Power On" Button, it shows a battery charging. BUt the weird thing is... The indicated charging level is DECREASING ! It went from 62% to 54% in about 2 hours !!! I think there is a ghost in that cable The M6Pro is probably not the cuplrit so not blaming that

[EDIT 2] Brightness of display is indeed to be increased with Eddict App. Set it to 9 out of 10 and now it is displaying weel. Also set this to never fade. Like to have the info.

 

[PenguinHeadphoner]

Hi,

Back at home, I could connect headphones to the Shanling H7 and begin to use it.
It is running version 1.5 for FW.
So here are my thoughts on this device...
In this post I will only give impressions about it's usage and features.
There won't be a post about sound quality as it is pointless after this
I just got it so if I missed some features, please just say it without flaming me.
And everything I write here is to give feedback on my OWN VIEWS and PERSONAL NEEDS.
Other peoples needs may vary and differ. So please do not "flame" me for expressing my thoughts.

First thing : Personal set-up and convenience
I would like to stress is that I could easily achieve what I would have liked to do since a long time :
- Xiaomi MiPad 5 Tablet with USB-C hub that allows it to be connected with Ethernet cable (and not Wi-Fi) ;
- Tracks retrieved from an mini-PC that runs Linux and an Emby server ;
- the USB-C hub is powered by PD port and one of the USB-A ports is connected to the USB in of the Shanling H7 ;
- the Tablet is driven with UAPP or Neutron which allows it to be used as a renderer and allow to apply Parametric EQ ;
- the tablet which is now used as a streamer is remote controlled by Emby interface on computer (not really reliable) or Smartphone running Symfonium ;
- the H7 is also connected to computer with the Coax/Optical in with a dedicated cable or an optical cable with 3.5mm adapter.

Headphones used are Sony MDR-Z1R, Oppo PM-1 ; Dan Clark Aeon Flow Closed & Open.
All are tested with the 4.4mm output in "Medium gain".

Second thing : easy connections
the Shanling H7 is really super easy to operate.
Within minutes I was able to connect it to computer, to connect it with USB to MiPad 5, to connect it with Bluetooth to my Smartphone or to tablet ; to connect it to Eddict with SymLink.

Third thing : total "laptop" device
if evreything works to how I'd love it, I regret that you can't select sources or set Volume other than with physical buttons. In other words, a remote control would have been convenient when the device is used as a desktop DAC, which it can do given the charge port.

Fourth thing : Using SyncLink to use SD Card functionality (end of the story for me)
I assume a lot of us (maybe all of us) are interested in the SD Card reader feature.
As far as I am concerned, I accepted to pay the price asked for the Shanling H7 because of that feature.
I do not think I would have paid that price if that feature would not have existed.
And this why, unfortunaltely, I will not keep the Shanling H7. Because for my needs and usage, it will not do

Why ?

Well, first, I would like to remotly drive the Shanling H7 with my Xiaomi Mipad 5. The MiPad is running latest MIUI software. It runs latest Eddict player app.
The problem is, if I want to connect the TABLET to the Shanling H7, it requires to activate Localisation Services. Which I do.
But Eddict player keeps asking for Localization Services.
I double checked. They are enabled and should be working...
Culprit may be MIUI or the Tablet hardware.
But whatever it is, it does not work.
And SyncLink DOES require those services to be enabled. Why is this mandatory ? I have NO IDEA

OK, so let's connect to the Shanling H7 with my smartphone. Still a Xiaomi Device but with no MIUI.
It works flawlessly.
Shanling H7 is connected with Synclink and my SD Card with maybe 1000 tracks is inserted (it is a 128GB unit).

I thought I could access the SD card from the Shanling H7 set-up page, but that is not the case.
Not a problem, once you know it that is absolutely hassle free.

So I am now on the "Local Music" option from the homepage.
You have a nice big button inviting you to scan your library.
As I said, I use a 128GB SD card, with maybe 1000 tracks stored to it.
It is now scanning since 20 minutes and still has not finished...
Maybe I did something wrong, but it just takes TOO LONG
Let's not imagine what it will do with a 2TB card with 20 000 tracks

Again, not a problem, I know that the way the library is indexed by Eddict will not suit my needs and that I will use "Browse by folders" 99% of the time anyways.
So I browse my SD Card.
Process is fast and easy and, as I sorted my files quite good, I can find my way through the files easily.
And I can start playing the files.

Playback starts almost immediatly and of course, files in selected folder are automatically added to the Playlist.
Which is nice and what I am looking for as I almost always listen to an entire album and not only selected tracks.
I could listen to 2 full albums without any app crash or any freeze or stuttering in Playback.
Magnificent.

But at third album, I had to leave home.
Stopped the playback and wanted to deleted the files stored in playlist... Hum.
Maybe I am the only stupid guy on earth looking for such feature and the only stupid guy on earth that did not see it in Eddict player.
But I simply can not erase my current playlist. Weird... But OK.

OK. Let's assume I can live with this (and I surely can).
Now I want to add a track to my SD Card. One would think that as the device is hooked up with USB, the card will appear and that you can add a track on the fly.
Nope, you can't.
But this is no surprise and has been documented already, so I can't complain.

OK.
So I am listening to my tacks with my usual headphone (a Sony MDR-Z1R).
I usually listen to my music with EQ (graphic or parametric).
Mandatory because the MDR-Z1R is a little on the "bassy" side without that EQ (at least for my tastes).
I know that the Eddict player has an EQ function (it's graphic I think).
So I am looking for that function... to find out it is greyed out and thus not available when SyncLink is used (or at leat used with Shanling H7).

All in all, these things make the SD card function something that I already know I will end up never using.
Purely personal... Does not imply device is not good.
Under those circumstances, the Shanling H7 will be used as a Desktop DAC alone and not on the go (I already have several Shanling DAPs for that).

CONCLUSION :
The SD Card feature is the thing making the Shanling H7 interesting and that, I think, explains the price.
Given the limitations for my use scenario, I will not use it
Thus I can not justify the price of the Shanling H7 and will return it despite the rather "low" price I paid for it.
If people are interested I may do a comparison of sound quality between it and several other solutions...
Regards.

 

[Shanling]

Well, first, I would like to use drive the Shanling H7 with my Xiaomi Mipad 5. The MiPad is running latest MIUI software. I runs latest Eddict player app. The problem is, if I want to connect the TABLET to the Shanling H7, it requires to activate Localisation Services. Which I do. But Eddict player keeps asking for Localization Services. I double checked. They are enabled and should be working... Culprit may be MIUI or the Tablet hardware. But whatever it is, it dfoes not work. And SymLink DOES require those services to be enabled. Why is this mandatory ? I have NO IDEA


As I said, I use a 128GB SD card, with maybe 1000 tracks stored to it.
It is now scanning since 20 minutes and still has not finished..
Let's not imagine what it will do with a 2TB card with 20 000 tracks

But at third album, I had to leave. Stopped the playback and wanted to deleted the files stored in playlist...
Hum. Maybe I am the only stupid guy on earth looking for such feature and the only stupid guy on earth that did not see it in Eddict player.
But I simply can not erase my current playlist !

OK. So I am listening to my tacks with my usual headphone (a Sony MDR-Z1R). I usually listen to my music with EQ (graphic or parametric). Mandatory because the MDR-Z1R is a little on the "bassy" side without that EQ (at least for my tastes).
I know that the Eddict player has an EQ function (it's graphic I think).
So I am looking for that function... to find out it is greyed out and thus not available when SymLink is used (or at leat used with Shanling H7).

Location services are demanded by Google on the Android system. It's needed for the app to be able to scan for nearby Bluetooth devices. You can consult the tablet manufacturer about this problem on your device.

Which firmware version are you running on your H7? Current firmware is V1.6. Which app version? Are you using the latest app version V2.1.9?
Library scan of 1000 files should take less then 1 minute, if the card isn't like full of other files from years of usage with Android phone.

I'm not sure what issue are you facing with the currently playing list? If you play by folders, it simply loads up the files in the given folder. If you switch to new folder, the list changes to that folder. There is no reason to be deleting the currently playing list.

There is no EQ for the local card playback.

 

[PenguinHeadphoner]

Hi,

Thanks a lot for your answer.
I sincerely appreciate the fact that we seem to have a somewhat direct link with the manufacturer.

But it seems that in my quest, I will have to find some different kind of hardware, probably a little more recent one.
Because with every AUDIO device I hoo up with a USB-C hub there are problems.

If I try to connect a device to the H7 with a USB-C Hub, the H7 will act randomly. Sometimes it will display the correct sample rate (48khz => 48khz).
Sometimes it will not (original file => 96khz ; output displayed by H7 => 192khz).

I do not think the H7 is really the culprit here.
It's just that it seems the hardware used by Audio manufacturers is modded to not allow such "fantasies".

So the problem with "chargeable devices" is that I can either charge or play them. But can't do both at the same time.

Maybe a device like your EH3 is better suited for my needs. I hope the dealer will allow me to trade the H7 for an EH3... provided you give some answers that will be encouraging on the EH3 dedicated thread

 

[PenguinHeadphoner]

Hi,

Yesterday a new USB-C + USB-A adapter came in.

It could power my tablet with the USB-C power port.
And the USB-A port allowed to detect the H7 from UAPP and/or Neutron.

SInce then I can achieve what I was looking for. And I am listening to the H7.
All I can say is that it sounds spectacularly good !
I also own the M8, and I'd say it sounds better than the M8.
It has the same tonality (warmth) but more "refinement"...
I'd say the level of details is about the same as M8.
But where the M8 sometimes sounded a little "brute force", here the sound is more "airy", more relaxed and refined.
Do not really know how to express it.
All I can say is I am amazed at what it can do

Despite the sound qualities, I decided (heavy hartedly) to return it to seller.
I already have several external DAC and already have 3 DAC/HP amp combos.
As I said, the SD Card functionality, albeit really interesting, does not fit my needs

But if the EH-3 has the same sound qualities the H7 has and offers the advantages of an integrated "streamer" I'll gladly trade the H7 for an EH-3.
Not sure how the ESS9039Pro sounds. Probably a little less "velvety" than the AK4499EX but I should be able to live with that...

 

[Loftprojection]

Hello Shanling, any chance we could see a "H7" (or H7+++) with an R2R DAC in the future? I think your amps sound signature is really appreciated by many and the H7 is really a great product (functionality, transportable). I think with a Shanling flavour R2R DAC inside would be a big hit and Shanling would be the first and only on the market with a transportable R2R DAC/AMP.

 

[PenguinHeadphoner]

Hello Shanling, any chance we could see a "H7" (or H7+++) with an R2R DAC in the future? I think your amps sound signature is really appreciated by many and the H7 is really a great product (functionality, transportable). I think with a Shanling flavour R2R DAC inside would be a big hit and Shanling would be the first and only on the market with a transportable R2R DAC/AMP.

Hi,

Interesting. I've never had the occasion to listen to a R2R DAC.
Not sure I'll be able to tell a R2R DAC apart froma regular DAC on the base of the DAC output alone.

As far as I am concerned, I think the difference is not the DAC per se, but the way it is "interfaced" with the analogue part of the device.
But I may be wrong.

 

[Loftprojection]

Hi,

Interesting. I've never had the occasion to listen to a R2R DAC.
Not sure I'll be able to tell a R2R DAC apart froma regular DAC on the base of the DAC output alone.

As far as I am concerned, I think the difference is not the DAC per se, but the way it is "interfaced" with the analogue part of the device.
But I may be wrong.

From my experience you are wrong, ESS and AKM DAC, even if they are great, tend to sound a bit more "digital" if that means anything, then NOS R2R DACs. It's a bit like the differences between tube and SS amps to a certain extent but let's not start this discussion here because it is highly subjective and related to personal sound preferences. I just hope Shanling would come up with such a DAC flavour in a device like the H7.

 

[Shanling]

Hello Shanling, any chance we could see a "H7" (or H7+++) with an R2R DAC in the future? I think your amps sound signature is really appreciated by many and the H7 is really a great product (functionality, transportable). I think with a Shanling flavour R2R DAC inside would be a big hit and Shanling would be the first and only on the market with a transportable R2R DAC/AMP.

R2R DACs is not something in our current portfolio.

 

[Loftprojection]

R2R DACs is not something in our current portfolio.

Many thanks for answering, really appreciated.

 

[cleg]

My video about H7: classical Shanling representation and tons of great features