Shanling M6 Player - New version with ESS DACs coming soon

[NewEve]

To my ears!

M6 used to be warmer than M6 Pro.
Now with Sabre DACs, I would say tuning of M6 21 and M6 Pro 21 are fairly close.
Both of them being little bit "brighter" or more neutral than original M6 Pro.

We will be sending out review sample to the standard Shanling reviewer's, so you will be able to get more details from them.

Thanks and understood that the above is indeed to your ears

 

[63827]

Sorry but why would anyone buy the new M6 21 when the original M6 can't even play gapless through its own Shanling app?
Yes I know it plays through the UAPP app on android but I would've thought you would have fixed it for the Shanling app on its own by now. Mainly cause I know the sound is much better through the Shanling app than anything else. I take it is not possible to fix this or else you would have done it by now?
To be honest the whole thing is a bit slow compared to my Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 running android 10.
So I just use your excellent UP4 bluetooth amplifier with my earphones. All is quick and easy and most importantly sounds good to my ears with this set-up.
Very disappointed with the money I forked out for this M6 player that is slow, running a very old android system and just running as a music player there is no gapless. Will the new M6 be any better? I doubt it.
I should say I own Shanling's M0, UP2 and UP4. All sounding great and working as they should. Excellent value for money! M6 a definite no.

 

[NewEve]

I keep doing comparisons in-between DAPs and DAC/Amps, in person, based on @twister6 reviews as well as asking questions left and right. It seems I made the right choice for a pairing with Campfire Audio's Solaris 2020.

I heard DAPs like the Calyx M and the closest I came across it was Dethonray's Honey H1 DAC/Amp (single AK4497 DAC).

The Shanling M6 Pro with the AK4497 DAC is the best I heard in a DAP or DAC/Amp yet.

I should get Cayin's N6ii/A01 on loan and will compare it to the M6 Pro.

The ability to use a DAP which can stream, with a single-DAC and a good SE implementation is a game changer for me.

I'd suggest you guys get one with this DAC before they're gone for good, especially for those of you looking for a warm sound signature.

 

[Polky74]

Sorry but why would anyone buy the new M6 21 when the original M6 can't even play gapless through its own Shanling app?
Yes I know it plays through the UAPP app on android but I would've thought you would have fixed it for the Shanling app on its own by now. Mainly cause I know the sound is much better through the Shanling app than anything else. I take it is not possible to fix this or else you would have done it by now?
To be honest the whole thing is a bit slow compared to my Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 running android 10.
So I just use your excellent UP4 bluetooth amplifier with my earphones. All is quick and easy and most importantly sounds good to my ears with this set-up.
Very disappointed with the money I forked out for this M6 player that is slow, running a very old android system and just running as a music player there is no gapless. Will the new M6 be any better? I doubt it.
I should say I own Shanling's M0, UP2 and UP4. All sounding great and working as they should. Excellent value for money! M6 a definite no.

I'm sorry but I disagree, and I'll tell you why. Your initial question is quite right but for the exact opposite of the reason you give it. If there is no need to buy the new M6 as well as the M6 Pro and the M8, I add, it is precisely because the M6 is still simply the best. I agree that Shanling would have had to solve the gapless problem all this time, but which dap has no problems? The absence of the gapless is a very marginal problem when compared with the much more structured ones of the other daps with which the M6 was confronted and I add it still compares now coming out of it in my opinion the winner. Do we want to talk about the battery life of the iBasso DX160? We want to talk about the very high hiss of the Hiby R6 / R6 PRO? We want to talk about the fact that the Fiio M11 has much inferior hardware to the M6 and an even older android? The M6 for what it cost when it came out ... offered and still offers audio quality and a musical signature that is still hard to beat today. It is no coincidence that many reviewers say that the only dap that can rival the much more expensive M8 in musicality and sonic signature is still today, the good old M6. Shanlig still releases firmware updates, things not for everyone do it for a dap of almost two years of life ... but then it gets lost in a glass of water ... it does not add languages beyond the basic ones (I had asked for the Italian), does not solve the gapless problem on its app, which made many turn up their noses. What do you want? Genius and recklessness ... but if, as I did this morning, you connect the Mest MKII to the M6 and listen to Rory Gallagher's guitar as it sounds, forgive everything to the M6. Not you? The M6 was born to sound better than all of its direct competitors and even some much higher in price and that it does ... it sounds better than many other daps. Shanling should refine itself and believe more in what it does, listening more to user requests ... it would only have to gain from doing it.

 

[NewEve]

I'm sorry but I disagree, and I'll tell you why. Your initial question is quite right but for the exact opposite of the reason you give it. If there is no need to buy the new M6 as well as the M6 Pro and the M8, I add, it is precisely because the M6 is still simply the best. I agree that Shanling would have had to solve the gapless problem all this time, but which dap has no problems? The absence of the gapless is a very marginal problem when compared with the much more structured ones of the other daps with which the M6 was confronted and I add it still compares now coming out of it in my opinion the winner. Do we want to talk about the battery life of the iBasso DX160? We want to talk about the very high hiss of the Hiby R6 / R6 PRO? We want to talk about the fact that the Fiio M11 has much inferior hardware to the M6 and an even older android? The M6 for what it cost when it came out ... offered and still offers audio quality and a musical signature that is still hard to beat today. It is no coincidence that many reviewers say that the only dap that can rival the much more expensive M8 in musicality and sonic signature is still today, the good old M6. Shanlig still releases firmware updates, things not for everyone do it for a dap of almost two years of life ... but then it gets lost in a glass of water ... it does not add languages beyond the basic ones (I had asked for the Italian), does not solve the gapless problem on its app, which made many turn up their noses. What do you want? Genius and recklessness ... but if, as I did this morning, you connect the Mest MKII to the M6 and listen to Rory Gallagher's guitar as it sounds, forgive everything to the M6. Not you? The M6 was born to sound better than all of its direct competitors and even some much higher in price and that it does ... it sounds better than many other daps. Shanling should refine itself and believe more in what it does, listening more to user requests ... it would only have to gain from doing it.

This.

 

[nekromantik]

Do people think the m6 original is better than newer version?

 

[holsen]

I'm sorry but I disagree, and I'll tell you why. Your initial question is quite right but for the exact opposite of the reason you give it. If there is no need to buy the new M6 as well as the M6 Pro and the M8, I add, it is precisely because the M6 is still simply the best. I agree that Shanling would have had to solve the gapless problem all this time, but which dap has no problems? The absence of the gapless is a very marginal problem when compared with the much more structured ones of the other daps with which the M6 was confronted and I add it still compares now coming out of it in my opinion the winner. Do we want to talk about the battery life of the iBasso DX160? We want to talk about the very high hiss of the Hiby R6 / R6 PRO? We want to talk about the fact that the Fiio M11 has much inferior hardware to the M6 and an even older android? The M6 for what it cost when it came out ... offered and still offers audio quality and a musical signature that is still hard to beat today. It is no coincidence that many reviewers say that the only dap that can rival the much more expensive M8 in musicality and sonic signature is still today, the good old M6. Shanlig still releases firmware updates, things not for everyone do it for a dap of almost two years of life ... but then it gets lost in a glass of water ... it does not add languages beyond the basic ones (I had asked for the Italian), does not solve the gapless problem on its app, which made many turn up their noses. What do you want? Genius and recklessness ... but if, as I did this morning, you connect the Mest MKII to the M6 and listen to Rory Gallagher's guitar as it sounds, forgive everything to the M6. Not you? The M6 was born to sound better than all of its direct competitors and even some much higher in price and that it does ... it sounds better than many other daps. Shanling should refine itself and believe more in what it does, listening more to user requests ... it would only have to gain from doing it.

Nicely said True, the lack of gapless is a very small 1st world DAP problem. How big is the gap anyway? From a software perspective the biggest issue for me is the merging of albums of the same name by different artists. (Please @Shanling fix this one) but even that isnt enough to detract from the outstanding build quality, the form and function, UI and most of sound!

 

[Polky74]

Do people think the m6 original is better than newer version?

In my opinion, and from what I've read, the only dap that really outperforms the M6 is the M8, the problem is that it costs as much as three M6s. Sometimes the latest release is not always better, sometimes it happens that a company creates a masterpiece (compared to price and time) and then tries to improve it and use the fame gained to promote the new release. Other companies don't do that ... other companies (Sony) when they produce something extraordinary (NW-WM1A / Z) keep it on the list for years and use that time and money they get over time to produce something extraordinary again for the years to come. Is there anyone who complained that Sony doesn't have android so they don't have apps, or why they aren't more powerful than other daps? Did they drop in price because they have many years on their shoulders? Are they selling less? Shanling, as good as it is at producing products, should learn something from Sony and not chase other Chinese companies in the race to see who gets the most (new) but from who makes stuff that then becomes a legend. Sony continues to refine the firmware, keep updating, keep selling its top of the range ... keep listening to their customers making what they did years ago better and better, so people keep buying them. There is more hype for a new Sony firmware of a year old product than for a whole new line from another company. That's why Sony sells a product of the last century for 1000/3500 euros. Shanling, on the other hand, comes up with stuff with the same flaws as it did years ago. Who is good? Time is a gentleman.

 

[Shanling]

Do people think the m6 original is better than newer version?

Depends on which sound signature you prefer. Never ending debate between AKM and ESS and all about opinions.
M6 21 has more power, that's fact.

 

[mymatt_311]

We are not able to replicate this issue, and I don't remember anybody else here reporting such problems.

As such, I can only recommend to contact your seller for warranty replacement.



Lock screen part of Shanling Music app has quite a few problems



Play Store is not pre-installed. You can install it from APKPure store that comes at default on M6.

Hi Shanling
it has been updated several times but Shanling is not serious about repairing it,
Fixed error lock screen in letters y - j - g,
please ... i love shanling
do not because of this my love is destroyed.

 

[Shanling]

Hi Shanling
it has been updated several times but Shanling is not serious about repairing it,
Fixed error lock screen in letters y - j - g,
please ... i love shanling
do not because of this my love is destroyed.

It was reported to software team. But such small problems can end up at the rear of to do list.

 

[yorosello]

About the stock player, there's still a lot of bugs & features that's still lacking as well. Gapless i don't really mind unless i'm playing some live concert albums.

An example of the bugs I encounter the most:
When I try to open Artist/Album from now playing page via the 3 dots, it sometimes doesn't do that, instead just went back to the album that are now playing. Or they will open but when you want to open the other album from that artist, it will go back to the album that you are playing currently.

Features that I need the most right now:
able to find my albums/artists that has non-English characters like Japanese/Korean via the scroll on the right of the screen
Sorting by Album Artists instead of just Artists
Sorting Hires files by Album instead of per tracks.

 

[Shanling]

About the stock player, there's still a lot of bugs & features that's still lacking as well. Gapless i don't really mind unless i'm playing some live concert albums.

An example of the bugs I encounter the most:
When I try to open Artist/Album from now playing page via the 3 dots, it sometimes doesn't do that, instead just went back to the album that are now playing. Or they will open but when you want to open the other album from that artist, it will go back to the album that you are playing currently.

Features that I need the most right now:
able to find my albums/artists that has non-English characters like Japanese/Korean via the scroll on the right of the screen
Sorting by Album Artists instead of just Artists
Sorting Hires files by Album instead of per tracks.

All there are good and reasonable features.
For the scrolling to Japanese / Korea, what is some app that is offering this to your liking?

 

[yorosello]

All there are good and reasonable features.
For the scrolling to Japanese / Korea, what is some app that is offering this to your liking?

Thank you, hope you can include them on the next update )

The player I use the most like Uapp, Sony Music Player & Samsung Music

 

[63827]

I'm sorry but I disagree, and I'll tell you why. Your initial question is quite right but for the exact opposite of the reason you give it. If there is no need to buy the new M6 as well as the M6 Pro and the M8, I add, it is precisely because the M6 is still simply the best. I agree that Shanling would have had to solve the gapless problem all this time, but which dap has no problems? The absence of the gapless is a very marginal problem when compared with the much more structured ones of the other daps with which the M6 was confronted and I add it still compares now coming out of it in my opinion the winner. Do we want to talk about the battery life of the iBasso DX160? We want to talk about the very high hiss of the Hiby R6 / R6 PRO? We want to talk about the fact that the Fiio M11 has much inferior hardware to the M6 and an even older android? The M6 for what it cost when it came out ... offered and still offers audio quality and a musical signature that is still hard to beat today. It is no coincidence that many reviewers say that the only dap that can rival the much more expensive M8 in musicality and sonic signature is still today, the good old M6. Shanlig still releases firmware updates, things not for everyone do it for a dap of almost two years of life ... but then it gets lost in a glass of water ... it does not add languages beyond the basic ones (I had asked for the Italian), does not solve the gapless problem on its app, which made many turn up their noses. What do you want? Genius and recklessness ... but if, as I did this morning, you connect the Mest MKII to the M6 and listen to Rory Gallagher's guitar as it sounds, forgive everything to the M6. Not you? The M6 was born to sound better than all of its direct competitors and even some much higher in price and that it does ... it sounds better than many other daps. Shanling should refine itself and believe more in what it does, listening more to user requests ... it would only have to gain from doing it.

You are quite right! The lack of gapless in the Shanling app got the better of me!
I've just listened to the M6 for the first time in months.
I was actually impressed all over again in how spectacular the sound is. Amazing to say the least!
You see I listen to a lot of live and old prog-rock recordings. So gapless is so very important to me.
It's also annoying when you listen to the music back through the Prime method rather than the android system and you can hear the difference knowing it is just that bit better. Just not gapless.
So my beef is with just the one missing option in the Shanling app, nothing else.
Poor coding there?! I don't know.
Cant believe I was thinking on selling this player. So sorry to everyone for loosing my cool over one wee thing.
Wouldn't part with it now!
All the best to you and everyone else.