[Quadfather]

Be careful you might be regretting selling it. Give it another careful fun listen time.

When I have trouble which stay which goes I do it this way. I wait 1 month and keep the one that my hands go grabbing the more often

I am going threw similar process right now with dx300 and M8. I just past 8 days listening to dx300 and 0 hours on M8.

Today I sit and giving a run to M8 at first it felt strange as its a different tuning. My mind was aaa I think dx300 is better I hear this cleaner this clearer oh and the details are easier to listen and overall it just feels pleasant and easy going experience, so ok yea that fun enjoying my self more and more on M8...

Now an hour later I am like hmm lets hook dx300 back again see how it goes....

Well... Instantly hit oh where is my rumbly bass? Oh the treble whats here why it feels a little too unatural strange?
Then the voices, are so much good on M8.

Overall M8 has an amazing timbre and texture of the thick warm sound that envelops you and giving you huge hugs and love. The sound is not thick like 1z its pretty clean. Just in comparison to dx300 it feels much warmer and bassier. It can even feel bloated in bass vs dx300 but only at first 10minutes!
Oh mine after that your brain settles in and your soo hooked! Cant stop...

The bass the charming velvety sound the vocals, the way music just flows is just wowy wow love it. M8 is tuned to be a love and music phylosophie, its undeniably flavorfull, it has colors with bright sun and very happy soulfull sound.


When I go back to ibasso I feel more seriousness, the musicality is not there, it does sound very good, clean, with such fast bass and velocity is easy and quick on decay.
But its not as fun and noble sounding ad M8. Its more reference and clean in approach.

Yes at first you may think M8 is too colored and bassy, but for me ita beautiful music!
Dx300 is technical music with a little fun touch to the signature.

The thick, syrupy sound of the NW-WM1Z is originally what attracted me to it. Analog. My Lotoo Paw Gold is more-or-less my resolution King at the moment. I am a little schizophrenic when it comes to sound, because I get in these moods where I'll go off on one sound signature, and love it and then get in the mood for another signature.

 

[Vitaly2017]

The thick, syrupy sound of the NW-WM1Z is originally what attracted me to it. Analog. My Lotoo Paw Gold is more-or-less my resolution King at the moment. I am a little schizophrenic when it comes to sound, because I get in these moods where I'll go off on one sound signature, and love it and then get in the mood for another signature.

That is totally normal I get those times too. I then do music genres rolling to find the one that can make me happy with that current mood.

I did a lot of hard work to find that perfect and best all arounder iem and sound...

I only use 1 dap, 1 iem and 1 cable...

For now my best results are with Tia noir, symbiote elite 19 and M8. This is a setup that sounds so good you will cry of joy well I do hehe

 

[xand]

That is totally normal I get those times too. I then do music genres rolling to find the one that can make me happy with that current mood.

I did a lot of hard work to find that perfect and best all arounder iem and sound...

I only use 1 dap, 1 iem and 1 cable...

For now my best results are with Tia noir, symbiote elite 19 and M8. This is a setup that sounds so good you will cry of joy well I do hehe

What are you going to do with your dmp-z1?

 

[Quadfather]

That is totally normal I get those times too. I then do music genres rolling to find the one that can make me happy with that current mood.

I did a lot of hard work to find that perfect and best all arounder iem and sound...

I only use 1 dap, 1 iem and 1 cable...

For now my best results are with Tia noir, symbiote elite 19 and M8. This is a setup that sounds so good you will cry of joy well I do hehe

My Lotoo Paw Gold 2017 still gets about 30% of my ear time. I will try the M8 in time.

 

[Vitaly2017]

What are you going to do with your dmp-z1?

I never had one. My dmpz1 will be shanling M30

 

[xand]

I never had one. My dmpz1 will be shanling M30

Oh right - you said 1Z meaning Sony WM1Z?

Superseded entirely by the M8 (or DX300)?

 

[Vitaly2017]

Oh right - you said 1Z meaning Sony WM1Z?

Superseded entirely by the M8 (or DX300)?

Well I had a long journey with wm1z and at one moment there was too much love and I screwed it up...
I decided to physically mod my wm1z into something new and thats when my problems started to search again.
I left 1z for 1a then zx507 then R8 then M8 and now I have 2 daps dx300 and M8 I know for a fact I will sale dx300 as its not as soul and lovely like M8. M8 is the best sounding dap and closest to 1z I have found.
But ! There is the P6 Pro and I ordered one from musicteck for a free audition no buying obligation.
I have many audiophile friends here on headfi swares the P6 pro is the absolute best in sound quality.

Tiger rule is simple test it and if got tiger ears approval then it is the new best dap
Tough there is also M30 on the horizon and I truly think that this is the real best dap/desktop sound of all daps . Again to be tested as it gets released.

I am on the hunt and dap rolling period right now as I already found my end game iem and cable. Need that dap with desktop performance!

If it helps I love and adore the sennheiser hdv820 desktop dac/amp unit. It has 0 hiss with iems and can drive hd800s to their best ever possible, nothing drives hd800s as good as the hdv820 but dang it also sounds good with iems!
M8 is in the same sound category for me as hdv820 and wm1z. I feel M8 is closer to hdv820 in performance then 1z. 1z is not as dynamic and powerful. Sorry for 1z its time is over now sony need a new one !

Well I can keep going and going about how I love my current setup I only miss that M30

 

[rantng]

Do you think you'll wind up keeping it? What is your DAP of choice?

I normally use the FiiO M15. It's more neutral & balanced. I prefer a wider soundstage with some air; the M8 treble is a little relaxed & I'm a bit of a treblehead. In some ways the M8 reminds of my Meze Rai Penta; I've tried to sell it a few times as well and changed my mind each time as well. Ideally I'd keep both, but I don't think I could justify it.

 

[rantng]

Be careful you might be regretting selling it. Give it another careful fun listen time.

When I have trouble which stay which goes I do it this way. I wait 1 month and keep the one that my hands go grabbing the more often

I am going threw similar process right now with dx300 and M8. I just past 8 days listening to dx300 and 0 hours on M8.

Today I sit and giving a run to M8 at first it felt strange as its a different tuning. My mind was aaa I think dx300 is better I hear this cleaner this clearer oh and the details are easier to listen and overall it just feels pleasant and easy going experience, so ok yea that fun enjoying my self more and more on M8...

Now an hour later I am like hmm lets hook dx300 back again see how it goes....

Well... Instantly hit oh where is my rumbly bass? Oh the treble whats here why it feels a little too unatural strange?
Then the voices, are so much good on M8.

Overall M8 has an amazing timbre and texture of the thick warm sound that envelops you and giving you huge hugs and love. The sound is not thick like 1z its pretty clean. Just in comparison to dx300 it feels much warmer and bassier. It can even feel bloated in bass vs dx300 but only at first 10minutes!
Oh mine after that your brain settles in and your soo hooked! Cant stop...

The bass the charming velvety sound the vocals, the way music just flows is just wowy wow love it. M8 is tuned to be a love and music phylosophie, its undeniably flavorfull, it has colors with bright sun and very happy soulfull sound.


When I go back to ibasso I feel more seriousness, the musicality is not there, it does sound very good, clean, with such fast bass and velocity is easy and quick on decay.
But its not as fun and noble sounding ad M8. Its more reference and clean in approach.

Yes at first you may think M8 is too colored and bassy, but for me ita beautiful music!
Dx300 is technical music with a little fun touch to the signature.

I'm wondering what will happen when/if iBasso releases their tube module for the DX300.

 

[Vitaly2017]

I'm wondering what will happen when/if iBasso releases their tube module for the DX300.

No one knows. But the fact that with the ampere app you can see M8 consuming 1200 ma and dx300 only 250ma lol means a lot. I think dx300 os not going full power amd its saving some battery life for convenience and this why has chosen the cirrus logic dacs.

Shanling sounds more open and expansive to my ears. I feel a little clustraphobic with dx300 as the extensions and reverberations are none and cut very early between mid high and low high region. I kinda dont like that.
On M8 its very open and natural I dont get any sense loss there in that region. The rest seems very good.

 

[PrecisePorpoise]

Hello again from the uber noob. I paired my all-time favorite Empyreans w/ the M8 that arrived today. Please note that this is my first DAP so I have nothing to compare it to, and I am a nobody average joe oxygen-loving mammal reviewing a fancy pants audio device.

• Wow. The warmth. The BASS. The separation. The detail. Is this a mirage? Am I thirsty? What is happening with my body right now? The hairs on the back of my neck. This is a drug. My new drug. Doh the battery died. Wait what time is it? Wow, where did those hours go. I want another hit ASAP. Charge faster!
• Ugh. The overall fit finish of the software on this device is the definition of mediocrity. It's inconsistent, poorly designed, and poorly implemented universally across the board. The CPU employed is simply underpowered as a cost-savings measure. I would gladly pay an extra multiple on landed BOM for a faster CPU. And throw in the extra 2GB of RAM people. The device will benefit on so many levels. Ugh, it's lagging while scrolling again. Why am I using Android 7 in the year 2021? 2016 wants its OS back. Nougat is terrible candy and a garbage OS.
• The lack of attention to detail from a software and UX perspective is monumental. Why have so many redundant menus? Why do I have to master weird unintuitive flows to accomplish simple things? Wait, I have to click that tiny arrow to turn on the USB DAC? Why are my fingers so fat? Can I blame my ring? Please don't tell my wife I said that. Should I stop eating ice cream? Wait did it just crash again? I can tell from the musical output that Shanling has a strong acoustic engineering and EE team. I hope they are using a good quality battery. Should I keep the fire extinguisher close by when charging this thing? I can also tell that their visual design, UX, and software engineering teams are not on the same planet. Interns that work for me do better design work. This device is jekyll and hyde.
• Why did I spend $1600+ on this thing? Oh yeah. THE MUSIC. The music is GRAND on these emps. But man, I wish the software fit and finish was there. How can I help @Shanling?

Drama aside, the musical end result makes this ... worth it. Yes. It's worth it. After all that, I am sticking with that statement because my brain is on fire after listening to the MUSIC. Does the software still make me feel below the line? Yes, it does. Will I live with it and probably learn to love it? Fingers crossed.

More to come in time as I live with this puppy. Happy Friday.

 

[Vitaly2017]

Hello again from the uber noob. I paired my all-time favorite Empyreans w/ the M8 that arrived today. Please note that this is my first DAP so I have nothing to compare it to, and I am a nobody average joe oxygen-loving mammal reviewing a fancy pants audio device.

• Wow. The warmth. The BASS. The separation. The detail. Is this a mirage? Am I thirsty? What is happening with my body right now? The hairs on the back of my neck. This is a drug. My new drug. Doh the battery died. Wait what time is it? Wow, where did those hours go. I want another hit ASAP. Charge faster!
• Ugh. The overall fit finish of the software on this device is the definition of mediocrity. It's inconsistent, poorly designed, and poorly implemented universally across the board. The CPU employed is simply underpowered as a cost-savings measure. I would gladly pay an extra multiple on landed BOM for a faster CPU. And throw in the extra 2GB of RAM people. The device will benefit on so many levels. Ugh, it's lagging while scrolling again. Why am I using Android 7 in the year 2021? 2016 wants its OS back. Nougat is terrible candy and a garbage OS.
• The lack of attention to detail from a software and UX perspective is monumental. Why have so many redundant menus? Why do I have to master weird unintuitive flows to accomplish simple things? Wait, I have to click that tiny arrow to turn on the USB DAC? Why are my fingers so fat? Can I blame my ring? Please don't tell my wife I said that. Should I stop eating ice cream? Wait did it just crash again? I can tell from the musical output that Shanling has a strong acoustic engineering and EE team. I hope they are using a good quality battery. Should I keep the fire extinguisher close by when charging this thing? I can also tell that their visual design, UX, and software engineering teams are not on the same planet. Interns that work for me do better design work. This device is jekyll and hyde.
• Why did I spend $1600+ on this thing? Oh yeah. THE MUSIC. The music is GRAND on these emps. But man, I wish the software fit and finish was there. How can I help @Shanling?

Drama aside, the musical end result makes this ... worth it. Yes. It's worth it. After all that, I am sticking with that statement because my brain is on fire after listening to the MUSIC. Does the software still make me feel below the line? Yes, it does. Will I live with it and probably learn to love it? Fingers crossed.

More to come in time as I live with this puppy. Happy Friday.

The software isnt so so bad but I agree it has stougthers and slow downs and it can get anoying and frustrating.

But I hope too shanling will improve the software side as it lacks behind what a great sou d it offers!

Need the ui and stability improved and this dap is pure dop!

By the way try hiby music app or other as they seem faster as reported by other members. But you lose dsd bit perfect

 

[Rockwell75]

Drama aside, the musical end result makes this ... worth it. Yes. It's worth it. After all that, I am sticking with that statement because my brain is on fire after listening to the MUSIC. Does the software still make me feel below the line? Yes, it does. Will I live with it and probably learn to love it? Fingers crossed.

More to come in time as I live with this puppy. Happy Friday.

I'm with you on the software however once I switched to the Hiby (or Fiio) music app instead of the Shanling app my user experience and battery life improved considerably. It's not as snappy or as fluid as my iPhone or anything but it's more than good enough for me. There is (I think) something about how the Shanling player software indexes files that is really inefficient and makes the player slow and laggy in its processes, scrolling, making playlists etc.

All of that said the sound of this player is simply phenomenal. It's got soul and power and its utterly engrossing.

 

[subguy812]

So I'm blaming you guys, but also myself because even though I have my M8 listed for sale I'm still subscribed to this thread. I gave the M8 another listen today (seemed like such a waste that it's been sitting in the box for over a week); paired it with the DUNU SA6 in Turbo mode & it just brought the IEMs to life. The SA6 is a great IEM, but not the most dynamic. The M8 was like adding special sauce to the SA6; the music just had more body & there was an added warmth. Vocals were meatier. The word I'm looking for is timbre. So now my M8 has 21 hours on it instead of 20...

This made me smile.....

 

[vodanhkhack]

Hello again from the uber noob. I paired my all-time favorite Empyreans w/ the M8 that arrived today. Please note that this is my first DAP so I have nothing to compare it to, and I am a nobody average joe oxygen-loving mammal reviewing a fancy pants audio device.

• Wow. The warmth. The BASS. The separation. The detail. Is this a mirage? Am I thirsty? What is happening with my body right now? The hairs on the back of my neck. This is a drug. My new drug. Doh the battery died. Wait what time is it? Wow, where did those hours go. I want another hit ASAP. Charge faster!
• Ugh. The overall fit finish of the software on this device is the definition of mediocrity. It's inconsistent, poorly designed, and poorly implemented universally across the board. The CPU employed is simply underpowered as a cost-savings measure. I would gladly pay an extra multiple on landed BOM for a faster CPU. And throw in the extra 2GB of RAM people. The device will benefit on so many levels. Ugh, it's lagging while scrolling again. Why am I using Android 7 in the year 2021? 2016 wants its OS back. Nougat is terrible candy and a garbage OS.
• The lack of attention to detail from a software and UX perspective is monumental. Why have so many redundant menus? Why do I have to master weird unintuitive flows to accomplish simple things? Wait, I have to click that tiny arrow to turn on the USB DAC? Why are my fingers so fat? Can I blame my ring? Please don't tell my wife I said that. Should I stop eating ice cream? Wait did it just crash again? I can tell from the musical output that Shanling has a strong acoustic engineering and EE team. I hope they are using a good quality battery. Should I keep the fire extinguisher close by when charging this thing? I can also tell that their visual design, UX, and software engineering teams are not on the same planet. Interns that work for me do better design work. This device is jekyll and hyde.
• Why did I spend $1600+ on this thing? Oh yeah. THE MUSIC. The music is GRAND on these emps. But man, I wish the software fit and finish was there. How can I help @Shanling?

Drama aside, the musical end result makes this ... worth it. Yes. It's worth it. After all that, I am sticking with that statement because my brain is on fire after listening to the MUSIC. Does the software still make me feel below the line? Yes, it does. Will I live with it and probably learn to love it? Fingers crossed.

More to come in time as I live with this puppy. Happy Friday.

Wow! What is your desktop headamp for your Empyrean? How do you compare it vs the M8?