[kazekai]

Anyone experiencing issues with offline playback of downloaded music on Apple Music? On the latest M8 firmware and Apple Music version.

 

[Shanling]

Anyone experiencing issues with offline playback of downloaded music on Apple Music? On the latest M8 firmware and Apple Music version.

Please what exact issue and what exact Apple Music version?

Are you using internal memory or MicroSD card?

 

[chaturanga]

I am considering to buy this DAP but I am reading some software issues. Sorry I tried to find but I couldn't read all posts, are those issues solved in that time or still exist?

So here are my questions:

- Is Tidal and UAPP app working stable now?
- Is Tidal app and UAPP app can play Tidal Master tracks by unfolding to their maximum? (I know M8 DAC chip is capable of 8X MQA unfolding but still it unfolds as a full decoder, which is enough for me because I don't think we can hear a real difference between 8X or 16X full decoding....)
- If yes is that also correct for offline Tidal master tracks on Tidal's own app?

Thanks.

 

[Stu Paddasso]

Tidal & UAPP are working fine. Not sure about unfolding, I listen to older music.

 

[MPCK1967]

I am considering to buy this DAP but I am reading some software issues. Sorry I tried to find but I couldn't read all posts, are those issues solved in that time or still exist?

So here are my questions:

- Is Tidal and UAPP app working stable now?
- Is Tidal app and UAPP app can play Tidal Master tracks by unfolding to their maximum? (I know M8 DAC chip is capable of 8X MQA unfolding but still it unfolds as a full decoder, which is enough for me because I don't think we can hear a real difference between 8X or 16X full decoding....)
- If yes is that also correct for offline Tidal master tracks on Tidal's own app?

Thanks.

I haven't had any issues with Tidal, MQA unfolds completely in the Tidal app and in the Shanling app as well. I have not used UAPP but I don't see why it wouldn't work. One thing to note is that MQA is not supported over USB so you cannot use the DAP to unfold MQA from Tidal on a pc.

 

[chaturanga]

I haven't had any issues with Tidal, MQA unfolds completely in the Tidal app and in the Shanling app as well. I have not used UAPP but I don't see why it wouldn't work. One thing to note is that MQA is not supported over USB so you cannot use the DAP to unfold MQA from Tidal on a pc.

Thank you, did you try to use Tidal PC app settings there was a setting to take full control of DAC?

 

[chaturanga]

Tidal & UAPP are working fine. Not sure about unfolding, I listen to older music.

Thanks

 

[monsieurfromag3]

I am considering to buy this DAP but I am reading some software issues. Sorry I tried to find but I couldn't read all posts, are those issues solved in that time or still exist?

So here are my questions:

- Is Tidal and UAPP app working stable now?
- Is Tidal app and UAPP app can play Tidal Master tracks by unfolding to their maximum? (I know M8 DAC chip is capable of 8X MQA unfolding but still it unfolds as a full decoder, which is enough for me because I don't think we can hear a real difference between 8X or 16X full decoding....)
- If yes is that also correct for offline Tidal master tracks on Tidal's own app?

Thanks.

I very recently got an M8 myself and by and large am happy with it. Certainly nothing to knock down sound-wise!
UAPP works well, but as you know won’t stream Tidal offline.
I wouldn’t call the M8 a perfect Tidal player. MQA unfolding heavily solicits the CPU because the DAC itself isn’t an MQA-native chip. This means the M8 may get very hot while reading MQA.
Also on Tidal I have the issue where the M8 cannot keep track of my position in a song. The progress bar works normally for the first song, but when the next one plays I’ll look at the M8 a minute or two inside the song and it stays at 0:00. Restarting the song fixes it. No such issue with Spotify.

Don’t let anyone tell you the M8 is outdated though here it is running Star Wars: Squadron via the Xbox Cloud.

 

[FooFighter]

anyone still using M8 and EE Odin?
am struggling updating my RS6 to M9 due to the high price and wondering if I should go back to my beloved old M8 which is nowadays much more affordable.
I am looking for more timbre in mids and more forgiving upper mids while still having good punch (M8 never disappointed me last year paired with MEST MK2)

 

[RIGATIO]

anyone still using M8 and EE Odin?
am struggling updating my RS6 to M9 due to the high price and wondering if I should go back to my beloved old M8 which is nowadays much more affordable.
I am looking for more timbre in mids and more forgiving upper mids while still having good punch (M8 never disappointed me last year paired with MEST MK2)

I bought a used M8 last month after having many daps (dx300, dx320, M9, sp1000, 1000m, Kann Max) and I'm more than happy. Got it for 60% of the original price in a perfect condition.
Using with the Monarch Mk2, Xelento, IBasso IT07, Kinera Nanna.

I was fed up with chasing a rabbit. Dont want to spend 2k+ euros for a daps anymore.

Have decided to go for a musical, warmish sound and it payed off.

The M8 plays like a dream. Beautiful, organic sound. I actually prefer it's signature to the M9 which has very extended and slightly unnatural hights.

Two weeks ago i compared it to other daps in a A/B tests in audio shop.
Was surprised how much better the M8 sounded in comparison. Every other dap (m17, Kann Max, m11 plus etc) and even the Fiio K9 pro sounded digital.
Also the staging of the M8 is more on a desktop devices level.

 

[FooFighter]

I bought a used M8 last month after having many daps (dx300, dx320, M9, sp1000, 1000m, Kann Max) and I'm more than happy. Got it for 60% of the original price in a perfect condition.
Using with the Monarch Mk2, Xelento, IBasso IT07, Kinera Nanna.

I was fed up with chasing a rabbit. Dont want to spend 2k+ euros for a daps anymore.

Have decided to go for a musical, warmish sound and it payed off.

The M8 plays like a dream. Beautiful, organic sound. I actually prefer it's signature to the M9 which has very extended and slightly unnatural hights.

Two weeks ago i compared it to other daps in a A/B tests in audio shop.
Was surprised how much better the M8 sounded in comparison. Every other dap (m17, Kann Max, m11 plus etc) and even the Fiio K9 pro sounded digital.
Also the staging of the M8 is more on a desktop devices level.

Thinking about the same approach, M8 was my best DAP I've had after DX 220 Max, DX300 Mk1/2 - I might have preferred it even over the M30 I got afterwards which was though a good match for headphone listening.
I've made a break with DAPs after selling M8/M30 and concentrated on desktop gear.

Am now specifically interested in the Odin pairing, otherwise I know that M8 is sublime

 

[monsieurfromag3]

I bought a used M8 last month after having many daps (dx300, dx320, M9, sp1000, 1000m, Kann Max) and I'm more than happy. Got it for 60% of the original price in a perfect condition.
Using with the Monarch Mk2, Xelento, IBasso IT07, Kinera Nanna.

I was fed up with chasing a rabbit. Dont want to spend 2k+ euros for a daps anymore.

Have decided to go for a musical, warmish sound and it payed off.

The M8 plays like a dream. Beautiful, organic sound. I actually prefer it's signature to the M9 which has very extended and slightly unnatural hights.

Two weeks ago i compared it to other daps in a A/B tests in audio shop.
Was surprised how much better the M8 sounded in comparison. Every other dap (m17, Kann Max, m11 plus etc) and even the Fiio K9 pro sounded digital.
Also the staging of the M8 is more on a desktop devices level.

Big endorsement coming from a fixture of the iBasso threads like yourself @RIGATIO

I did like you, bought a used M8 at a similar discount a couple months back. It is out of my regular budget and it wasn’t a particularly good time to splurge, but I wanted an upgrade to my Cayin N3Pro with the same type of signature and figured it was my last chance for a taste of the flagships before inflation boosted prices out of reach.
I love the N3Pro but was frustrated by usability issues and wanted a DAP that could stream. It seemed like the only one fitting the bill, so I laid down the cash without even having auditioned it. The reviews were unanimous, both in praise and in the description of the M8’s signature, so I suspected I was in for a treat. I have not been disappointed.
No compromise on fidelity nor musicality: that is the mark of true flagships.

The only drawback from those early days was the discovery that the M8 is just not a very good Tidal streamer. MQA makes it overheat, it loses track of where it’s at after a couple of songs, volume control acts up… A blessing in disguise really, as it has pushed me to try out Apple Music and I am not looking back! Tidal have butchered many of their CD quality files by replacing them with crippled MQA. Their recent attempts at deploying an artist-centric model is a good idea, but so poorly executed it makes me cringe.
On the M8 everything just works with Apple Music, as it does with Spotify. And who would have thought a software-first company would develop the best streaming UI for its own music software, huh?

 

[Kiats]

The only drawback from those early days was the discovery that the M8 is just not a very good Tidal streamer. MQA makes it overheat, it loses track of where it’s at after a couple of songs, volume control acts up… A blessing in disguise really, as it has pushed me to try out Apple Music and I am not looking back! Tidal have butchered many of their CD quality files by replacing them with crippled MQA. Their recent attempts at deploying an artist-centric model is a good idea, but so poorly executed it makes me cringe.
On the M8 everything just works with Apple Music, as it does with Spotify. And who would have thought a software-first company would develop the best streaming UI for its own music software, huh?

If you read the product page: https://en.shanling.com/product/390, it has been explained that this is part of the cooling system. I believe @Shanling has also explained it in this thread.

 

[ClicketEKlack]

I suspect that unlike many DAPs which quickly become obsolete, the M8 and its lovely sound will become a sought-after piece of classic gear.

 

[Kiats]

I suspect that unlike many DAPs which quickly become obsolete, the M8 and its lovely sound will become a sought-after piece of classic gear.

Have to agree. I may have the M9, but they will have to pry the M8 out of my cold fingers...