Shanling M9 Plus - Flagship Android player

[DarginMahkum]

Headphonics review...

https://headfonics.com/shanling-m9-plus-review/

 

[davidmolliere]

Headphonics review...

https://headfonics.com/shanling-m9-plus-review/

Great review!

No comparison to SP3K is puzzling though, since they use the same DAC setup (with different implementations though) it’s one comparison I am curious about.

 

[DarginMahkum]

Great review!

No comparison to SP3K is puzzling though, since they use the same DAC setup (with different implementations though) it’s one comparison I am curious about.

I have an SP3K here with me but I keep going back to M9+. The fact that Poweramp EQ works very well on M9+ with Qobuz and Poweramp Player is available for listening to local music is a great plus for M9+. At least for me. SP3K is slightly more neutral in the mids. Both are great players but at least for me, independent of the price, I would choose M9+ over SP3K.

What is nice with SP3K is, its EQ works even in BT DAC mode, which is unique, but I didn't try the USB DAC mode.

 

[newworld666]

I have an SP3K here with me but I keep going back to M9+. The fact that Poweramp EQ works very well under M9+ with Qobuz and Poweramp Player is available for listening to local music is a great plus for M9+. At least for me. SP3K is slightly more neutral in the mids. Both are great players but at least for me, independent of the price, I would choose M9+ over SP3K.

What is nice with SP3K is, its EQ works even in BT DAC mode, which is unique, but I didn't try the USB DAC mode.

In a way, with any android 10+ Smartphones or Windows 10+, BT transmission can handle PowerAMP EQ/MathAudio EQ with QObuz, BubbleUpnp, Neutron, Foobar to any BT receivers or TWS (in my case BTR7, iFi Go Blu, FIIO M17, Up4 (2022), R3, KannAlpha, WM1a, SD-9, all TWS,...) .
I would think, that I don't have any PEQ issue in almost any configuration for portable devices.
The only case left for me, is with app like "mconnect" (Iphone/Android) or streamers using dlna transmission to a device without android 10+ => there is no EQ available with any players/streamers.

 

[DarginMahkum]

In a way, with any android 10+ Smartphones or Windows 10+, BT transmission can handle PowerAMP EQ/MathAudio EQ with QObuz, BubbleUpnp, Neutron, Foobar to any BT receivers or TWS (in my case BTR7, iFi Go Blu, FIIO M17, Up4 (2022), R3, KannAlpha, WM1a, SD-9, all TWS,...) .
I would think, that I don't have any PEQ issue in almost any configuration for portable devices.
The only case left for me, is with app like "mconnect" (Iphone/Android) or streamers using dlna transmission to a device without android 10+ => there is no EQ available with any players/streamers.

The cases are not many but for example if you want to use it with a computer where you don't have the possibility of installing a system wide EQ. Or if you are using it as an audio receiver for a TV. I don't know if there's a system wide EQ on iOS devices while playing a streaming service. So I still find it a useful feature.

 

[MusicTeck]

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Get up to 40% off on Selected Shanling Products, 15% off on M9 Plus: https://shop.musicteck.com/search?type=product&q=shanling*

The full holiday discount list: https://shop.musicteck.com/pages/holiday-sale-price-preview

 

[ahossam]

Any comparison betwen M9+ and SP3000 will be much appreciated.

 

[davidmolliere]

So I have been spending more and more time with M9 Plus. I am quite annoyed at the M9 Plus boot time and lack of android 12 but hey, you can't be perfect... My initial impressions stand, and then some. Maybe it's burn in or brain burn in or both.... I must be around 200 hours now.

M9 Plus strikes a balance of qualities that is quite a mix :

• vibrant with the right energy everywhere,
• organic and full bodied yet with stunning separation and detail,
• powerful and able to drive headphones but no distorsion whatsoever and a black background with zero hiss.

This one will make it hard for Shanling to top himself, as I said before, this could (should?) have been M10 as it's no incremental iteration to M9. Just wow, pure enjoyment!

I am not keeping M17 since M9 Plus has enough power for DCA Stealth on the go.
After much A/B to my surprise I am letting go of RS8 R2R goodness and I don't think I can justify keeping N7 as well for all its 1bit DAC glory... this one I am still on the fence about, will probably depend how WM1ZM2 turns out to be...

 

[swedishpat]

So I have been spending more and more time with M9 Plus. I am quite annoyed at the M9 Plus boot time and lack of android 12 but hey, you can't be perfect... My initial impressions stand, and then some. Maybe it's burn in or brain burn in or both.... I must be around 200 hours now.

M9 Plus strikes a balance of qualities that is quite a mix :

• vibrant with the right energy everywhere,
• organic and full bodied yet with stunning separation and detail,
• powerful and able to drive headphones but no distorsion whatsoever and a black background with zero hiss.

This one will make it hard for Shanling to top himself, as I said before, this could (should?) have been M10 as it's no incremental iteration to M9. Just wow, pure enjoyment!

I am not keeping M17 since M9 Plus has enough power for DCA Stealth on the go.
After much A/B to my surprise I am letting go of RS8 R2R goodness and I don't think I can justify keeping N7 as well for all its 1bit DAC glory... this one I am still on the fence about, will probably depend how WM1ZM2 turns out to be...

Very interesting! Looking forward to hearing about how the Sony compares when you receive it!

 

[davidmolliere]

Very interesting! Looking forward to hearing about how the Sony compares when you receive it!

I am waiting on it any minute now

I'll keep you guys posted, the unit has 300+ hours on it so the excruciating wait for burn in won't be a limiting factor

Edit : Delivery did not happen, this package had a complicated story from day one... I hope to get it tomorrow at long last..

 

[davidmolliere]

please delete.

 

[kushgurjar8]

@Shanling has confirmed that the players with 665 chipset has serious wifi issues and they don't have any timeline to fix it.
All the players with 665 processor is struggling with this issue.
So folks take decision accordingly.
2000$+ dap not crafted well in software section.
M7 was launched last year and till now this issue is not resolved by the team.
Don't fall on false promises of firmware update.

 

[DarginMahkum]

@Shanling has confirmed that the players with 665 chipset has serious wifi issues and they don't have any timeline to fix it.
All the players with 665 processor is struggling with this issue.
So folks take decision accordingly.
2000$+ dap not crafted well in software section.
M7 was launched last year and till now this issue is not resolved by the team.
Don't fall on false promises of firmware update.

What kind of issues? Because my M9+ has very good and stable reception - at least I didn't notice anything yet.

 

[kushgurjar8]

What kind of issues? Because my M9+ has very good and stable reception - at least I didn't notice anything yet.

Every shanling 665 powdered device has slow wifi speeds issues on wpa2 routers.
And they don't have any fix for that.

 

[Shanling]

What kind of issues? Because my M9+ has very good and stable reception - at least I didn't notice anything yet.

Certain routers, especially when set to WPA2 setting, can have issue with speed on our 665 players.
If you haven't noticed anything, you are fine.