Has any of you been able to compare the Ibasso Dx320 + Amp14 with Shanling M9 Plus? Thank you!
Shanling M9 Plus - Flagship Android player
- Thread starter Shanling
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We use pretty much just Sandisk cards and don't see such issues.
Please where did you format it and to what format?
Can you just format it on Windows to exfat and test it out?
Thank you for chiming in.
It appears that the card is dead somehow - no idea how this could happen?
I plugged it into my PC using a card reader adapter (my PC does not have a microSD slot); no response. So, I tried the same card reader with the old Samsung microSD card I have, and this worked.
The SanDisk card was working fine with my 320 Max; when I put it in the M9+, I tried to format it and that's when things started to go awry. I am not sure why or what happened...
Cards can fail at any moment, that's why for example photographers use cameras with two slots.
There are some softwares that can try to resurrect card or get some data out of it.
For what it's worth, I just received an M9+ and inserted a sandisk 1tb full of music and no problem. I think your card died maybe, but can't imagine the DAP had anything to do with it.
Actually, I spoke just a bit too soon! Within minutes of receipt and insertion of card (Sandisk Extreme 1tb removed from my Cayin N6ii), I started listening. Within a song or two, the sound partially cut out. Several restarts, FW upgrade, and same thing happening. Weird...happened in both prime and android mode, sound would keep playing but was cutdown significantly and playback sounded hollow and strange.
Decided to start over. Reformatted the card and transferred all music back in-player - a long process. When that was done, I did a factory reset and set the DAP back up. After that, this issue seems to be gone. Conventional wisdom seems to be format your card in player. Will report back if anything changes, but I think this fixed my issue (fingers crossed!!).
Do not format card in the player. We recommend to format it on Windows, exfat.
Rayzilla
1000+ Head-Fier
Hi Kiats. I am looking into upgrading from the N6ii that has stopped working for me. I am open and considering many DAPs but the ones I am most interested in are RS8, N8ii, DX320, DX 320 MAX, and now I just started looking at the M9/M9 Plus.Sadly no. Just tried. Ironically, I am using Sony 1AM2 and iBasso DX320 to stream LDAC to the ET3….
I mostly listen with IEMs and sometimes headphones. Only for on the go since I usually listen to speakers at home. I mainly listen to Drum and Bass and vocals.
I know the above info may not be enough but just wondering if you can share your thoughts because you have experiences with so many different DAPs.
Thank you in advance.
I've been able to spend time with most of these too myself and will leave a comment here.
Any specific characteristics you are looking for in the DAP?
For the DnB, definitely M9 Plus out of the bunch for me, as it is the warmest sounding with the most bass quantity. Staging is also extremely large with good transients, with only DX320 Max Ti sounding bigger and slightly more technically accurate, but not as warm or bass heavy.
Regular M9 is on the other hand quite a bit more lean and bright. It has a great amount of subbass and otherwise upper mids/treble boost, but the midbass and lower mids are leaner, I don't enjoy this. The DAP itself is great however if this type of sound signature this is your thing.
DX320 Max Ti leans slightly warm with extremely good technicalities and pretty much faultless in the sonic department.
RS8 personally just felt inferior in all ways It definitely wasn't my thing, and I find it to be slightly bright analytical sounding, yet the technicalities were still behind others like the DX320 Max Ti.
Unfortunately I don't have much memory of N8ii even though I've tried it a few times.
Aside from the sonics however, we can talk about build and UI.
All of these DAPs are built excellent, though I do think the regular M9 is a little bit of a step down compared to the others. M9 Plus does so much better regarding the buttons and volume knob, though I still think it's very slightly below that of the others mentioned here. Where M9 and M9 Plus win by a landslide is the screen and user interaction, because whatever the screen Shanling put into the device itself is super vibrant and large, extremely my nice to look at and easy to press on. It's better than my phone and j honestly wish I could just use the M9 Plus as a replacement.
DX320 MAX Ti has probably by far the worst user interface and screen combination of the lot, difficult to press on and feels very slow/unresponsive.
RS8 was great in both build and UI.
N8ii was also great in both.
In terms of weight, M9 Plus is the lightest of the lot, followed by M9 regular being slightly heavier. Both are significantly lighter than the rest of the devices mentioned and you can still pocket this, but I have serious concerns about pocketing the others, which was one of the largest contributing factors towards why I picked M9 Plus.
N30LE also exists and it's great all sound but expensive and difficult to access. Sonically it's neutral with very good techs, reminds me of DX320 MAX Ti but probably a bit more neutral. Build is excellent, UI is excellent. Weight is heavy. Many have reported failures/QC issues/hissing however...
Tldr : M9 Plus
in both sonics and usability, while also pumping out crazy power with extra turbo mode. The most underrated flagship DAP without a doubt in my mind and I would take this over any other I've tried (as I have).
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Frabera
100+ Head-Fier
As fare as I am concerned, the M9+ as a flagship, has the best value for the money.
Without a single doubt in my mind.
My apologies that I have missed this post.
I see @Yifang has given his views. I generally agree with him.
I think you will appreciate the organic signature of the M9+ the most. Folks do tend to overlook the M9+ because they are instinctIvely averse to anything which is not dead neutral but the Shanling house sound is actually quite transparent but it manages to layer over a slight warmth which lends itself to hours of easy listening and enjoyment. I to listen to vocals, especially what is commonly characterised as ACG but has excellent bass lines and vocals. And the M9+ is one of my favourites currently. Which is saying something.
As for the M9, I think it is a great DAP too. It has impressive battery life. and great power like the M9+. Its only drawback is the size. But if that is not an issue, then it bears looking at. When the M9 came out, in between the M8 and M9, it seemed a bit out of step with the normal Shanling house sound. But I think there is still the Shanling DNA and warmth, just that it is closer to neutrality with a hint of warmth. It offers a nice contrast and complements either the M8 or M9+.
I will say some things about the other DAPs and why I chose not to have them. I do have the DX320. But I think it is good but not quite in the same class as the M9+.
With regards to the RS8, I felt it was a strange DAP: a R2R DAP that is tuned to sound like a DS DAP. Tonally it did nothing for me. I also did not like the fact that it was a bit unwieldy to handle and a bit heavy. The DX320 MAX was too big as well. It is also rather too neutral for me as well.
I generally listen to IEMs on my DAPs. I do have some IEMs that are more difficult to drive, like the FitEar DC, DC Ti, Air2 and Titan because they are have DD based. But the M9+ drives them very efficiently and is yet nuanced and organic.
I hope the above helps you. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any further questions.
davidmolliere
Headphoneus Supremus
I am going to post up a classified this week to list my M9 Plus, can't keep all my DAPs and N30 set me back a bit financially... I'll post the link in my sig when it's up!
Rayzilla
1000+ Head-Fier
Thank you so much for taking your time and troubles to write this post.I've been able to spend time with most of these too myself and will leave a comment here.
Any specific characteristics you are looking for in the DAP?
For the DnB, definitely M9 Plus out of the bunch for me, as it is the warmest sounding with the most bass quantity. Staging is also extremely large with good transients, with only DX320 Max Ti sounding bigger and slightly more technically accurate, but not as warm or bass heavy.
Regular M9 is on the other hand quite a bit more lean and bright. It has a great amount of subbass and otherwise upper mids/treble boost, but the midbass and mids and very lean, I don't enjoy this.
RS8 personally just felt inferior in all ways It definitely wasn't my thing, and I find it to be quite neutral and analytical sounding.
Unfortunately I don't have much memory of N8ii even though I've tried it a few times.
Aside from the sonics however, we can talk about build and UI.
All of these DAPs are built excellent, though I do think the regular M9 is a little bit of a step down compared to the others. M9 Plus does so much better regarding the buttons and volume knob, though I still think it's very slightly below that of the others mentioned here. Where M9 and M9 Plus win by a landslide is the screen and user interaction, because whatever the screen Shanling put into the device itself is super vibrant and large, extremely my nice to look at and easy to press on. It's better than my phone and j honestly wish I could just use the M9 Plus as a replacement.
DX320 MAX Ti has probably by far the worst user interface and screen combination of the lot, difficult to press on and feels very slow/unresponsive.
RS8 was great in both build and UI.
N8ii was also great in both.
In terms of weight, M9 Plus is the lightest of the lot, followed by M9 regular being slightly heavier. Both are significantly lighter than the rest of the devices mentioned and you can still pocket this, but I have serious concerns about pocketing the others, which was one of the largest contributing factors towards why I picked M9 Plus.
N30LE also exists and it's great all sound but expensive and difficult to access. Sonically it's neutral with very good techs, reminds me of DX320 MAX Ti but probably a bit more neutral. Build is excellent, UI is excellent. Weight is heavy. Many have reported failures/QC issues/hissing however...
Tldr : M9 Plus
Your information is very helpful.
I used to prefer the more technical and accurate sound before but in the last couple of years, especially since the time (slightly before) I picked up the RU-6 dongle, my tastes have changed. I like more warmth and slight bass emphasis in the sound now. This being the case, I am taking DX320 MAX TI off of my list based on your comments above.
The top three that I am considering then is M9 Plus, RS8, and N8ii. I would have considered the new Sony brick models but they seem to be underpowered (and the proprietary cable if it is still being used is a turn off for me).
The 320 Max Ti leans ever-so-slightly warm and sounds great. the RS8 is the one you should absolutely remove off your list if you want emphasis in warmth and bass. RS8 is analytical and with some spicy high end.
You should consider M9 Plus, DX320 Max Ti, and do more research on N8ii. I can't vouch for the M9 Plus enough however... biggest M9 Plus shill here
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