DeepL translation of
"https://post.smzdm.com/p/a90r83x7/"
SHANLING is a high-tech brand that integrates R&D, production, processing and sales of audio equipment. Founded in 1988, Shanling has a wide range of products, including SACD/CD players, Hi-Fi amplifiers, gallows amplifiers, advanced mini-combos, HI-FI tuners and AV amplifiers. Shanling has been granted a number of patents for the use of technologies such as HDCD by Microsoft, Dolby Digital, DTS and patent licences for DVD, SACD and CD, and has established close cooperation with many top international HI-END manufacturers.
The company is certainly one of the leading audio brands in China in terms of hardware design and mechanical workmanship. However, for a long time, their on-the-go audio products have been categorised by audiophiles as 'value for money' with good quality but not great musicality. This view has changed significantly with the introduction of the M8 music player, which is a clear breakthrough in terms of setting and controlling the sound style of its products, with a relatively thicker and warmer tone replacing the simple, angular quality-oriented style. The M8 was not a perfect music player, but it was one of the most "good sounding" in the Shanling family in those days.
Since then, Shanling seems to have "gotten the hang of it" in terms of tuning, and all subsequent music players have maintained a similar sound direction, although the quality of performance varies. If the M8 was a test run for the first flagship music player, the M9, which was launched last year, is the first true 'flagship' music player from Shanling. This 'flagship' refers to the fact that both the hardware design and the tuning level have reached the same level of performance in the market. Although it still cannot be said to have reached the 'top' of the industry, it is at least one of the high-end models that cannot be ignored, especially because its sound style has inherited the warm and thick sound of the M8, while at the same time improving the density of the three frequencies and the solidity of the mid and low frequencies.
What's surprising is that Shanling's 'drive' is so strong that by the middle of 2023, their lineup has been revisited. Defined as a 'super flagship', the Shanling M9 Plus has been launched as a 'Shanling 35th Anniversary model', and there are two things to look for in this machine. The first is whether it really has the quality and sound performance of a "super flagship". The second is why it is still priced at the level of other sub-flagships. Today, we're going to talk about it.
Not a single penny spent, all in the 'belly'
To be honest, I was a little disappointed to see the 'first side' of the M9 Plus when I first opened its exquisite solid wood box. Although the M9 Plus is officially described as an improvement on the M9's casing, including shaping and improving the screen-to-body ratio, the overall design doesn't quite match the M9's. Of course, I have to admit that the workmanship of this machine is really quite exquisite.
As the 35th anniversary model of Shanling, the designers have indeed given the M9 Plus all the best hardware available today, but this has its good and bad points. The new current-type AKM AK4191 + AK4499EX flagship combination replaces the older AK4499 as the 'heart' of this generation of players. This is a generation of DAC chips that Kudan highly respects, although the combination does not offer a 'significant' improvement in terms of signal-to-noise ratio and other hard parameters compared to the AK4499, and even separates several functional components previously assembled in a single chip into a multi-chip design. Theoretically, this design may not improve the metrics, and may even be fractured.
However, AKM's design has received a lot of praise from digital audio designers, as the separate digital processing modules give designers more scope to adjust the sound signal on the digital side, allowing them to tailor the sound performance to their needs. No doubt the designers of the Mountain Spirit have done a lot of work with this facility, and the new I/V conversion circuitry and CPAF low-pass filtering technology have finally been implemented in this generation. Note that the high output current characteristics of this digital processing module are of great help to the subsequent design of the analogue amplifier circuit and the final headphone driving capability and sound dynamics. The latest version of the XU316 USB interface and FPGA technology and KDS low phase noise active crystal oscillator are also not left behind as well as other technologies that are 'standard' in flagship players.
Thanks to the M9 Plus' relatively large size, more sophisticated analogue amplification circuitry has been built into the machine. As a label with decades of experience in designing and founding analog amplification desktop devices, Shanling has never been more comfortable with designing analog amplification systems for portable devices. The Muses 8920 and Buf634A combination couldn't be more classic, as the OP+Buf architecture has been played to perfection. It's not exactly a 'high end' design, but the sound is durable, warm and relatively fine and silky across the full range, which is a key priority for a product that wants to be in the top tier of music players.
Of course, all the 'supplements' that audiophiles love most have to be used in the 'ultra flagship', and the configuration has to be stretched to the limit. This is why we can see the presence of Japan's ELNA premium Silmic II silk film capacitors on the M9 Plus, and even the earth wire, note the earth wire, of the headphone output is made of imported high purity monocrystalline copper wire, which the designer has chosen among the many "top tonic wires". I can't really tell how this design affects the final sound, but there's no denying that it has an accelerating effect on the opening of the "brain amplifier". These are the main upgrades to the M9 Plus, so you can see that the 'Plus budget' has almost all been used in the 'belly' of this machine.
A side-by-side comparison in its class, with a reasonable analysis of thrust, sound and price
Although Shanling has an official description of the M9 Plus' thrust, I'd like to talk to you about its performance in pushing various types of headphones from my own practical experience. Firstly, I don't think the maximum output of the M9 Plus is a significant improvement over the M9. The most perceptible difference is that the dynamics of the M9 Plus are noticeably more impressive when driving earbuds, and this is on the premise that detail analysis has also improved. Secondly, the M9 Plus is more comfortable when driving some low-resistance and low-sensitivity headphones, very spacious and natural, which is something the M9 cannot do. In addition, the M9 Plus continues the 'suit' tuning design of the flagship model and its own headphones, and the M9 Plus is clearly a very harmonious match for driving the ME900, with a balance of quality and warmth.
Then, the three-position gain adjustment and the exclusive mode for large headphones are quite good in terms of experience. Especially for people like me who like to listen to headphones indoors, the maximum gain + large ear mode can drive very large unit size dynamic headphones like the ZMF Headphones VC with more pleasure than even a few similar units that cost nearly $10,000 more. But be careful not to use flat-diaphragm headphones or low-resistance, low-sensitivity headphones such as the HiFiMAN Susvara or Fostex TH900, which are "impossible for me to do" with the M9 Plus.
In terms of sound performance, the M9 Plus is a departure from most of the top music players on the market, starting with the fact that it has a significantly more resilient and thicker sound base. It's just not as 'thick' as the M8 and a little less so than the M9, but it has a basic thickness that provides a toughness not found in any previous Shanling music player, which is somewhat similar to the sound performance of Shanling's top of the range desktop players. Secondly, the M9 Plus's dynamic transients, especially in the low end, are of an exhilarating and spot-on standard, specifically in the context of a music player, and this kind of low frequency control is really a first for Shanling, as well as a flagship music player should be.
It doesn't dwell too much on the glamour and beauty of the mid and high frequencies like the SP3000, nor does it pursue the path of high quality and density like flagship models such as the Kayin and Seabees, but instead strikes a good balance between quality and musicality. The main focus is on a warm and delicate sound, but the quality is significantly better than the M9, which makes it not look "soft" in a crowd of expensive flagship models and gives a better sense of musical envelopment and atmosphere than many similar models. This is especially true for the playback of pop vocals, live jazz and small-format string music. The fine and adequate quality of the sound gives better detail reproduction, and the thick and warm style makes it easier to bring in the music quickly. The high current and excellent control of the output allows most headphones to release dynamic transients fully and without too much excitement, making it one of the best flagships for compatibility.
Lastly, buying advice
After more than a month of experience, it seems that the M9 Plus does not quite surpass the absolute quality of the top flagship music players on the market, nor is it the most musical of them all, but it is the one that has the best balance of quality and listening. You may think it's middle of the road, but on the other hand it's the best for music. But the price of the ...... is too "inward", at $15,890 it's a few thousand to $10,000 difference to several flagship models of the same calibre. It's a bit like the Kawasaki playbook in the motorbike world, I'm more expensive for the same price, and I'm less expensive for the same fit. Anyway, I have my own factory and I have an inherent advantage in the price war. ...... In short, I want to have a better "sound to price ratio" than all of you!
