audio-sound @ hatena

An audio review & news blog. The volume should not exceed 80 dB is recommended. I usually adhere to the safe-listening style by WHO. Please note that my aural impressions and interpretations of measurements are also made from a safe-listening style.

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(News) Shanling M6 Pro 2021 Android Music Player Announced

Shanling M6 Pro 2021

Shanling M6 Pro 2021

 

Back in October 2020 a fire at the AKM Technologies factory in China has led to an acute shortage of AKM DAC chips in the market. Brands that originally had the AKM chipsets in their products such as Digital Audio Players or Desktop DAC's are slowly redeveloping and redesigning their products around the Sabre ESS audio chipset.

 

Earlier this year Shanling has introduced M6 Android Music Player 2021 variant with ES9038Q2M DAC chipset. Today, Shanling has announced the latest variant of its highly successful M6 Pro Android Music Player, the Shanling M6 Pro 2021.

 

Shanling M6 Pro 2021

 

M6 Pro has always been one step ahead of the M6 in terms of chipset and performance, here Shanling has designed the M6 Pro 2021 with a high-performance dual-DAC chipset housing two flagship-grade ES9068AS DAC chips. ES9068AS is a 32-Bit DAC chip from ESS Sabre Technologies capable of providing exceptional high-resolution audio signal decoding with ultra-low distortion and high SNR ratings. The player is rich with many more features such as octa-core Snapdragon 430 CPU, two-way high-resolution Bluetooth support, Open Android 7.1 OS with global hi-res lossless support, and many more. Shanling M6 Pro 2021 is available to order from HiFiGO with a price tag of 799.99$, know more here.

 

Features

  • High-performance Dual DAC chipset.
  • High-Resolution audio signal decoding support(PCM up to 32-Bit/768kHz, and DSD up to DSD256 natively).
  • Open Android V7.1 OS with AGLO(Android Global Lossless Output).
  • Three-level Gain: Ultra, High, Low.
  • Fluid, Snappy User Interface With Octa-Core Snapdragon 430 SoC.
  • 4GB RAM+64GB ROM.
  • MicroSD card slot expandable up to 2TB.
  • Latest Shanling Music application with HiFi cloud music library.
  • Single DAC and Dual DAC mode.
  • Dual-band 2.4G/5GHz Wi-Fi with OTA update support.
  • Two-way Hi-Resolution Bluetooth support.
  • Bi-Directional USB Type-C port.
  • 4.7" HD IPS display with crisp image quality.
  • Dual Hi-Res audio certification(Hi-Res Audio and Hi-Res Audio Wireless).

 

Output Parameters(Single-Ended 3.5mm)

  • Output power(32 ohm): 20mW@Low gain, 60mW@High gain, 240mW@Ultra-high gain.
  • SNR: 124dB.
  • Channel separation: 75dB.
  • THD+N: 0.0005%.
  • Dynamic range: 125dB.
  • Output impedance: <0.3 ohm.

 

Output Parameters(Balanced 2.5mm/4.4mm)

  • Output Power(32 ohm): 60mW@Low gain, 240mW@ High gain, 760mW@Ultra-high gain.
  • SNR: 126dB.
  • Channel Separation: 110dB.
  • Dynamic Range: 124dB.
  • THD+N: 0.0005%.
  • Output impedance: <0.6 ohm.

 

Battery Parameters

  • Capacity: 4000mAh.
  • Playback: Up to 16H on single-DAC mode, Up to 13H on Dual-DAC.
  • Standby Time: Up to 36H.

 

Shanling M6 Pro 2021

 

Changes With OG M6 Pro(2020)

The main upgrade the new M6 Pro 2021 got over the OG one is the revamped ESS Sabre DAC chipset. Other than that we have also got Improved battery life, newly developed amplifier stage for better output power with lower distortion and high SNR ratings. Internal storage has also increased from 32GB in the OG to 64GB in the M6 Pro 2021. MicroSD card slot supports up to 2TB capacity cards, the OG supported only till 512GB.

 

Shanling M6 Pro 2021

 

Flagship-Grade ESS DAC Chipset

One of the main reasons for redesigning a successful product is the shortage of manufacturing components. With the worldwide shortage of AKM DAC chips, Shanling has now opted for premium ESS Sabre DAC chips. They have equipped the M6 Pro 21 with two ES9068AS DAC chips providing exceptional high-resolution audio signal decoding performance with ultra-low distortion ratings and pitch-dark noise-free background in the output. M6 Pro(21) supports signal decoding with PCM support up to 32-Bit/768kHz and DSD up to DSD256 natively.

 

Global Lossless Support

Shanling M6 Pro 2021 features an open Android 7.1 system with a new AGLO(Android Global Lossless Output) audio architecture. It breaks the Android SRC limit and provides global lossless decoding support across multiple applications on the system. It means that high-resolution decoding is not only limited to the Shanling Music application, in fact, users can use any application such as USB Audio Player Pro, Tidal, Qobuz, or any other media application that supports high-resolution decoding.

 

Shanling M6 Pro 2021

 

Fast Performance With Octa-Core Snapdragon CPU

Shanling has equipped the M6 Pro 2021 with an octa-core Snapdragon 430 CPU and 4GB of RAM. It provides a smartphone-like smooth user experience and also allows for using multiple apps at once without any lag in the system.

 

Seamless Two-Way Bluetooth With High-Resolution Codec Support

Shanling M6 Pro 2021 supports two-way Bluetooth V4.2 connectivity with high-resolution codec support. It supports LDAC, LHDC, aptX HD, aptX, SBC codecs during Bluetooth transmission, and LDAC & SBC during Bluetooth receiver mode. The player also features a multi-color LED light near the volume wheel that glows in different colors as per active Bluetooth codecs such as Green for LDAC, Yellow for aptX HD, Purple for aptX, and Blue for SBC.

 

Shanling M6 Pro 2021


High-Output Power With Three-Level Gain Mode

Shanling M6 Pro(21) has a high-output power rating of up to 760mW at 32 ohms of load. It is more than enough to power up demanding headsets portably without any trouble. The player supports three-level gain modes, Low, High, and Ultra-high for smooth pairing with demanding as well as sensitive headsets.

 

Improved Battery Life

Shanling M6 Pro 2021 features a 4000mAh battery with better optimization of the chipset than the OG model. It supports continuous music playback for up to 16 hours on single DAC mode and up to 13 hours Dual DAC mode.

 

Shanling M6 Pro 2021

 

Price & Availability

Shanling M6 Pro 2021 has got a slight bit of increase in price in comparison to the OG model. Instead of 759$ price of OG M6 Pro, the 2021 model is available to order for 799$. This 40$ increase in price looks definitely worth it with all these upgrades on the device.

 

Shanling M6 Pro 2021 Portable Digital Audio Player

Shanling M6 Pro 2021 Portable Digital Audio Player