Seven Key Differences Between The Shanling M7 & The Former Flagship Shanling M8 Digital Audio Players

Shanling recently launched its latest flagship-grade Android digital audio player, the Shanling M7. It is a feature-rich device that shares the same core architecture as the flagship M9 digital audio player. Now we know it’s a trimmed-down version of the M9(M9 uses flagship Dual DAC, Swappable termination plugs, and more upgraded features), But how does the latest M7 fare against the previous flagship from Shanling, the M8. M8 was a huge success for Shanling. It attracted a lot of audiophiles with its modular termination plug and flagship AKM DAC chipset. Let’s find out the key differences between the former flagship Shanling M8 and the latest Shanling M7 Android Digital Audio Players.

Significantly Faster CPU:-

Shanling M7 receives a significant upgrade in its SoC chip over the former flagship model. It comes equipped with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 Chip as the current flagship M9. M8 on the other hand offered the Snapdragon 430 chipset. Qualcomm 665 is a significantly modern chip that provides a smartphone-like fast and fluid user interface. It also allows Shanling to feature the latest Android Operating system on the M7. In short, M7 is faster, fluid, and smooth to use.

Updated System To Android 10:-

Shanling has also updated the Android operating system on the M7. The outdated SoC chipset on the M8 holds it to Android 7.1 only, M7 on the other hand comes stock with the Android 10 Operating system. The latest operating system opens doors to more applications and also smoother UI.

New Flagship DAC Chipset:-

Both the Shanling M8 and M7 features flagship-grade DAC chipsets. The M8 was equipped with dual AK4499 DAC chipsets while the latest M7 comes with a single ESS ES89038PRO DAC chip. ES9038Pro is an 8-channel flagship DAC chip that is known for delivering outstanding performance with class-leading Ultra-low distortion and high SNR ratings.

From Modular Headphone Socket To Simple Headphone Ports:-

One of the main attractions of the Shanling M8 was the modular headphone output port. With a single port, users could swap the termination port as they required. This is featured in the flagship M9 too. Shanling M7 on the other hand has simple headphone output ports with a single-ended 3.5mm and a balanced 4.4mm headphone sockets.

More Memory, Faster Performance:-

Shanling M7 has got an increase in its RAM as well as internal storage capacity. M8 had 4GB RAM with 64GB storage. The latest M7 gets 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. This increased RAM helps to use multiple applications smoothly while the increased internal storage allows users to store twice the data as the M8.

Redesigned Amplification Circuit:-

In both the M7 and the M8 Shanling uses their in-house developed amplification circuit. Although the architecture of the M7 is similar to that of the M9 and it also has a bit more power when it comes to the output. M8 has got up to 760mW @32Ω load, the M7 has got 800mW @32Ω of load.

Price Difference:-

Shanling M7 has a price tag of 1249$ about 400$ cheaper than the M8 which was priced at 1659$. You can check out more details about the M7 here and the M8 here.