Shanling M6 Pro Unboxing and Quick review!!

Shanling is not a new name in the audio market. They are widely known for their premium quality performance at budget price. They have made several class-leading digital audio players like the Shanling M0, which is one of the smallest DAP’s that provides a powerful sound output. Their Shanling M2x is one of the best DAP available in the market at the 200$ price segment. Both of these dap’s are based on Linux operating system, last year the brand released its first Android Based DAP, the Shanling M6 that grabbed attention and praise from audiophiles from all around the globe with its outstanding performance and eye-catching looks. This time around, the brand has revamped the famous Android DAP and released an upgraded version for the same, the Shanling M6 Pro. The latest model improved the sound quality with an improved and better DAC chip, improved amplifier section with a powerful output of up to 600mW, and much more. Today we have got a unit of Shanling M6 Pro and we are going to unbox the unit and share our quick review with you all.

About Shanling M6 Pro:-

The Shanling M6 Pro houses a powerful dual AK4497EQ DAC chip that provides a crystal clear sound decoding. It has an improved amplification circuit over the previous model and provides a monstrous power output of up to 600mW at 32 ohms of load. The DAP is built with premium material including a matte glass back panel. It features lightning-fast user interface experience with Snapdragon 430 CPU paired with 4GB of RAM and 32 GB of ROM. The player runs on an open android experience, so all the android apps are supported straight out of the box. It has three output ports, 2.5m and 4.4mm balanced ports, and a 3.5mm single-ended port. The powerful M6 Pro is priced at 759$ and you can check more details here.

Unboxing:-

The Shanling M6 Pro has got a simple thing rectangular packaging with M6 Pro branding on the front along with Shanling branding logo on the bottom. When we pull out the box from this thin sheet we get a plain cardboard box in black color with just Shanling branding logo on the front. Inside this lies our beautiful device along with a screen protector, a USB Type C cable, and a Quickstart guide. The package has all the required stuff to get us started. Since the DAP is built with Aluminium and Glass back panels we have got ourselves a separate leather carry case for the player.

The package has the following stuff:-

>One unit Shanling M6 Pro DAP.

>One USB Type-C Data Cable.

>One Screen Protector.

>User Guide.

Build Quality:-

The build quality of Shanling M6 Pro is similar to that of its previous model. It has an all-aluminum casing with matte glass back panels. The unit itself looks beautiful. On the front, it has a 4.7” IPS HD display with a 720P crisp HD resolution. The left side has three multimedia control buttons along with a microSD card slot that supports cards up to 512gb capacity. The multimedia controls can be used to play/pause music, or change to the next or previous tracks. On the right side, we have got an analog volume rotating switch. The backside has a matte glass panel, it has got Shangling branding logo on the center and dual Hi-Res certification logo’s along with M6 Pro branding on the bottom of the back panel. At the bottom, we have got the three output ports including 3.5mm single-ended, and 2.5mm, 4.4mm balanced ports along with a USB Type-C port that can be used to charge the M6 Pro, File transfer, Or use the M6 Pro as a USB DAC. The build quality of the device is outstanding and rich but please note that it is similar to that of its previous model the Shanling M6. Since the device has a glass back panel we recommend using a leather carry case with the M6 Pro.

User Interface:-

The Shanling M6 Pro runs an open Android Operating system featuring Android V7.1 as of now but the brand has plans to upgrade the OS to Android V9.0 in upcoming firmware updates. The device has an interface similar to that of our current-gen smartphones with android OS. The device is powered by a Snapdragon 430 CPU it provides a smooth user interface. We have a 400GB card loaded with FLAC's, around 5800 songs and the device swifts through our music library with no lag. The cover arts load almost instantly. The overall user interface is good with a crisp HD display and smooth performance.

Driving Power:-

Shanling M6 Pro has three gain modes low gain, high gain, and ultra-high gain. It is rated with a high power output, we tested multiple IEM’s, earbuds, and headphones to check the actual driving power of the player. We used Audiosense DT200 IEM that has an impedance of 14 ohms, a pair of earbuds HE150 Pro(150 ohms), Sivga P-II open-back planar headphones(32 Ohms), and Sennheiser HD6XX headphones(300 ohms). The device powered the IEM and buds well on the low gain mode, while for the Sivga P-II we used 4.4mm balanced cable included with it, it was powered well again on the low gain mode. But for the HD6XX we had to push the volume up on the ultra high-gain mode. We were able to enjoy the HD6XX too just had to push the volume up on ultra high-gain mode. So it can power your headphones up to 300 ohms fairly well and can let you enjoy good quality music portably.

Sound Quality:-

The Shanling M6 Pro utilizes its dual AK4497EQ chip well and provides a noise and jitter-free sound output from all its output ports. The sound quality is neutral and natural, it outputs a natural sound output retrieving almost every micro detail from our music. The lower end feels thick and deep, the bass response is quick, the mids and vocals are transparent, and the treble section feels rich with details. The sound output feels warmer and smooth, the output is relaxed and soothing. It doesn’t feel harsh or peaky at all. There is no coloration of any kind by the player, it acts as a pure natural source so one can use it for judging the capabilities of their earphones or headphones.

Lower End:-

The M6 Pro provides a natural and deep lower end. Our music carries good quantities of punches keep us groovy. There is a good amount of thumps that provides crisp clarity to the lower end. Sub-bass portion is well detailed and shows good rumble in the music too.

Mids:-

The mids section is transparent and shows brilliant detail retrieval. The vocals sound natural and well detailed, no harshness or peakiness is present there in the vocals. The acoustic instruments sound beautiful with a sweet tone. The vocals don’t feel artificial or fake, they have a natural tone to them.

Highs:-

The Highs are well detailed and controlled well, instruments show a natural timbre and tonality. The instrument separation is brilliant with quality imaging capabilities. Treble section doesn’t show any kind of sibilance or harshness even at louder volumes.

Noise and Jitter:-

The Shanling M6 Pro even at its ultra high gain mode provides a very clean and crisp sound output, there is no sign of noise or jitter. We are just being provided with crisp and clear sound output.

Soundstage Representation:-

We believe the soundstage depends more on the pair of earphones or headphones being used, but as long as the output from the M6 Pro is concerned, the soundstage representation is purely natural. It feels wide and detailed with good amounts of air around the stage to provide the users with a brilliant instrument detail experience.

Battery Life:-

The Shanling M6 Pro features a large 4000mAh battery with quick charging 3.0 support. It charges from 0 to 100% in around 2 hours only. We tested multiple formats like DSD and FLACs during our testing sessions and the player lasted for up to 8.5 hours of playback for us, where we used 3.5mm and 4.4mm ports. It is a fairly good battery life with such a powerful sound output.

Wireless Connectivity:-

The Shanling M6 Pro features dual-band Wifi connectivity with 2.4/5GHz channels and a dual way Bluetooth connectivity with Hi-Res codecs support including LDAC, APTX HD, and many more. We have used the Shanling M6 Pro with our Sony ANC Wireless headphones and the output was just mesmerizingly beautiful. The connection was stable and never provided us with any kind of lag.

Streaming Capabilities:-

The Shanling M6 Pro featuring dual-band Wifi provides a strong and stable wireless internet connectivity, and with an open Android OS, we can use different streaming apps on the device with no issues. We have tested Tidal, Spotify, Apple Music, and more, and the player ran smoothly with no lag.

Final Verdict:-

The Shanling M6 Pro is a well-built premium looking Android Digital Audio Player that not only provides us with a smooth and fast user interface but also with unmatched sound quality output. The device provides versatile connectivity options with multiple output ports and wireless connectivity options. The player is really capable of acting as a natural sound source that you can use to judge the capabilities of your earphones or headphones as it provides uncolored sound output. The player is available for 759$ and you can order one for yourself from our store here.