Shanling Audio is releasing a new version of their M2 Digital Audio Player, called the M2x, with new wireless capabilities as the hook. This will put it in competition with the HiBy R3 and Fiio M6, which sell for $199 and $149 respectively.
There is no word on the M2x price right now, but the R3 has a similar feature list and also adds MQA playback with local files and MQA streaming with TIDAL. No word on MQA for M2x. The Fiio M6 has Apt-X HD, 2GB internal storage, and access to streaming services other than TIDAL which neither the HiBy or Shanling show as an option, but the Fiio has but no balanced out, which the other two have available.
It will be interesting to see some more details fleshed out on the M2x, but this is what I have for now:
– Tidal support – For never-ending streaming of music (ONLINE mode only)
– USB Bluetooth transmitter – For high quality wireless sound from any computer
– Advanced USB output – For use with any external USB DAC, now including compatibility with DLNA, Airplay and Bluetooth receiver modes
Other features:
– MTouch 2.0 system
– Bluetooth 4.2, two-way connection
– LDAC, AAC, apt-X, SBC support
– 2.5 mm balanced and 3.5 mm single-ended output
– USB DAC function
– DLNA & Airplay support
– OTA upgrades
– 3.2 inch touch screen
– Single micro SD card slot
UPDATE: Here are some more details from Shanling, including release date and estimated pricing…
More information and specification for Shanling M2X
Availability:
Shanling M2X will go firstly on sale in mainland China during March and we expect international release to follow shortly after that.
Price:
Slightly above 200 USD, exact price not set yet.
Audio Circuit:
single AKM AK4490EN DAC
single TI OPA1612 acting as the low-pass filter
dual AD8397 amplifierDimensions: 98 x 60 x 16 mm
Weight: 147 g
Battery:
2400 mAh, fully charged in 2.5 hour
10.5 hours of playback in Single ended mode
7.5 hours of playback in Balanced modeHi-Res sound support:
PCM up to 32bit/384kHz, DSD up to DSD256
Audio output Single ended (3.5 mm jack):
Output power 180 mW @ 16 Ohm / 106 mW @ 32 Ohm
SNR 117 dB (A-weighting)
Output impedance 1 Ohm
Channel separation 70 dB (32 Ohm)Audio output Balanced (2.5 mm jack):
Output power 212 mW @ 16 Ohm / 120 mW @ 32 Ohm
SNR 116 dB (A-weighting)
Output impedance 2 Ohm
Channel separation 107 dB (32 Ohm)
I’m an audio writer who started as a young audio salesman/consumer electronics professional back in the late 90s. That’s where I discovered the magic of 2-Channel sound. My thirst for great sound has led me on a delightful music quest that continues today.
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