Shanling M3X Portable Lossless Digital Audio Player & USB DAC

Product Information

I am using wired headphones. The static moves from ear to ear, and seems like perhaps its unprocessed audio? I've no idea really... just sad that the M3X is still not working. The tonality is good, it is not overly warm or analytical. It does not sound digital or artificial. With most of the pairings, it sounds clean and linear with good dynamics. Instrument separation is satisfactory and I will talk about the soundstage in the next chapter as there are some things you have to know about that. Balanced vs. Unbalanced On the inside, that’s where all the important things changed. Android platform was upgraded to the octa-core Snapdragon 665 and Android 10, refreshing M3 for swift system response and app compatibility going forward. Of course, still combined with our Android Global Lossless Output (AGLO) system for an ideal Android sound performance. We even adjusted Bluetooth, switching to a newer 5.0 version.

Thiccness: Fiio M17 -> (Ultrasone Signature Master Introducing Shanling M3X​M3X is our newest Android Hi-Res portable player, built on the same platform as our previous three Android models. But this time we are aiming at the more affordable part of the market, with a little bit less focus on the most demanding DAC chipsets and the most powerful amplifiers. The midrange, akin to the bass, is linear with a touch of lushness to keep things from sounding clinical or dry. Like a lot of their line-up, the Shanling M3X’s midrange offers a great tone and timbre. There are some subtle differences between the ‘Single DAC’ & ‘Dual DAC’ modes where the former presents a slightly ‘slower’ sound with more smoothness and body whereas the latter presents a slightly ‘faster’ sound with a tilt towards an analytical signature.The bass of Shanling M3X is really deep, but it has a softer, more mellow presentation. It tends to have a slightly more substantial midrange and lower midrange, so the sound can be quite realistic and not thin / metallic. The bass cannot be EQ’ed very much, as the thing missing is not bass quantity but the character of the bass is a bit soft and doesn’t hit with utmost impact. Instead, M3X has a bass that’s refined, and softer, absolutelty delightful for Jazz and slower, chill music. This means that M3X is not exactly ideal if your favorite music style is Technical Death Metal and bands like Brain Drill or Dethklok, or hard trancecore, but it is great for pretty much everything else. The M3X sounds smooth and balanced across the spectrum. The midrange has a slight hint of warmth in it and the general presentation is fairly smooth with plenty of details. It feels like a complete all-rounder and provides a good listening experience, regardless of the IEM choice. It has a solid PRaT foundation for a mid-range DAP, especially when using it in balanced mode. Transients are fast and snappy. However, there is a big performance difference between the modes and I will talk about that soon. BT/TWS: Anker Soundcore Liberty 2 pro, Liberty Air 2 pro | Soundpeats Truengine 3 SE, Sonic, H1, Capsule3 Pro | KZ SK10 | Huawei FreeBuds Pro 2 The AnTuTu measurements are similar to what we have seen on other Shanling Machines, which is satisfactory in offering enough calculation power to music apps and other simple apps. M3X AnTuTu Score Sound Impressions Summary In terms of imaging, it is also clean and precise with great image separation. Thanks to the well rounded and wide soundstage presentation, pinpointing where instruments are coming from is, imo, almost effortless. Pair this with the M3X Limited's ability to resolve details and you are in for a treat.

The treble has some extra pep and sparkle around 9 kHz -10 kHz, after which it rools off gently. Having a slightly more enhanced treble doesn’t mean that it is bad for treble sensitive people, as it has a slightly softer character to that treble, rather than having a metallic and strong-edged one. It tends to uplift most IEMs without making them annoying or too sparkly, so IEMs that tend to be a bit dark will gain body and sound more open in the treble. Already thin IEMS may not work as well given the softer bass impact. Having that softer bass helps a lot with music that’s fatiguing an the treble being a bit smoother works too, so you could say that M3X is a forgiving DAP. The ES-3 is a warmer earphone that offers great PRaT for the price. Combining it with the M3X results in a great pairing. The presentation is warm, energetic, and exciting. The sub-bass goes deep and the bass is impactful and textured. The midrange is clear with plenty of details. The upper midrange is slightly recessed but shows good resolution and definition. The treble extension is brilliant, clean, and precise. The soundstage has moderate width with good depth. The instrument separation is excellent, as well as the layering. The general presentation is quite airy and spacious with the M3X. Overall, they offer a great synergy together. Pairing: Sennheiser HD58XThe place you’ll wanna go is the Audio settings, as that’s the only really interesting place in M3X’s settings menu. The Headphone output can be configured to work as a Line Out, there are multiple filter modes, and M3X can work in Dual or Single DAC mode. It is possible to select the Boot and Max Volume, and what codec Bluetooth will be trying to use. M3X also has Airplay and a Vehicle mode.