Shanling M0 Pro DAP Review

[Jimster480]

It is indeed a significant change.

It seems that fairly large (?) OEMs like Shanling are able to juggle with various DACs pretty easily.
I’m not sure if they use the standard reference application schematics from the datasheets and consider it good enough… or they have developed overtime in-house expertise with all these chips and know “what to do” to implement them well…

Both situations are possible, I just don't like how many products share the same names and yet have entirely different hardware.
If one is the M0s and the other is M0-Pro then to me I would consider that they both have the same hardware, just one is using maybe 1 DAC chip because it is single ended... but then when you change the DAC chip; it is indeed another product even if they do a good job and implement the replacement chip just fine.
It just makes it more difficult for the consumer to know what they are purchasing.

 

[billou5767]

It is indeed a significant change.

It seems that fairly large (?) OEMs like Shanling are able to juggle with various DACs pretty easily.
I’m not sure if they use the standard reference application schematics from the datasheets and consider it good enough… or they have developed overtime in-house expertise with all these chips and know “what to do” to implement them well…

1/ there is not 100 dac
2/ in general makers of chip have 'used to ' always the same no revolution , look dac same during 10 year
3/ shanling its his job to do dap , all of 10/20/30 product are / have in the same inside thing

 

[abm0]

Those are weird amounts of 2nd and 3rd order harmonics, considering the ES9219 was specifically designed with a THD compensation function intended to remove exactly those two components. Why do I suspect they implemented that wrong and boosted THD instead of suppressing it?

Seems like what FiiO are claiming that setting does in their ES9219 devices (BTR15 at least) when enabled from FiiO Control, but I haven't investigated yet if they're really using it as ESS intended - but marketing it wrong as a harmonics booster - or if they're really inverting the value the user sets and really boosting harmonics as they claim.

 

[CedarX]

Those are weird amounts of 2nd and 3rd order harmonics, considering the ES9219 was specifically designed with a THD compensation function intended to remove exactly those two components. Why do I suspect they implemented that wrong and boosted THD instead of suppressing it?

Seems like what FiiO are claiming that setting does in their ES9219 devices (BTR15 at least) when enabled from FiiO Control, but I haven't investigated yet if they're really using it as ESS intended - but marketing it wrong as a harmonics booster - or if they're really inverting the value the user sets and really boosting harmonics as they claim.

Why would that be “wrong”? If Shanling and FiiO want to leverage the THD comp. feature to provide a “tube-like” sound, because that’s what the customers want, I see nothing wrong.

E1DA has been offering this exact same feature for years and their ESS-based dongles. I’m sure there are other!

 

[abm0]

Why would that be “wrong”?

Because it's the opposite of what the chip datasheet says that function is supposed to do, and of course because a DAC's job is to reproduce the original analog signal faithfully, minimizing all possible artifacts, including distortion, harmonic or otherwise. Even the functionality's name tells you: "THD com-pen-sa-tion", i.e. removal of something undesirable, canceling out of something unwanted by applying an opposite effect.

 

[EJ3]

Because it's the opposite of what the chip datasheet says that function is supposed to do, and of course because a DAC's job is to reproduce the original analog signal faithfully, minimizing all possible artifacts, including distortion, harmonic or otherwise. Even the functionality's name tells you: "THD com-pen-sa-tion", i.e. removal of something undesirable, canceling out of something unwanted by applying an opposite effect.

I'm interested in where that definition of "compensation" came from?
As far as I know, compensation is NOT the removal of something but the ADDITION of something.
That is why I want to know where this definition came from.

 

[CedarX]

I'm interested in where that definition of "compensation" came from?
As far as I know, compensation is NOT the removal of something but the ADDITION of something.
That is why I want to know where this definition came from.

From the ES9219 datasheet:

I believe the ESS chips have a (limited?) DSP adding H2 & H3 opposite harmonics signal to compensate some of these non-linearity.

 

[abm0]

I'm interested in where that definition of "compensation" came from?

First place to look would've been a dictionary, maybe?

adding H2 & H3 opposite harmonics signal to compensate some of these non-linearity.

Yeah, adding something with negative effect to remove something unwanted. It removes/counterbalances/counteracts/neutralizes unwanted harmonics.

TBH my money is on FiiO having enabled this at some carefully selected value that removes as much distortion as possible to provide a clean signal by default, and then applying any non-0 values put in by the user to reduce the amount of compensation and give those who want it a more distorted sound. For Shanling I assume they either just kept this functionality disabled or applied it in the opposite direction to add more H2 and H3 (therefore not compensating anything), judging by Amir's graph. This would be in line with what many reviewers call Shanling's "house sound".

 

[EJ3]

First place to look would've been a dictionary, maybe?

View attachment 426580


Yeah, adding something with negative effect to remove something unwanted. It removes/counterbalances/counteracts/neutralizes unwanted harmonics.

TBH my money is on FiiO having enabled this at some carefully selected value that removes as much distortion as possible to provide a clean signal by default, and then applying any non-0 values put in by the user to reduce the amount of compensation and give those who want it a more distorted sound. For Shanling I assume they either just kept this functionality disabled or applied it in the opposite direction to add more H2 and H3 (therefore not compensating anything), judging by Amir's graph. This would be in line with what many reviewers call Shanling's "house sound".

I did look at 5 dictionaries. The first 5 that showed up.
Which one was that?
Hunting all over is difficult when you have had 3 cervical vertebrae fused together, it's rather painful.

 

[abm0]

I go straight to merriam-webster.com for these things (have it set up in my browser so I can go m <words> right in my address bar and it does the thing).

 

[billou5767]

be cool !!! its 100 buck toy , to listen walking in the street music , not mc intosh

 

[EJ3]

I go straight to merriam-webster.com for these things (have it set up in my browser so I can go m <words> right in my address bar and it does the thing).

That is the first one I went to:
But my COVID addled mind did not take it that way at the time. I rarely use my computer for anything other than email, so their is that. But no real excuses.