Following the success of the Shanling EC3 CD Player, the Asian manufacturer continues to revive interest in CDs with the Shanling CD 80 and Shanling ET3 CD players, as well as the Shanling CA 80 all-in-one amplifier. Based on proven Philips drive mechanisms combined with a Sanyo pick-up laser, these new players promise to get the most out of not only your CDs, but also all your digital files, thanks to their 32-bit DAC.
Shanling CD 80 CD player
Available for €359, the Shanling CD 80 CD player is the Asian manufacturer’s most affordable model. It can play regular CDs, as well as ripped CDs (CD-R and CD-RW). Like all the brand’s models, it uses a Philips drive mechanism, here combined with a Sanyo HD860 pick-up laser. In addition, it can play songs from a USB key or hard drive, thanks to the USB port on its front panel. Its ESS ES9219MQ DAC supports the majority of formats (APE / FLAC / ALAC / WAV / AIFF / AIF / DTS / MP3 / WMA / AAC / OGG / MP2 / M4A / AC3 / OPUS / TAK / Cue) up to 32-bit/384kHz, as well as DSD and DXD tracks.
A true all-rounder, the Shanling CD 80 can also receive music from a smartphone, tablet or computer. Its Bluetooth module supports the LDAC format, guaranteeing high-quality wireless listening. As for outputs, the Shanling CD 80 benefits from analog and digital connectors for easy pairing with any amp or DAC. A headphone output is also included, in conjunction with a dedicated amplifier capable of delivering 130 mW into 32 ohms. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Shanling CA 80 all-in-one amplifier
The Shanling CA 80 amp (€539) has the same features as the Shanling CD 80 CD player, but adds an amplifier. The latter delivers 2 x 50 watts into 8 ohms or 2 x 100 watts into 4 ohms, allowing it to power a pair of bookshelf or small floorstanding speakers. The class D power stage maximizes dynamics and ensures a balanced reproduction. Other features include USB 32-bit/384kHz and DSD playback, a Bluetooth LDAC receiver and a dedicated headphone amp.
Shanling ET3 CD and netwrok player
The brand’s most prestigious model, the Shanling ET3 CD player (€729) follows the design of the Shanling EC3 CD Player, with a compact format and an attractive circular front screen. It perfects disc playback with a new Phillips SAA7824 drive mechanism, to which it combines the tried-and-tested Sanyo HD850 pick-up laser. This unit is now combined with an upscaling stage featuring a dedicated CT7302CL chip, and takes advantage of the power of the dual-core Ingenic X2000 processor to convert signals to Hi-Res 768kHz or DSD format. This optimizes the performance of the associated DAC, preserving every detail of the original recordings.
The Shanling ET3 also features a true network audio player, with DLNA compatibility for playing music shared on the local network. Streaming tracks to the Shanling ET3 streamer can easily be done from a smartphone, tablet or computer, using the AirPlay or Bluetooth protocols. Naturally, the LDAC codec is supported to boost the quality of Bluetooth transmission with compatible sources.
From its USB port, the Shanling ET3 network player can play Hi-Res tracks up to a very high resolution of 32-bit/768kHz, as well as DSD and MQA files. Unlike its smaller counterpart, it has no internal converter, and therefore requires an external DAC such as Tangent DAC II or Cambridge DacMagic 200M. For this purpose, the Shanling ET3 features several digital outputs in optical, AES/EBU, coaxial, USB and HDMI i2s formats. This ensures optimum compatibility with any DAC.
With the new Shanling CD 80, Shanling ET3 and Shanling CA 80 devices, the Asian manufacturer demonstrates that the CD still has a prominent presence in today’s audio landscape. The combination of this medium with Bluetooth, USB and a network drive for the Shanling ET3 shows that Shanling is not content with simply resurrecting the CD player: it’s reinventing it!
