Shanling M0 Pro Review

If Google sent you here directly, click here to go to the start of the article. 

Software

Small screens usually aren’t good for simple usage, but Shanling has managed to load a beautiful UI to this device. The user interface is well thought out, and very compatible with the size limitation of the screen. Swipe left & right to easily navigate between menus, touch the big icons in the main menu, and swipe right for going back to any screen. You can also tap and hold anywhere on the screen to go back to the main menu. The same operation as the original model; easy and smooth.

The M0 Pro hasn’t been updated on the software, but in case of an update, just download and put the file on your SD Card (FAT32) and go to update, inside the settings.

User Experience

If you have big hands this is not the easiest device to work with, since it’s super tiny. It didn’t take time for me to adjust because I already have an experience with the original M0. Nevertheless, I’m sure after some time of getting used to it, you’re going to be just fine. Especially if you do sports or go to the gym and listen to music during those kinds of activities, this is the perfect device.

One nice thing is the double-tap feature on the wheel. You can assign three modes to it, which are next, previous and play/pause. So if you want to skip a song, just press the power/volume button two times and you’re good. You don’t have to take your device out of your pocket.

Overall the experience is quite nice, but it takes some time to adjust. The size of the device makes the whole package very attractive, but at the same time, things are not so straightforward. You need to spend time with the player to be comfortable with its UI and physical shape. Tapping on a small screen, using the volume knob, etc., all require some getting used to. The bigger your hands are, the more difficulty you’ll have. Yet I think this is quite normal for this extreme form factor.

People used the original M0 as a watch with aftermarket armband cases, and I’m sure you can find similar accessories on websites soon. That should be pretty useful for sports and similar activities. For example, I don’t usually prefer to take my smartphone when I’m running, but I can listen to my TWS IEMs with the much smaller M0 Pro. 

Another case is to use the M0 Pro as a transport, with an additional, higher-level DAC/Amp. The functionality and portability are the two key selling points of this device indeed.

Audio Settings & Battery

Settings-wise you have channel balance, gain setting, max & default volume settings, gapless playback, skipping between folders, and playing modes like shuffle and DAC filter options for sound. There’s even a manual EQ. But in case you don’t want to set a full manual EQ on a tiny screen, there are some presets on the menu.

Battery life is pretty good, even though I didn’t measure it in detail. It’s very efficient on standby as well. I mistakenly left the device open for a week, and when I got back to it, there wasn’t a significant battery drain. That means it preserves the battery on standby quite well.

When in playback, I haven’t experienced a heavy drain either, but that depends on your IEMs/headphones of course. It should probably go around 10 hours on average, if not more. 

Connectivity

The M0 Pro doesn’t have a WiFi function, but you get an updated BT5.0 standard, together with LDAC and aptX codecs. We don’t have the aptX HD codec here though. Nevertheless, my tests with my smartphone were smooth, and I haven’t experienced a connection issue or lag. For your reference, I played Qobuz tracks online on my phone without issues.

Shanling also has its ”SnycLink” feature, which allows you to control your DAP from your smartphone. What you need is an app called ”Eddict Player”. After installing the app, open the SyncLink and Bluetooth functions on the DAP and connect your smartphone with BT. Then you should be able to control the playback and the volume from your phone. The M0 Pro transforms into a wireless source with that feature. 

Page 1: Intro, Design, Build

Page 3: Sound

Page 4: Technical Performance, Comparison, Conclusion