Shanling M7 Review

Power & Synergy

The output power from Balanced is sufficient to drive most headphones including the HD800S. And, it is also very silent with sensitive IEMs like I mentioned above. So apart from its versatility regarding the software and overall usage, it is also a versatile device when it comes to pairing with different gear.

However, you should bear in mind that the treble presentation requires a proper match if you’re treble-sensitive. That’s also the case for the sound-stage dimensions. It would be better to pair the M7 with wide and deep sounding IEMs to have the best possible stereo imaging. Narrow and congested sounding IEMs wouldn’t fit well.

Over-Ear Headphone mode helps greatly in driving full-size cans, and you can even try that mode with relatively high impedance IEMs. You’ll be surprised as it improves the dynamism and PRaT even further.

Comparisons

Shanling M8

The M8, as I’ve remarked in the article so far, sounds warmer and more euphonic than the M7. The M7 is more analytical and flat, but its technical performance is a good match to the M8, if not better. As far as sheer resolution and transparency go, it is even better in some cases. Especially when it comes to Classical for instance, where you need the focus and sharpness, the M7 delivers quite well.

So between the two, I think it’s a matter of two things. One is the synergy with your IEMs/headphones. If you have warm sounding gear without too much treble energy, the M7 would be a great choice. If you have flat, bright sounding gear then the M8 would complete them well. The second thing is the swappable headphone sockets of the M8, in case you need that flexibility, which I doubt you would.

Finally, the M7 is much more up to date with its Android 10 OS and since Shanling discontinued the M8, it would be better to pick up the M7 if you don’t have any DAP at this level. If you can find the M8 in a bargain you can still go for it if you don’t care about the most up to date device, and faster CPU performance.

Shanling M9

The M9 is gigantic against the M7. Its screen is unbelievable good for a DAP, and it has swappable headphone sockets with a very cool secondary information LED screen. Other than that, they share the same design and looks. The M9 has the RAM and storage advantages but those are not game-changing differences.

The sound of the M7, just like its comparison against the M8, is more analytical and brighter. Although the M9 is not as warm as the M8 either, it has better layering, micro details and texture, and better resolution than the M7. It has a more textured and definitive bass, and it gives the treble in a more refined and smooth way with more space and air. The M9 is certainly one of the best in the market as far as pure sonic performance, so it was a very very tough challenge for the M7 to be too close in the first place anyway.

But the performance of the M7, in its own price bracket, is simply very good and I can’t knock it for its deficiencies against the M9. Sure, Shanling claimed that they squeezed the tech of the M9 to the M7’s chassis, but we all know that an M9 performance was out of the question. It won’t happen.

A Much More Compact Solution

However, when you think about the great user experience and much smaller footprint of the M7, it’s a viable option against the M9, especially if you’re mobile in commuting and working. The M9 is hard to carry around, and when you’re on public transport or simply on a walk somewhere, you won’t really do some critical listening outside. So the M7 makes perfect sense for that.

Conclusion

Yes, Shanling claimed that this was the much more compact version of the M9. But for some reason, I mostly associated it with the Shanling M8, which I think is still a great DAP. So in my opinion, this is simply the replacement of the M8, instead of challenging the M9 with a smaller footprint. I think an “M8 MKii” name would be fitting for this player.

So the M8 owners can still use their DAP, especially if they love that very warm sound signature. However, if you want to get a compact, stylish, competitive DAP in the market today with plenty of features and great sound, this I think is the best choice right now.

We remove the A&K SA700 from the Best DAPs list and add the M7 since the SA700 became a bit outdated, and the M7 offers more value and features at a similar price.

Page 1: About the Brand and the Device

Page 2: Design, Build Quality, Package, User Experience

Page 3: Display, Software, Sound Quality