A Great Technical Performance
The M9 Plus sounds smooth and non-fatiguing, but at the same time, it has excellent resolution and dynamism, with great definition. Especially the soundstage and separation are fantastic, even more so than the M9. The stage is very wide and deep with great imaging. The background is black and thanks to that it has excellent separation, hence stereo imaging. Everything is separated very sharply and you can point out any instrument of a song from multiple directions.
The M9 Plus also has a fabulous layering performance which is the star of the show. The M9 was already pretty great in that regard, but the increased control, authority, and sharpness provide an even better layering to the M9 Plus. The depth in particular feels quite special. It makes you enjoy yourself and creates a deep, wide, and layered musical experience.
Complex recordings are no problem for the M9 Plus as it handles them beautifully and separates and layers the song even to the small details. Especially the mid-range is quite impressive here. The vocals and instruments are exceptionally clean and transparent, separated from other ranges.
The resolution is on par with flagship player standards, with a refined and spacious/clean presentation. That’s also the case for other super-flagship DAPs, so the M9 Plus is certainly among the best here.
The Naturalness
Another great thing about the M9 Ultra’s sound is its naturalness. Its ability to deliver the music in a liquid and smooth way is quite addicting. It presents you with a rich sound, and it does that with good texture and detail. It just sounds so open and airy -which to me is the most significant upgrade over the standard M9- you never hear a congested, “small” sound. It’s vast and open.
The micro-resolving ability is excellent as well. The tiniest details in the recordings are presented effortlessly. Having a great background performance certainly helps in that regard, which the M9 Plus has.
Power
The output power from Balanced is sufficient to drive most headphones including the HD800S and Arya Stealth. And, it is also very silent with sensitive IEMs. Shanling upgraded the output power and also bettered the noise floor with the M9 Plus, so the performance here is very satisfying. In comparison, it’s considerably more powerful than the M9, as the specs suggested. It’s not a huge difference on paper, but in daily use, you notice the power difference right away.
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. Over-Ear Headphone mode helps greatly in that regard, 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
As I’ve remarked in the article so far, the new M9 Plus is overall a more polished and refined player in terms of design and dimensions. However, I still think the original M9 looks more assertive and flamboyant.
I can’t deny the benefits of a more protective case and more compact chassis of the M9 Plus though, for practical reasons. In terms of user experience, there’s no difference apart from the size.
For sound, if I have to sum up my opinions that I’ve reflected in the article so far; the M9 Plus sounds better, faster, more focused, sharper, and airier. It has better authority, especially in the bass, which makes it extremely controlled and balanced. There’s no doubt that the Quad-DAC design brings more control and dynamism to the table. The new M9 Plus also has more power, from both BAL and SE outputs.
But what happens if you have the limited-edition M9 already? I would say that you can keep it. Even though the M9 Plus is considerably better, again, the difference between M8 and M9 was much more apparent. If you want to hear the absolute best from Shanling that’s okay, and if you have the budget to spend, why not?
The biggest difference between the two is sound character and soundstage. The new M9 Plus has more air, space, and better layering. It also takes a step towards the neutral side, and although I wouldn’t say it’s fully neutral, the balance and harmonics are exceptional and to me, it’s the ideal trade-off. For that, the M9 Plus is the “sweet-spot” DAP in the market today.
Another serious player in the flagship market today, the HIBY RS8 is a seriously large and heavy unit. The giant 12000 mAh battery is the reason behind that design and heft. You get used to it with time though. The material quality of the RS8 is more impressive since it’s made from titanium. Especially the back cover feels great in the hand, without the case of course.
They both have similar hardware with the same CPU, the same amount of RAM, and ROM. In terms of software and UI, both are very good devices to use. Of course, the 2K screen of the M9 Plus is miles better for resolution and colors. I also like Shanling’s UI a bit more, but if we look at their pure music apps, the RS8 offers more customization, especially on the EQ side. The RS8 also has an album art download function and an easily accessible “recent songs” screen which I use quite often
Sound-wise, the RS8 has a heavier bass response, with more rumble down low. However, the rest of the spectrum is not as warm as the M9 Plus. The RS8 leans more to the analytical side, although not being an analytical-sounding unit per se. The M9 Plus has a more rounded presentation, with a softer treble approach, which works well with analytical or bright-sounding IEMs, whilst the RS8 is sharper in treble with more brightness. The mid-range in the RS8 to me has a better definition, but the timbre in the Shanling is something special. It also has a better bass response just a bit, in terms of control. They both have a great soundstage performance, although I think the M9 has a slight edge in depth. You can’t go wrong with either of them. It depends on your set of IEMs/headphones and their synergy.
Conclusion
The new Shanling M9 Plus is a perfected and polished version of the limited-edition M9. The design makes more sense, and the sound is improved with the combination of 4x AK4499EX DACs and 2x 4191 modulators. In the realm of the flagship DAPs, it costs less money when directly compared to the competitors as well. It brings a unique design with a secondary information screen, above that gorgeous 6-inch 2K resolution screen.
In terms of sound, the M9 Plus is a serious player. The big soundstage, musical delivery, and the ”HiFi” type of sound, all are worth considering if you’re on the lookout for a flagship unit. This is the Shanling house sound at its best. With an excellent screen, good battery life, fast operation, and full Android support, this is one of the best players in the market for sure. This takes the Shanling M9 Plus to our Best DAP Recommendations page, replacing the original M9 in the process.
Pros:
- Excellent build & design
- Gorgeous 2K display
- Snappy UI
- Good packaging
- A worthy flagship with HiFi sound
- Fantastic soundstage and layering
Cons:
- A newer Android version would’ve been nice
- Still no gapless playback
- The volume knob should feel more premium
Page 1: About the Brand and the Device
Page 2: Design, Build Quality, Package, User Experience
Page 3: Display, Software, Sound Quality
erebos
Soundwise it’s best DAP on the market right now.
Mr Fripp
A comparision with the SP3000, N8ii or thw WM1zm2 or the M17 would be nice. The problem of Shanling is their poor software. As you mencionated in this review the gapless option still is not operative (for me is an important feature). In terms of sound probably it sounds wonderfull but Shanling is trying to compete with premium brand and i think they miss something to become a premium brand. I use to own the M8 and returnered because an annoying noise. I prefer spend that money in A&K or Sony.