Comparison Shanling M2s vs Shanling M1

Model of the digital-to-analogue converter installed in the device.

The DAC is one of the key components of any player: it converts the digital data recorded in the audio file into an analogue audio signal, which is fed through an amplifier to the headphones. The quality of the DAC directly affects how accurately the output sound will match the original signal, as well as whether the player can work with advanced digital signal formats: many of them require high computing power, which is not available in every DAC.

Note that the DAC model is indicated only if it is a high-end converter with above-average sound quality. On the modern market, in particular, DACs from such manufacturers are represented: AKM, Cirrus Logic, ESS Saber, Texas Instruments, Wolfson. And players with such equipment usually refer to Hi-Fi devices(see "Type").

It is also worth mentioning that the number of DACs can be different. The simplest option is one module for both sound channels, however, there are players equipped with two converters at once — one per channel. This "division of labor" affects the cost, but reduces the load on each individual DAC, which has a positive effect on the quality and reliability of the sound.

Sampling frequency of the digital-to-analogue converter installed in the player (see "DAC").

Sample rate and bit depth are two key characteristics of a digital audio signal; the higher they are, the better the sound quality, other things being equal. Without going into technical details, the meaning of this parameter can be described as follows: for normal sound reproduction, it is necessary that the sampling rate of the player's DAC is not lower than that of the file being played. Otherwise, playback will not be possible even if the audio format is natively supported by the player. (The exception is DSD, see "Supports audio formats" for more on that).

Note that most popular audio formats use a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz, and all modern portable players are guaranteed to support it. So this parameter is relevant mainly for Hi-Fi models (see "Type") that work with advanced digital sound formats.

The capacity of the digital-to-analogue converter installed in the player (see "DAC").

Bit depth, along with sampling rate, is one of the key characteristics of a digital audio signal; the higher it is, the better the sound quality, other things being equal. Without going into technical details, in this case, the meaning of this parameter can be described as follows: for normal sound reproduction, it is necessary that the bit depth of the player's DAC be no lower than the bit depth of the reproduced digital sound, otherwise playback will be impossible.

It is worth noting that the bit depth used in most popular music formats like MP3 is supported by all modern players. So this parameter is relevant mainly for Hi-Fi players (see "Type") that work with advanced digital sound standards.

The ratio between the level of the useful signal (clear sound) and extraneous noise, given by the player at the output. This parameter directly characterizes the quality of the built-in amplifier: it mainly takes into account the intrinsic noise of electronic circuits, and the higher the signal-to-noise ratio, the less these noises and the clearer the sound.

Note that in the case of players, this characteristic is often not particularly critical: the noise of the amplifier can be lost against the background of ambient sounds, especially in an urban environment, and for such situations even the most modest indicators, at the level of 70 – 80 dB, are enough. At the same time, for Hi-Fi models (see "Type") this moment is one of the most important; in the most advanced devices, the signal-to-noise ratio can exceed 120 dB.

The higher the power, the louder the sound you can get on the headphones, all other things being equal. In addition, higher power allows you to connect "ears" with higher impedance to the device (although there is no hard correlation here, and models with the same output power may have different headphone impedance limits). However, in the case of ordinary (non-Hi-Fi) players, this parameter is more of a reference than practically significant: usually, the power of the amplifier in such models is quite enough to “rock” most consumer-grade headphones. But for Hi-Fi devices (see "Type") models, output power is of key importance: it determines compatibility with high-resistance studio-class "ears". Detailed help on this issue can be found in special sources.

The coefficient of harmonic distortion produced by the player.

This parameter directly characterizes the amount of distortion introduced by the device into the original sound: the lower the coefficient, the clearer the sound, the less such distortion. It is impossible to completely eliminate them, but they can be reduced to a level that is practically not perceived by a person. So, it is believed that distortions at the level of 0.5% are already invisible even to an experienced listener. At the same time, in modern audio technology, there are also much lower values \u200b\u200b- up to ten thousandths of a percent. In the case of players, such indicators play mainly an advertising role — they are a sign of a high level of the device.

Note that the coefficient of harmonic distortion is indicated mainly for Hi-Fi players (see "Type"), for which the maximum purity of sound is critical; in conventional models, it is of secondary importance.

— CUE support. The player's ability to recognize and use .cue files. Initially, such files were used as track lists on Audio CDs, they recorded the sequence of tracks, their duration and title; nowadays, albums and compilations are often accompanied by a .cue file, recorded according to the principle “all tracks in a row in one audio file”. If the player supports CUE, then such an audio file can be listened to on it as a set of separate tracks, switching between them as desired — the player will take data from the .cue file about the start point of each track and automatically skip playback. In other words, the listening format will be the same as when playing music in the "one file per track" format.

— Lossless formats. Player support for audio formats that use lossless compression. Unlike lossy compression (in the same MP3), with this compression, the sound is not cut, all its details are preserved as much as possible. There are several lossless formats these days, the most popular being FLAC and APE (see "Supports audio formats"); the specific set of standards that the player is compatible with should be clarified separately. However, anyway, this function will be useful to those who appreciate the most complete and reliable sound. In this case, it is worth considering two nuances. Firstly, lossless files have a fairly...large volume — one album can take several hundred megabytes. Secondly, in order to fully appreciate such sound, you will need high-quality headphones, and ideally a Hi-Fi level player (see "Type").

— Formats without compression (uncompressed). Support by the player for audio formats that do not provide data compression. Most of these standards are professional, they provide very high quality and reliability of sound, but they also take up a lot of space. Examples of uncompressed formats include DSD and DXD (see Supports Audio).

— Work in DAC mode. The ability of the player to work in the digital-to-analogue converter (DAC) mode — when the device receives a digital audio signal from an external source (usually a computer USB port) and outputs analogue sound. This function is found mainly in Hi-Fi models (see "Type"). It will be useful primarily when outputting sound from PCs, laptops or portable gadgets: own sound cards in such models are often quite “weak”, and when using an external DAC, you can achieve much better sound quality.

— Equalizer.This function allows you to adjust the volume of the sound of individual frequency bands, thus changing the overall colour of the sound. Equalizers in modern players can have a different number of bands — from 2 (low and high frequencies) in the simplest models to 8 – 10 in advanced ones. Anyway, such a setting can be useful both for adjusting the sound to your own preferences, and for compensating for the shortcomings of the connected headphones or speakers — if they "fail" certain frequency bands. In addition, many players have a set of equalizer presets (presets), usually designed for different styles of music — Classic, Rock, Pop, etc.

— Support for aptX. Feature found exclusively on Bluetooth models (see the relevant paragraph). aptX technology is designed to improve the quality of the audio signal transmitted over Bluetooth. With a normal connection, without aptX, the data stream is highly compressed and cut off at individual frequencies; this will noticeably degrade the sound quality and may ruin your music listening experience. This feature eliminates this drawback: when using aptX, the data stream is transmitted almost without compression, while maintaining the original quality. Of course, for this, aptX must be supported not only by the player, but also by the device to which the sound is broadcast (headphones, speakers, etc.)

— FM receiver. Built-in tuner for receiving radio broadcasts in the FM band. It is this range that the vast majority of modern music radio stations use, since it allows you to broadcast sound in stereo. However, some player models also support other standards — for example, AM, in which stations of the "conversational" genre are widely represented. To listen to the radio, you usually need to connect headphones — their wire acts as an antenna.

— Recording from FM-receiver. Ability to record radio programs received by the player's own tuner (see above). This feature is useful if you want to "save for history" some event from the broadcast — an interesting talk show, a live performance of your favorite band in the studio of a radio station, a live call, etc.

— Dictaphone. Ability to work the player in voice recorder mode — to record sound. Usually, the built-in microphone is used. The general functionality of such a recording is noticeably more modest than in specialized voice recorders, but for simple tasks it may well come in handy.

— Built-in speaker. Own built-in speaker allows you to listen to music without connecting headphones or speakers. In some situations — for example, when watching a movie together from the player screen — this function can be very useful. However note that the capabilities of the built-in speaker are usually quite modest, as a result, the volume and sound quality are low.

— Digital camera. Own digital camera that allows you to use the player to shoot photos and videos. The quality of filming in most cases is not high, but there are exceptions — some models of players in this indicator are not inferior to middle-class smartphones. In addition, the cameras in this case are designed not so much for highly artistic shooting, but for “fixing the moment”. It is also worth noting that the location of the camera may be different. Most often, it is installed on the back side, but there are also players with front cameras that allow you to take selfies and use video calls. And the most advanced players (usually models with OS, see above) can have a pair of cameras — the main one and the front one.

The player supports Bluetooth technology.

This technology was developed for direct wireless communication between various devices. The ways in which it can be used can vary; in the case of players, the most common option, which is almost mandatory for any model with Bluetooth, is to broadcast sound to wireless headphones, speakers or other similar devices (aptX is highly desirable, see “Functions/capabilities”). In addition, other methods of using Bluetooth may be envisaged - in particular, exchanging files with other devices and remote control (player or from the player); the specific set of additional functions should be specified separately. And Bluetooth versions (the latest of which at the end of summer 2021 is Bluetooth 5.0) indicate the advancedness of the device and its increased capabilities.

— micro-Jack (2.5 mm). The micro-Jack connector belongs to the category of TRS connections (Tip, Ring, Sleeve). The 2.5mm plug is the smallest diameter TRS plug. Micro-Jack connection (2.5 mm) is typical for mobile devices and compact portable audio equipment. The connector is backwards compatible with mini-Jack (3.5 mm) and Jack (6.35 mm), but for this you must use the appropriate adapters. Of course, when using adapters, note that the presence of an additional connection reduces the overall quality of the audio signal. To prevent degradation in quality, some MP3 players are equipped with a micro-Jack output in parallel with the mini-Jack or Jack.

— mini-Jack (3.5 mm). The mini-Jack (3.5 mm) connection is the most common type of TRS (Tip, Ring, Sleeve) interface. The mini-Jack output is found on the vast majority of consumer-grade MP3 players. The mini-Jack connector has a 3.5 mm plug — this is the middle (intermediate) type of TRS connections. The mini-Jack output is capable of transmitting an audio signal of sufficiently high quality. The mini-Jack connection is ready to satisfy the needs of both beginners and advanced music lovers.

— Pentaconn (4.4 mm). Pentaconn connection — 5-pin balanced output. Thanks to this connection, you can connect powerful amplifiers or DACs to your MP3 player. Additionally, the connector is also suitabl...e for connecting good high-impedance headphones. Pentaconn uses a larger than the mini-Jack plug, its diameter is 4.4 mm, it is stronger and more reliable than the 3.5 mm connection. The Pentaconn's balanced connection makes it possible to handle higher power audio signals. Thanks to this connection, it is possible to transmit a signal over a fairly long distance.

— Coaxial. The coaxial connection (S/PDIF) enables the transmission of an enhanced audio signal. In the coaxial signal algorithm, there is no digital to analogue conversion stage, which has a positive effect on the quality characteristics of the sound. RCA or TOSLINK connectors can be used for coaxial connection. Coaxial output is found mainly in Hi-End MP3 players. This is an expensive technique that requires the use of fairly expensive accessories. But in return, these players provide high-quality sound, designed for professional musicians and advanced music lovers.

— Optical. The optical connection is represented by a TOSLINK connector and a fibre optic cable. The essence of the optical connection is that the audio signal is converted from electrical to optical. At the other end of the cable, the optics are transformed back into digital sound. Being in optical form, the signal ceases to be subjected to interference and other interference. The optical signal does not lose its original quality even when transmitted over long distances. MP3 players with optical output provide the ability to listen to audio in high quality. The vast majority of MP3 players with a TOSLINK connector are premium models that can satisfy the needs of musicians, music lovers and advanced audiophiles.