Shanling Unveils New Nano-sized DAP – M0

Aaaah Shanling. This company has given us some genuinely awesome products so far. Their flagship M3s has been getting some seriously high praises, whilst the M2s is, what I still maintain to be, quite possibly the best value DAP on the market when we take into account all of its sound, features, great build quality, and excellent display. Now though, Shanling have lifted the veil on their next device – the nano-sized M0.

What’s So Special About The M0?

Well, for starters, it’s damn tiny! Measuring in at 40mm x 13.5mm x 45mm, that means that the M0 is 63% smaller than the M2s, and even 36% smaller than the M1. Heck, it’s even 9% smaller and 2g (0.07oz) lighter than the smallest DAP that Fiio has ever produced, the M3!

Thankfully it seems like Shanling have also given the M0 a really decent display. Whilst it doesn’t match the awesome 300 PPI of the M2s and M3s (the M0 sits at about 220PPI), it does feature a touch-display, though – which is a first from Shanling!

Setting aside the display and form-factor, what’s truly interesting is what Shanling have been able to accomplish with the internals.
The DAC chip employed here is an ES9218P from the Sabre line manufactured by ESS Technology. This chip allows the device to not only decode up to 384kHz/32-bit PCM formats, but also up to DSD128.
One concern you might have with such a compact device is that it wouldn’t be very powerful. Well, it isn’t all that powerful, but still a fair amount more than what you might actually expect. In fact, Shanling have stated that the M0 is capable of outputting up to 80mW into a 32-ohm load. That’s more than double what the M1 and Fiio’s M3 is capable of!

And as if that wasn’t enough already, Shanling has also given the M0 a Bluetooth 4.1 chip allowing the device to handle not only the AptX format, but Sony’s LDAC too!

Further specs include a SNR figure of 118dB, a distortion figure of as low as 0.004%, and an output impedance of 0.17-ohm. It’s unclear whether or not there will be a lineout functionality via its 3.5mm output, but it does seem like Shanling have incorporated both USB input and output via the USB-C port.

UPDATE: Shanling has confirmed that the M0 does not have a dedicated lineout function.

The built-in 640mAh lithium battery is also able to give the M0 a non-stop runtime of up to 15 hours and a deep-sleep standby of up to 30 days.
Storage-wise there does not seem to be any built-in storage available, but the user can insert a micro-SD card of up to 512Gb.

So, given the size and capability, maybe, just maybe, the M0 would topple the M2s off its throne as being the best value transport DAP out there.

Pricing and Availability

Shanling M0 will be introduced into the market in May 2018, but it’s available to preorder now at Samma3a Store