amazon Shanling Q1 reviews
DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE OF SHANLING Q1
There are not many cute music player models on the market. Most are quite sharp, lumpy, rough. Shanling seems to have realized this and then Shanling Q1 was born. The machine is inspired by the style of the 1930s with the stout body is perfectly rounded. We cannot find any rough edges on the design of Shanling Q1.
The body of the device is made of zinc material rather than aluminum like the M series, the whole is painted glossy. Thanks to that, the Shanling Q1 feels so good to hold that no other devices in the same price range make it. Compact but still very compact and extremely rugged. Shanling also brings us 4 different color options. Personally, I think the colors of Q1 are impeccable.
All buttons on the body are chrome-plated, quite sexy. Shanling has also added a quick play/ skip control cluster on the side of the machine that is extremely convenient to use. You no longer need to turn on the screen like Shanling M0 to switch cards. Volume knob outside the volume control function is integrated always the power button and turn the screen on and off very neatly.
Shanling Q1 is still equipped with the same touch screen as M0 but the size has been increased to 2.7”, the resolution of 360×400 pixels, IPS panel. Images displayed are crisp, bright colors and have more space to display than M0 before. If Shanling rounded the corner of the screen on Q1 to keep it in sync with the outside design, it would bring a near-perfect visual experience.
At the bottom of the machine is where the connection ports are located. The Micro SD card slot on Shanling Q1 has been left open and not closed as on the M series. This detail helps to insert and remove the memory card quickly and easily. Next to that, it is a USB Type-C port for charging and signaling.
Finishing on Shanling products has always been very well done and Shanling Q1 is no exception. All the smallest details on the buttons, the gap between the connection ports and the body is almost flawless.
In short, Shanling Q1’s appearance and finishing design are outstanding and have no competitors in the same price range.
CONFIGURATION AND FEATURES OF SHANLING Q1
Underneath that sleek moat shell is the hardware, the circuit board, and the components that make Shanling Q1 a true music player.
Shanling Q1 runs on MTouch OS, a version specifically developed for Q1. The operating system is Ingenic X1000E dual-core CPU clocked at 1Ghz to help all tasks run smoothly. The RAM is only 64MB but that doesn’t matter because you can’t install third-party apps in Q1.
Shanling Q1 does not have internal memory like any previous Shanling product. The memory of the device depends entirely on the capacity of the Micro SD memory card inserted. The Shanling Q1 supports Micro-SD memory cards with a maximum capacity of up to 2TB, so you do not need to worry about this.
The most important aspect that makes a music player sound is the DAC/AMP signal processing. Shanling Q1 uses an integrated DAC/AMP chip with code ES9218P from ESS. This is also the DAC/AMP chip used on Shanling M0 before. This chip provides the ability to decode music beyond the Hi-res standard. PCM 32bit / 384kHz and DSD128.
3.5mm output power reaches 80mW at 32 Ohms impedance and the internal resistance of the device is only 0.2 Ohms. That means the Shanling Q1 will be best suited to pair with high-sensitivity and low-impedance IEM headphones. Background noise at 1.5micro V in low-gain mode and 3.2 micro V in high-gain mode means that Shanling Q1’s background noise will be extremely clean. We will test this in a bit more in the experience section.
The Shanling Q1 can also be turned into a separate Sound card via USB Type-C port and the digital output capability for removable DAC is extremely useful.
In addition to decoding music directly from memory, Shanling Q1 is also equipped with Bluetooth chip with powerful 2-way transceiver capabilities. It can broadcast Bluetooth signals in SBC, AAC, AptX and LDAC formats. Simultaneously capture signals from AAC and LDAC codecs from other sources to turn them into portable Bluetooth DAC / AMP. In addition, in case your computer does not have a Bluetooth card, Shanling Q1 can be turned into an intermediate transmitter that transmits signals in the AptX codec.
Configuration:
Screen: 2.7-inch touch screen resolution of 360 x 400 pixels
Operating system: Touch OS by Shanling
Machine weight: 136.8g
DAC: ESS Saber E9218P
Battery life: up to 21 hours
Standby time: up to 20 days
Full charge time: average of 2 hours
Battery capacity: 1100 mAh
Memory: up to 2TB via micro SD card
Supported formats: APE, FLAC, ALAC, WMA, AAC, OGG, MP3, OPUS, WAV, AIFF, DSF, DIFF
Audio output: 3.5mm headphone jack output
Capacity: 80mW @ 32Ω
Output impedance: <0.2Ω
Channel separation: -78dB
Frequency response: 20-40kHz
Distortion: 0.004%
SNR: 118dB
Background noise: <3.2uV (High Gain) <1.5uV (Low Gain)
Degrees
Upon opening the box, Moondrop KXXS impressed by the
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DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE OF SHANLING Q1
Although the Shanling Q1 is shared by the DAC/AMP chip with the Shanling M0 and has a lot of similarities in the specifications, that does not mean that Q1 has the same sound as the M0. Clearly, Shanling Q1 has a different tune, which can be considered Shanling Q1 as an audio upgrade of M0.
The overall sound of Shanling Q1 is clean, neutral and balanced. The sound is almost colorless. Good soundstage and recreated stage space with depth.
Bass: Naturally, the amount is not added or reduced, it all depends on the headset you use. Shanling Q1 focuses most on the quality and control of this sound range. Bass beat good speed and very seamless. The depth is around the average, the layer is lang and has a tight structure. Mid-bass is very well controlled, with a little press increases the bounce of the sound.
Mid: Very clear, quite neutral and linear. The good balance prevents the singer’s voice from getting too forward or backward from the stage. Details in the music are very well expressed with the spacious space and class. Negative colors, if any more, I think that Shanling Q1 adds a bit of warm, smoother and tighter texture. For some ears with built-in V-Shape sound, Shanling Q1 will help the mid-range be fuller and more balanced.
Treble: Has a good extend, tinkling and quite porous, bearing the sound characteristics of Saber DAC. Shanling’s Treble Q1 feels more comfortable than the previous M0. Although not the most neutral or smooth treble strip, the Shanling Q1 treble strip is very well controlled in this price range.
Stage space: The reproducing soundstage is quite wide open. Having good depth and height, it is able to recreate 3D stage space and the ability to separate musical instruments. The instrument is precisely arranged in the stage.
Mixing: Shanling Q1 works very well with IEM headphones with low impedance and high sensitivity. Absolutely not appear boiling background.
– Campfire Audio Polaris 2: This is a V-Shape headset with very rich bass. When paired with Shanling Q1, the Polaris 2’s bass range was better controlled, more closely, especially in the mid-bass to upper bass, sub-bass reduced volume. The mid-range is less receding and smoother, warmer. The stage width is still very good.
– iBasso IT04: The bass range is still well balanced, somewhat linear from sub-bass to upper bass. The bass band is a bit less vibration when paired with M5s due to the limited capacity of the device. The mid-range is clear and works well until the treble strip. The soundstage is as good as ever but the depth is a bit lacking.
– Meze 99 Neo: Shanling Q1 still has plenty of power to pull this full-size ear. The bass band is better controlled, less encroached to the mid-range and more linear. The 99 Neo’s treble strip is quite difficult to pair with the player but it is very fit and neutral when paired with Shanling Q1.
PACKING AND ACCESSORIES OF SHANLING Q1
Shanling’s product boxes are always presented in a minimalist but very luxurious and elegant manner. The front of the box is a large stylized Q1 logo embedded in a black cardboard box.
The back of the box is detailed information about the product and the NSX.
Accessories included in the box include:
1 x Silicon case
1 x USB Type-C data cable and charger
1 x User manual
CONCLUDE
The Shanling Q1 continues to be an extremely compact form of Shanling music player that brings audio lovers. A satisfying experience from appearance, experience to sound. The price of Shanling Q1 has not changed much compared to its predecessor Shanling M0. So there’s no reason not to put Shanling Q1 on the great product list for newcomers.