Shanling - UA1

Portable DAC & Amp

Sale price₹ 3,999 Regular priceMRP: ₹ 4,499
Discontinued
This product is permanently discontinued by the manufacturer and continues to live on in Headphone Zone's Museum.

Unfortunately, even if we desire to, we won't be able to resurrect this product. The Museum is where we pay our respects to end-of-life, old, archived, but not forgotten products. This page was made with a lot of love and will live on for posterity. What to say, we're sentimental people. 😔

While this product is gone forever, here are others we recommend

Customer Reviews

Based on 23 reviews
65%
(15)
17%
(4)
9%
(2)
4%
(1)
4%
(1)
A
Abhiuday (New Delhi)
Not much of a change in sound

Bought this in Jan 2021 to play music from phone which has USB type C output. It does serve the purpose on the phone as I can use my normal 3.5mm jack cans. However, after having used this product for around a week, I don't see much difference in sound signature or the sound stage. The audio quality does not improve that I could register it.

To validate this I connected the UA1 to a Macbook pro and a HP Elite laptop respectively. Cans used for listening: AKG 245 (32Ohm), Grado SR60 (32 Ohms), and few in-ear headphones.
Songs played: Few hits from MJ, Daft Punk - Get lucky, Gloria Gaynor, Some albums from AR Rahman (Swades, Bombay, etc), Album from Adele.
I have listened to songs using Spotify (Hi Res), Tidal (HiRes), some Flacs / CD’s that I have of the above songs.

Now I would like to say that I’m no audiophile or close to it, but I do understand music.

To me frankly, UA1 only makes sure that you can use the output the audio of a laptop/phone from a USB type C/A and therefore you are not relying on the hardware of that laptop/phone. And it does that job pretty well. However, the DAC, at least for me does not make any considerable change to the audio quality (and I am referring to the soundstage mostly).

I have used other DACs (Dragon Fly Red, Cambridge Dac Magic) and I pretty well know the difference that a DAC brings to the plate.

For a price tag of INR 4K, I was expecting at least some sort of improvement, but it doesn’t do that. I guess for a good improvement to sound, one has to invest in quite more amount. My advice: Dac Magic rocks.

So to summarise:
If I was looking for a device that provides USB connectivity with no consideration to sound quality improvement, I would buy UA1. However, if I was looking for a device that provides USB connectivity with a decent DAC, I would look elsewhere.
At this stage I so wish that stores in India offered a return option. This is the best thing about stores in US, where one can try the product and if not found useful, has the option to return it. I know the cons to the business with this, but yes it’s a wish.

We really appreciate your review, we hope it will help other potential customers to make an informed decision.

V
Vivek Pandey (Mumbai)
My experience with Shanling UA1

I don't consider myself as an "audiophile" but how does my music sounds also matter, so you may not get all the technical details, but it's about my experience. This review will be in many parts. It's based on Google pixel 3a xl, one plus 7t and my laptop Asus ROG zeyphrus G 14, blon 03 and Marshall major 3BT(with wire).

1. Why did I buy Shanking UA1- there are many reasons one of the reason is about the lossless music option by apple. It's being said that it will also be available for Android users and also another MAJOR reason is that I was using blon 03 with pixel 3a xl and it sounded good until I plugged it to my laptop and there was a lot of difference in the sound, it sounded so much better than my smartphone. So I decided that in order to get it's proper sound I will need a DAC and it was the most affordable one and with pretty neat reviews.
2. Headphone zone experience - as usual it was shipped on time and delivered on time, actually before time. So that's excellent and those lil cards and the thank you note is pretty awesome. Btw, you guys should also make new playlists for those cards 😋, I always get those same cards.
3. issues with Shanking UA1- it's a plug n Play kinda device, but I had some trouble with pixel 3a xl(Shanling has made it clear that it will work with most devices). Pixel 3a xl has an audio jack, and it worked absolutely fine with poweramp player, YouTube, Amazon music, but it didn't work with Spotify. When I used Spotify the audio kept coming from phone speakers, I tried all the solutions on YouTube and reddit but I still had that issue, fortunately I had a spare OnePlus 7t and I had no issues with it. I used it with my laptop and it's was smooth. No hiccups, it worked as promised.
4. All the good things about Shanling UA1- this is the best part guys. It is just AWESOME. It works as advertised, and it's so smol and light, you won't even feel it's connected to your IEMs or headphones. It s well built, nice metallic casing and the wire should last long as well. It really changed the way blon 03 sounded with my phone. I felt that it improved the soundstage of the blon 03, or maybe that's how it's supposed to really sound and I just discovered that after using UA1. If you have an IEM and if you have heard great reviews about and it hasn't lived up to that expectation, then please get UA1-, it could just change the way your IEMs sound. Another good thing is that it's not really power hungry thing. It won't eat up a lot of battery if your phone. I have tried it with MP3, FLAC, Spotify at very high and it will enhance your music listening experience. With blon 03 I had to just keep the volume at around 30-40% to get acceptable volume, but when used with Marshall major 3bt(with wire) I had to push the volume to around 60%, but maybe that's because it's overear headphone. I am so in love witj Shanling, it's such an affordable DAC and it works brilliantly. If you can't afford the costly DACs then just go for it you won't regret.

Also Headphone zone team, please do something about getting in touch with your headphonezone guru, no one ever answers that number. But you guys are great, and would again use your service. Cheers.

And if you are still reading, if you buy Shanling or not, just enjoy your music after all that's what really matters.

Hey Vivek, thank you so much for the honest and positive feedback! It means a lot to us. We will surely consider your feedback and check with our headphone gurus about the availability. We hope to see you again soon. :)

R
Rahul Patwal (New Delhi)
Not a big change

Using it on soundmagic e11c performance slightly increase not by big margin, volume level does increse a lot.

We really appreciate your review, we hope it will help other potential customers to make an informed decision.

S
Shavvy (Kolkata)
As good as it can get

After using the Shaling UA-1 for a few days, I can say, I made a correct decision to get this DAC. I've been a bit sceptical about the 3rd party DACs, but an active DAC is such a great thing for a smartphone with or without the 3.5mm jack.
The Shanling UA1 shines like bright sunlight. It's a pure treat for the ears. Once you get addicted to an active DAC, it's very difficult to get back to the old way. The sound is loud, crisp, clear, and using equalizers, it can be tuned for our liking. If you can tune the equaliser well enough, you can get the sound the way you wish. It supports most of the music playback and streaming apps without any issue. Equaliser of any app is supported, alongside system wide equalizers, like Dolby atmos, Dirac HD, DTS headphone X, Histen Audio (Huawei), etc. It provides excellent sound quality, that is pure, free of any distortion, and if you have lossless audio files, your phone can turn into a good hi res digital audio player. It does get warm after using it for more than a couple of minutes, but it should remain alright, as it is suggested on the user manual. Even though it's a solid audio equipment, it's not your typical phone accessory as it doesn't support microphone. You cannot use it for calling purpose. So that's something worth keeping in mind while buying this DAC.

Hi Shavy, Thank you so much for sharing your honest review with us. We appreciate the time you took out to leave us this note. We look forward to serving you again.

A
Ani (Noida)
Great Product!

The sound is clear, I have a BTR5 and this thing has more power than that even thought it is like 1/5th of the size and 1/3rd of BTR5's price.

Clear, clean audio. The cable feels a bit flimsy at first due to the light weight but it has proven sturdy and it is braided for the piece of mind.

I am seriously impressed by the capabilities of this thing which is basically the smallest Dongle DAC out there(maybe excapet ddHifi and Hidizs might have smaller one but 😛).

Delivery was quick and on point but I am seriously sad that the next week after I bought this, they had the UA2 in store which is even more impressive spec wise and also has a balanced output with the same minimal size and best part being the detachae cable for improved lifetime. Will be buying that soon, but till then I am happy with my purchase

Hi Animesh, Thank you for sharing your honest and detailed review with us. We really appreciate the time you took to write such a detailed feedback!


Chi-Fi
Excellence

1 Year of
Warranty

Best Suited for Portable Use

Metal
Build

DAC Chip
You may not even realise it, but most of us use a digital-to-analogue converter (commonly known as a DAC) daily. Built into your computers, tablets and smartphones, a DAC is fundamental to unlocking the convenience of digital music. Any device that acts as a digital sound source will need a DAC to convert digital audio to analog. A DAC converts the digital information stored in “0s and 1s” into an analog signal that's passed to speakers or headphones and ultimately our ear. In short, DACs play a large part in making digital music hearable. 

While this technical process is undoubtedly impressive, the DAC embedded into your smartphones or laptops is nowhere good enough to listen to your favourite music recordings in high quality. So, if you want to listen to music in high quality, an external DAC is essential to allow headphones or speakers to perform at their potential. An external DAC, first and foremost, will improve audio quality dramatically.
Pair with Laptop via USB

A majority of people use a laptop as the primary source device to listen to music or watch movies. Since the laptop is an essential part of the audio chain there are headphones and devices designed to work a laptop or computer system flawlessly. With the availability of USB connectivity, it becomes easier to pair various devices like an Amp, DAC or even headphones without worrying about drivers or any additional piece of software.


80mW @ 32Ω
Power Output

Super Lightweight
Design

SAME HIGH-GRADE SOUND NOW IN A SLEEK & COMPACT DESIGN

Falling in line with Shanling's popular series of portable players and amplifiers, Shanling UA1 features the same DAC/AMP Chip and delivers the same high-grade sound, but this time it comes in a small and affordable design.

Headphone-Zone-Shanling-UA1

ENJOY YOUR MUSIC IN COMPLETE SILENCE WITH ZERO NOISE OUTPUT

Shanling UA1 was designed specifically for portable audio while making sure that the audio is as clean as it gets by reducing noise and other audio disturbances to nothing. UA1 is compatible with even the most sensitive earphones and offers high-grade sound with zero noise output.

Headphone-Zone-Shanling-UA1
Headphone-Zone-Shanling-UA1"

BEST IN CLASS OUTPUT WITH LOW POWER CONSUMPTION

UA1 features one of the best power outputs found in any device of its size. Moreover, the advanced design of the Shanling UA1 helps it to keep the power consumption super low. UA1 not only offers you powerful sound output but also ensures that you get low power consumption.

Headphone-Zone-Shanling-UA1
Headphone-Zone-Shanling-UA1

FINE TUNE YOUR SOUND WITH SHANLING MUSIC APPLICATION

Open a whole new world of settings with Shanling music app which allows you to personalise your sound. This app comes with adjustable gain, digital filters and channel balance, allowing you to make all the necessary changes to your sound right through your phone.

Headphone-Zone-Shanling-UA1
Headphone-Zone-Shanling-UA1

COMES WITH COTTON SHIELDING TO ELIMINATE AUDIO DISTURBANCES

To eliminate all sorts of disturbances of wireless networks either from the surroundings or the phone, Shanling UA1 comes with cotton shielding. This will make sure that you enjoy your favourite music without any kind of audio disturbances.

Headphone-Zone-Shanling-UA1
Headphone-Zone-Shanling-UA1
Headphone-Zone-Shanling-UA1

WITH INDUSTRY STANDARD USB-C CONNECTOR, HI-FI GRADE CABLE & USB-A ADAPTER

Connectivity is easy with a USB-C connector which allows you to connect UA1 to almost every modern-day Android smartphone for high-grade sound. Shanling realises the importance of even the smallest part in the audio path and therefore comes with a high-purity copper wire cable. UA1 has a USB-A adapter allowing you to use UA1 with a standard computer USB port.
NOTE: UA1 might not be recognized at first in some devices. Users should check settings for USB OTG or take advice from the manufacturer for more details.
NOTE: You will need to download UA1 drivers from en.Shanling.com for Windows, while there is no need for drivers for MacOS.

Headphone-Zone-Shanling-UA1
1 Year Warranty

Don't sweat it, this Shanling - UA1 comes with a 1 Year warranty from Shanling that covers manufacturing defects. All products featured on Headphone Zone are backed by an original manufacturer's warranty.

Read more about Shanling's warranty in India.

Setting the Standard for Audio Excellence Since 1988

Founded in 1988 in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, Shanling has been a key player in the audio industry for over 30 years. Specializing in audio products, it gained recognition for its Hi-Fi stereo amplifier and expanded into Hi-Res portable music players, amplifiers, headphones, DACs, and more. Committed to innovation and integrity, Shanling incorporates patented technologies like SONY LDAC, Hi-Res from the Japanese Audio Association, and others, ensuring top-notch product quality. Renowned for its dedication, Shanling has become a trusted name in the industry, prioritizing customer satisfaction.

Over the years, Shanling has maintained strong relationships with high-end manufacturers, solidifying its position as one of the most respected companies in the audio industry. The spirit of innovation and dedication to quality continues to drive Shanling as it evolves and expands its range of audio products, catering to the needs of audio enthusiasts worldwide.

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