Shanling - M3X

This DAP has exceptionally low noise floor, possibly because of the absence of an OP-AMP in the Audio circuit. However, despite the lack of an OP-AMP, the power is more than sufficient for even low sensitivity Planar headphones like the Sundara.
The software is very responsive (huge improvement from the HiBY series) and the size is just perfect for single handed use.
Nothing much to say about the DAC chip ... the 9219C it is just an iterative upgrade to the 9218P found in LG cellphones, though there are 2 of them here.
A suggestion- Don't rely on OTA upgrade to the Firmware as the servers are extremely slow. Download the official Firmware from the Shanling site and side load it by putting it in root of the MicroSD card.
Note: There is a world of difference between the Unbalanced and the Balanced outputs on this DAP with every single earphone I have tested. The 3.5mm output, while very good in itself, pales in comparison to the 4.4mm.
Will highly recommend this DAP at this price point. Unless you can get the DX160 (with its weaker CPU and bad BT/WiFi), the next jump to a slightly more powerful DAP would land you in plus Rs. 60,000/- bracket.

Buy from Headphonezone, Many many thanks to Headphonezone for free and superfast delivery. Sound quality of m3x is vary Good, but it doesn't fill my all requirements like FIIO DAP. My primary dap is FIIO M11 PRO,and also I have FIIO X5 2nd, it is my secondary dap for outdoor use. It's Sound quality is nice but doesn't support online remote control with a headset. And no option to playing through folder. But I had expected it. Otherwise it is a very good dap. Lightweight and very nice build quality.

Pros:

1. Sound quality is awesome. Although I am using it with fairly non-audiophile set of earphones/headphones - RHA MA-750i and Sony WH 1000-XM4 and haven't yet tried the balanced output. I have JBL system in my car. I thought my iPhones were quite good with that system until I heard the system come alive with M3X.
2. Build quality - This feels fairly premium in your hands.
3. Ability to use 3rd party apps - I use Apple Music and I was able to easily sync my playlist on this device. Also ability to wirelessly stream Hi-res lossless through XM4 with LDAC is added advantage.
4. This supports an assortment of codecs which is quite useful.

Cons:

1. Sluggish UI - Since I am used to iPhones, this UI feels sluggish. May be I am expecting too much. But since people buy DAPs just to listen to music, the least the manufacturers can do is to give a solid user experience for navigation.
2. Old Android version - This comes with Android 7.1. Some other devices come with Android 9 (Sony if I am not wrong).
3. Bluetooth - M3X has 4.2 while some other devices are already on 5.0.

Overall, this is a solid DAP and a great upgrade over music streaming via phones. I guess you just need right pair of earphones/headphones to enjoy these to the fullest. Why have I given 5 starts even if there are certain loose points which I have mentioned above? That's because the rating is for the sole purpose which this device serves and promises - top notch sound quality.

PS - Why has RHA disappeared from Headphone Zone website? They had some great range of earphones!

WoW!!. What a DAP. It took some time for me to move from thinking whether i need a dedicated DAP and then came the confusion which one to buy. M3X is no joke. The real music comes when you play FLAC files. I am dominant Bluetooth headphone user. I have a Beoplay H95, B&W PX, Sennheiser Px550, Bose QC 35, Jabra 75 & 65 and each sounded different. so what earphone/headphone you use also matters. Generally reviews won't cover how music sounds on a Bluetooth headphones. Though with limitations Bluetooth has the sound is awesome. No phone can be compared with this DAP. With wired cable it is at a different level. I am experiencing it for the first time. This DAP will not disappoint you.
I hear the best with my Beoplay H95 and then B&W PX. It is not bass heavy, The highs are good, soundstage is excellent and very good instrument separation. The downside is the volume knob. Not so good. But who needs it when you have the touch screen.

It is very tough To find a 4.4 male to 3.5 female adapter. No where it is available. So i am not able to enjoy how a dual DAC sounds. Headphonezone help me with an adapter.
Stock shanling music player is not to my expectation. I use Poweramp and it's awesome. You can download almost any app and Amazon music works fine for me

Conclusion: M3X is a good value for money. I will say it is more than a mid range DAP. I am now tempted to get the M8.

I am very happy to see a dedicated site available in India for Headphones and DAP's. I just received the product in a day.

I moved from fiio x3 ver 2 to this DAP. So far its nice experience.
Con: the current firmwire does not support gapless playback. Shanling needs to address this.

I was using sony A105 before this and I liked the sound of it overall but 2 main problems I wanted to be solved 1) battery - A105 hardly comes for 3 to 4 hours on a full charge 2) not enough power to drive power hungry headphones

I used multiple dac / amp combos but I was still missing a good dap which I can carry around and use with my hifiman 400 se , kbear believe iem etc which are quite power hungry. I am pleased that shanling m3x has met my expectations!

I am primarily using tidal on it and with the 16x unfolding the processing of tidal master happens at 700khz!! Unbelievable sound clarity and it easily drives all my headphones quite easily

Only problem so far is the lack of an inbuilt equalizer which works on ott apps. M3x is tuned a bit coldly with elevated lower treble / upper mids and for some songs it comes across as very aggressive. If you use a warm headphone / iem it kind of offsets it but if you are using say dt990 which then without an eq you might feel overwhelmed with the treble.

But good value for money and I am really enjoying it. Gold job from HPZ as always !

Bought this after seeing a few positive reviews online, This has android OS so could side load streaming apps as well. The sound from the device is very good only issue I think is the volume knob doesn't feel that premium no issues other than that, getting good battery life as well.
Used it with 1more quad driver IEM.

Shanling - M3X

Shanling - M3X