Shanling - M3X

Pros:

1. Sound quality is awesome. 4.4 mm Balanced output changes the game altogether. Using it with FiiO FH5S Pro on balanced and Sundara on 3.5 mm unbalanced. Sundara needs amplification hence using it with Topping NX7 AMP.
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.
4. This supports an assortment of codecs which is quite useful.
5. Dual DAC set up is a beast on this one and its easy to set up with laptop or desktop as pure DAC.

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.
4. Crashes quite often for some reason

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.

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.

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.

M3X is smaller version of its sibling M8 but Boy it packs a punch. Aesthetic design. Volume knob is a great advantage as personally I prefer this to push buttons. None of the DAPs in this price range have volume knob. It is based on Android 7.1 which is hailed to be the best version for audio.
The screen is marginally bigger that HiBy R6, it is snappy with good resolution. The quick menu at the top has almost all icons one would perhaps need e.g. Single/Dual DAC option, LO, storage, etc. This is unique and I have not found this even in more expensive DAPs.
The UI is excellent. While it does not have Google Paly store pre-installed, it has APK Pure pre-installed from which one can easily install Google Play store. It is just like one would install any App from Play store.
The 2 GB RAM does not appear to be any constraint and the response is quick.
Now the most important feature - SOUND : As stated earlier, it punches well above it size, the separation / layering is fantastic, output is great and it can easily drive 32 ohm Headphones IEM well even at 30 volume. Precise bass with forward mids and clean high give a smooth output without any trace of fatigue or struggle. It can easily drive cans upto 150 ohms. Internal architecture ensures best battery life.
One can also install HiBy music app (since it has MSEB) or other Apps. However I found the sound layering better on the pre-installed Shanling Music app.
No sign of any heating while playing or charging.
The back is also glass and both the front and back have protective file pre-fixed so no sweat on risk of scratching. There is one set of extra films in the box (albeit not mentioned in the box contents).
All in all it is certainly a great DAP with hardly any stiff competition overall.
If you are considering buying a DAP then you would not go wrong with this one.

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 had sold my Sony NW-A105 as it had poor battery backup. Compared to Sony, M3X is excellent, good audio quality, exceptional battery life and smooth Android OS eventhough it has older version of Android than Sony. In purple colour it looks stunning! What I loved is even with blutooth audio (LDAC) its producing puncher and superb audio! I'm loving this!