Shanling - UP2

hi, Its an amazing experience for the sound quality at this price point with aptxHD and LDAC , however there is no charger provided and using the regular USB-C charger is a concern. There is no feedback to the user if the device is charging or not and red light indicator is not visible everytime. Even after charging it for an hour or so at time the device does not switch on leading to anxious moments if its dead.

I was hoping for a lot more power from a dedicated amp, albeit a portable one. I have a mac book pro as my source and a senn HD598 soon to be replaced by a beyer 770 pro 80ohm. The average power output from this device makes me very skeptical this will even meet the bare minimum requirement for the beyers, let alone bring out the best in them.
They are not entirely to be blamed though. They have been very transparent with their specs. I guess I just paid 5k to get a frame of reference by knowing what 67mW of power feels like. I'd be careful with an amp that pushes less than 100mW, that too 80ohms, moving forward.
This is, however, my initial impression. I'll be back with an update after I burn in this device for at least another 200 hours.

I used the HIdizs Sonata II before moving on to this and I can say it is an undoubted upgrade. It definitely has more power than Sonata (though Sonata isn't that bad either), but the real difference is in the presentation. While the Sonata was cluttered and forward, this is more laid-back and detailed. I had a V30 before this and I can safely say that it matches the SQ of V30 in high impedance mode (V30 was a little brighter I feel). I'm not sure if this will be enough for power hungry earphones, but most of my collection is under 50 ohms with high sensitivity. So it shouldn't be a problem at all. My only real gripe is the control knob, which is manageable but not the most elegant mechanism...lots of accidental clicks already. Otherwise, an absolutely a great buy.

Although it supports different codecs, If you phone doesn't support that you will be screwed. If you phone supports LDAC and Aptx it will lock onto LDAC by default. You have to go to developer option and Manually change. Even if it supports Aptx Low Latency I found that gaming through this won't be a good idea.I played pubg using UP2 using Aptx LL and LDAC, still a there is tiny lag. It's not a deal breaker because the Latency depends on many factors ( Which smartphone you are using , Interference between other singnal etc) But I still didn't get the perfect latency while gaming. For media it's Perfect for me. I plugged my V-Moda Crossfade LP2 and that tiny thing packs quite punch 😊 I would give a five star if I got perfect latency while gaming

Size doesn't matter.This tiny device is excellent in sound quality.I am very happy.Have been using Fiio BTR3 but Btr3's sound is congested.If u want to buy any Bluetooth receiver,then go with shanling up2 blindly.

Plays LDAC by default in my redmi k 20 mobile.
Sound is good.
Few connectivity issues while playing over LDAC .
ear phones can get very loud without distortion.
Very flat sound signature which is very good .

In short,, a great allrounder which does its job perfectly...thnx hpz for t
making dis product availaible here with a cool price..

My Gear: Sennheiser HD 599SE + Shanling UP2
Codecs heard: AptxHD, LDAC
Streaming service: Spotify Premium at "Very High" quality.

Personally, I do not have a point of reference, as this is my first AMP DAC. However, as far as being an Amplifier goes, it does the job perfectly well! 👍🏻👌🏻
The issues however are well noticable (and wanted to make me reduce my rating to 3, but at the given price, 4 is okay).
Issues:
1. The device comes with default firmware version of 1.2.5 which is extremely buggy. You WILL HAVE TO upgrade the firmware as soon as possible.
2. Firmware upgrade works only via PC. The Shanling Controller App fails each time you try to upgrade the firmware.
3. After upgrading, the volume remains the same as what it was the last time (thankfully), but the multi-functional button is absolutely unable to set the expected volume instantly.
For ex: If you turn the knob once clockwise, it will not increase the volume (you will have to turn it twice), but then if you turn the knob counter-clockwise, it will reduce the volume instantly.
This is the most irritating thing when the volume you wish is to be set.
4. There are occasional delays when starting to play a song, or when one song ends and another begins. This happens almost randomly, so it's hard to pinpoint to a specific time when it happens.

I may upgrade later on if the volume thing starts bothering me too much.

Okay, first to start with... The device itself. It is a handy little thing that makes such a big difference. The difference in sound quality is clear to even the most u conditioned ears. There is a significant gain the moment you plug in this device compared to your phone. And all this without even using the High Gain mode (which can be tweaked from the Controller App that needs to be downloaded). Soundstage is wide but do not expect a 3D experience. The instruments are aptly clear and sound well-positioned. The ESS Saber provides good enough clarity for consumption with IEM's/headphones. Use the High Gain setting to 5ake advantage of the real amplification feature. Bass get punchier, mids are well mixed-in and highs are cleay distinguishable and in right frequency (some sound too tinny.. But not this one here). Even if you don't have a very premium headset, this one is going to give you more worth out of them that you bargained for. For most casual listeners, this will be Audio Heaven!! Totally go for it and compared to the price, there is much more that you would get in value. You would not be able to come up with one thing to complain about from it.