Shanling is moving upmarket with its latest network music player. Whereas the SM1.3 streamer from two years ago cost £1199 / $1999, the upgraded model is heading for a more premium rung up the ladder.
The new Shanling SM1.3R HD is priced at a more premium £1799 / $1699, meaning it has to beat a formidable rival in the shape of the current Award-winning Arcam ST25.
Similar to its predecessor, the SM1.3R HD is a network streamer, DAC and headphone amplifier with extensive streaming and file support, with the new version sporting a larger display and Shanling's own discrete R2R digital conversion technology instead of the previous AKM DAC chip.
Shanling's in-house developed R2R (resistor-to-resistor) DAC architecture draws on the same tech used in its flagship SCD3.3 SACD player, which has 212 ultra-precision resistors with a claimed "0.01% accuracy" and promises to deliver a sound that's "natural and analogue-like."
The unit uses twin toroidal transformers for its linear power supply, with separate supplies going to the digital and analogue sections. Shanling says this offers a stable, clean delivery of power across its audio circuits, and that this arrangement complements the "precision of its resistor-based conversion system."
The DAC supports hi-res files up to 32-bit/768kHz and DSD512, although this maximum resolution is natively achieved via the USB port only. For other digital connections, the native hi-res support maxes out at 24-bit/192kHz PCM.
Digital connections include coaxial, optical and DAC inputs to plug in a laptop, CD player or USB media hard drives, and you can connect the streamer to your hi-fi system thanks to RCA line-level and balanced XLR outputs.
The Shanling also offers digital outputs so you can bypass its internal DAC and use your own, while a dedicated headphone amplifier section with a 6.3mm jack and selectable gain is available for wired listening.
On the network streaming side, it features extensive support for popular music apps such as Tidal and Qobuz (and their Connect versions), as well as built-in access for Apple Music, Amazon Music and Spotify. The unit is Roon Ready, features DLNA and AirPlay 2, and you can stream music over your home network thanks to dual-band Wi-Fi 6 and wired Ethernet.
You can even store your hi-res digital music files on the SM1.3R HD itself thanks to an internal storage of 64GB and an M.2 SSD slot for larger libraries.
There is support for Bluetooth streaming as well, with higher-quality codecs such as LDAC, aptX HD and aptX Adaptive available.
Elsewhere, the streamer's aluminium casework sports the same design as before, albeit with a larger 5.98-inch screen of 2560 x 1440-pixel resolution to better show off album artwork and menus. The Shanling runs on an Android platform, with app access alongside on-unit button controls.
The Shanling SM1.3R HD is available now in black and silver finishes, costing £1799 / $1699.
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