Compact size and weight. Convenient controls. Long battery life. Responsive touchscreen. High performance compared to competitors. Software support from the manufacturer.
Cons:
Minor bugs. Sharp corners of the case make using the player without a case uncomfortable. V-shaped frequency response with a strong emphasis on high frequencies.
Using The Shanling M1 Plus player is relatively small, though quite thick, but still comfortable to use as a portable device. Controls are provided by a volume wheel and the next, previous, and pause buttons. The player adheres to the idea of minimalism, featuring the essentials and nothing unnecessary. Although I would have liked notches on the buttons, like Hiby players, to make them easier to distinguish in my pocket, as I sometimes get confused by them.
Shanling has done a significant amount of work since the player's release, refining their software and eliminating most of the most critical bugs. Currently, the player is quite stable. However, some shortcomings remain. I would name two of them as the most critical: extremely inconvenient scrolling through the list, which constantly jumps too far, and a bug with the volume, which sometimes, when the player freezes and then recovers, suddenly jumps to 100%, risking damaging my eardrums.
Sound The Shanling M1 Plus is technically very good. It delivers excellent detail. It also has a significant gain, enough to drive even the tightest headphones. However, I personally don't like the Shanling M1 Plus's sound. I've never been able to find a single headphone that can tame its harsh and painful sibilance, as well as its recessed midrange, which creates the impression of a narrow soundstage. Every time I play music with cymbals or sibilants in the vocals, it's physically painful to listen to.
I would definitely prefer it if Shanling created a much more neutral sound in their players. I'll choose headphones based on my mood, and if I want a V-shaped sound with an emphasis on the highs, I'll choose headphones with that frequency response. Shanling, however, makes absolutely any headphones sound the same! No matter what headphones you plug in, you'll hear the Shanling M1 Plus's tuning and nothing more.
Compare
Hiby R3 II The Hiby R3 II also features a V-shaped tuning, but it emphasizes low frequencies over highs, delivering a powerful, vibrant bass. Both players are similar in detail, with a virtually indistinguishable dip in the lower mids. The Hiby's high frequencies, by contrast, are noticeably rolled off, almost completely eliminating harsh sibilance. Personally, I prefer the Hiby's sound tuning, but its extremely mediocre performance and buggy, unstable software make using the Hiby far less enjoyable, especially when used portable.
Hiby R3 Pro
This is an older model, but it's still available for purchase. Oddly enough, it has much more refined and stable software, a better screen, performance, and responsiveness than the more modern version. Unfortunately, its sound detail is noticeably inferior to modern analogs. This is offset by a very pleasant tuning, with a slight emphasis on low frequencies and a virtually complete lack of high frequencies, creating a somewhat old-fashioned sound.
Xduoo X5
The Xduoo X5 takes the opposite approach with its sound design. While it doesn't offer significant output power, it strives to deliver as neutral a sound as possible, allowing you to find the best headphones for yourself. It's definitely my personal favorite sound-wise among these. Unfortunately, everything about the player, except for the sound, is downright terrible. It's large and bulky, has only three buttons that can't even be customized, the touchscreen is unresponsive and inaccurate, and the player itself constantly freezes and reacts significantly late to any input, making it feel like you're using an Android smartphone from 2010.
Conclusion
The Shanling M1 Plus is a modern player that emphasizes its modernity. It's fast, convenient, battery-powered, and stable. It's also very technical and detailed. However, in my opinion, Shanling is unnecessarily pursuing Harman's target in its player's sound settings. Headphones are needed for that, and a player should deliver an honest and neutral sound. Nevertheless, now that the market is flooded with huge, heavy Android devices, the Shanling M1 Plus is arguably the best compact player you can buy. There's simply nothing better. Moreover, Shanling is currently the only manufacturer to continue supporting its players after their release.
