Shanling is referring to its latest streaming product – the M30 Pro – as a ‘Modular Streaming Player’. Let’s break it down…
The M30 Pro is:
- a microSD card / Bluetooth / network streamer
- a DAC
- and a headphone amplifier
Its headphone outputs number six:
- Balanced XLR
- Balanced 3.5mm PRO
- Balanced 2.5mm
- Balanced 4.4mm
- Single-ended 3.5mm
- Single-ended 6.4mm
For connecting the M30 Pro to an outboard amplifier we use the following rear-panel hook-ups:
- RCA
- Balanced XLR
For connecting the M30 Pro to an external DAC we use:
- USB
Hard-wired inputs for external sources include:
- TOSLINK
- coaxial
- USB for PC/Mac
- USB for storage devices
- Analogue RCA
Now comes the twist: many of the hardware sections inside the M30 Pro are slide-in modules that permit future upgradability:
- A customised Android 10 digital player module running on a Qualcomm 665 chip with a tiltable 5.8″ 1080 x 1920px touchscreen. The operating system is closed – so no Google Play Store – but apps for Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer, Apple Music and Amazon Music will run out of the box
- A DAC module built around twin AKM4497 chips
- A discrete amplifier module promising up to 3.8 Watts into 32 Ohms
- A tube module featuring twin Korg 6P1 Nutubes
- A 16,500 mAh battery module with 5 x 18650 batteries
Yes, the M30Pro runs on rechargeable batteries.
Yours for US$4999.
Further information: Shanling