HiFiheadphones
  • Home
  • News
  • Full Reviews
  • Brand Stories
  • Best Of
  • How-To’s
  • Videos
  • About Us
  • Shop
No Result
View All Result
HiFiheadphones
  • Home
  • News
  • Full Reviews
  • Brand Stories
  • Best Of
  • How-To’s
  • Videos
  • About Us
  • Shop
No Result
View All Result
HiFiheadphones
No Result
View All Result

Shanling UP Portable DAC / Amplifier Review

by John
August 18, 2017
in Full Reviews
Home Full Reviews

Shanling UP DAC

Shanling UP Portable Headphone USB DAC and Amplifier

Up your portable audio game with the Shanling UP, with excellent detail retrieval and a wide soundstage, a must have for the audiophile on the go.

Pros:

  • Clarity
  • Size
  • Value for money

Cons:

  • None for the price

Shanling UP DAC

Aesthetics, Build Quality and Accessories

The Shanling UP is a tiny little device, the size of a memory stick, with a glossy black front and matter black rear. It has a USB tybe C socket on the top and a 3.5mm headphone jack output on the bottom, on the front an LED will light up telling you the device is on and what sample rate is playing. It is so simplistic and elegant it will fit into any system with ease.

The build quality is excellent with the glass front and the rest of the body being aluminium. Both sockets feel tight, and there is nothing on it to go wrong.

Accessory wise all you get is various cables, which is all that is needed. You get a lightning to USB C, USB C to USB C, Micro USB to USB C and a regular USB to USB C cable, so it covers most phones and PC use.

Ease of use

The UP does not have an internal battery, it just plugs into your device and runs as a DAC/Amp. It should work with most android devices that support OTG accessories, iPhones with lightning port and also PC’s. With the new Windows 10 creators update you no longer need to install drivers.

The devices has no buttons, thus you control the volume level via your phone or PC, I had no issues getting it to work with a Samsung phone, and a regular Windows 10 PC. It is recommended you use the Hiby music app when using the UP.

———————————————————————————————–

READ MORE: NuForce uDAC5 Portable Headphone DAC/Amp Review

———————————————————————————————–

Shanling UP DAC

Sound Quality

The UP is so clean, so clear it is hard to go wrong for the price. I am a DAP user, and don’t use my phone for music as I like having files stored locally. But the trend to not want to carry an extra device nowadays has grown and also Apple did away with the headphone jack so the market for portable DAC/Amps is booming.

There are plenty out there, but few that offer full DSD support and an ES9018 DAC chip for this price. The Shanling UP may only be able to output 35mW @32 Ohms, but it gets loud and driver easy to medium hard to drive headphones.

From IEM’s to portable full-size headphones you will be guaranteed to get much cleaner and better separated sound with the UP.

  • Bass

The bass is tight and controlled, with precise kick and good body to back it up, the bass notes also decay as they should.

  • Mids

There is no added body to the lows, this means the midrange is allowed to shine and it does, with vocals coming across clean with excellent detail retrieval. There is also plenty of air around notes which allows you to pinpoint each and every part of the recording.

  • Treble

The treble is well extended without any harsh metallic tone to it, what is best about the highs is their imaging, the placement within the soundstage is critical and this little device has managed to get it spot on.

Shanling UP DAC

Conclusion

The Shanling UP is a superb High Resolution DAC/Amp for portable use, if you have some good headphones, you are not hearing their full potential out of a phone. This will change that, the UP with give you the clarity, detail and soundstage that your phone simply cannot.

Even being used with a PC there is a substantial upgrade from the on-board audio, so this can be used on your morning commute with your phone, then plug it into your PC at work and enjoy the same quality of music.

Tags: ampamp dacamp/dacamplifierbest portable dacdacdac ampdac/ampheadphone ampheadphone amplifierheadphone dachi-reshiresportable ampportable DACportable headphone ampportable headphone amplifierportable usb dacshanlingshanling portable ampshanling portable dacshanling upusb dac

Related Posts

Cleer ARC 3 Review
Full Reviews

Cleer ARC 3 Review

December 9, 2024
Our guide on different options and why you might need the Faller OSKAR
Full Reviews

Our guide on different options and why you might need the Faller OSKAR

May 11, 2023
Faller Oskar
Full Reviews

Faller OSKAR TV Speaker Review

May 10, 2023

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Featured Article

HiFiHeadphones Best Buy list

Recent Articles

  • Discover the Final DX6000: Out Now!
  • Final VR3000 Wireless is out Now!
  • iFi iDSD Valkyrie: Take Control of Your Sound
  • Final ZE3000 SV Out Now!
  • Gravastar Now Avaliable via Hifiheadphones
  • The Best Headphones & Earphones for Gaming 2025
  • The Best Headphones for Travelling 2025

Interested in a product?

If you have questions about a product please contact us directly through our contact form

Contact our Experts
Instagram Youtube Facebook
hifi headphones

Join Our Newsletter



Categories

  • Home
  • News
  • Full Reviews
  • Brand Stories
  • Best Of
  • How-To’s
  • Videos
  • About Us
  • Shop

About Hifiheadphones

  • About Us
  • Product Reviews
  • Buying Guides
  • Login

© 2020 Hifiheadphones. All rights reserved. Hifieadphones is a trading name of K&S Technology Limited, a company registered in England and Wales.
Company number: 05631601 A4 Dolphin Way, Shoreham-By-Sea, BN43 6NZ, United Kingdom

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Full Reviews
  • Brand Stories
  • Best Of
  • How-To’s
  • Videos
  • About Us
  • Shop

© 2020 Hifiheadphones. All rights reserved. Hifieadphones is a trading name of K&S Technology Limited, a company registered in England and Wales.
Company number: 05631601 A4 Dolphin Way, Shoreham-By-Sea, BN43 6NZ, United Kingdom

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.