- A CD player with aptX Adaptive and a Hi-Res Audio DAC
- A cheaper version of one that had a tube amp(!) built in too
- $319 (about £244 / AU$490)
We’ve been impressed by Shanling’s portable CD players – the Shanling EC Zero T was one of our favorite products at the High End Munich 2025 audio show – so we’re very interested in the firm’s new ECZero AKM, which does much more than just play CDs.
The ECZero AKM is a very talented little device. As Darko Audio reports, what Shanling has basically done here is taken the tube amplification out of the T model that we liked, and has gone for an all-digital design instead, with an AKM AK4493S DAC and SGM 8262 op-amps.
That’s cut the cost dramatically, although it does mean losing the “meaty” sound of the tube-based model that we liked so much – but tube amps are always a bit of a risk on a portable device anyway, so maybe this is the smart move ultimately.
With multiple outputs and USB-C input, the ECZero AKM can rip your CDs in real time to USB storage, transmit music to your wireless speakers and headphones over Bluetooth, deliver balanced and unbalanced outputs for your wired headphones, act as a CD transport for your hi-fi, and double as a DAC for other digital devices.
Shanling EXZero AKM: key details and pricing
The headphone jack outputs 525mW into 32 ohms and the balanced output can go up to 836mW per channel if the Shanling is connected to wired power – more than enough to drive even fairly demanding headphones. On battery mode, you can expect about 10 hours of playback depending on how hard you drive your headphones.
There’s a 3.5mm line out, a 4.4mm balanced line out, a combined coaxial/optical SP/DIF and twin USB-C, and there’s Bluetooth 5.3 with aptX and aptX Adaptive. These don’t quite provide totally lossless CD-quality sound wirelessly (you’d need aptX Lossless for that), but they’re close enough that you’ll feel like you’re making the most of your discs if you have a pair of the best wireless headphones that support them.
There’s no LDAC, however – it’s aptX only here. And it’s notable that the Bluetooth only transmits: you can’t use it to receive audio from your phone to listen on the best wired headphones connected to the Shanling.
However, if you connect the USB-C input to your computer or other devices, it can support Hi-Res Audio at up to 32-bit/768kHz PCM and DSD256, so that’s a lovely bonus to have.
Controls are minimal and there’s a small 1.68-inch color LCD to let you know basic details such as track information, volume and where you are in the track. There are three selectable gain levels and a 100-step digital volume slider.
The ECZero AKM is much cheaper than the EC Zero T, which had a launch price of $589; this new model is a much more affordable $319 (about £244 / AU$490). You can find out more on the Shanling website here.
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