Shanling M1 Plus Hi-Res MP3 player

I bought this to replace my 2021 Hiby R3 Pro as a non-Android office & commute DAP. After owning and loving the ifi Go Blu for a couple of years, I couldn't stand the thought of buying a new budget DAP without a volume wheel. So my only real options were the newer Hiby R3 and this Shanling M1 Plus. I'm sure the updated Hiby R3 is great, but I never owned a Shanling product before and just took a chance on it. I've been putting it through its paces the past couple of weeks. The firmware updates over wifi were quick and painless. It read and updated my 512 GB micro SD card (mostly FLAC files) very quickly compared to my 2021 Hiby R3. I really like the ability download missing artwork and lyrics missing from some albums directly from the device. Nice! Overall, I really like the UI/software experience. No complaints on the sound, battery life, or driving power. I removed one star for a very specific (and maybe petty) reason: There are several digital filter options and I can't decide which one to use. This might sound silly to some, but on some of my IEM's and more detailed headphones--and on certain tracks--I can actually hear very slight differences when switching filters. But it's driving me crazy that I can't pin down which one i prefer. I guess more time & experimentation is needed, but I liked how LG did it on their tragically discontinued phones. The offered simple descriptions for each filter type to help one choose. Even if it's all placebo effect, it would be nice to at least feel like I was making the best choice.

If you’re looking for a simple hi-fi portable compact DAP look no further. Very user friendly and sound is great both wireless and wired. I was very impressed by the sound quality and how easy it was to setup to tailor for my liking. Love how compact it is as well.

I have two older Shanling MP3s and this one is really good. Highly recommended!