Has anybody heard the Shanling CD player?

there is quite a bit of discussion on audio asylum.

Let me start by stating that I am a dealer of the Shanling CD T 100. Let me also add that I am not trying to sell you one because I am sold out. I have another shipment coming end of July and that shipment looks like it is about to be sold out.

Does that mean this unit is the digital answer?

Let me first state that it is even more impressive in real life than in pictures. This unit comes with a double HDCD compilation disc, three brass cones and pucks (very nice ones), gloves for when you need to change tubes, and an upgraded powercord built by Shanling which is decent. Plus it has a very nice remote. A 100 step attenuator which is driven by a tube preamp that uses 2 tubes and has separate RCA jacks if you decide to go direct. There are another 2 tubes for the headphone jack. This unit has it all. Some of the very expensive CD manufactures that I carry could learn something from Shanling.

I have been listening to the unit for 2 weeks and have had numerous people try to buy this unit but it is not for sale!
From the first note even with HDCD which can be a little harsh and bright at times this unit is seductive. When you turn on the 24/96 upsampler because you do not have to use it, it just gets better.

I personally love this player. No it is not as good as my favorite CD player the Mephisto 2 nor the just as wonderful EMC 1, both which I carry, but I could live with the Shanling.

How much of my love affair has to do with the aesthetics? No doubt alot! Everyone who walks into the store thinks it is the most expensive piece of gear that I carry. Considering that I have on display Red Rose, Pass Labs, etc. that is high praise.

It is not just me that is swooning over this unit I have a lists of manufactures who also want one. Soon there will be some reviews coming on the Shanling. I don't know if I am at liberty to say so I better keep quiet.

I wrote the distributor today and told him he needs to get them to build a tube integrated to match the CD player. That would be a killer combo!

At night the clear platter turns blue and with Pass amps looks amazing.

Good bottom end, nice midrange, good top end not the ultimate in transparency but very pleasant to listen to for hours.

I bought one a month ago, and I love it. Great sonics!
I run it directly into a SS power amp, and it's like I am "rediscovering" my cd collection. Highly recommended!

I've been keen to learn more about this player as well. I've checked through all the threads on Audio Asylum, and they didnt' prove that instructive - I'm still keen to learn more. The aesthetics do look awesome, but I suspect after a few months I'll be wishing I paid for better sonics. In particular I'm keen to learn how this player compares to players costing $2k on the used market. I've a YBA CD1a which will likely fetch just a few hundred below the $2k mark if I sell it, but I suspect my YBA may sound better - that's my dilema.

My situation is similar to yours Outlier. I have a Sonic Frontiers SFT1 and SFD2Mk11 DAC which was near state of the art 5 years ago and built like a tank. Have thought of selling to upgrade to new technology but could possibly take a step back if I do not choose wisely. It seems that the EMC, Mephisto, or Capitol may be the better options for me.

For $1000 in Hong Kong and China, it is a very good player and is the best in Made-in-China products. But not worth $2000. Rather, I would have a EMC with an addition of a few hundred dollars.

Only thing i've seen about it were listening results that people posted from the last Audio show in NY. Opinions were a mixed bag with some people loving it while others completely dismissed the sonics. Obviously, the less than stellar acoustics, the selection of support components and the music selected can make judging something like this quite difficult under those circumstances. I do have to admit that it is one of the nicest looking pieces i have ever seen. Kind of a cool combo of "space age" and "retro" all in one : ) Sean
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