I like mine.
I have to say mea culpa, in my 'Gon review I didn't compare my Shanling to any other player directly. The other players I knew best were the Linn Genki and my previous setup, a Cambridge Audio DiscMagic and IsoMagic with an optical clock-locking cable and a Wireworld Gold Starlight III IC. That cost a bit less than the Shanling, while the Genki was about the same. The Shanling beat them both quite handily on a number of points, including timbres and artifacts.
I also know the Linn Ikemi a little, and it's a lovely player with a quite different sound from the Shanling's. More laid back. The Ikemi had been my dream machine but I am so happy with my Shanling now that I don't much feel like getting into the comparison. Going from ancient memory, the NOS tube upgrade puts the Shanling into the Ikemi's general territory regarding soundstage, and timbres are perhaps a bit better.
I have to say mea culpa, in my 'Gon review I didn't compare my Shanling to any other player directly. The other players I knew best were the Linn Genki and my previous setup, a Cambridge Audio DiscMagic and IsoMagic with an optical clock-locking cable and a Wireworld Gold Starlight III IC. That cost a bit less than the Shanling, while the Genki was about the same. The Shanling beat them both quite handily on a number of points, including timbres and artifacts.
I also know the Linn Ikemi a little, and it's a lovely player with a quite different sound from the Shanling's. More laid back. The Ikemi had been my dream machine but I am so happy with my Shanling now that I don't much feel like getting into the comparison. Going from ancient memory, the NOS tube upgrade puts the Shanling into the Ikemi's general territory regarding soundstage, and timbres are perhaps a bit better.