Today, let's talk about Shanling's first portable CD player EC MINI (priced at 1998 yuan), which has been popular for a long time, a portable CD player redefined by CD manufacturers.
Different from Sony, Panasonic, Kenwood, Philips and other models in the 90s of the last century, as a portable CD player in the new era, 2023, the control mode of the domestic Shanling EC MINI is significantly more diverse, with three fashionable operation modes of "button + touch screen + mobile phone APP control" to cope with different scenarios and functions.
Regarding the size of the fuselage, the EC MINI is "bigger" than I expected, and the last thing I expected was that it was heavier! So if you really want to walk around with it, it's still a little stressful, and you need to be extra careful not to "crash". It is said that the manufacturer also designed a "storage bag" for it, which may play a certain protective role.
As a "mini CD player" built by Shanlinghua, EC MINI has dual anti-vibration systems (mechanical anti-vibration and ESP electronic anti-vibration), using customized Philips servo system, Sanyo HD860 bald head, dual RT6863 ear amplifier chips, KDS femtosecond low-phase noise active crystal oscillator, 4 Panasonic FC aluminum electrolytic capacitors, 14 Panasonic polymer tantalum capacitors, 2 ELNA SILMIC II capacitors and LTA8092 op amp.
Equipped with a dual-ES9219MQ DAC, it has a 123dB signal-to-noise ratio and 0.0005% distortion.
Equipped with dual 18650 high-energy batteries (6800mAh), it has a battery life of about 25 hours for playing local music (TF card) and about 7.5 hours for CD playback. It should be noted that the manufacturer does not recommend playing vertically.
There are two gains, high and low, and two digital filters.
Support two-way Bluetooth 5.0, two-way USB, support TF card (up to 2TB), equipped with 3.5mm (140mW@32 ohm), 4.4mm (248mW@32 ohm) two headphone ports and RCA analog output.
It can play CDs, TF cards, and can also be used as USB DAC and Bluetooth ear amplifier (up to LDAC support). Support MQA-CD disc playback and MQA file expansion.
The packaging box is not small, and the nameplate of the waist seal shows elegance.
Interior furnishings.
Accessories are not shot, four white rubber pads and a C-mount data cable. Leather cases are also available.
Compare Apple phones.
Compare the half-size desktop unit CD80 (1998 yuan) and the Sony CD Walkman EJ785 at the same price.
Put it with a record.
The thickness is also significantly smaller than CD80.
Front at a glance.
Support vehicle mode, after connecting the USB cable on the car, the vehicle starts and automatically boots; The vehicle turns off and shuts down automatically, which is good.
With a strong sense of technology LCD true color screen, when used as a Bluetooth ear amplifier, you can scroll to display the lyrics, singer and track name, the look is great, at this time will also display the codec at the bottom and upper right corner, such as AAC or LDAC, etc., on the contrary, the interface when playing CDs is very monotonous, the advantage is that people can immerse themselves in the ritual of "listening".
The screen is swiped from top to bottom, left to right, and right to left, all designed with corresponding interface displays, but in some playback modes, you can only exit (swipe from left to right) before operating the rest of the functions.
Some of the information displays may be a bit crowded, but most of them are easy to use and aesthetically pleasing.
Its battery is quite durable, even if there is less than 5% left, it can hold on steadily for a while.
The two physical buttons next to the screen, the press feedback feeling is average, and the button on the side of the headphone hole will feel better when pressed.
Here are more displays of this screen:
The screen alone is enough to burn friends for a while, and this is also the fun and value of playing EC MINI.
The charging port on the back, USB DAC and Micro SD card slot are next to each other.
On the left there is an on-board mode switch, a charging indicator, and a reset hole for restoring the system.
Sound performance:
The EC MINI sound is natural, well-balanced, and there is little to no sense of certain frequencies or timbre biases. The sound quality when playing CDs is as expected, and it is also of a high level as the larger CD80, but there are differences in hearing and detail (more on this later).
The sound is not "boiled water", not cold sound, nor "rigorous" studio taste. On the basis of focusing on reduction, it continues the loose and warm characteristics that mountain spirit machines often have. At the same time, because of the CD player, the "sense of scale" of the sound will be better than some medium and high-end digital music portable equipment.
BEYOND EXPECTATIONS, IT ALSO SOUNDS GOOD IN BLUETOOTH MODE (FRONT IPHONE), WHICH MEANS THAT WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE A CD OR A SONG, JUST WITH THE HELP OF THE STREAMING MUSIC RESOURCES IN THE PHONE, BLUETOOTH CAN ALSO GET EXCELLENT SOUND QUALITY WHEN TRANSMITTED TO EC MINI.
——Contrast Shui Yueyu's portable decoding ear amp "Hydrolysis 2-Ti" (1000 price):
At first listening to the two is very close, sometimes I even feel that hydrolysis 2-Ti (front-end IPAD) is no less than it, but after listening to it a few more times, I found that it is really every detail, every "sound fluctuation", Shanling EC MINI is "more solid", if you just focus on the details of the human voice, it may not be easy for you to quickly distinguish, but when the brain relaxes and quietly feels every sound in the music melody, you will notice that Shanling's mini CD player is really amazing.
First of all, the sound field it gives is completely different from these popular digital portable devices, I often feel that it is impossible to use "ellipse", "spherical" and other scene terms to define, whether it has a boundary, it seems to be mainly to see the recording status of this CD, it will be very careful, very standardized to give the scale, intensity and edge of each sound. Without comparing with more advanced machines, I can't hear a little bit of "sticking", just like all sounds are "portrayed" for you, even if it is a faint sound, no matter how far the details.
In contrast, these small devices of digital type, in contrast, are easy to expose "not detailed enough" and "not very solid" problems, such as the dynamics and cohesion of the sound of some instruments, its knot will be relatively blurred, and at the same time can not clearly explain the "position" (sense of positioning). In this way, "dynamic", "cohesion" and "positioning" are slightly underheated, and in the end, the sound field felt by the human ear always seems to be limited to a range that can never be broken, and it can also be said that various "adhesions" make them unable to break out of this "spherical" "prison-like sound field".
- Compare Sony ZX706 (4000 price point):
In contrast, Sony's is not balanced in the three-band distribution, it is obviously more "bass-focused", although the quality of the treble is also quite high, but in most cases, you will still notice that it has a "heavy thing" falling at the bottom of the sound, so that the vocals are not so "prominent", and the treble is not particularly "bright". However, this changes when replacing some headphones, making it difficult to notice the problem of "balance".
Shanling EC MINI compared to Sony ZX706, I only briefly tried 3.5 ports, the specific situation is actually roughly the same as comparing the water moon rain hydrolysis 2-Ti, that is, the CD player is habitually solid, so that everything is delicate, the sound will be very real and natural. In contrast, the Sony ZX706 is trying its best to restore, but it is broken. It is difficult to fully present the sense of "scale", and cannot have both high-quality "separation" and a clear and cohesive "image" like the CD system.
In fact, the Sony ZX706 is also very separable, if you don't compare, you just vaguely feel that the knot is not "strength" enough.
——Compare the Sony EJ785 (the price of seven or eight hundred in the early 2000s, at today's price level, corresponds to three thousand price points):
The EJ785 was Sony's shockproof mid-range CD walkman introduced in the early 2000s, and the price was similar to the digital part of the model.
What I didn't expect was that it was quite similar to the Shanling EC MINI in terms of timbre. When comparing the same pop song, repeat it several times, and you will feel that the two are as if they were soft, slightly sweet, and very enduring. But there are still some differences, but I will have difficulty stating accurately for a while. So give up.
In terms of quality, I have to say that Sony's machine is still quite good, although in terms of dynamics and transparency, it is not comparable to those Sony black iron shell machines in the 90s, but the basic analysis framework and naturalness are still good!
But in the face of Shanling EC MINI, first of all, the thrust of EJ785 (3.5 earphone hole) is indeed backward, and it is not suitable for matching slightly difficult headphones, let alone the 4.4 ports with stronger thrust compared to EC MINI.
In addition, the "sense of scale" (sound stage, dynamics) of the EJ785 is also somewhat backward compared to the EC MINI, and when the big scene music comes, there is less sense of encirclement, and the momentum will not be particularly burning. And when expressing the charm of some specific frequencies, such as low frequency or high frequency, it is also slightly worse and less "commotion" of thick and thin hair.
- Shanling EC MINI (1998 yuan) and CD80 (1998 yuan):
Under the 3.5 headphone port, both timbre is natural, but the power, overall transparency and sound stage of the CD80 lower disc still give me a feeling that it will be better (it seems that each item will be slightly better), and it will be more "head surrounding", in contrast, EC MINI is a little limited, it seems that the muscles and bones are not fully opened. It should be pointed out that this comparison has also been switched several times, and the gap is not easy to perceive by one ear. Sometimes it can be confusing.
But switching to 4.4 ports, the EC MINI will have a further quality play, and in some musical works, this significantly enhanced sound quality will be fascinating, but in terms of musicality, I still prefer CD80. Hopefully not an illusion...
Overall, the EC MINI appeals to a sense of sophistication, while the CD80 is more relaxed. So, if you have a 4.4-plug HIFI headset, then EC MINI will undoubtedly be a better choice. If the gameplay is more old-school, that is, you are keen on the sound of single-ended headphones, then choose CD80, it will make your headphones shine more.
Finally about collocation:
EC MINI and Shanling's own MG100 (single coil), SONO (circle iron), ME900 (flagship circle iron) are easy to match well. The human voice charm, instrumental music analysis, and low-frequency power are all touching. In terms of sound quality and cost performance, perhaps the most reliable package is EC MINI + MG100 (very delicate and transparent), followed by EC MINI + SONO (rich vocals + loose sound stage).
With the ER4SR (not easy to push), it will be slightly weak, and it will be much better to insert it to 4.4 ports.
Paired with the ER3SE (Easy Push), it's good, slightly better than the ER4SR.
With SIVGA LUAN, SV021, Philips SH9500, Sony MDR-MV1 these 3.5mm plug headphones, are good, although not excellent, but from the perspective of carry-on, 7, 8 into the volume, can also score a nine.
With the SIVGA Nightingale, 4.4-port drive, the treble is very charming, and the overall effect I am very satisfied.
4.4 mouth push Senhai HD800S and Water Moon Rain Start-Star, the volume needs to be turned to 90%, or even full, it will be a little "musical". Can't push open, not recommended.
4.4 Push Sony MDR-Z1R, the effect is very good, better than expected.
The 4.4 port is paired with the Sony IER-Z1R, which is much better than expected and has a high degree of satisfaction; 3.5 mouth with JVC FW10000, feel bad breath, the middle and lower plates are still a little weak.
In summary, in addition to the use of low sensitivity (102dB/mW below) headphones, the 3.5-port EC MINI may not be powerful, with the help of 4.4 ports, the rest, but where the high-sensitivity earbuds or headphones combined with EC MINI, whether it is a CD or Bluetooth connection to the mobile phone to listen to streaming media, there is a high probability that there will be a good feeling beyond the same price digital player, worthy of portable audiophiles. And for those in the 70s and 80s who have not yet thrown away the CDs, its appearance is even more moving! It's like returning to the glory of the Walkman CD era!