Shanling Releases SCD1.3 SACD/CD Player

All Image Credit: Shanling

Earlier this year Shanling released the high end CD-T35 CD player and streamer and has now followed that up with an affordable SACD player that is also a DAC, or is it the other way around? This new DAC/player supports local USB drives, Bluetooth streaming, DLNA, Airplay and NAS. Having both balanced and unbalanced analog outputs together with digital inputs that support I2S, this new player can drive audiophile amplifiers, active speakers or act as a high end DAC.

This conventional front loader utilizes the MediaTek ME1389EE system alongside the Sanyo HD870 laser in tray style mechanism, supporting both SACD and CD media. A conveniently located front panel button allows for easy switching between the SACD and CD layers on Hybrid discs.

According to Shanling, the internal DAC process was inspired by their M9 Plus DAP and uses a combination of AKM’s AK4499EX and AK4191 DAC chips. Level/volume control is provided by a MUSES8920 J-FET input dual operational amplifier, enabling the SCD1.3 to be used as a pre-amplifier and connected directly to a high-quality 2-channel speaker setup. Additional external digital connectivity is provided to the internal DAC using its; USB, TOSLINK and coaxial inputs.

Digital output is supported by coaxial and optical SPDIF plus their new advanced I2S system that uses a custom FPGA with custom code that supports 10 options of user selectable pin-out via software. It should be noted that all SACD playback is limited to PCM 88.2 KHZ for digital outputs – a result of Sony’s data encryption.

Operation is under the control of the latest generation of Shanling’s MTouch system, powered by the Ingenic X2000 platform and controlled through a 5-inch touch screen. MTouch also unlocks the wireless capabilities of the SCD1.3, a Bluetooth 5.0 receiver function with the support of LDAC, aptX HD and AAC, together with Wi-Fi connectivity supporting; DLNA, Airplay and NAS functions.

For higher resolution support the SCD1.3 provides up-sampling to 32-bit/768 kHz and DSD512. Connect SCD1.3 to a computer, utilizing its high-performance XMOS XU316 USB input, or just plug a USB drive directly into the USB port on the front panel, for pure lossless local playback.