Shanling EH1 Compact Desktop DAC/AMP - As simple and straightforward as possible

More powerful than the solutions of the Shanling UA Line, simpler in design than the solutions of the Shanling H Line and smaller than the Shanling EH3 Desktop DAC & Amplifier, this is the latest addition to the Shanling Desktop Line, which Shanling is now presenting in the form of the Shanling EH1 Compact Desktop DAC/AMP. As is easy to recognise, this is a classic combination in the field of desktop audio, namely a D/A converter and headphone amplifier, as offered by Shanling itself in various forms.

However, the new Shanling EH1 Compact Desktop DAC/AMP is still something special, as it forms part of a series of products within the Shanling Desktop Line, which are to be offered at a particularly attractive price and in a compact form.

Particularly simple and easy to use

The new Shanling EH1 Compact Desktop DAC/AMP is designed to be particularly easy to use, deliberately dispensing with a display and relying instead on a few control elements – buttons and rotary encoders – which are completely sufficient to guarantee convenient operation.

Compact and elegant

The design is based on a slim aluminium housing, which is available in either black or silver and has an elegant design language. As already mentioned, the front is adorned with a rotary encoder for controlling the volume, a bass and hearing control and, in addition to a standby button, there is also a gain control.

Headphones can be connected either via a 6.3 mm stereo jack unbalanced or a 4,4 mm PENTACONN balanced.

At the rear of the Shanling EH1 Compact Desktop DAC/AMP, there is a USB-C port for direct connection to a PC or Mac, and this solution also has a coaxial S/PDIF interface that serves as an output. Analogue signals are output via a pair of RCA sockets, whereby you can choose between Line Out and Pre Out via a selector switch.

Signal processing up to 32 bit and 768 kHz as well as DSD512

For signal processing, the developers of the new Shanling EH1 Compact Desktop DAC/AMP rely on a D/A converter from Cirrus Logic Inc., namely a Cirrus Logic SC43198 DAC, which can process signals in Linear PCM with up to 32 bits and 768 kHz, as well as DSD up to DSD512.

An output stage with a dual-mono design and therefore two SGM8262 headphone amplifier modules from SG Micro Corp. provide sufficient power to drive a wide range of headphones without any problems.

Specifically, the manufacturer lists 250 mW into 32 ohms with the unbalanced 6,3 mm stereo jack and low gain, 399 mW into 32 ohms with high gain, and even 250 mW into 32 ohms with low gain and up to 1,015 mW into 32 ohms with high gain via the balanced 4,4 mm PENTACONN.

Finally, it should be mentioned that the power supply can be provided directly via the USB-C port and thus a PC or Mac in the simplest case, but also via a 5 V DC power supply unit.

Prices and availability

The new Shanling EH1 Compact Desktop DAC/AMP will soon be available from specialist retailers, as Shanling has announced, in either black or silver. The recommended retail price is US$ 199,-.

Getting to the point

According to Shanling, the new Shanling EH1 Compact Desktop DAC/AMP is a deliberately simple D/A converter plus headphone amplifier in the form of a very compact, elegant desktop audio device. As simple as this solution from the Shanling Desktop Line is, it should still be possible to achieve a very appealing sound quality, so that the manufacturer speaks of a particularly attractive price-performance ratio.

PRODUCT	Shanling EH1 Compact Desktop DAC/AMP
Price	US$ 199,-

Brand	SHANLING
Manufacturer	Shanling
Distribution	NT Global Distribution GmbH
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