Wait! What? Another portable CD player in 2023?

Shanling has today announced the EC Mini, a transportable CD player that can be moved from home to office (and back again). The unit is powered by a pair of 18650 batteries that are rechargeable via the supplied outboard unit for up to 7.5 hours of CD playback.

However, unlike the top-loading portable Moondrop CD player, the Shanling CD player is a slot loader whose CD mechanism comes from Phillips and laser from Sanyo. On D/A conversion and analogue output staging, Shanling has specified ESS 9219 DAC chips, Ricore RT6863 op-amps for the headphone outputs and an LTA8092 op-amp for the line-out. Amplifier connections come by way of two RCA sockets on the back and headphone hook-ups via a 3.5mm socket or a balanced 4.4mm socket on the front.

Not only…

Built around an Ingenic X1000 processing platform, the EC Mini can play catch on a Bluetooth stream (LDAC, AAC or SBC) or dispatch one of its own (LDAC, aptX, AAC or SBC) to bring Bluetooth headphones into play. Also two-way in its behaviour is the Shanling CD player’s USB support. The EC Mini can send digital audio stream out over USB into an external USB DAC (like the Schiit Urd) or it can be used as a USB DAC with support for PCM up to 32bit/384kHz and DSD up to DSD256. Furthermore, the USB-C socket will auto-detect the turn of the ignition when connected to a car’s audio system.

Control comes via physical click buttons on the front panel but also a 2.3″ touch panel on top that permits navigation of a USB drive or SD cards inserted into the side using Shanling’s Touch OS. Now the EC Mini is a DAP whose playback runtime can reach up to 25 hours between charges.

An over-the-shoulder carry case will be made available separately and anyone concerned about CD skipping whilst out and about should note that the Chinese manufacturer is pitching the EC Mini as a transportable – and not necessarily portable – CD player. Nevertheless, Shanling says that “to prevent any interruptions on a bumpy ride, EC Mini adds extra mechanical and electronic anti-vibration systems.” How effective are those anti-vibration measures? That’s for reviewers to tell us.

The EC Mini begins shipping in October for US$359.

And I’ll add this: the Moondrop MoonDream and Shanling EC Mini are on track to become the hipster accessories of 2024.

Further information: Shanling

Related posts:

A portable CD player in 2023? Denon’s new CD player is also an SACD player