Shanling M5

Just released last March, the Shanling M5 has a lot to offer anyone looking for a dedicated digital music player. Solidly built to stand up to daily travel yet lightweight in the hand, it’s made from black anodized and brushed aluminum, with a carbon-fiber backplate that lends a premium feel. Displayed on the 3-inch high-definition screen, the menu and file system is especially intuitive, and should be familiar to anyone who has used a pre-2010 iPod.

Upgraded from its predecessors, the M2 and M3, the Shanling M5 uses the MUSE8920 low-pass filtering amp and the AKM AK4490 as its primary DAC chip, which supports files up to which supports files up to 32 bit/192 kHz. The sound is clean and warm with a wide soundstage well-suited for a range of genres, and the customizable EQ makes for gapless playback.

On the top of the Shanling M5, you’ll find a 3.5-millimeter jack and a combined line out and coaxial port. On the left side, there’s a power/wake button, along with a slot for a micro-SD card that supports up to 128 gigs of external memory. The bottom panel houses a micro-USB port for data transfer, charging, or connecting to your computer to be used as an external, plug-and-play DAC/amp. Inside, a 3,400-mAh rechargeable lithium battery gives the DAP up to 9 hours of playing time at relatively high levels between charges.