CD / SACD players and transports — Shanling CD80 II

The CD80 II is a compact all-in-one CD player from Shanling and the successor to the original CD80, with an upgraded tray-loading mechanism and a new DAC. Shanling positions it as its smallest fully equipped CD player, and several of its parts come straight from the larger CD-S100.

Key specs that matter

The tray mechanism pairs an HD850 laser with Shanling's fourth-generation servo system dedicated to CD playback, the same one used in the CD-S100. Conversion has moved from the ESS chip of the first CD80 to a Cirrus Logic CS43198 DAC, run by an Ingenic X1000E CPU, with Panasonic FC capacitors in the circuit. Two SGM8262 amplifiers drive the headphone outputs - a 4.4mm balanced socket rated at up to 850mW into 32 ohms and a 3.5mm single-ended socket giving 215mW into 32 ohms, both with output impedance below 1 ohm. A USB-A input reads drives of up to 2TB and plays PCM up to 32-bit/384kHz and DSD256. Bluetooth 5.0 supports LDAC, AAC and SBC. Around the back sit an RCA line output with a selectable variable mode and a coaxial S/PDIF digital output. A 1.28-inch colour display with 240 x 240 pixels shows track details. The player measures about 280 x 205 x 52mm and weighs 2.6kg.

Engineering and use context

Shanling builds the chassis as a precision-forged unibody in aluminium alloy, offered in black or silver. Control is through physical buttons on the unit or a companion smartphone app. The low output impedance of both headphone sockets makes the CD80 II a good match for sensitive IEMs, yet the balanced socket still has enough power for more demanding full-size headphones. The CD80 II can therefore work both as a disc player in a larger hi-fi system and as a standalone headphone amplifier, with USB drives and Bluetooth phones as extra sources.

Pairing

With the line output set to variable, the CD80 II acts as a preamplifier and can feed a power amplifier or active speakers directly, with no separate control unit in between. Through the coaxial output it also works as a transport for owners who prefer an external DAC to the internal Cirrus Logic conversion.

Alternatives

Shanling's CD-S100, which lends the CD80 II its transport mechanism and servo system, sits above this model in the brand's range of CD players.