Shanling Updates the ET3 CD Transport

Shanling has introduced the ET3 EVO digital optical disc transport, an upgraded version of the popular Shanling ET3. The manufacturer has not completely redesigned the device: the hardware platform and core feature set remain unchanged, while the main improvements concern the chassis design and selected circuit components.

The Shanling ET3 EVO is housed in a dark-grey aluminium enclosure machined using CNC equipment. The front panel and disc-loading mechanism cover feature a decorative carbon-fibre-style finish. Contrasting elements include a glossy red control knob, a gold-coloured company logo and a circular colour display with a resolution of 320 × 290 pixels.

Inside the device, Shanling’s engineers have revised the power supply and optimised the digital signal path. According to the company, these changes should improve the transparency of signal transmission. At the same time, Shanling does not promise a radical increase in sound quality, positioning the ET3 EVO as a careful evolution of the original model.

The optical drive is based on a Philips SAA7824 servo system and a Sanyo HD850 laser mechanism. The unit can read standard Audio CDs, CD-R and CD-RW media, as well as MQA-CD discs. The model does not have a built-in DAC, so an external digital-to-analogue converter or an amplifier equipped with digital inputs is required for audio playback.

Digital signal processing is handled by an Ingenic X2000 processor and a CT7302CL upsampling chip. Users can convert the reproduced material to PCM or DSD. The USB Audio and I²S interfaces support PCM transmission at resolutions of up to 32-bit/768 kHz and DSD up to DSD512. The coaxial, optical and balanced AES/EBU outputs support PCM up to 24-bit/192 kHz and DSD64.

The capabilities of the Shanling ET3 EVO transport are not limited to compact disc playback. The model can also play music from external USB storage devices and supports ISO, DSF, DFF, DXD, APE, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, ALAC, MP3, AAC, OGG and a range of other formats. A connected storage device can also be made available over the network, allowing the unit to function as a compact NAS server.

For integration into a home network, the ET3 EVO features dual-band Wi-Fi and supports DLNA and AirPlay. In addition, the transport can receive an audio signal via Bluetooth and pass it to an external DAC. Playback can be controlled from the front panel using the multifunction knob and physical buttons, with the supplied remote control or through the Eddict Player mobile application.

The Shanling ET3 EVO CD transport measures 188 × 68 × 255 mm and weighs approximately 2.5 kg. Despite the updated styling and internal improvements, the manufacturer has retained the price of the previous version: the new model is available in China for 3,998 yuan.