Shanling UA6 Portable USB DAC/AMP – The flagship of the Shanling UA Line
With the new Shanling UA6, Shanling is not only expanding the so-called Shanling UA Line, it is also introducing the new flagship of this product line of portable D/A converters with integrated headphone amplifier.
- The latest portable D/A converter and headphone amplifier in the Shanling UA Line, the Shanling UA6, is set to become the new flagship product in the line, Shanling has announced.
The so-called Shanling UA Line offers a range of solutions that can almost be regarded as a standard in the field of personal audio devices, namely the combination of D/A converter and headphone amplifier. The declared aim of this product group from Shanling is to guarantee the best possible sound quality with a wide range of source devices, especially smartphones and tablets.
This task is also assigned to the latest addition to the Shanling UA Line, which the specialist Shanling is now presenting with the new Shanling UA6 Portable USB DAC/AMP. The fact that the aim here is to achieve a particularly high level of quality is clear from the fact that, according to Shanling, this solution is now the new flagship of the entire Shanling UA Line.
Portable USB DAC/AMP dongle
The concept behind this solution is that a wide variety of source devices can be connected to the Shanling UA6 Portable USB DAC/AMP via a USB-C port, with high-quality converters and a powerful, balanced output stage allowing the operation of high-quality, wired headphones.
Quad DAC design and balanced output stage
The converters of the Shanling UA6 Portable USB DAC/AMP are components from the specialist Cirrus Logic Inc., whereby a so-called Quad DAC design is utilised and thus four CS43131 DACs are used to process data in Linear PCM format with up to 32 bits and 768 kHz as well as DSD up to and including DSD512.
To customise the signal conversion within certain limits, the new Shanling UA6 Portable USB DAC/AMP offers the option of using five different filter types.
The output stage of the Shanling UA6 Portable USB DAC/AMP is balanced, so that not only an unbalanced 3,5 mm stereo mini-jack is available for connecting headphones, but also a balanced 4,4 mm Pentaconn.
In order to create the best possible conditions for a wide range of headphones, the output level can be adjusted in two stages, namely low gain and high gain. The unbalanced output provides 31 mW into 32 ohms at low gain and 112 mW into 32 ohms at high gain. If the balanced output is selected, it delivers 101 mW into 32 ohms at low gain and up to 361 mW into 32 ohms at high gain.
Compact and lightweight, yet long battery life
The new Shanling UA6 Portable USB DAC/AMP measures no more than 68 x 33,5 x 13,6 mm and weighs just 35 g. Nevertheless, it has a sufficiently long playing time, as the manufacturer promises, as it has a 220 mAh battery. Thanks to the so-called Hybrid Power System, the source device can also be used as a power supply via USB-C.
It should be mentioned that the new Shanling UA6 Portable USB DAC/AMP features an elegant aluminium housing in either silver or black and a 1.3-inch colour display. It is controlled via a button on the side of the device.
Prices and availability
The new Shanling UA6 Portable USB DAC/AMP, the flagship of the Shanling UA Line, should be available from specialist retailers these days in either black or silver, as mentioned above. According to the manufacturer, the price is US$ 159,-.
Getting to the point
Admittedly, in times of Bluetooth headphones with ever-improving quality, there are not so many users who rely on wired headphones for music playback on the go, but they still exist. And Shanling is now offering them a new solution from the Shanling UA Line, with the new Shanling UA6 Portable USB DAC/AMP even being the flagship of the series. The quality level achieved with this solution is said to be correspondingly high.
| PRODUCT | Shanling UA6 Portable USB DAC/AMP |
|---|---|
| Price | US$ 159,- |
| Brand | SHANLING |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Shanling |
| Distribution | NT Global Distribution GmbH |
| More about this manufacturer at HIFI BLOG |
