Shanling EC Zero T Max Tube CD Player DAC

The Shanling EC Zero T Max is a portable tube CD player that pairs a 24-bit R2R DAC with two JAN6418 tubes; its 4.4 mm balanced output is rated at up to 1300 mW @ 32 Ω, even on battery. It is made for CD collectors who want to drive full-size headphones without a separate amp.

Who the Shanling EC Zero T Max is for

• CD collectors: Discs play through Shanling's R2R DAC built from 192 precision 0.1% resistors, and it can rip a CD to a FAT32 USB drive at 1x speed while playing.
• Full-size headphone owners: The 4.4 mm output is rated at 1300 mW @ 32 Ω in transistor mode and 1162 mW in tube mode, with the same figures on battery and external power.
• IEM listeners: Output impedance is 0.4 Ω on the 3.5 mm jack and 0.7 Ω on the 4.4 mm jack, and Shanling pitches the amp for advanced in-ear earphones as well as demanding full-size headphones.
• Tube-curious listeners: Switch between the JAN6418 tube stage, which Shanling describes as thicker and warmer, and a punchier transistor path.
• Speaker systems and wireless headphones: 3.5 mm and 4.4 mm line outputs, a coaxial/optical S/PDIF output and an aptX Adaptive Bluetooth transmitter let it feed an amplifier, an external DAC or wireless headphones.
• Skip it if: you want to stream from your phone into it, since its Bluetooth only transmits, or you need built-in RCA or XLR outputs, since the line outputs are 3.5 mm and 4.4 mm jacks.

Shanling EC Zero T Max key specs

• DAC: Shanling 24-bit R2R (192 × 0.1% resistors), OS/NOS filter
• Tubes: 2 × JAN6418, tube/transistor mode switch
• Headphone amp: AD8397-based
• Output power, 4.4 mm balanced: 1300 mW @ 32 Ω (transistor) / 1162 mW @ 32 Ω (tube), high gain
• Output power, 3.5 mm: 361 mW @ 32 Ω (high gain)
• Line and digital outputs: 3.5 mm and 4.4 mm line out (4.2 Vrms balanced, transistor); 3.5 mm coaxial/optical S/PDIF
• Bluetooth: 5.3 transmitter; aptX Adaptive, aptX, SBC
• USB DAC: Up to 768 kHz/32-bit PCM and DSD512
• Battery: 5500 mAh; up to 8 h (3.5 mm), 7.5 h (4.4 mm), 20 h (Bluetooth transmit)
• Size and weight: 158 × 150 × 28 mm; 669 g

TonePier ships only genuine, brand-new, factory-sealed Shanling stock. US shipping is free, and our 45-day return window gives you real time to live with it before deciding.