Sound Analysis and Comparison.
Shanling markets the M7T as being a “New Benchmark for Reference Sound“. I can of course be pedantic here and nit-pick over the definition of “reference” and question relative to what the benchmark should be taken, which I am sure would make me sound terribly intelligent. But I don’t want to sound intelligent, I want my impressions to be genuine. So, in the interest of musical enjoyment, let’s be practical. The signal Shanling is sending with its marketing claim is that the M7T represents a departure from their usual sound, and this is what is important for you (a potential customer) to know. The M7T does not have the usual warmer, leaning towards “fun” Shanling house sound. It instead aims for a more neutral, revealing signature.
Now we have a ton of words that could be applied to the M7T and won’t really tell us anything: ‘Reference’, ‘neutral’, ‘natural’, ‘revealing’, etc. So, it looks like we have our work cut out for us to make sense of this.
Generally speaking, the M7T does indeed have a neutral/reference signature. It is a notably cooler sound compared to other (warmer) Shanling DAPs and feels more serious, like the DAP has grown up and needs to wear a suit while doing its job. In a way, that is true because a reference DAP should ideally reveal the music without coloring it. One of the reasons the Lotoo PAW Gold Touch is such an important reviewing tool for me, is exactly because it is so good at revealing nuances in music and differences between IEMs. It feels like it gets out of the way. It doesn’t of course. Every element in an audio setup has an influence, after all. It is a combination of technical strengths that gives the LPGT this ability to reveal minute details, such as its incredibly black background, outstanding transparency and phenomenal imaging. The M7T can’t rival the LPGT in those, which is perfectly understandable considering its price point, but understanding that the aim for reference is to reveal, will also help to understand the sound of the M7T and the differences with its bigger sibling, the M8T.
To tube or not to tube? That is the question… I know. Silly. I couldn’t resist. But this is of course the starting point because the M7T has a slightly different presentation depending on this particular setting. Switching between transistor and tube mode does not change a great deal in terms of the tonality, it will always stay at a generally neutral tone. What the tube setting does is tone down the energy at the high end a little, to make for a smoother sound. This is quite useful and I personally greatly preferred it. In the transistor setting I felt that the signature was slightly fatiguing when combined with my usual IEMs, the Vision Ears VE7. The VE7 are “reference” IEMs and quite energetic from themselves, as such the combination doubled up on those characteristics, which was what caused the issue for me. Switching to warmer IEMs such as the Empire Ears Phantom or 64 Audio U18s did not have this issue and the transistor/tube setting became one purely based on my mood. Here we have a first piece of the sound puzzle that we are making. The M7T can be characterized as neutral and energetic, especially in transistor mode, to a point where, combined with brighter IEMs, it can become fatiguing for anyone sensitive to that. For those who like an energetic signature or who have warmer IEMs, the M7T won’t cause such issues.
Noted: Energetic highs.
Comparison
The rest of the sound signature is best viewed compared to the M8T. This comparison was done with both in tube mode and the M8 set to ‘ultra linear’.
The difference in sound is immediately clear because the M8T is much warmer, resulting in fuller notes. By comparison the M7T has quite a cool signature with lean notes, although surprisingly, this does not result in more air around the notes. Instead, the M7T has a more intimate presentation with a relatively small stage compared to the M8T. It does not feel congested in any way and there is good separation, the M8T simply performs better in this regard with a bigger stage and better separation. The background of the M8T is also blacker than with the M7T.
The M8T has a warmer sound with a full bass presence, natural sounding mids and plenty of sparkle in the treble, which makes for a sound that is easy to enjoy and will appeal to most people. The M7T might appeal to a slightly narrower audience thanks to a cooler sound with that energetic treble. It combines this with natural sounding mids and a bass that, although not as warm and lush as with the M8T, still has very good impact. Quite similar to the M8T. These differences become more meaningful when we look at, or, more importantly, listen to the music.
Both DAPs can play any music and do it very well. However, each has its own strengths due to the tuning choices made by Shanling. The M8T has its energy lower down and can produce more grunt for music such as rock or metal. When for instance playing some Godsmack, I preferred the M8T because of that. It fits with the rawness of the music. The M7T’s presentation is just a bit too polite by comparison.
Despite the technical advantages in stage dimension, separation and background blackness, the M8T does not have it all its own way. As I was browsing through my music collection, I naturally ended up with classical music. I love classical for the way in which it pulls my emotions along with it. Sometimes through complexity, such as with Beethoven’s symphonies, at other times through simplicity, such as the minimalist music of Ludovico Einaudi or Max Richter. Here the M7T surprised me and pulled away from the M8T. Take something as simple as Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D played on piano. The leaner notes of the M7T made it sound much more delicate and the cooler tuning conveyed the notes with greater clarity, where they were somewhat obscured by the warmth of the M8T. This made for a nuanced presentation on the M7T where more of the emotion was made more tangible. The whole presentation was almost whimsical and this matched perfectly with the piece. Moreover, this suggested to me that the M7T was good at revealing nuances, some even obscured by the technically more proficient M8T, and as such that it could rightfully be called a reference DAP. Further exploration of my classical music library confirmed this more often than not.
Noted: Neutral and revealing mids, tight and impactful bass
With these impressions I hope I have been able to illustrate what I mean when I say that the M7T is a reference DAP with a neutral, revealing and energetic tuning. The M7T is not a niche DAP with a specialist tuning, it is perfectly capable of presenting any music in a thoroughly enjoyable way. It is just a slightly different tuning then what we are used to from Shanling and offers its own strengths.
Conclusions.
So, has the M7T earned its place in my top 10 or will it end up in storage, only to be let out for the occasional review purposes? Surprisingly, it is neither. The M7T is a really good DAP and I enjoy using it, but the signature does not entirely fit my preferences for every type of music I listen to. For classical it works perfectly, but I am a little bit of a bass head at times and much prefer a meaty bass where the M7T keeps things a little too polite. This is the most important take-away I want to give. The M7T is a solid DAP, but you might want to demo it to make sure the signature fits your own preferences. If it does, then the M7T might well offer something that sets itself apart other DAPs. If it does not fit your preferences, then the M8T might be the better option.
Overall, the M7T has a clean and energetic signature that fits well with the ‘reference’ moniker, and it is capable of conveying nuances that can be lost in warmer signatures. Both in terms of hardware and software it is a very capable DAP that runs smoothly and performs very well.
With the M7T, Shanling has achieved something special that sets itself apart from other offerings, and this is something I greatly appreciate, as the M7T is a serious proposition for those who enjoy a clean and energetic signature with few alternatives that can challenge it.
