The Shanling EC Zero T was kindly provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review. I didn’t receive monetary or any other kind of compensation and I don’t use affiliate links.
The price of the EC T Zero is $589 and you can buy it from Amazon or Shanling’s official AliExpress store.
Shanling
Shanling is a Chinese audio company known for producing high-quality Hi-Fi equipment, portable music players (DAPs), headphones, and amplifiers. With decades of experience in the audio industry, Shanling has built a reputation for combining innovative design, premium materials, and advanced sound engineering to deliver products that balance modern features with audiophile-grade performance.
You can click here to read more Shanling reviews.
Shanling EC Zero T
Portable CD players (aka Discmans) are back in fashion and becoming more and more popular. Various brands, like FiiO, Moondrop and Dunu, are very active in this segment but Shanling was the first one to resurrect the species with the release of the EC Mini.
Following the success of the EC Mini, Shanling is back with a more advanced model, the EC Zero T that is a battery powered CD player that combines together two technologies favored by the brand. The EC Zero T is the first portable CD player to combine an R2R DAC with a tube output stage.
Technical highlights
The EC Zero T follows the trend set by Shanling’s recently released desktop DACs to bring the unique R2R DAC technology to the world of Portable CD players. The device uses an in-house developed, balanced R2R DAC with 192 high-precision 0.1% resistors and two selectable modes, OS and NOS.
The output stage features two low voltage JAN6418 mini tubes known for their power efficiency. They are fitted into a custom-designed anti-vibration structure to eliminate microphonic noise. The tubes can be completely bypassed for a pure solid-state output, thus offering the user two distinct sound timbres.
The balanced headphone amplifier is made with two TPA6120A2 op-amps combined with Panasonic tantalum capacitors.
The CD drive has a magnetic design that continuously adjusts its position and pressure on the disc to improve the stability of the spin, something which significantly reduces undesired mechanical noise and vibrations.
The external power mode
The Shanling EC Zero T is equipped with an external power mode that not only allows the device to play music and charge at the same time but it also raises the power output of the headphone amplifier to 1220mW*2/32Ω from its balanced output.
In order to enable this mode, the user must connect a 5V (2A minimum) external power supply to the dedicated USB type-C port and toggle the corresponding switch to the EXT DC position.
Design and build quality
The chassis of the EC Zero T is made from a single piece of CNC-machined aluminum frame with a tempered glass lid that allows viewing of the spinning CD. It has an old-school squarish design with a retro inspired volume slider instead of the usual volume knob.
The EC Zero T weighs about 669g and measures 158x150x28mm, so it is not exactly what we call portable but rather transportable. You can carry it in your backpack or use Shanling’s original carrying case that has a handy hanging lanyard.
The upper front side houses a 1.68” LCD screen that is a little difficult to read but it gets the job done by displaying useful information at glance and allowing navigation to the configuration menu. It is a full color display but Shanling decided to use only white and dark orange fonts, a nice looking combination with a retro touch.
Next to the screen there is a glass protected frame that displays the glowing tubes that hide underneath. Five hardware buttons complement the front panel while the power on/off button and a lock switch are located to the left and right sides respectively.
I/O Connectivity
The EC Zero T is not only a CD player with headphone outputs but also a multi-talented device that can be used in various other scenarios.
Except for the two front-facing headphone outputs (4.4mm balanced and 3.5mm single ended) the EC Zero T also has dedicated 4.4mm and 3.5mm line outputs (fixed level) plus a 3.5mm SPDIF Coaxial/Optical interface, all located at the rear.
The device supports USB DAC function with input sampling rates up to 768kHz/32bit and DSD512. You can also rip a CD in WAV files directly into a USB thumb drive but please remember that the procedure is done in real time.
Bluetooth transmitter
Another handy feature is that the EC Zero T is equipped with a Bluetooth V5.3 transmitter so you can connect wireless headphones or speakers that are compatible with the aptX Adaptive, aptX and SBC codecs. The Bluetooth transmission mode is active for both CD and USB DAC playback. The function was tested with the FiiO FW5 wireless earphones and provided a stable, noise free pairing within the same room.
User interface and operation
The Shanling EC Zero T has four buttons for controlling music playback in CD mode and a function switch that is used to toggle between CD and USB input or enter the configuration menu when constantly pressed.
By entering the menu you can adjust gain level, select NOS or OS filter, enable the tube mode, set screen brightens and off timer, select output method, adjust channel balance and enable the smart volume function that adjusts how the volume slider reacts to changes.
The smart volume function effectively solves the problem caused by the slider mechanism which doesn’t have much friction during movement so it is difficult to make precise volume adjustments.
Everything works fine and as intended but it would be handy if gain level and tube mode selection could be assigned to shortcut buttons. Another minor issue is that adjusting the volume doesn’t wake the screen.
CD transport performance
The CD drive of the EC Zero T was tested with various commercial CDs and offered absolutely stellar performance. The playback is truly gapless, it doesn’t miss seconds of the first track and doesn’t skip when shaked or used in orientations other than the horizontal.
The CD spinning mechanism is silent and the moving laser head reacts fast when you change tracks. You can playback CDs in normal or random order and set it to repeat a single track or the whole CD.
In order to register a playback action, like skipping a track, you need to press the corresponding button twice, one time to wake the screen and another one for the action to take place, unless you have set the screen to permanently on.
Battery duration
Inside the EC Zero T there is a 5500mAh battery that provides about 6 hours of CD listening from the balanced output in tube mode. Switching to the USB DAC function adds about 1 hour more. Not that bad for daily use while you can always plug an external power supply when you run out of battery.
Power output and noise
The maximum power output of the EC Zero T is 1220mW*2/32Ω in solid-state and 1087mW*2/32Ω in tube mode from its balanced output when an external DC power supply is plugged in. Plenty to run a great variety of headphones like the FiiO FT1 Pro or the HIFIMAN Arya Organic.
These numbers drop to 551mW*3/32Ω for both modes, thus making the EC Zero T somewhat less suitable for driving full sized headphones.
Shanling has not worked out a solution to bypass the TPA6120A2’s inherent high output impedance which is 4.7Ω for the single ended output and 6.6Ω for the balanced, creating potential impedance matching issues.
In solid-state mode the EC Zero T is completely silent but engaging the tube circuit introduces a faint hissing noise that is not audible during music playback. Microphonic noise is absent during normal use unless you tap the tube frame with force. The device stays relatively cool even with the tubes switched on.
(The device was updated with the latest V1.0.13 firmware)
Listening impressions
Solid-state mode
In solid-state mode and with the OS filter selected, the sonic performance is nothing less than spectacular and a mix of the characteristic R2R sound with competent D/S-like technical performance.
Natural tonality and organic timbre with plenty of harmonic richness in the mids and a treble that is polite and free from digital artificiality. The bass is full bodied, visceral and layered at the same time, with textures that are not dry or lean.
The sound signature is just mildly warm, musical and engaging but not colored in a bad way. The EC Zero T maintains strong transparency and clarity throughout the whole frequency range while it is not that lacking in technicalities when compared with rivals that use D/S DACs.
The well designed R2R DAC of the EC Zero T delivers a flat frequency response without any audible deviations from linearity. The bass is fast, tight and controlled with excellent definition and precise timing. It is punchy and impactful while it can easily handle fast paced material and sudden dynamic changes.
The mid-range is clear and well defined, it resolves skillfully while maintaining precise articulation and refined textures. The treble is airy and clean with a docile and smooth character. It has controlled brightness and absence of any sharp overtones. It is not that lacking in energy and speed, it is well extended and offers satisfying detail retrieval without becoming analytical.
The soundstage from the balanced output is really outstanding, it is wide and spacious with good depth layering and precise allocation of the performers. Additionally it stands out for its advanced holographic relief (given that the headphones can support it) and the deep sense of immersion that creates, making the music resonate and sound alive.
The NOS filter
Switching to the NOS filter and the sound becomes a tiny bit laid-back and looser but also less focused and precise as in the OS filter. The timbre is a little more organic and natural sounding but there is some loss of refinement as the textures become more grainy and raw, especially in the treble that sounds sharper. The OS filter has the upper hand in overall technical performance and transparency but the NOS is generally smoother sounding.
Tube mode
The tubes are somewhat conservatively implemented and not allowed to add too much thermal distortion or color the sound in a negative way. What they do is to enhance the already strong harmonic saturation by adding more tone variety and richness. The sound becomes more organic and analog-like in its character but not as much as in more traditional tube implementations.
The tubes also loosen up the textures a little bit, smoothen the treble without muting it too much and add more weight to the bass at the expense of some control and speed. They are also quite beneficial to the soundstage which becomes more holographic and immersive but not as focused as in solid-state mode.
Except for the slightly increased noise floor, the tubes don’t lag that much in technical performance and clarity while they maintain commendable transparency. The tubes just slightly restrain the macro-dynamics expression of the low-end, however they compensate with more intricate micro-dynamic antithesis.
Mixing and matching versatility
The EC Zero T offers four distinct sound timbres (solid-state OS/NOS & tube OS/NOS), so it doesn’t come as a surprise that it is truly difficult not to find the right combination for your listening preferences and favorite earphones.
Add the extra power reserves of the DC mode, as well as the diverse connectivity options, and we are talking about a real chameleon audio device that it easily adapts to most use scenarios.
Line output performance
The embedded headphone amplifier of the EC Zero T is up to the task and gets the job well done but the truth is that is somewhat limiting its actual sonic performance.
The EC Zero T is much better enjoyed through its balanced line output and scales very well with higher quality headphone and speaker integrated amplifiers.
As an example, the recently released Aune N7 headphone amplifier proved an excellent match that highlighted and brought to the foreground all the sonic virtues of the EC Zero T as discussed above.
This kind of scaling is something that should be seriously considered because the EC Zero T is not just a plain portable CD player but a full featured desktop device.
Vs the FiiO DM13
The FiiO DM13 is a similar sized portable CD player with an internal battery and support for external DC power mode.
The price of the DM13 is considerably lower, $155 for the standard and $185 for the tempered glass lid versions, but it lacks several features. It doesn’t have an R2R DAC (dual CS43198) or a tube output stage, the external power supply doesn’t raise the headphone amplifier power output that is limited to 650mW*2/32Ω and it can’t be used as a USB DAC.
Except for their obvious sonic differences that I am not going to discuss in detail (you can read the FiiO DM13 Review and compare) there are a couple functional issues that plague the DM13.
The DM13 doesn’t support gapless playback as well as the EC Zero T while there is a chance to skip the first seconds of the first track. Its LCD screen produces a faint high pitched noise and the CD transport mechanism is not as smoothly or silently working as in the EC Zero T. FiiO is striving to improve performance by releasing updated firmwares but the truth is that the Shanling EC Zero T outperforms the DM13 both sonically and functionally thus deserving the price difference.
In the end
The truth is that it is very difficult to find something negative worth noting when it comes to the sonic performance and the overall usability of the Shanling EC Zero T.
The EC Zero T is a great sounding and well working portable CD player that can easily expand to desktop use, thus covering many needs of its owner. It is also the only one with a balanced R2R DAC and a tube output stage so it does sound unique and has more fine tuning options than the competition.
Copyright – Petros Laskis 2025.
+ Balanced R2R DAC architecture
+ User selectable tube output stage
+ OS and NOS DAC filters
+ Excellent sonic performance across all sound modes
+ Competitive technicalities and transparency
+ The tube mode adds great harmonic richness
+ Natural and organic timbre with zero digital artificiality
+ Good battery duration and external DC input
+ Powerful headphone amplifier
+ Low noise floor in solid-state mode
+ Silent and responsive CD mechanism with true gapless playback
+ USB DAC input and Bluetooth transmitter
+ Exceptionally high quality sound from the line outputs
+ Excellent build quality and nice retro appearance
- The volume slider doesn't have much friction
- Headphone amplifier with high output impedance
- The tubes introduce a faint hissing noise
- The screen is small and difficult to read
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