Comparison Shanling M3 Plus vs Shanling M8T

The amount of built-in memory installed in the player.

This parameter directly determines how much music and other content can be stored in the device without resorting to memory cards (especially since some models do not support such cards at all). For comparison: the size of one MP3 file usually does not exceed 20 MB, the same composition in lossless format has 3-4 times more volume, a film in standard quality takes on average from 700 MB to 2.5 GB, in HD 720p — up to 5 – 6 GB. Thus, in terms of data storage, the more internal memory, the better. On the other hand, the price of the player directly depends on the storage capacity. Thus, some models are available in several modifications, differing in the amount of memory and price.

When choosing, note that part of the memory will inevitably be occupied by software firmware and pre-installed applications; sometimes this part turns out to be quite significant — for example, in models with an OS on board (see above), several gigabytes can be occupied. Also note that memory cards in terms of gigabytes of volume are cheaper than built-in drives, and from the practical point of view, in most cases they are not inferior to them. So it makes sense to specifically look for a player with a large amount of internal memory, first of all, if this model does not work with memory cards.

Now there are players on the market with such a memory capacity: up to 8 GB, 16 GB..., 32 GB, 64 GB and more. However, there are also models without built-in memory, designed for use only with memory cards.

The range of audio frequencies that the player is capable of reproducing. The wider this range — the more complete the picture of the sound, the less likely that the device will "cut off" part of the sound spectrum. At the same time, when choosing this parameter, several points should be taken into account.

First, the average human ear is capable of hearing sounds from approximately 16 Hz to 20 kHz; deviations from these figures are small, and with age the range narrows even more. In fact, this means that for normal hearing, it is enough just to cover this gap. And the wider boundaries indicated in the characteristics of the player will be more of a marketing ploy than a really significant moment. Secondly, do not forget that the sound quality is determined not only by the range, but also by a number of other characteristics of the player — signal-to-noise ratio, frequency response, etc.; therefore, a wide range by itself does not guarantee a pleasing sound. And thirdly, the features of the audible sound also largely depend on the headphones used and their frequency range: all the advantages of a player with a wide frequency range can come to naught if the frequencies are “cut off” by the headphones.

The higher the power, the louder the sound you can get on the headphones, all other things being equal. In addition, higher power allows you to connect "ears" with higher impedance to the device (although there is no hard correlation here, and models with the same output power may have different headphone impedance limits). However, in the case of ordinary (non-Hi-Fi) players, this parameter is more of a reference than practically significant: usually, the power of the amplifier in such models is quite enough to “rock” most consumer-grade headphones. But for Hi-Fi devices (see "Type") models, output power is of key importance: it determines compatibility with high-resistance studio-class "ears". Detailed help on this issue can be found in special sources.

The coefficient of harmonic distortion produced by the player.

This parameter directly characterizes the amount of distortion introduced by the device into the original sound: the lower the coefficient, the clearer the sound, the less such distortion. It is impossible to completely eliminate them, but they can be reduced to a level that is practically not perceived by a person. So, it is believed that distortions at the level of 0.5% are already invisible even to an experienced listener. At the same time, in modern audio technology, there are also much lower values \u200b\u200b- up to ten thousandths of a percent. In the case of players, such indicators play mainly an advertising role — they are a sign of a high level of the device.

Note that the coefficient of harmonic distortion is indicated mainly for Hi-Fi players (see "Type"), for which the maximum purity of sound is critical; in conventional models, it is of secondary importance.

Audio file formats that the player is able to work with.

— MP3. The most famous of modern digital audio formats; supported by almost all compact players, the name MP3 has even become a household name for them. Provides so-called. lossy compression, where some of the audio frequencies are lost. However, during compression, the sound is processed in such a way that it "disappears" mainly frequencies, the loss of which is imperceptible to the human ear. As a result, the sound quality can be quite high, and you can clearly distinguish high-quality MP3 from lossless format only on Hi-Fi equipment.

— WAV. Another popular audio standard, originally developed for storing sound on a PC. It can technically be used to store audio in a variety of formats, but is most commonly used for uncompressed audio. Due to this, the sound quality can be quite high, and its processing does not require special computing power. The downside of this is the large volume of audio files — many times more than MP3s.

— WMA. An audio format, at one time specially created for the Windows operating system. By default, it uses lossy compression (although there is also a lossless version of the WMA codec). WMA is particularly suitable for low bitrates, under such conditions it provides better quality than MP3 and takes up less space. On the other hand, this format is much less popular in high-quality digital audio.

...— AAC. A format developed as a potential successor to MP3. Also provides lossy compression (see above), but allows you to achieve better quality with the same file size; this difference is especially noticeable at low bitrates. Actively promoted by Apple in iPod players; nevertheless, it is noticeably inferior to MP3 in terms of prevalence, although it is supported by a considerable number of players.

— OGG. A lossy compressed digital audio format is one potential alternative to MP3. One of the key features of OGG is that as audio is encoded, the bitrate is constantly changing; at the same time, on fragments where there is no sound, the bitrate drops to almost zero (unlike MP3, where the data stream is constant, including in sections of complete silence). This makes it possible to achieve small file sizes while maintaining sound quality. Also note that the OGG format is open and not limited by patents.

— FLAC. One of the formats that uses lossless audio compression. With this compression, all the details of the original sound are preserved, so lossless formats are especially appreciated by sophisticated music lovers and audiophiles. The reverse side of this quality is large volumes of files. Specifically, FLAC is perhaps the most common of today's lossless formats. This is largely due to the fact that this standard is not particularly demanding on the processing power of the player. Thanks to this, its support can be implemented even in relatively simple and inexpensive players (unlike another popular format — APE, see below). On the other hand, FLAC files are larger than APE files.

— A.P.E. One of the popular lossless audio compression formats. Compared to another common standard — FLAC (see above) — APE allows you to achieve smaller file sizes with the same quality. On the other hand, to play such files, electronics with a fairly high processing power are required, so APE compatibility is relatively rare in compact players.

— DSD. A specific digital audio format using the so-called. sigma-delta modulation (as opposed to pulse code used in most other formats). Such modulation provides a very high sampling rate — 2822.4 kHz; however, it cannot be compared with the usual sampling rate (see above): in this case we are talking about a specific signal format. Its properties are such that DSD support can be provided even if the player's DAC formally has a much lower sampling rate. In general, this format is considered professional, its support is found mainly in Hi-Fi models (see "Type").

— DXD. Professional audio format originally created for editing DSD files (see above) — For technical reasons, original DSD is not well suited for editing. DXD uses a bit depth of 24 bits (8 bits higher than Audio CD format) and a sampling rate of 352.8 kHz (8 times higher than Audio CD). Like the original DSD, it is found mainly in Hi-Fi players.

— AIFF. Audio format developed by Apple for Macs and Macbooks; a kind of "apple" analogue of the WAV described above, also in most cases used for uncompressed audio.

— Audible. Proprietary file format used by the online audiobook store of the same name. One of the features of this format is that file playback is available only if you enter a login and password for the Audible online store; thus, supporting this standard usually means having a client programme to access the store.

This list is not exhaustive, modern players (especially the top category) may support other types of audio files.

Codecs and additional audio processing technologies supported by the Bluetooth-connected player. Initially, sound transmission via Bluetooth involves quite strong signal compression, which can greatly spoil the experience when listening to music. To eliminate this drawback, various technologies are used, in particular aptX, aptX HD, aptX Low Latency, aptX Adaptive, AAC, LDAC, LHDC. Of course, to use any of the technologies, it must be supported not only by the player, but also by the Bluetooth device with which it is used. Here are the main features of each option:

- aptX. A Bluetooth codec designed to significantly improve the quality of audio transmitted over Bluetooth. According to the creators, it allows you to achieve quality comparable to Audio CD (16-bits/44.1kHz). The benefits of aptX are most noticeable when listening to high-quality content (such as lossless formats), but even on regular MP3 it can provide a noticeable sound improvement.

- aptX HD. Development and improvement of the original aptX, allowing for sound purity comparable to Hi-Res audio (24-bits/48kHz). As in the original, the benefits of aptX HD are noticeable mainly on high-quality audio, although this codec will not be out of place for MP3.

...- aptX Low Latency. A specific version of aptX described above, designed not so much to improve sound quality, but to reduce delays in signal transmission. Such delays inevitably occur when working via Bluetooth; They are not critical for listening to music, but when watching video, there may be a noticeable desynchronization between the image and sound. The aptX LL codec eliminates this phenomenon, reducing latency to 32 ms - a difference that is imperceptible to human perception.

- aptX Adaptive. Further development of aptX; actually combines the capabilities of aptX HD and aptX Low Latency, but is not limited to this. One of the main features of this standard is the so-called adaptive bitrate: the codec automatically adjusts the actual data transfer rate based on the characteristics of the broadcast content and the congestion of the frequencies used. This, in particular, helps reduce energy consumption and increase communication reliability; and special algorithms allow you to broadcast sound quality comparable to aptX HD (24 bits/48 kHz), using much less transmitted data.

- A.A.C. A Bluetooth codec used primarily in portable Apple gadgets. In terms of capabilities, it is noticeably inferior to more advanced standards like aptX or LDAC: the sound quality when using AAC is comparable to an average MP3 file. However, for listening to the same MP3s, this is quite enough; the difference becomes noticeable only on more advanced formats.

— LDAC. Sony's proprietary Bluetooth codec. It surpasses even aptX HD in terms of bandwidth and potential sound quality, providing performance at the Hi-Res level of 24-bits/96kHz audio; There is even an opinion that this is the maximum quality that makes sense to provide for in wireless transmission - further improvement will be simply imperceptible to the human ear.

- LHDC. LHDC (Low latency High-Definition audio Codec) is a high-definition, low-latency codec developed by the Hi-Res Wireless Audio Alliance and Savitech. The codec is also known as HWA (Hi-Res Wireless Audio). When using LHDC, signal transmission is carried out with a bits rate of up to 900 kbps, a bits depth of up to 24 bits and a sampling frequency of up to 96 kHz. This ensures a stable and reliable connection with reduced latency. The codec is optimally suited for high-end wireless headphones and advanced digital audio formats.

Characteristics of the display installed in the player.

— Color(color/monochrome). The display color is selected by the manufacturer taking into account the functionality of the player. So, for a device that supports video and graphic materials (see “Other formats”), a color display is mandatory, and if the player only works with audio, a monochrome (one-color) screen is quite sufficient for it, especially since such screens are cheaper and consume less energy.

- Size. The diagonal dimensions of the display is directly related to the type of device (see above). Thus, classic audio players do not require large screens, in most of them this figure does not exceed 1.5"; but for a media player, 1.5" is, in fact, the absolute minimum, usually the diagonal is 3" or more. Also large Hi-Fi players are equipped with screens, they also provide a similar feature for the convenience of working with special tools.In general, a large screen, on the one hand, is convenient to use, on the other hand, it affects the dimensions and price of the device.

— Display resolution. Display dimensions in pixels vertically and horizontally. With the same diagonal, a higher resolution provides a clearer and more detailed image, but increases the cost of the player. In addition, not every player needs high detail: if the screen is used only for service information like the title of a so...ng, you can get by with small resolutions. Therefore, you should pay attention to this parameter only when it comes to a media player (see “Type”) on which you plan to often watch videos. In other cases, we can assume that the screen resolution is guaranteed to be sufficient for the tasks for which the device is intended.

— Sensor type. The type of matrix used in the screen.

• OLED. An OLED matrix in which each pixel is actually a separate LED. In portable players, most of these screens are monochrome; for color displays it is more convenient to use other technologies.
• TFT. General name for liquid crystal displays. In this case, the TFT designation is used mainly for relatively simple screens that do not use advanced technologies like the IPS described below and have rather limited characteristics. However, such screens can be made in color and have high resolution.
• AMOLED. A development of the OLED technology described above, designed to create high-quality color displays. AMOLED screens are characterized by high brightness, rich colors and good viewing angles. Among their disadvantages, we can note a slightly shorter service life than the same IPS, as well as a tendency to fade in areas where bright parts of the image are often displayed.
• IPS. One of the most popular color screen technologies used in modern portable technology. Provides good color rendering quality and wide viewing angles; The picture quality is somewhat inferior to AMOLED, but is cheaper and lasts longer.

- Touch screen. The touch screen is similar to tech used in modern smartphones. On-screen controls are often more convenient and versatile than using buttons and other hardware controls. For normal use, such a display must be quite large. We also note that a touch screen is mandatory for models with a full OS (see above).

The capacity of the battery installed in the player.

Theoretically, a larger battery can provide longer battery life. However, in fact, battery life will depend not only on the capacity of the battery, but also on the power consumption of the player, and it is directly related to the functionality. Therefore, when evaluating battery life, it is better to focus not on battery characteristics, but on the operating time directly stated in the characteristics (see below). And only models with similar characteristics can be compared with each other in terms of battery capacity — for example, media players on Android with approximately the same screen sizes.

The maximum time the player can operate on one battery charge in audio playback mode. You should pay attention to this parameter first of all if you have to use the device for a long time without the ability to recharge the battery. At the same time, note that manufacturers usually indicate an “perfect” operating time: at a constant relatively low volume, without working with the screen and other additional functions that also consume battery. And this means that in fact the battery life of the player may be somewhat lower than stated. Nevertheless, this parameter allows you to fairly accurately assess the suitability of the player for long-term work without recharging, and is also quite suitable for comparing different models with each other.