Lol. The review was good man. Not the app evidently. You know what... I think I’ll stick with the es100. Thanks for your good work. Your honesty is refreshing. Not many reviewers out there have the courage to say what they really think.
Thanks. I suppose it helps when I don't care what these manufacturers think. Most reviewers are scared of not making a buck if they say what they really think. If you need to run a business, I guess try not to piss off your vendors, right?
This is kinda unrelated, but is it possible for external Dac's to phase out and allow the onboard DAC to take over the sound signature? I ask this because I recently purchased a Monolith USB DAC after watching your review, and I have noticed instances where the DAC will be playing at a softer volume and abruptly get louder. Not only does this happen, but the base response is tremendously improved, the sound stage is widened, and every detail is more nuanced and textured. I feel like for the first time I'm actually experiencing what the DAC can do, and it makes me so sad that I can't enjoy that all the time. This will sometimes happen after listening for a few seconds, and sometimes it happens after minutes of listening. In the back of my mind, I thought this was true for a while, but I didn't have any actual tangible proof I could rely on, until yesterday. I was listening to The Weeknd's new album After Hours on Spotify, and it happened. I couldn't believe the difference. Is this something you've heard of before or experienced? Please reply if you can. This is driving me insane. lol
Hmm. No I haven’t experienced this or heard about it from others. It’s possible your playback software is the problem. Or the Dac isn’t getting consistent power over USB. Or you have a faulty Dac. If it’s the software, try something else to confirm. If it’s the USB port, try it with another port or over a powered USB hub. And none of that works, call Monolith and demand an RMA. Monolith has had issues with this Dac-and its really weird since most of their other stuff is excellent.
No Theme Reviews First of all, thank you so much for your message. I’m really grateful there’s people in this community that care enough to respond to long messages like that. In regard to the software, it’s done this while I’ve been using Pulsar plus to play flac files as well. And I’ve only tried it with my chromebook and cellphone, as far as USB ports go, but I genuinely don’t think that’s the problem. I’ve spent a lot of time troubleshooting it, and I think there may be an issue internally with the DAC. I have another OTG cable that is brand new and I have only used it a few times. It does the same thing. The sound signature doesn’t change AT ALL from my phone or my laptop when I’m using it, except when I mentioned to you before. It’s almost like I’m using just an amp, and the Sabre dac in the usb isn’t bypassing the onboard dac. It’s really weird. I did try to contact monolith, but with everything that’s going on, their closed. I’m in contact with a tech person though via email there.
@@sayyeddavis8199 I experienced same behavior with ibasso dc02. I was using it with Xiaomi k20 pro with playing from Spotify premium. The audio used to suddenly increase to full with good quality but when I lowered the volume it sounded same as my phone headphone out. I eventually returned dc02 as the audio upgrade was not there except for couple of volume clicks amplification. Maybe you can try using uapp if not using Spotify which is eventually not supported by uapp..
@@NinadMithbawkar I've actually figured out what the problem is. The Monoprice Dac im using was driving some sennheiser Hd1's with an iphone chip in the connector cable. I ordered a replacement sennheiser cable with an android compatible chip and not only does the DAC sound phenomenal ALL the time now, but it doesnt lose connection like it did all the time before. A perfect fix.
I am three mins in and suspect I am missing some details. I don't think I have obtained an app using my computer for many years, I suspect I may have never done that. I thought this device was for use with a phone or DAP and the app runs on the phone to control the device. I can install this on my phone from the play store. Are you using the device for a pc specific purpose?
It doesn’t have a desktop app, only mobile. The app features I spoke of in this video were related to the mobile app and its integration with the BTR5.
Sorry I'm probably being dense. Just to be clear I'm referring to your video about the Shanling UP4 app. I am confused about the use of a computer when the app is on the play store to be installed to a phone.
The UP4 will function as a standard amp/dac when connected to a PC. If you want to control some extra features you must connect to a mobile device via BT and use the mobile app.
EQ probably doesn't really work over LDAC. My Sony WH1000xm3's Sony headphone connect app on Android has the same setup. On LDAC, EQs doesn't work. To use EQ on the app, you need to leave LDAC. Well, of course, there's no explanation also with Sony why so.
hey, would you consider doing a retake on the review with the November 13 2020 update please. I am considering to get a UP4 for myself and since money is a big obstacle for me, I wanna play it safe before I spend it and then regret it. I will be very thankful if you took some time. please do consider my request. or if you have something that you think would be a better value for money. I am mostly interested in LDAC and aptX LL and HD.
@@NoThemeReviews Thanks! You're fast! I have submitted a review form but I'm not sure if that will work since I couldn't find anything about software. Sorry But if you are able to, please do an in depth review with as much details you think would be necessary for a beginner/novice/inexperienced audiophile. Also I am a fair bit into mobile gaming which is why I care about aptX LL and I also own a pair of Audio Technica ATH M20X headphone for music and other media consumption. Also can you simultaneously do a review of the DAP (UP4) itself. A few specifics would be EQ customisation and how effective it is. Volume output Battery life. Compare with similar products like FiiO BTR5 Build Quality Button/Dial response and feel. I know I'm asking a lot but please do what you comfortably can. Thank you so much again. Did I mention you're super fast? Looking forward to your response ans review.
hi i also encountered your issue with the up4 when connecting to the app but i still not able to connect it after multiple times. eve after series or install and uninstall the app and restart my devices. do you have any pattern or sequence how you did it? TIA
No pattern. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The app doesn't really have any meaningful features, so you're not missing anything if you choose not to use it.
I am searching for a Bluetooth Amp and because i already had the opportunity to hear the FiiO BTR3K with low impedance IEM´s (on low volume i could hear a faint hissing and regular popping noises) i am interested in the Shanling UP2. Since the Android App is now directly available on Play Store i would like to ask if you maybe could check it again? Does it still only have a 5 band EQ (redicolus) and does it still have these terrible connection problems? And could someone tell me how you trigger "jump Track forward/backwards/Play/pause" on the UP2. I ask because i can not see buttons on the UP2 (like they are on the BTR3K). Would be very very thankfull for any kind of help/info!
I tried their app. Its ABIT better now. Connection problems seem to be fixed. Oh and I am able to update firmware using the app. BUT eq band is still only 5 -_- U can change the channel balance and Bluetooth codec in the app too.
@@krayozmines Thanks for the update! I decided to go with the Qudelix 5K. The app is very versatile and gets updated often. Adding features and fixing small problems. Until now I am absolute happy with it.
Thanks for the great and honest review.. I guess I wait for the next release and hope they take your opinion to heart and do something with it. Did you actually send them a notification or something? I could not help myself and just send them an email to point to your video :-)
@@NoThemeReviews I did get a reply from: info@shanling.com --------------------------------------------------------- Dear Stefan, thank you for bringing this video to our attention. We have been testing the app in-house for some time and it was working fine. Of course, fist release to wider public will bring certain issues on some devices and we are now gathering all the feedback to improve it. I'm not exactly sure why would you be hesitant to install it. There are some other changes and fixes to the UP4 and installation process is fairly easy. I'm not sure why this UA-camr were facing such issues on his Windows computer, I didn't got any such feedback from other users. Regarding app, if you don't like the features of the app, there is no need to install it. And if you can please tell me, what features do you primarily look for in such app? Yours sincerely ...name... info@shanling.com
In the meantime I installed it myself and fortunately I didn't have .net Microsoft issues myself... (And equalizer is not working in LDAC mode but others modes it is working)
@@NoThemeReviews That's what I replied... So lets see what they will say... Anyway I think it would be good if more people send them direct emails.. it looks like they are very responsive (so maybe we can point them in the right direction if enough people react)
uhh,, is it just me but the update procedure is seems to be easy enough? i just bought UP4 today and the update process took less than 5 minutes to complete but the download file is longer tho, 20m for 36mb i mean like what potato server is shanling using.. well i mean i do appreciate if shanling could make the updating procedure right from its own app without the need of entering DFU mode and something like that, but its not that bad and frustrating as updating melomania tws
As long as the actual updater installs on Windows, the rest of the process if fairly simple. Just to verify, the app you downloaded, does it have a volume control option?
@@nezt94 Yeah, it doesn't exist. One of my subscribers emailed Shanling about my video, and Shanling replied they had no problems with the app. Apparently, they don't think it's necessary to have a source and analog volume slider.
I have a brand new Shanling EM5. It was a nightmare to setup. Teeni-tinie print. Oh and it's all in Chinese. I was lucky enough to find a review that showed setup screens. I back walked the vidio and counted how many options to follow to finnaly get to change the language. It also skipped through the login for Tidal and wouldn't let me re-log in. So I had to factory reset and walk through the Mandarin setup a second time. The app installed on my android from the play store. It requires a code to be sent for sign up. The problem is Shanling never sends the code. After 20 attempts I un installed the app. I'll have to reaserch it more to find out if it's even usable. DONT...DONT purchase this JUNK product.
Very disappointing as Shanling make some excellent and good value hardware. Although I am still not clear on the point of BT amplifiers. I have BT noise cancelling headphones which are perfectly fine for commuting and flying, if I want to go for higher quality with my wired headphones I will use a wired connection from a DAC/amp hooked up to my PC or devices. BT is great for mobile use but in that case there are plenty of very acceptable BT headphones now.
Lol. The review was good man. Not the app evidently. You know what... I think I’ll stick with the es100. Thanks for your good work. Your honesty is refreshing. Not many reviewers out there have the courage to say what they really think.
Thanks. I suppose it helps when I don't care what these manufacturers think. Most reviewers are scared of not making a buck if they say what they really think. If you need to run a business, I guess try not to piss off your vendors, right?
How do I get AAC from my up4 to my iPhone it keeps blinking blue which is sbc? :(
This is kinda unrelated, but is it possible for external Dac's to phase out and allow the onboard DAC to take over the sound signature? I ask this because I recently purchased a Monolith USB DAC after watching your review, and I have noticed instances where the DAC will be playing at a softer volume and abruptly get louder. Not only does this happen, but the base response is tremendously improved, the sound stage is widened, and every detail is more nuanced and textured. I feel like for the first time I'm actually experiencing what the DAC can do, and it makes me so sad that I can't enjoy that all the time. This will sometimes happen after listening for a few seconds, and sometimes it happens after minutes of listening. In the back of my mind, I thought this was true for a while, but I didn't have any actual tangible proof I could rely on, until yesterday. I was listening to The Weeknd's new album After Hours on Spotify, and it happened. I couldn't believe the difference. Is this something you've heard of before or experienced? Please reply if you can. This is driving me insane. lol
Hmm. No I haven’t experienced this or heard about it from others. It’s possible your playback software is the problem. Or the Dac isn’t getting consistent power over USB. Or you have a faulty Dac. If it’s the software, try something else to confirm. If it’s the USB port, try it with another port or over a powered USB hub. And none of that works, call Monolith and demand an RMA. Monolith has had issues with this Dac-and its really weird since most of their other stuff is excellent.
No Theme Reviews First of all, thank you so much for your message. I’m really grateful there’s people in this community that care enough to respond to long messages like that. In regard to the software, it’s done this while I’ve been using Pulsar plus to play flac files as well. And I’ve only tried it with my chromebook and cellphone, as far as USB ports go, but I genuinely don’t think that’s the problem. I’ve spent a lot of time troubleshooting it, and I think there may be an issue internally with the DAC. I have another OTG cable that is brand new and I have only used it a few times. It does the same thing. The sound signature doesn’t change AT ALL from my phone or my laptop when I’m using it, except when I mentioned to you before. It’s almost like I’m using just an amp, and the Sabre dac in the usb isn’t bypassing the onboard dac. It’s really weird. I did try to contact monolith, but with everything that’s going on, their closed. I’m in contact with a tech person though via email there.
@@sayyeddavis8199 I experienced same behavior with ibasso dc02. I was using it with Xiaomi k20 pro with playing from Spotify premium. The audio used to suddenly increase to full with good quality but when I lowered the volume it sounded same as my phone headphone out. I eventually returned dc02 as the audio upgrade was not there except for couple of volume clicks amplification. Maybe you can try using uapp if not using Spotify which is eventually not supported by uapp..
@@NinadMithbawkar I've actually figured out what the problem is. The Monoprice Dac im using was driving some sennheiser Hd1's with an iphone chip in the connector cable. I ordered a replacement sennheiser cable with an android compatible chip and not only does the DAC sound phenomenal ALL the time now, but it doesnt lose connection like it did all the time before. A perfect fix.
@@sayyeddavis8199 can you send me link or just the nameof the cable you ordered?
hi, is this app still that bad, or it got better with updates? Just bought up4 2022 version and im curious should i even install it.
It’s still terrible
@@NoThemeReviews good to know, thanks for answer.
Sounds as difficult as updating my FiiO Q5 was. Why oh why you can't just update them from there own app in this day and age is beyond me.
I am three mins in and suspect I am missing some details. I don't think I have obtained an app using my computer for many years, I suspect I may have never done that. I thought this device was for use with a phone or DAP and the app runs on the phone to control the device. I can install this on my phone from the play store. Are you using the device for a pc specific purpose?
It doesn’t have a desktop app, only mobile. The app features I spoke of in this video were related to the mobile app and its integration with the BTR5.
Sorry I'm probably being dense. Just to be clear I'm referring to your video about the Shanling UP4 app. I am confused about the use of a computer when the app is on the play store to be installed to a phone.
The UP4 will function as a standard amp/dac when connected to a PC. If you want to control some extra features you must connect to a mobile device via BT and use the mobile app.
EQ probably doesn't really work over LDAC. My Sony WH1000xm3's Sony headphone connect app on Android has the same setup. On LDAC, EQs doesn't work. To use EQ on the app, you need to leave LDAC. Well, of course, there's no explanation also with Sony why so.
hey, would you consider doing a retake on the review with the November 13 2020 update please.
I am considering to get a UP4 for myself and since money is a big obstacle for me, I wanna play it safe before I spend it and then regret it.
I will be very thankful if you took some time.
please do consider my request.
or if you have something that you think would be a better value for money.
I am mostly interested in LDAC and aptX LL and HD.
Sure. Send me an email and tell me what you specifically want to know regarding the Shanling app
@@NoThemeReviews Thanks! You're fast!
I have submitted a review form but I'm not sure if that will work since I couldn't find anything about software. Sorry
But if you are able to, please do an in depth review with as much details you think would be necessary for a beginner/novice/inexperienced audiophile.
Also I am a fair bit into mobile gaming which is why I care about aptX LL and I also own a pair of Audio Technica ATH M20X headphone for music and other media consumption.
Also can you simultaneously do a review of the DAP (UP4) itself.
A few specifics would be
EQ customisation and how effective it is.
Volume output
Battery life.
Compare with similar products like FiiO BTR5
Build Quality
Button/Dial response and feel.
I know I'm asking a lot but please do what you comfortably can. Thank you so much again. Did I mention you're super fast?
Looking forward to your response ans review.
hi i also encountered your issue with the up4 when connecting to the app but i still not able to connect it after multiple times. eve after series or install and uninstall the app and restart my devices. do you have any pattern or sequence how you did it? TIA
No pattern. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The app doesn't really have any meaningful features, so you're not missing anything if you choose not to use it.
I am searching for a Bluetooth Amp and because i already had the opportunity to hear the FiiO BTR3K with low impedance IEM´s (on low volume i could hear a faint hissing and regular popping noises) i am interested in the Shanling UP2. Since the Android App is now directly available on Play Store i would like to ask if you maybe could check it again? Does it still only have a 5 band EQ (redicolus) and does it still have these terrible connection problems? And could someone tell me how you trigger "jump Track forward/backwards/Play/pause" on the UP2. I ask because i can not see buttons on the UP2 (like they are on the BTR3K). Would be very very thankfull for any kind of help/info!
I tried their app. Its ABIT better now. Connection problems seem to be fixed. Oh and I am able to update firmware using the app.
BUT eq band is still only 5 -_-
U can change the channel balance and Bluetooth codec in the app too.
@@krayozmines Thanks for the update! I decided to go with the Qudelix 5K. The app is very versatile and gets updated often. Adding features and fixing small problems. Until now I am absolute happy with it.
If i ignore the whole app and just use the up4 without it will it still be okay?
Yup. The app has no additional functionality-at least it didn’t when I reviewed it.
I uninstalled the shanling app, I just use regular ldac from my Samsung note 9.
Thanks for the great and honest review.. I guess I wait for the next release and hope they take your opinion to heart and do something with it. Did you actually send them a notification or something?
I could not help myself and just send them an email to point to your video :-)
No I didn’t send them a message. Hopefully they take your message seriously
@@NoThemeReviews
I did get a reply from: info@shanling.com
---------------------------------------------------------
Dear Stefan,
thank you for bringing this video to our attention.
We have been testing the app in-house for some time and it was working fine. Of course, fist release to wider public will bring certain issues on some devices and we are now gathering all the feedback to improve it.
I'm not exactly sure why would you be hesitant to install it. There are some other changes and fixes to the UP4 and installation process is fairly easy. I'm not sure why this UA-camr were facing such issues on his Windows computer, I didn't got any such feedback from other users.
Regarding app, if you don't like the features of the app, there is no need to install it.
And if you can please tell me, what features do you primarily look for in such app?
Yours sincerely
...name...
info@shanling.com
In the meantime I installed it myself and fortunately I didn't have .net Microsoft issues myself... (And equalizer is not working in LDAC mode but others modes it is working)
@@stefanwessels1630 Are these guys serious? What features? A volume slider would be real helpful.
@@NoThemeReviews That's what I replied... So lets see what they will say... Anyway I think it would be good if more people send them direct emails.. it looks like they are very responsive (so maybe we can point them in the right direction if enough people react)
uhh,, is it just me but the update procedure is seems to be easy enough? i just bought UP4 today and the update process took less than 5 minutes to complete but the download file is longer tho, 20m for 36mb i mean like what potato server is shanling using..
well i mean i do appreciate if shanling could make the updating procedure right from its own app without the need of entering DFU mode and something like that, but its not that bad and frustrating as updating melomania tws
As long as the actual updater installs on Windows, the rest of the process if fairly simple. Just to verify, the app you downloaded, does it have a volume control option?
@@NoThemeReviews hi there, i cant seem to find volume control on the apps 🤔
@@nezt94 Yeah, it doesn't exist. One of my subscribers emailed Shanling about my video, and Shanling replied they had no problems with the app. Apparently, they don't think it's necessary to have a source and analog volume slider.
This is some of the most obnoxiously nitpicky and pedantic content on yt. Kudos
I have a brand new Shanling EM5. It was a nightmare to setup. Teeni-tinie print. Oh and it's all in Chinese. I was lucky enough to find a review that showed setup screens. I back walked the vidio and counted how many options to follow to finnaly get to change the language. It also skipped through the login for Tidal and wouldn't let me re-log in. So I had to factory reset and walk through the Mandarin setup a second time. The app installed on my android from the play store. It requires a code to be sent for sign up. The problem is Shanling never sends the code. After 20 attempts I un installed the app. I'll have to reaserch it more to find out if it's even usable. DONT...DONT purchase this JUNK product.
Very disappointing as Shanling make some excellent and good value hardware. Although I am still not clear on the point of BT amplifiers. I have BT noise cancelling headphones which are perfectly fine for commuting and flying, if I want to go for higher quality with my wired headphones I will use a wired connection from a DAC/amp hooked up to my PC or devices. BT is great for mobile use but in that case there are plenty of very acceptable BT headphones now.
i use up4 without apps , the best Bluetooth amp under 100 USD
Ayhy Khaled Kibria bhai ekhane? 😳
Who knew it's gonna happen.