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This Affordable CD Player Is Primed for Modern Audiophiles

Fans of physical media, rejoice.

Shanling CD80 IIShanling

By Tucker Bowe

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It’s been a big few days for CD fans.

Just last week, Onkyo revealed that it’s adding an all-new CD player to its upcoming Icon Series of hi-fi components (scheduled to be released this fall).

And now, Shanling, a well-known Chinese audio manufacturer, has announced the release of a new and improved version of its CD player, the CD80, which was introduced just last year.

Shanling CD80 II

Shanling CD80 II
The Shanling CD 80 II has been upgraded with the same tray-loading mechanism as featured in the brand’s high-end CD-S100 CD player.
Shanling

New loading mechanism and DAC

The Shanling CD80 II has been upgraded with two notable improvements over its predecessor.

First, Shanling upgraded the CD80 II with the same tray-style CD loading mechanism and HD450 laser that was previously featured in its high-end CD player, the Shanling CD-S100 ($589). According to the brand, this ensures highly accurate and convenient playback.

And second, Shanling gave it an upgraded DAC — it features a Cirrus Logic CS43198 chip instead of ESS DAC — for superior audio quality.

Shanling CD80 II
Shanling claims that the CD80 II is its “smallest fully equipped CD player.”
Shanling

Optimized for headphones

The Shanling CD80 II features the usual connections so that CD playback can be done to a larger hi-fi system, but one of the things that makes it unique is that it can also be a standalone CD player for those with headphones.

It features dual headphone amplifiers, each of which powers either its 3.5mm (single-ended) or 4.4mm (balanced) jacks, and offers up to 850mw into 32 ohms. According to the brand, it should be able to drive most in-ear monitors as well as more demanding full-sized headphones.

Shanling CD80 II
The Shanling CD80 II can be controlled via its physical controls or via a companion app.
Shanling

Bluetooth streaming, too

Additionally, the Shanling CD80 II is a CD player that isn’t limited to just CD playback.

It features a USB input that supports drives of up to 2TB, with high-resolution audio capabilities of up to PCM 384kHz and DSD256.

It also functions as a dedicated Bluetooth streamer. It has built-in Bluetooth 5.0 with support for LDAC, AAC, and SBC audio files. This brings a little modern versatility to the physical media player, which is neat.

Shanling CD80 II
The Shanling CD80 II is available in two finishes: silver or black.
Shanling

Price and availability

The Shanling CD80 II costs $349, which is the same price as its predecessor and likely more affordable than you might expect.

(Note: like with its predecessor, Shanling could release an upgraded version of the CD80 II with built-in amplification for loudspeakers, which would be significantly more expensive.)

The CD80 II is available now and can be ordered from Shanling or other authorized dealers. It comes in two finishes: black or silver.

About the Author:

Tucker Bowe has been on Gear Patrol’s editorial team since 2014. As a Tech Staff Writer, he tracks everything in the consumer tech space, from headphones to smartphones, wearables to home theater systems. If it lights up or makes noise, he probably covers it.

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