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This Affordable Portable CD Player Is Another Big Win for Physical Media Fans

Thinking about revisiting your old CD collection? This could be the perfect excuse to do just that.

Person holding an open portable CD player with a red and black CD inside.Shanling
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By Tucker Bowe

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Shanling is doing its best to keep CD fans happy.

In the past several months, the well-known Chinese hi-fi manufacturer has released an affordable home CD player, the CD80 II ($349), as well as a pretty high-end portable CD player, the CD Zero T ($589).

Now, Shanling is introducing another portable CD player, essentially a more affordable version of its recently released CD Zero T. In fact, it’s nearly half the price.

Meet the Shanling EC Zero AKM.

Shanling EC Zero AKM Portable CD Player

Black portable CD player with an open lid and a CD inside, placed on a wooden surface next to a silver device.
The Shanling EC Zero AKM and the company’s CD Zero T (above) are virtually identical in every way but price.
Shanling

If Shanling’s EC Zero AKM looks like the exact same portable CD player as the brand’s CD Zero T, you’re not mistaken. They are, in fact, basically the same.

According to the company, EC Zero AKM shares the same design, features and highly stable CD playback as the $589 CD Zero T.

Silver portable record player with a red vinyl inside and black headphones on a wooden surface.
The Shanling EC Zero AKM supports both wired and wireless headphones.
Shanling

An affordable alternative

So, what’s the catch?

Instead of the EC Zero T’s more advanced audio circuitry, which combines an R2R DAC and Tube output, Shanling integrated the EC Zero AKM with a “more straightforward AKM DAC section and simpler amplifiers.”

The good news is that this shouldn’t have a noticeable impact on audio quality. So, you’re getting a more affordable portable CD player with all the same playback abilities.

When connected to an external source, the EC Zero AKM can play CDs with an open lid.

As far as those playback abilities, the Shanling EC Zero AKM is a pretty straightforward modern-day portable CD player. It features 3.5mm (unbalanced) and 4.4mm (balanced) headphone outputs. This 3.5mm jack can serve as an auxiliary jack for connecting to a larger system.

Additionally, there’s built-in Bluetooth 5.3 with support for aptX Adaptive, aptX and SBC codecs. So you use your wireless headphones with the EC Zero AKM, too.

And just like its most expensive sibling, the EC Zero AKM has a neat trick — it doubles as a CD ripper. Just plug a hard drive into its USB output, and then you can upload those CD-quality tracks to your computer.

Purple portable CD player with a clear circular window and matching purple strap on a wooden surface.
Shanling sells accessories for the EC Zero AKM, like this carrying case, too.
Shanling

As mentioned, Shanling’s EC Zero AKM shares the same design as the company’s more expansive portable CD player. It features a metal body, a tempered glass lid, tactile buttons and a 100-step volume slider for precise volume control.

There’s also a 1.68-inch color LCD screen for displaying important playback information.

As far as battery life, the EC Zero AKM promises roughly eight hours of playback. And yes, it can play music while it charges, too.

Person holding an open portable CD player with a red and black CD inside.Shanling

Price and availability

The Shanling EC Zero AKM portable CD player is available now from Amazon. It costs $319.

About the Author: Tucker Bowe has been on Gear Patrol’s editorial team since 2014. With a passion for consumer tech and hi-fi, he tracks everything from headphones and turntables to smartphones and wearables. If it lights up or makes noise, he probably covers it.

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