Marcelo reviews the Shanling M0 Pura, their latest pocket-sized entry-level dual CS43131 DAP with MTouch OS and 250mW of output power. It is currently priced at $129.00.
Disclaimer: This sample was sent to me in exchange for my honest opinion. Headfonics is an independent website with no affiliate links or status. I thank Shanling for their support.
Click here to learn more about Shanling Audio products previously reviewed on Headfonics.
This article follows our current scoring guidelines, which you can read in more detail here.
I have reviewed smaller digital audio players with touch-sensitive screens before, including the HiBy R3Pro II and the Hidizs AP80 Pro MAX, and imagined that there couldn’t be a much smaller touch-screen-controlled digital audio player.
You couldn’t imagine my surprise and delight when I saw the $129 Shanling M0 Pura for the first time.
It is not merely small; it is tiny. It’s so tiny that I can’t help but worry whether it would sound good or whether the battery would last long enough for practical use.
How will the Shanling M0 Pura perform in actual use? And how will it compare to other small DAPs, such as the FiiO SNOWSKY DISC and the TempoTec V1? Find out in the review below.
Features
The Shanling M0 Pura is a touchscreen-capable mini-DAP equipped with a dual Cirrus Logic CS43131 DAC chipset from the USA to achieve high-resolution decoding, with a low SNR of 121dB and 0.0004% THD+N, and support for PCM 384kHz/32-bit and DSD128 decoding.
While the tiny chassis only offers a 3.5 mm output audio jack, Shanling provides a balanced connection via their special 3.5 mm-to-4.4 mm balanced adapter, which can be bought separately for about $17 to utilize the full output of the dual CS43131 DAC chipset.
This increases the power of the 3.5 mm single-ended output jack from 100 mW @ 32 Ω to 250 mW @ 32 Ω, with 0.4 Ω output impedance in single-ended and 0.8 Ω in balanced connection.
These output impedance figures from Shanling are sufficient for tight, well-controlled bass.
Other features include a 1.54-inch HD touchscreen for controlling the M0 Pura, Bidirectional Bluetooth with LDAC, aptX, AAC, and SBC codecs, and DAC functionality.
The M0 Pura is tiny, measuring only 43.8 × 45× 13.8 mm, and weighs 35.8 grams.
Designs
The perfectly pocketable M0 Pura chassis is machined from a solid piece of CNC-machined aluminum alloy and is available in anodized finishes in black, orange, and purple.
While the back is solid metal with some prints, the front is covered by the 1.54-inch HD touchscreen, the top with a piece of tempered glass, and the bottom with the inputs and output ports.
The rounded, carved-out sides are a nice touch, as they make the M0 Pura gentle on the hand and look good.
And my favorite design element: the volume knob/ power button on the right side. There are no other physical controls except that knob.
The lone control knob on the right side of the M0 Pura housing feels very snug and tight, with a good tactile feel when turned and pushed. Via the OS settings menu, you can control playback, long-press for on/off, and short presses for screen on/off.
The M0 Pura’s 1.54-inch HD touchscreen (240×240 resolution) is bright enough for casual use and offers good contrast and high viewing angles. Even though the menu and song titles are small, I can still read the screen easily, thanks to the clarity of the screen output.
I/O
All of the M0 Pura’s inputs and outputs are located at the bottom, consisting of a USB-C port, a 3.5mm output jack, and a memory card slot.
The USB-C port serves as both an input/output data port and a charging port. There is no support for UAC 1.0 USB mode; therefore, the M0 Pura is not compatible with gaming consoles, older PCs, or older devices.
The 3.5mm output jack can output a balanced audio signal using the Shanling Balanced Adapter for M0 Pro M0 Pura 3.5mm-4.4mm.
Battery Life
I actually tested the M0 Pura’s battery life by playing music loudly through IEMs. I got about 8 hours and 40 minutes from 100% to 0%.
If I had reduced the volume during battery testing, the M0 Pura could easily have achieved the 9.5-hour battery life rating of its built-in 650 mAh battery.
After fully draining the battery, I charged the M0 Pura and got 1 hour and 15 minutes from 0 to 100%.
Packaging & Accessories
The M0 Pura came in a small, modern-looking, sleeved black-orange box measuring 130 x 112 x 46 mm. It includes the M0 Pura DAP, user manuals, a warranty card, and a 1-meter USB-A-to-USB-C cable.
I received an orange-colored leather case, which is not free but an added purchase at checkout for less than $20.
The leather case fits the M0 Pura perfectly and is also compatible with older versions of the M0 series DAPs. However, I cannot use ultra-thick 3.5 plugs without the case interfering, as the 3.5 mm output jack is very near the edge.
Software Impressions
The M0 Pura is Shanling’s 4th-generation release of their M0 DAP series. It uses the Ingenic X1000 platform and Shanling’s in-house Mtouch operating system. Storage capacity is up to 2TB via a microSD card.
Mtouch OS is laden with basic and useful features that allow the user to update firmware, limit the maximum volume, program the default volume, enable gapless playback, use 11 EQ presets + 4 custom 10-band EQs, control gain, set four filter settings, control channel balance, etc.
However, the M0 Pura doesn’t include a third-party music player or streaming apps; it only has the built-in music player.
My review sample arrived with firmware version V1.1, and so far, I haven’t found any bugs. Boot-up time is around 6 seconds.
Navigation
Navigating the Mtouch OS is very intuitive and easy, so I never had to consult a manual. There are not many pages to go around, and navigation requires tapping the screen and swiping right.
M0 Pura is not the fastest to navigate, as there is a noticeable lag, which is understandable given its small size and limited battery capacity; it must lower the speed to conserve battery life.
Fortunately, it is easy to get used to and soon becomes negligible.
Sound Impressions
I did about 24 hours of burn-in to test battery life and charging times and to observe how the M0 Pura behaves during prolonged use, and I haven’t found anything out of the ordinary.
For the IEMs, I use the DUNU Falcon Ultra Ti, Tipsy M5, and the QoA Martini. For the Headphones, I use the FiiO JT3, the MOONDROP Horizon, and the Sennheiser HD 6XX. I used a balanced connection using the Shanling balanced 3.5 to 4.4 mm adapter.
I didn’t use EQ, sound field, or any other features that enhance the sound; all settings are at default.
Summary
Due to the tiny size of the M0 Pura, I was expecting an anemic power delivery and loose bass control, as I’m used to with my old Apple iPod mini and nano.
I was delighted to report that the M0 Pura sounds very normal and contemporary, similar to other, larger DAPs or digital sources recently released.
Thanks to the decent output power and moderately rated output impedance, the M0 Pura sounds surprisingly powerful given its small size.
Though not the tightest I’ve heard, the bass is well-controlled and much more so than I expected. I hear a clean bass with only a slight thickening in the mid-bass, and it never muddies the sound, even at the maximum volume I listen to.
The midrange and the treble are very flat and extended. I hear no false warmth in the sound, which I’m very thankful for, as I don’t like sources that have warm and less resolved sound.
Instrument and vocal note weight are accurate; there is no thickening or thinning to their sound. The M0 Pura renders them accurately.
The M0 Pura is very neutral and has a very flat perceived frequency response with good extension at both ends.
Though it is not the most detailed or resolving DAP I’ve heard, it has decent resolution and detail retrieval, certainly well above my initial expectations.
Timbre
The M0 Pura has a very natural timbre, and its transparency is above average for this price category. However, if I must cite a discrepancy relative to the absolute sound, there is a slight energy excitation in the treble, around 4 to 5 kHz.
It can be perceived as a slight sharpness or accentuation in that frequency range, but it is not obvious; I can only hear it because I got used to much smoother-sounding DAPs.
When I listened to the M0 Pura for a prolonged time, my brain adjusted to it, and it became inaudible.
Staging & dynamics
Thanks to the extended, flat perceived frequency response and good bass control, the staging is good and certainly above average, especially in width.
The M0 Pura avoids the budget DAP small soundstage trap I usually hear with inexpensive DAPs. It has an above-average-sized soundstage that feels open, spacious, and wide, with good depth and height.
There is a clean attack and decay, giving the instruments and vocals good spatial separation and front-to-back layering. The M0 Pura’s decent resolution certainly helps it render micro-detail separation well.
Wireless Performance
Bluetooth Performance
The M0 Pura does not have WiFi, but it features Bidirectional LDAC Bluetooth 5.0 & USB DAC Function. It features two-way Bluetooth 5.0. Transmit LDAC, aptX, AAC, SBC; Receive LDAC, SBC, AAC.
The Eddict Player APP also allows full remote control via Synclink for playlist management and volume adjustment.
Transmitter Performance
Once the initial pairing setup has been completed on the three Bluetooth receiving devices I included in this review — namely, the MOONDROP Space Travel 2, Sony WF-1000XM5 TWS, and Focal Bathys. The pairing is fuss-free and fast.
M0 Pura connects to the MOONDROP Space Travel 2 via SBC and AAC, to the Sony WF-1000XM5 via LDAC, and to the Focal Bathys via AptX HD.
The M0 Pura has a strong signal transmission, allowing me to receive the music without interruption or signal dropouts, even when I move to the next room, which is separated by a toilet with 5-inch (125mm) thick concrete walls.
I have to move more than 30 feet outside the house before the signal finally cuts off.
Receiving Performance
After all the initial pairing was done, it only took about 5 seconds from the time I turned on Bluetooth on both my OnePlus 13 smartphone. The connection process is fuss-free and fast.
The signal strength is excellent. I can walk around the house with the phone inside my room without cutting off the signal. The sound quality is also fantastic thanks to the LDAC codec.
Wired Performance
The M0 Pura can be used as a high-res USB DAC or soundcard for your computer, supporting 192kHz/32bit and DSD128.
As a digital source
The M0 Pura works flawlessly as a digital source for all my DACs, including the small tail DACs, medium-sized DACs, battery-powered DACs, and DAPS, namely the iBasso DC-Elite, Cayin RU3, FiiO SNOWSKY Melody, MUSE HiFi M6 Double, Khadas Tea Pro, FiiO M33 R2R, Shanling M3 Plus, and TempoTec V1, among others.
I didn’t experience noise, popping, or signal dropouts; it works flawlessly.
As a DAC Amplifier
The M0 Pura works flawlessly as a DAC amplifier or soundcard for my phone, DAPs, PC, and laptop, but I have to select the USB DAC mode in the menu, which requires many steps, as there is no shortcut for this function.
Luckily, I didn’t experience any noise or unusual behavior. The sound is clean, and the device operates without any issues.
Click on page 2 below for my recommended pairings and selected comparisons.
