Shanling EH2 Desktop R2R DAC and Amplifier

The Shanling EH2 is a compact desktop DAC and headphone amplifier built around Shanling’s first in-house 24-bit R2R DAC, with extra power: over 4W into 32Ω from its 4.4mm output. Two independent circuits feed the headphone outputs and the line/pre-amp outputs, and USB, coaxial, optical and LDAC Bluetooth inputs, switchable non-oversampling or oversampling, and analogue bass and treble controls make it a versatile heart for a desk system.

An R2R DAC inspired by Shanling’s heritage

As the next step in its quest for the most natural sound, Shanling looked back at some of its most legendary designs, such as the HDCD-H24A SACD player with four Burr-Brown PCM1704s and the CD-T300 tube CD player with eight, and recreated their sound in a new R2R DAC: a 24-bit architecture with 192 high-precision 0.1% resistors, a uniquely sounding alternative to standard delta-sigma DACs. PCM and DSD are converted to PCM in NOS or OS mode, and an FPGA with serial-to-parallel conversion feeds four 24-bit R2R blocks for the R+, R−, L+ and L− signals.

Non-oversampling or oversampling

Switch between NOS mode, the EH2’s default, staying true to the R2R concept with a softer, more mellow presentation for truly natural reproduction, and OS mode, which upsamples to 352.8kHz for more resolution and dynamics, ideal for focused listening.

Two independent circuits

The headphone amplifier is a transistor design with BD139 and BD140 transistors, given extra driving power and tuned for a beautifully rich, smooth sound. The pre/line output is taken directly from the R2R DAC through OPA1612 low-pass filters, fully preserving the R2R character. Following Shanling’s traditional approach, even the type and value of every capacitor is chosen for the house sound: Panasonic and Elna Silmic II capacitors in the headphone amplifier, the R2R array and the DAC’s power supply.

Power for demanding headphones

Optimised for full-size headphones, the amplifier gives low-distortion output of up to 4,350mW into 32Ω from the 4.4mm balanced output and 1,280mW from the 6.35mm output, with two gain levels, so even hard-to-drive headphones can be fully powered from one compact device. A dedicated 12V adapter, chosen for reliable, clean power, is included.

From classic to wireless inputs

Besides USB, through a third-generation XMOS XU316 for 768kHz/32-bit and DSD512 with an asynchronous connection, the EH2 has coaxial and optical inputs for classic audio and video equipment, and Bluetooth through a Qualcomm QCC5125 with LDAC, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX Low Latency, aptX, AAC and SBC. A UAC 1.0 mode connects older devices and consoles such as the Switch and PS5.

Tone controls and outputs

Built-in tone-control chips give quick hardware adjustment of bass (±6dB) and treble (±10dB) to suit your headphones and taste. At the back, 4.4mm balanced and RCA analogue outputs switch between pre-amp and line out, for headphone amplifiers, active speakers or power amplifiers. A coloured light ring around the volume knob shows the sample rate and the Bluetooth codec.

Good to know

• The mains power adapter is included but packed separately in the box.
• In the box: EH2, power adapter, 6.35mm to 3.5mm adapter, USB-A to USB-C cable, Bluetooth antenna and manuals. Black or silver.