- Shanling launches new EC Play retro portable CD player
- Lightweight, but with many connection options.
- Sells in May for $199 / £209 (around AU$420)
CD players have remained fashionable despite the rise (and fall?) of streaming, but now retro audio technology is making a comeback (including cassette players, in a way), as are ’90s-inspired CD players.
Chinese hi-fi company Shanling has just announced EC Play, a discreet new jukebox available in silver, black or green.
It will sell from May for $199 / £209 (around AU$420), less than the company’s high-end portable players such as the ECZero AKM, which costs $319 (around £244 / AU$490).
As you’d expect from a portable CD player, it’s a small thing. It measures 14.2 x 12.5 x 2.6 cm (little more than a CD) and weighs 418 g. That makes it lighter than the average FIFA-regulated soccer ball, which can weigh between 410 and 450g. [Editor’s note: I have no idea why we are now measuring our CD players in soccer balls, but I have decided to allow it.]
It has a clean case, similar to the FiiO DM13, without the transparent section or design style that we often see in this type of technology.
However, a look at the image above shows various buttons, screens and ports. It may be lightweight, but it hides a lot of features.
A CD player with many tricks
The Shanling EC Play not only works with your standard 3.5mm headphones, but it also has a 4.4mm port and a coaxial output.
If you’re into retro but haven’t moved on to the wired-only life, it also handles Bluetooth playback. It supports AAC, LDAC and SBC codecs and uses the Bluetooth 6.0 standard.
The Cirrus Logic DAC is supposedly designed for a “natural, fun sound,” and has a built-in dual headphone amp that can accommodate IEMs and headphones that need a little more power, as well as your standard wired headphone.
You can also connect the player to a PC, laptop or phone via USB, and it will act as a DAC for 32-bit/384kHz PCM and DSD256 playback.
The battery life of the EC Play is, according to Shanling, 12 hours. Naturally, this will vary depending on how you listen to your music, but it’s above average for this type of device.
According to Shanling, EC Play is not designed for high-end audio specifications and unique features, but “to recreate the good old days,” which is apparently “when portable CD players were convenient and a common part of daily life.”
I’m not holding my breath seeing this type of technology commonly used on public transportation, but Shanling is right in one sense. Your EC Play seems convenient for use on the go or at home, and that versatility will likely win over some buyers.
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