Shanling CD-T100 - REVIEW

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Posted by Tom Short on March 30, 2002 at 11:00:39

I was one of the few people in the US who was able to get the CD-T100 CD player before the US distributer had all the distribution rights. I have had the player in my system now for almost 4 months. Thought I would post my findings for all to read. I know there is a lot of
curiosity and mystery about this unit mainly due to its "extreme" looks.
Here are some of thoughts that come to mind regarding the CD-T100:
"All that glitters is not gold" , "you can't judge a book by its cover".
I must admit when I first saw a picture of this player, I was seduced by its looks and the idea of having a tubed output stage! I had to have it! So I contacted Shanling directly and was able to get the unit for $950 + shipping. I received the unit about 3 weeks later and I was so excited about getting it broken in and having a serious listen.
So I moved my Sony SCD 777ES to the side and slipped the CD-T100 in its place. I had a sneak listen and thought it sounded fairly good since it was just right out of the box.
I then left it on and playing for the first week for break-in. In the meantime I was able to get some NOS tubes to relace the chinese made ones that came with the unit.
I was very excited to finally have a player that I could use with headphones.
Out of the box, I was very impressed with how the unit looked. It really has a unique look that turns heads...
Uh-Oh! Trouble in paradise.. Upon closer inspection, the remote has a very cheap looking painted surface. The finish on the CD-T100 itself looks very thin with lots of tiny scratches in the surface. The gold post ends won't be gold for long! I opened the unit up to see how the internals were constructed.
Was fairly impressed. Nicely laid out with solid connectors. The caps and other parts seem to be of a very cheap chinese grade electronics. The connectors and wire are sub standard and not audiophile quality.
A very bad design feature is the volume control. The volume controls the outputs to the headphones and the line out! So the volume control is ALWAYS IN THE SIGNAL PATH. Either throwing away bits or adding grunge to the signal.
When I plugged in my Senheisser 600's, I was very disappointed. The bass is loose and flabby. The highs are rolled and strident. The headphone jack must have been added only as a selling feature. It is very poorly designed and sounds terrible.
As for the CD-T100 playback in my system, I found it to be hazy sounding. Drum whacks that were once crisp and fast as now loose and slow. The highs are not smooth as you would expect from tubes. They are also rolled off. Vocals sounded good but lacked depth and were flat.
The soundstage seemed constrained and not layered. So after 3 months of using the CD-T100 I put the Sony SCD777ES back in my system just to see if I could hear a difference.
WOW! Everything sounded real! Drums sounded crisp. The highs were smooth and extended. Bass was tight and real! The soundstage came alive and there was music once again.
The Sony bettered the Shanling in EVERY WAY. There is no comparison on build quality. The Sony is miles ahead.. The sony also sounds 100 times better in every way.
So, the 777ES is back in my system where it will stay, The CD-T100 is more for looks than for listening, I can't even use it for stand alone CD headphone listening. It is that bad.
So that is my experience and another lesson in life.
At least I didn't have to pay the new asking price of $2000. Trust me when I say my $75 portable panasonic CD player sounds MUCH better.
Make sure you listen first before you buy. Don't make the same mi$take I made.
Hope this helps someone out and saves them some grief.
Tom Short

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Topic - Shanling CD-T100 - REVIEW - Tom Short 11:00:39 03/30/02 (20)

Bypass the tube section ! - Joseph Lau 19:01:54 04/01/02 (0)

Maybe Technics/Sony/Denon/Phillips Will Take The Hint,and Make A Tube-Output CD Deck... - john c. 12:53:54 04/01/02 (0)

And then, youÂ´ve been able to wear 3 months of awful sound, before going back to heaven? - orejones 00:55:24 04/01/02 (0)

Third world products - bobaloo1 04:51:33 03/31/02 (10)

Considering probably 90% of your audio gear.. - PJ 19:02:12 03/31/02 (3)

Re: Big difference between local and international - Bobaloo1 04:54:37 04/01/02 (2)

Re: Big difference between local and international - Paul L 05:58:54 04/01/02 (1)

You may well be right, Paul .... - Bhasi 11:05:13 04/01/02 (0)

Re: Third world products - hmmmm 12:08:14 03/31/02 (0)

Re: Third world products - 3rd worlder 07:13:53 03/31/02 (2)

Not all Matin's Owner have ears :) - Joseph Lau 19:05:23 04/01/02 (0)

He didn't say otherwise. -t - The Killer Piglet 11:36:55 03/31/02 (0)

does that include RED ROSE? <nt> - odd 06:24:36 03/31/02 (1)

Re: Absolutely (nt) - chris c 12:51:47 04/01/02 (0)

Nice review, but.... - chris.redmond2@bushinternet.com 14:17:17 03/30/02 (0)

Re: Shanling CD-T100 - REVIEW - Todd Krieger 14:15:53 03/30/02 (0)

Re: Shanling CD-T100 - REVIEW - Chaney 12:43:50 03/30/02 (0)

Re: Shanling CD-T100 - REVIEW - cpcat 11:34:39 03/30/02 (1)

Re: Shanling CD-T100 - REVIEW - suretyguy 12:52:54 04/01/02 (0)

can't speak for the sound... - The Killer Piglet 11:28:46 03/30/02 (0)

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