Shanling has launched the Q2, a portable music player blending vintage iPod Classic aesthetics with advanced hi-res features, including quad-DACs, broad connectivity, and support for high-resolution streaming.
Shanling has launched the Q2, a compact digital audio player that leans heavily on the look and feel of the iPod Classic while adding modern hi-fi features. The device pairs a small touchscreen with a physical scroll wheel, a combination that is clearly aimed at listeners who want a dedicated music player rather than a smartphone-based app experience.
According to reporting from Notebookcheck and Hi-Fi.ru, the Q2 uses Shanling’s MTouch OS rather than Android and is built around a quad-DAC stage with four Cirrus Logic CS43131 chips. The player supports Tidal hi-res streaming, alongside a wide range of local file formats, including FLAC, ALAC, WAV, DSF and DFF, and can reportedly decode PCM up to 768kHz/32-bit. It also includes both 4.4mm balanced and 3.5mm headphone outputs.
Shanling has also given the Q2 unusually broad connectivity for a device of this size. It includes bi-directional Bluetooth with LDAC and aptX support, dual-band Wi-Fi, and a two-way USB-C port for charging, data transfer and use as an external USB DAC. The player is said to support microSD cards up to 2TB, making it suitable for large offline libraries as well as streaming use.
The hardware is compact at 80 x 50 x 13.5mm and weighs 83g, with an aluminium alloy body and rear glass panel. Battery life is quoted at 13.5 hours from an 1,850mAh cell. The Q2 is available in Smoky Grey, Moonlight Silver and Twilight Orange, priced at $269 or €259.
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