Leftovers recipe
It's been 20 years since Shanling last launched a CD player, a small, blinkand-you’ll-miss-it run of 300 units for the CD-T300 back in 2004. Now, the all-new CD-T35 is here to pick up where that left off — only this time round it is limited even further, to just 99 units.
That’s all down to the limited availability of components that the company says are “crucial” to the history of Shanling and “critical” to its house sound.
This includes AKM’s AK4499EQ DAC, also used in Shanling’s M8 and M9 high-res music players. This flagship chipset was discontinued following a fire at the Japanese manufacturer’s factory in 2020, but Shanling has gotten its hands on the remaining units.
The CD-T35 also includes the Philips CD-Pro 2, a popular CD drive that utilises linear tracking, runs an advanced decoding system for error-free disc reading and is housed in an overbuilt die-cast metal body.
Shanling says its audio engineers have also had to reach into their last remaining stock of its favoured capacitors and wiring and solder materials, suggesting this player truly is a shrine to the Shanling sound. Indeed, it sounds like quite the leftovers recipe, akin to a hearty winter soup made from the remnants of a Sunday roast.
Just like its predecessor, the CD-T35 has a three-legged design and a tubed output stage that comprises four hand-matched 12AU7 tubes and promises sonic warmth and smoothness.
There is also a custom I/V stage, with a dual split power supply divided between the player's digital and analogue sections. Outputs comprise RCA, balanced XLR and digital coaxial, while a USB-B input is also onboard for those who wish to use the CD-T35 as a standalone DAC.
The CD-T35 has another clever trick up its sleeve, too: built on an Android-based operating system and powered by an octa-core Snapdragon CPU, the player can offer AirPlay and DLNA playback over wi-fi, plus access to streaming services such as Tidal, Qobuz and Spotify. Control can be managed through the HD touchscreen on the CD-T35 itself or via the Shanling companion app.
Want to listen through headphones? The CD-T35 has an optional headphone amplifier module, too, offering a trio of headphone outputs — a single-ended 6.4mm, balanced 4.4mm and balanced XLR. A choice of four gain stages means it should be capable of driving even the most demanding headphones.
The privilege of such private listening will set you back extra, mind you... and the CD-T35 isn’t exactly cheap in the first place. The standard version costs $17,000 USD (north of $26,000), rising to $19,000 USD (around $30,000) when paired with the headphone amp section. And that’s if the CD-T35 is still available, having gone on sale internationally in January.