Shanling has reworked its best-selling CD transport into the Shanling ET3 EVO, a redesigned version of the ET3 that keeps the same internals and price while giving the desktop-friendly transport a new look. The Shanling ET3 EVO is now shipping to Shanling’s international distributors. The move comes as dedicated CD transports have found a second wind among listeners digitizing physical collections or feeding a favorite outboard DAC rather than replacing it, and Shanling is using a cosmetic refresh rather than a full redesign to keep the ET3 EVO at a familiar price point.
A new look for the Shanling ET3 EVO
The most visible change is cosmetic: the Shanling ET3 EVO swaps the original ET3’s finish for a dark grey aluminum chassis with a carbon-look texture on the front panel and CD door, topped with a glossy red control wheel and a removable tinted tempered-glass top panel. Shanling describes the look as more dynamic and energetic, aimed at fitting modern desktop hi-fi setups rather than a traditional rack, where a CD transport increasingly sits next to a laptop or a streamer instead of inside a full separates stack. A 320 x 290-pixel IPS LCD screen on the front handles navigation.
Same transport, slightly refined
Underneath the new casing, the Shanling ET3 EVO keeps the technology that made the original ET3 popular: a dual-core Ingenic X2000 processor, a CT7302CL DSD and PCM upscaler, and the combination of a Philips SAA7824 servo with a Sanyo HD850 CD drive for stable disc reading. Shanling says it optimized the power supply and digital transport circuit for this version, resulting in a modest gain in overall audio transparency, but otherwise the ET3 EVO keeps the same feature set as its predecessor, including support for standard Red Book CDs, CD-R/RW discs and MQA CDs. Like the original ET3, the ET3 EVO cannot read SACD discs, keeping its focus squarely on standard CD playback rather than trying to cover every optical disc format.
Connectivity built for an external DAC
The Shanling ET3 EVO has no built-in DAC by design; it is meant to feed a separate one. Digital outputs cover I2S, AES/EBU, optical and coaxial, alongside USB-A input and output for CD ripping or playback from a drive. Wireless options include Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX, aptX HD and LDAC, plus dual-band Wi-Fi with DLNA and AirPlay support, all controllable through Shanling’s free Eddict Player app. The transport shares its dimensions with Shanling’s EH3 DAC and headphone amplifier, and the two are designed to stack together and connect over I2S for CD and MQA CD playback. For listeners without a matching Shanling DAC, the coaxial and optical outputs make the ET3 EVO just as easy to pair with any other outboard converter.
Pricing and availability
Shanling has kept the Shanling ET3 EVO at the same price as the outgoing ET3: around €699 in Europe and $729 in the United States, depending on distributor. It is now shipping to Shanling’s international distributor network. Shanling’s CD transport range also includes the step-up CT-90 for listeners who want to go further.
Key specifications
- Drive: Philips SAA7824 servo + Sanyo HD850 CD mechanism
- Processor: dual-core Ingenic X2000, CT7302CL DSD/PCM upscaler
- Digital outputs: I2S, AES/EBU, optical, coaxial, USB-A
- Wireless: Bluetooth 5.0 (aptX, aptX HD, LDAC), dual-band Wi-Fi with DLNA/AirPlay
- Display: 320 x 290-pixel IPS LCD
- Build: dark grey aluminum chassis, carbon-look front panel and CD door, tinted tempered-glass top
- Dimensions/weight: 255 x 188 x 68mm (WxHxD), 2.5kg
- Price: approx. €699 / $729
