Shanling UA6 II review – Expensive Unclean Garbage
DO NOT BUY this expensive garbage. Sound is afflicted by a permanent Virtualizer/Reverb effect, in both Quad/Octo DAC setting, in all DAC Filters and the No Oversampling mode (Filter 4). I can’t decide if it’s a Virtualizer or Reverb effect. It is unclean. This tainted sound is great for TV and movies, but denatures music. I listened to music with it while at work, and I can’t stand it. One day is enough. It is subtle, but gives everything a reverb feeling and music is a bit disconnected. Compare it to just about any other DAC, should be able to hear it. It sounds like the Dolby Atmos Virtualizer in the Android Dolby Atmos app, but more subtle.
As this is an egregious defect, I am putting this up front as first item of this article. I will post a sample from UA6 II to compare to another from the FIIO KA15.
Recorded on Zoom H2 3.5mm line-in 96khz 24-bit, no compressor. Playback from Goldwave on Windows.
Sample from FIIO KA15, Desktop Mode, Class AB, DRE, No Over Sampling, 32 volume.
Sample from Shanling UA6 II, High Gain, Octo Mode, No Over Sampling, 50 volume.
Now, when listening to the 2 samples, I don’t hear the mild reverb on UA6 II. Maybe the output is different on the 3.5mm used for the recording, versus the 4.4mm I am always listening to. Is there some burn-in going on with UA6 II that stabilizing it? Maybe I need to find a better song to demonstrate the diffence. Please hold while I further investigate…
The Quest
I bought the Shanling UA6 II as part my quest to find DAC that does not drain the phone battery too much. less than the FIIO KA15, has a volume wheel, Play/Stop button and a lanyard loop. This DAC does not have a proper lanyard loop, but I thought I could use the volume wheel cage and an improvised loop. So far, the Shanling UA6 II is a failure to complete this quest with it’s bad audio. This quest is part of my IEM Adventures main quest.
This review focuses on use with an Android cell phone, a Motorola G Power 2024 in this case. Simgot Supermix 4 and Punch Audio Martilo headphones used. DAC firmware v1.0.0
Sound is smooth and MP3 artifacts are not as audible, but that this is all caused by the permanent reverb that fills in music in empty spaces and mixes into the artifacts to make them indiscernible. Simgot Supermix4 earphones come alive on this DAC, but that is just because of the extra energy pumped in from the built-in reverb. This reverb/virtualizer gimmick is cheap and unwanted, especially on a device this expensive that retails for 320$cad/209$us as of September 2026.
Click Wheel is defective, volume and menu operations skip or double-advance for each click of the volume wheel. Not so bothersome when adjusting Volume, but makes the Settings menu tricky when menu does not advance to next item when advancing the wheel by one notch, or skips a menu item altogether because it registers 2 notches on the wheel, as if it is adding the missing notch that did nothing in the menu.
Volume change is too slow. I have to swipe the wheel 5 times to have any meaningful change.
Blind Operation needs some work. Click Wheel is confusing by access from both sides. Scrolling up towards USB port on the side of screen raises the volume, but lowers volume if you scroll up from the reverse side without the display. Not ideal for blind operation, but it can get used to by tactile feel on first use if this dangles from phone in belt case.
Play/Stop is done through the button on wheel axis, but only when the screen is ON or OFF, not in Screen Saver mode, which is where it always ends up with Screen Saver Timeout Options. One button press turns on the screen from Screen Saver, THEN another button press Plays or Stop music.Why can’t I press Stop when screen is in Screen Saver mode? It’s not like the button is easy to press while the DAC is dangling around. The wheel and it’s axis button don’t need to be protected by a LOCK mode to prevent button operation. Play/Stop has to be timed with Screen Saver time out, you never know if you need to press twice or just one to Play/Stop. Annoying.
Screen Display
Here get even more incomprehensible user experiences. Screen is always on, it only turns off manually with double button press, but cannot be turned on again unless changing volume with wheel. Manual states to press button once to turn on screen, but that does not work, not always. There is also missing a feature to completely turn of the screen automatically. So this means that screen that was turned off manually turns on automatically on volume change, but does not go back to previous Off state. What a mess.
But it has a Screen Saver with timeout options up to 60 seconds. When Screen Saver activates, it is exactly like what you expect a Screen Saver to be on a computer: some crap moving around on screen to prevent pixel burn-in. Now, we have a Screen Saver on DAC; how dumb is that? It still uses 2mA of power.
Bug Verification
■ Cannot turn-on screen when turning it off manually. Only turns on after using Volume wheel.
■ No playback issues with 192khz files when in Direct USB mode in Neutron or Poweramp.
■ UA6 II has the Cirrus Logic CS43xx Hump bug with all DAC Filters and No Oversampling mode. This creates clicks and pops on certain low volume passages. Can’t say that I have noticed this in daily playback of my library on any DAC with Cirrus Logic 43131 or 43198 chips.
■ Takes about 6 seconds to be ready for use and getting OS Pop-up to access directly after plugging into cell phone. That’s quite a long time.
■ Sometimes the UA6 II disconnects, stops or sampling rate changes randomly on Stop/Play and then produces only noise. This happens when DAC and phone are resting my on desk, not being moved. This just happened as I am writing this review. This is with stock Shanling cable into Moto G Power 2024, so no interference from protective phone case that is slightly pushing out the cable from the USB port.
Power Usage
■ 90mA usage in Quad DAC mode playback
■ 120mA in Octo DAC mode playback
■ 95mA in idle.
Why is it using MORE power in idle mode than when playing in Quad mode? Why so much power when in idle in the first place? Ideal usage when doing NOTHING should be near 0 power usage.
Measurements are taken with Kowsi KWS-2302C measurement device while using Punch Audio Martilo on 4.4mm at 50% volume .
Options
There are 5 DAC filters to chose from, but are numbered from 0 to 4. This has obviously been designed by an engineer, this design has not come from a Product Manager and design team, nor has it been validated by Quality Assurance nor some UX Team. If you absolutely have to have filter numbered as 0, make that one the NOS (No Over Sampling) filter selection. Shanling is showing a lack of internal design and validation process.
What is missing
■ PEQ
■ CTIA control and microphone support on 3.5mm jack
■ Lanyard loop
Suggested changes:
■ Get rid of that cheap Reverb/Virtualizer effect. Music is not transparent. DAC is in the way
■ Get rid of Screen Saver. It’s useless. I don’t spend my time looking at my DAC screen. I am doing something else with my life. DAC is in the way.
■ Have option to turn off screen automatically. Change Screen Saver timeout options into Screen Off timeout options. DAC is in the way.
■ Allow Play/Stop when screen is On, Off AND Screen Saver with ONE button press. Experience is inconsistent.
■ Button Double press to turn screen Off and On. Double-Press to close and only 1 press to turn back on is a confusing user experience. Just implement Double-Press for turning display On and Off.
■ Have a proper lanyard strap loop on DAC case, like FIIO KA15.
■ Have a proper lanyard strap loop on add-on protective casing, like FIIO KA15.
■ Number DAC Filters from 1 to 5.
■ Don’t use any power on Idle
Magsafe case to review. I don’t have proper MagSafe phone protective case. I have one, but UA6 II protective case does not stick to it.
Conclusion – Shanling UA6 II gets in the way everywhere.
The UA6 II gets in the user’s way by trafficking the sound, forces screen use and disrupts blind operation. This device is a real narcissist, all flash and no real substance, with “Octo DAC chips!!!” marketing, crap reverb sound, defective volume wheel and screen that is always on, as if to show off to others.
This is bad design that makes the UA6 II the type of device that puts itself in the way of the user, instead of getting out of the way of music enjoyment. This demonstrates that Shanling wants to user to focus on the product, instead of helping the user enjoy their music.
Buy this only if you need a DAC with a Reverb effect. Skip it otherwise. It’s a mess.
Shanling UA6 II and MagSafe protective case were purchased for 255$cad/182$us on AliExpress in September 2026.
Shanling UA6 II product page: https://en.shanling.com/product/496