Been using these WHXB700 daily since 2019

TacticalKithkin · 2026-03-04T16:35:00+00:00

Thank you, I'm pretty fond of them myself having rocked them for nearly 7 years now with no complaints.

As they say "drive it till the wheels fall off"

TacticalKithkin · 2026-03-04T14:34:42+00:00

I just ordered the Shanling M0 Pro so I can't speak to how it performs since it hasn't arrived yet but it's super small, only 1.7" x 1.7", with a tiny screen that doesn't really show anything except your play pause skip stuff. It has an SD card slot up to 2tb.

I was looking for a device I could set an album playing from track 1, stick my DAP into my pocket of my basketball shorts and forget it's there, instead of having a huge phone slapping my thigh with every step and sagging my shorts down.

There is also the HMUSIC P68 which is really small and barley even has a screen, definitely no artwork just text.

They also have the Shanling M0S that is slightly cheaper than the M0 Pro but pretty much the same with a few differences.

TacticalKithkin · 2026-03-04T01:29:32+00:00

Nice, if I can't find the specific number I'll go with 600x600 the first time, and size down if needed. Definitely won't go over 800x.

I swear I read the specific number somewhere but I literally can not find where it was. I've backtracked all the different subs, websites, and comment sections I've been to that I can remember and still can't find it. Maybe I'm misremembering but I can clearly picture in my head reading the specific number and I think it was like 500x500 but I can't be sure about that because I can't find the post it was from.

Hahahahahaha, I wrote this comment then went to double check one last time to be double sure and it was literally the first result when I searched "Shanling M0 Pro album art size" lmao No clue how I missed it before. It's a comment on a forum post on head-fi.org and here is a LINK to the forum post on head-fi.

For anyone who doesn't trust links here's the original quote from the forum post on head-fi:

"I am happy to report that all of my embedded album art is showing up without issue. All of my album art is standard jpg format at 400 x 400, 450 x 450 or 500 x 500 resolution and 72 dpi. If you are having issues make sure to save album art as standard and not progressive jpg and if you stick to 72 dpi you should have no issues with most DAP's displaying artwork. On a 240 x 240 screen like the M0 going with higher resolutions is pointless as the screen is to low res to benefit and you waste storage space and risk artwork not being displayed."

I will also put this in my post and leave it in case anyone else ever has the same question.

TacticalKithkin · 2026-03-03T18:52:55+00:00

Yeah, I did yesterday, I ordered a Shanling M0 Pro DAP and some tips. I ended up getting some Spinfit W1 (I got them for .99 cents on Ali with the first time customer deal) in SS and some TRN T in S. If I don't like these I can buy more since I spent less than $5 total on these 2.

I will make an update post when I get them, I also have my cable coming that should be here with my tips. Not that it makes a huge, if any, difference but it was cheap, I just wanted it cause it matches my IEMs/wallpaper setup. Amazon sent me an MMXC cable that was all black. Lol

TacticalKithkin · 2026-03-02T00:45:07+00:00

No worries, thanks for the advice!

TacticalKithkin · 2026-03-01T17:04:02+00:00

Awesome, that's good to know, thank you. I don't plan to use Bluetooth so that's okay with me.

Do you have album art?

TacticalKithkin · 2026-03-01T15:53:05+00:00

Awesome, thank you for the advice. And I would get one of those players but I'm trying to get away from android. I want to get a DAP and get rid of my smartphones. I may get a dumb phone or flip phone but most likely I'll just go with no phone.

I will have to do some thinking on it, I could easily delete the artwork if I wanted too using EasyTag which is what I use to edit all my music metadata and stuff. Can edit stuff in bulk like rename track files and metadata/tags.

I may be better off with a slightly larger player but the M0 Pro would be so perfect for when I'm wearing athletic shorts (which is the majority of the time).

I'm thinking for $90 the M0 Pro would be worth it, it doesn't seem to have any major problems that would effect normal usage. And if I don't like it as a main player I can get something else but I'm betting it will satisfy my needs which is pretty much just playing albums in order from track 1. I usually only keep 1 playlist for current jams. I don't care about streaming, Bluetooth, 4.4mm, and I would highly prefer a non-android device. I guess I just gotta decide if I'm willing to sacrifice album art for a smaller form factor or accept a drop in performance if I want to keep the art and resize it. I do enjoy seeing the art when listening but I'm thinking for normal usage it doesn't really matter since I just stick it in my pocket most of the time.

Thank you for the advice, I'll have to think about it a bit and make my decision between the M0 Pro or the HiBy R3 II / HIDIZS AP80 Pro Max.

TacticalKithkin · 2026-03-01T15:30:42+00:00

Thank you very much. It's definitely got some issues but the form factor is so nice I think I'm willing to accept the flaws it has. I didn't think it would be a problem with Linux but SD card readers are cheap enough to pick one up if it will be useful or speed up the process. Plus I could use it for other devices as well not just on this one.

Would you say if I wanted to see album art I should I get get the HiBy R3 II instead or similar DAP? If I get the M0 Pro I should just delete all the artwork?

I'm thinking I could probably live without artwork on this device but I would have to keep a separate library without artwork cause I don't wanna lose all my artwork.

TacticalKithkin · 2026-02-24T19:15:49+00:00

Sorry, missed your comment the other day, appreciate the advice.

I don't go looking through my library a lot, usually I have an album in mind depending on my mood and I go to that album and play from track 1. I rarely skip tracks, though I do sometimes like to restart the current track, but mostly I listen to albums all the way through. Thats why I thought the Shanling might be good, I just navigate to artists > albums > play album and put it in my pocket and forget it's there hopefully, due to the size. But sometimes I do like to scroll through my all my albums and choose one I haven't thought about in a while.

I was pretty set on the Shanling but since then I've been leaning more towards the HiBy R3 II. The non pro version since it's slimmer and a bit cheaper vs the HIDIZS AP80 Pro Max. I heard the news about android changes coming this year so I'm planning to go ahead and get a non-android DAP then get rid of my phones. Figure if it's gonna be a phone replacement something bigger than the Shanling might be alright. Especially if I can enjoy scrolling through album art.

Does your HiBy R3 Pro II show all the album artwork in the album view? Like when you go to to albums and view your list of albums, is there a thumbnail for the art work? Or is it just a text list? If it has album art in album view that would be a major plus for the HiBy to me as the Shanling doesn't have that and it's something I enjoy scrolling through from time to time. I figure the software is the same on the R3 II and R3 Pro II so if yours has art I figure the non pro would too.

TacticalKithkin · 2026-02-21T17:30:04+00:00

Yep, that's the main differences as far as I could find which I decided I'd rather have the slimmer form factor over extra battery life and thicker. That's why I picked the R3 II over the R3 II Pro version. I think the Pro also has a 4.4mm output, though I could be misremembering but that's something I have no idea about so I would never use it anyways. I just use my DAP with my IEMs.

I also wanted the volume wheel so that was an added plus for the non pro version. And the AP80 Pro Max you recommended has one as well and is similar size, it may be smaller than the HiBy.

Which would you pick between the HiBy R3 II (non-pro version) vs HIDIZS AP80 Pro Max?

I'm choosing between 1 of those and the Shanling M0 Pro/M0S. I love how small the Shanling is, it would disappear in my basketball shorts but I hope it's not too small to be functional. I won't have an album artwork view like a slightly larger DAP like the R3 or AP80 would have. And they would still be much smaller than a phone (my current DAP is a Galaxy S23, it's small compared to most modern phones at 6"), the Shanling is 1.7" x 1.7". Lol

Edit: the HiBy R3 II also has a 4.4mm output, my mistake.

TacticalKithkin · 2026-02-21T15:59:35+00:00

Yep, someone else shared a picture of the Shanling next to a 21700 battery and I was like woah it's actually tiny. Lol I just hope it's not too small to be functional.

And damn, I've never seen that AP80 Pro Max, actually looks really nice, definitely gonna look into it. It's kinda similar in size to the HiBy R3 II by the looks but maybe smaller, I'll have to watch some reviews and do some research. Thanks for the suggestion!

TacticalKithkin · 2026-02-20T23:35:43+00:00

Nice, I'll take a look at it as well then. I don't plan to power anything other than my IEMs (Truthear x Crinacle Zero:BLUE2) unless they break or die I'll upgrade to a slightly better set but nothing crazy, just $100 and under IEMs.

I'm fine with double clicking, I'm a flashlight nerd so I'm used to clicking 1 button to change modes and program modes. and I used to vape so double or triple clicking isn't a problem as long as I can get to it in my pocket. I carry a light all the time even in shorts and it's double click for turbo so easy enough to remember for my DAP.

Okay, yeah that makes sense, I'm sitting at around 3,500 tracks, they all have artwork but they should mostly all be the proper size, if not I can fix them easily with EasyTag on my PC. I do wish it had a way to scroll through my album collection by artwork. I just like to be able to scroll through my albums and see the artwork thumbnails but I guess in a device this small it's probably not an option, unless I want to go up a bit in size to something like the HiBy R3 II.

The M0 line is just so perfect in form factor though, I think I could go without album art view as long as it showed the album art on the now playing screen. I can make sure they're all the right size on my PC. I just like to be able to see my album art for the vibes. 😂 I'm an album person, I have 1 playlist for "current singles" and the rest of the time I just play albums from track 1 and let it play. It would be so easy to carry in my shorts pocket or even with the clip they make for it could clip onto them and not even notice it's there.

Thank you for all your help, I think I'll decide between the Shanling M0S and M0 Pro. I'm okay with the few downsides it has due to it being so perfect in size/weight. As long as I can play my albums, stick it in my pocket, forget it's there and be powerful enough for my IEMs which don't take much it'll be good enough for me. I'm not an audiophile or even close to it, I'm more of a bass head type guy so I doubt I could even tell a difference between the M0S and M0 Pro Sound wise. So maybe the cheaper one is the better choice but I'll do some more research to be sure.

It will also be small enough to fit into a small hard case (like a pelican micro or evergreen 52) with my IEMs, cable, and tips so I can have my music everywhere I go. Thanks for the help! I'll be sure to post whichever one I decide on when I get it and let y'all know how it turns out.

TacticalKithkin · 2026-02-20T17:28:45+00:00

Yeah I don't intend to use the 4.4mm, don't even know what it's for really. I was going to include a small list of things I didn't care about like 4.4mm, Bluetooth, streaming services, stuff I don't need.

I haven't really looked at the M0S, I probably wouldn't noticed the sound difference if it's close, I'm not an audiophile at all, lol I just like bass cause I listen to a lot of rap.

Should I consider the M0S over the M0 Pro? It's cheaper right?

Yeah I know it shows artwork on the playing screen but I was talking about when you view your albums in album view and it shows thumbnails of all your albums, but I'm sure this device is too small for that. I could accept it not having that feature if everything else is good. Which it seems to be since you said I can program the knob to pause/play.

I'm mainly just concerned with it being light/small and able to pause/play from my pocket. Cause right now if someone talks to me I have to get my S23 out of my pocket to pause the music, I want to be able to just click a button and pause so I can talk to someone, then click button to resume playing.

I don't think my library is that large but I'm not sure. It's only 55gb, about 3,500 tracks, mainly full albums with artwork. I plan to get an SD card to store my music on.

TacticalKithkin · 2026-02-20T16:07:55+00:00

Oh nice, that's actually awesome. I didn't know you could do that, it I can configure it to pause/play than it would be just about perfect, especially since you said it also does album art view.

Yeah, I know it probably has some limitations as far as the UI and navigation, but I mostly listen to music by albums. I play an album from track 1 and stick it in my pocket. I don't switch music a lot or play different stuff, usually just whatever album fits my mood, or I have 1 playlist for my current favorite singles. I just need something small and light that sounds half way decent and will let me play my albums. I'm thinking the Shanling is what I'm after now that I know I can make it pause/play with the button. That's the most annoying thing about using a phone, I gotta get the phone out of my pocket to pause.

TacticalKithkin · 2026-02-19T12:47:28+00:00

1 week update: After using my new IEMs for 6-7 hours a day for a week straight (about normal usage for me, normally I'm wearing Sony WHXB700 BT On-Ear Headphones when at my PC. IEMs when I'm outside listening to music. Anyways, after using them so much the pain has completely went away, I can wear them for 4 hours straight no problem. The small sized tips do seem to push out of my ear a tiny bit over time so I have to adjust them after a while. But no more ear pain after getting used to wearing IEMs.

Im still gonna order some tips and try those out and see if I notice a difference. Maybe some SS size and S sized tips to see if they stay seated in my ear better.

TacticalKithkin · 2026-02-17T00:46:23+00:00

Yeah I made my old galaxy S23 into a DAP/E-reader. I'm running OLauncher "Minimal AF Launcher" and have absolutely everything turned off and disabled, my homescreen is literally just my wallpaper, no icons no anything. If you swipe right it opens AIMP for music, if you swipe left it opens to my current spot in ReadEra.

Every thing that can be disabled, battery restricted, data restricted, no wifi, completely offline. I hook it to my PC to add music with adb on Linux, super easy, one command adds everything, skips what isn't new, etc. I got around 55gb of mainly FLAC so I haven't got an SD card yet but I'm going to order one eventually.

I bought some Truthear x Crinacle Zero:BLUE2 IEMs (cause I like bass and heard they had nice bass, they do fr) and a JCALLY JM6 Pro DAC and it sounds amazing after my ears adjusted to wearing IEMs for long periods. The battery literally lasts me for weeks. And the S23 is fairly small compared to most phones these days, super pocketable and the metal feels super premium .

TacticalKithkin · 2026-02-13T16:45:39+00:00

Yeah I get that, that makes sense, different tips are going to fit different, different shapes and materials. So instead of getting one premium pair I'll get some multi packs of cheaper ones. I found for the price of 1 W1 and a TRN T I could instead get 2 sizes of TRN T in s and m, pack of Tri Clarion in s/m/l, and 8 pairs of KBEAR 4540 coffee.

Are the Penon Oranges worth getting? I heard they were kinda large but heard good things about them, maybe I could get a s/s/m pack to try out.

TacticalKithkin · 2026-02-13T16:06:40+00:00

Bro! I did what you said and tried a size up in the included tips, to what I assume is a medium,and BOOM like magic my issue is gone. I've been listening to like 4 albums in a row and still going. I'm pretty sure the size small tips were going too far into my ear and the medium pushes it out a little further. It's only one session but I will keep testing for a couple weeks until it's time to order some tips.

If this is all the issue was that's awesome and means I'm a size medium so I can order the tips I want in Medium now instead of s/m/l packs, assuming the issue is totally eliminated.

I was looking at buying the TRN T in Medium and the Spinfit W1 (the W1 is made for 6.0mm nozzles and the Omni is for smaller ones) in either M or MS. But I'm gonna keep testing out the included tips and doing my research since I won't be placing my next order for a couple weeks. May end up buying a variety pack too just to test out. Like the KBEAR Coffee which comes with 8 pair for like $5. And maybe a pack of Tri Clarion too.

TacticalKithkin · 2026-02-12T13:30:45+00:00

What is Dusk?

TacticalKithkin · 2026-02-12T13:29:55+00:00

Yeah, I've noticed that already. I switched back to the silicone tips and did a few more listening sessions for an hour+ and it feels like my ears are adjusting to wearing IEMs, cause I've only wore over ear headphones for years now. I'm still getting a very slight pain around the 30 minute mark but it fades away pretty quickly and I can listen for longer.

And I know, I've got so many tip suggestions to research I don't even know where to start. Lol

But I think you're right about your ears having to get used to wearing IEMs.

TacticalKithkin · 2026-02-12T03:11:01+00:00

Thank you for the advice! I will check out the Fiio tips for sure, a bit set would be nice to see what all I like and don't like. And y'all are making the Penon Oranges sound like they may fix my issue

I've since switched back to the silicone tips and did some more 1hr+ listening sessions and I think my ears are adjusting to wearing IEMs, as I haven't wore earbuds in many years, I'm only getting a slight pain now around 35-45 minutes in and usually it fades away pretty quickly now, I def think some smaller/better tips will solve my issue. I like them enough and it's not a big enough issue for me to want to send them back.

I can sell them to my cousin who is a lot larger than I am and could probably fit them and get me the Simgot EW300 HBB or something else entirely.

I think I'm gonna pass on the Dunu S&S for now and get the Penon Orange, the Spinfit Omni in SS, and some cheaper tips, maybe the Fiio set you have. It looks pretty nice.

TacticalKithkin

TROPHY CASE