The Perfect Expensive Gift: Shanling MC-30

The Shanling MC-30 is by far one of the neatest gifts around... if you're willing to spend one grand for someone who's really into sound; we're speaking a very neat piece of technology here as the Shanling MC-30 sports high-end components for both CD-playback and sound amplification...for your iPod that is and your radio.[admark=1]

Shanling MC-30 comes loaded with a simple yet coolest of features and besides the simple technical specs, it looks quite alluring with its brushed-aluminium finish and nice glows; it definitely looks better than other similar contraptions and will most likely integrate better in your home d?cor, no matter whether your house looks more retro or more modern.

The Shanling MC-30 is one music station that offers both looks and features as it embeds pretty much everything there is to home audio in usual conditions: CD-playback, AM and FM radio and everybody's fav, the iPod docking station. Plus a remote control that allows to fully operate this piece of tech without getting out of your couch.

The Shanling MC-30 runs on dual 6P1 single-ended power tubes that can offer you a 3W per channel output and thus be well enough for a room, if you're not looking for a loud party. Add the warmth of the tube amplification and you'll get a pretty neat sound system.

The digital-to-analog converter inside the Shanling MC-30 is a very cool Burr-Brown PCM1738 unit that will give you serious sound and will do its best to make you feel as little as possible from the MP3 compression. The disc drive runs on Philips VAM-12 pickup and CD-7II servo system for minimal jitter. Everything is neat and looks good and sturdy, not a single "plastic" feel. Nevertheless, besides preparing the $995 for the Shanling MC-30, do some more math and go looking for a pair of good speakers: the Shanling MC-30 comes with none.

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