Short answer
Both are portable players, $1149 against $1249.
On raw power they are level: each reaches 100 dB on 566 of the 567 non-electrostatic models here.
| Specification | iBasso DX270 | Shanling M7 |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 416 mW | 406 mW |
| Power into 150Ω | 89 mW | 87 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 44 mW | 43 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 22 mW | 22 mW |
| Output impedance | 0.5 Ω | 1.0 Ω |
| Output noise | not published | 1.6 µV |
| Price | $1149 | $1249 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 566 | 566 |
Not published means the maker leaves it out, so that axis cannot be compared.
| Balanced | iBasso DX270 | Shanling M7 |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | 4.4mm | 4.4mm |
| Power into 32Ω | 1.6 W | 920 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 168 mW derived | 98 mW derived |
| Output impedance | 0.7 Ω | 1.0 Ω |
| Output noise | not published | 2.2 µV |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 567 | 566 |
Through the balanced sockets the iBasso DX270 reaches 100 dB on 567 of the 567 models here and the Shanling M7 on 566. Derived figures are worked out from the loads the maker did publish.
| Load | iBasso DX270 | Shanling M7 |
|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | Published | Published |
| 150 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 300 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 600 Ω | Derived | Derived |
Both makers publish a power rating. iBasso DX270 publishes at 32 Ω; Shanling M7 at 32 Ω. The other rows are worked out from those.
The two publish at the same loads, which is the one case where the rows of this table can be read straight across.
On power they are interchangeable across this whole database: there is no headphone here that one reaches 100 dB on and the other does not.
14 headphones are left alone by the iBasso DX270 under the one-eighth rule but coloured by the Shanling M7 (64 Audio Nio, 64 Audio Volur, Campfire Audio Andromeda 2023, 11 more).
566 of the 567 models here reach 100 dB on both.
Headroom is at a 100 dB SPL peak.
Across all eight the two stay within half a decibel of each other, which is a way of saying that on power this pair is one product.
The hiss columns are empty for iBasso DX270 because that maker publishes no output noise figure.
| Headphone | Impedance | Needs | iBasso DX270 headroom | Shanling M7 headroom | iBasso DX270 hiss | Shanling M7 hiss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 0.04 mW | +35 dB | +35 dB | not published | 19 dB |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 4.0 mW | +15 dB | +15 dB | not published | -1 dB |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 0.79 mW | +24 dB | +24 dB | not published | -3 dB |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 0.63 mW | +19 dB | +19 dB | not published | -8 dB |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 7.9 mW | +16 dB | +16 dB | not published | -9 dB |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 1.6 mW | +13 dB | +12 dB | not published | -15 dB |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 6.6 mW | +8 dB | +8 dB | not published | -19 dB |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 50 mW | +6 dB | +6 dB | not published | -21 dB |
The Shanling M7 costs $100 more than the iBasso DX270, and on these three axes the money buys nothing: among the 567 models here there is not one that the Shanling M7 handles and the iBasso DX270 does not — not on power, not on the one-eighth rule, not on hiss. The traffic runs the other way: the cheaper iBasso DX270 leaves 14 models alone under the one-eighth rule that the Shanling M7 does not.
Only published figures count here; blank axes are counted separately.
Each in full: iBasso DX270 and Shanling M7.