Short answer
Both are portable players, $369 against $479.
The Shanling H5 reaches 100 dB on 565 of the 567 models here, the Shanling M3 Ultra on 562.
| Specification | Shanling H5 | Shanling M3 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Power into 32Ω | 227 mW | 140 mW |
| Power into 150Ω | 48 mW | 30 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 24 mW | 15 mW |
| Power into 600Ω | 12 mW | 7.5 mW |
| Output impedance | 4.7 Ω | 1 Ω |
| Output noise | not published | not published |
| Price | $369 | $479 |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 565 | 562 |
Not published means the maker leaves it out, so that axis cannot be compared.
| Balanced | Shanling H5 | Shanling M3 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| Socket | 4.4mm | 4.4mm |
| Power into 32Ω | 840 mW | 260 mW |
| Power into 300Ω | 125 mW derived | 28 mW derived |
| Output impedance | 6.6 Ω | 1 Ω |
| Output noise | not published | not published |
| Headphones it reaches 100 dB on out of 567 | 566 | 565 |
Through the balanced sockets the Shanling H5 reaches 100 dB on 566 of the 567 models here and the Shanling M3 Ultra on 565. Derived figures are worked out from the loads the maker did publish.
| Load | Shanling H5 | Shanling M3 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
| 32 Ω | Published | Published |
| 150 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 300 Ω | Derived | Derived |
| 600 Ω | Derived | Derived |
Both makers publish a power rating. Shanling H5 publishes at 32 Ω; Shanling M3 Ultra 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.
3 headphones reach 100 dB on the Shanling H5 but not on the Shanling M3 Ultra — Moondrop COSMO, Symphonium Crimson, Symphonium Helios.
371 headphones are left alone by the Shanling M3 Ultra under the one-eighth rule but coloured by the Shanling H5 (64 Audio Aspire 1, 64 Audio Fourte, 64 Audio Ocean, 368 more).
562 of the 567 models here reach 100 dB on both.
Headroom is at a 100 dB SPL peak.
The widest gap on the list is the Sennheiser HD 600: Shanling H5 has +6 dB of headroom there against +4 dB. 2 dB is about 1.6 times the power, which matters for peaks rather than for how loud the music sits.
The hiss columns are empty for Shanling H5 and Shanling M3 Ultra because neither maker publishes no output noise figure.
| Headphone | Impedance | Needs | Shanling H5 headroom | Shanling M3 Ultra headroom | Shanling H5 hiss | Shanling M3 Ultra hiss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shure SE846 | 9 Ω | 0.04 mW | +32 dB damping | +30 dB | not published | not published |
| Campfire Audio Andromeda 2020 | 9 Ω | 4.0 mW | +12 dB damping | +10 dB | not published | not published |
| Audeze LCD-2 Classic | 70 Ω | 0.79 mW | +21 dB | +19 dB | not published | not published |
| Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro (250Ω) | 250 Ω | 0.63 mW | +17 dB | +15 dB | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN HE400se | 25 Ω | 7.9 mW | +13 dB damping | +11 dB | not published | not published |
| Audio-Technica ATH-R70X | 470 Ω | 1.6 mW | +10 dB | +8 dB | not published | not published |
| Sennheiser HD 600 | 300 Ω | 6.6 mW | +6 dB | +4 dB | not published | not published |
| HiFiMAN Susvara | 60 Ω | 50 mW | +4 dB | +2 dB | not published | not published |
The Shanling M3 Ultra costs $110 more than the Shanling H5. Out of the 567 models here, that difference buys 371 more models left alone under the one-eighth rule.
It does not run one way only: the cheaper Shanling H5 drives 3 models to 100 dB that the Shanling M3 Ultra does not, which is the part worth checking against your own headphones before paying the difference.
Only published figures count here; blank axes are counted separately.
Each in full: Shanling H5 and Shanling M3 Ultra.