Shanling has spent plenty of time lately on CD players, transports, and portable gear, but now it’s shifting back toward streaming with the new SM90. Priced at $969 and expected to arrive in April 2026, the compact network player looks like Shanling’s attempt to build a more flexible kind of hi-fi component, one that can handle music streaming, local files, external digital sources, and even TV audio in a single box.

That last part is what makes the SM90 more interesting than just another streamer in an already crowded category. Shanling has added HDMI ARC, which means this unit is designed to sit between a traditional two-channel audio system and a TV. That means it gives people a way to run television sound through a stereo setup without adding an AV receiver or defaulting to a soundbar.

For a lot of listeners, that makes practical sense. More people are trying to simplify their setups instead of running separate systems for music and television. The SM90 seems built around that idea.

At its core, the SM90 is still a music streamer. It runs on Shanling’s Android-based platform and uses dual AKM AK4493S DAC chips for digital-to-analog conversion. It also includes 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, and a 4.96-inch 1080p touchscreen on the front panel for local control.

None of that sounds especially radical on paper, and that may be the point. Shanling appears to be taking a more straightforward route here by focusing on familiar hardware and a feature set that covers what most buyers in this category now expect.

Here’s the basic feature set:

• Dual AKM AK4493S DAC chips
• Android 12-based operating system
• 4.96-inch 1080p touchscreen
• 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage
• Wi-Fi 6, Ethernet, and Bluetooth 5.2
• LDAC, AirPlay 2, DLNA, Qobuz Connect, and TIDAL Connect support

It also supports major streaming apps, including Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music, while local file playback is part of the package as well. That makes the SM90 useful for both streaming-first users and people who still keep their own music libraries.

The headline feature is clearly HDMI ARC. Shanling says this is its first component to include it, and it changes how the SM90 fits into a system. Instead of acting only as a source for music, it can also bring TV audio into the same stereo chain.

That may not sound dramatic, but it reflects where this part of the market is going. A growing number of buyers want fewer boxes, fewer remotes, and fewer reasons to split their listening between different systems. A device like the SM90 is aimed squarely at that audience.

The appeal is easy to understand:

• Stream music from major services
• Play local files
• Use it as a DAC for external digital gear
• Route TV audio into a two-channel setup through HDMI ARC

In other words, Shanling is trying to make the SM90 more of a system hub than a simple network endpoint.

Beyond HDMI ARC, the SM90 checks a lot of boxes on the connectivity front. It includes USB DAC functionality, optical and coaxial inputs and outputs, balanced XLR outputs, single-ended RCA outputs, and support for internal SSD storage. That is a fairly generous spread of connections for a product sitting just under the $1,000 mark.

Physically, the unit is also fairly compact, measuring 28 x 23 x 8.5 cm and weighing 3.3 kg. It will be offered in black or silver, and it’s designed to match Shanling’s smaller “90” series components, including the CT90 CD transport (priced at $999 on Amazon).

Shanling is not entering an empty category here. In this price range, the SM90 will be competing with several well-known options that already have strong followings. That includes the Bluesound Node ICON at $1,199 (read our full review), the Cambridge Audio CXN100 at $1,099, and the Eversolo DMP-A6 Gen 2 at $859.

That matters because buyers in this segment are not just comparing sound quality or DAC chips. They are comparing app stability, streaming support, update history, daily usability, and ecosystem maturity. Those things tend to matter a lot once the excitement of a new spec sheet wears off.

There’s also one detail worth flagging early. Roon Ready certification is still pending, not confirmed. In this price range, that’s not a small checkbox, but something a lot of buyers expect out of the box.

My early take is that the Shanling SM90 looks like a sensible response to how people actually use audio gear in 2026. Instead of treating music listening and TV watching as two separate worlds, it tries to connect them through one compact component. HDMI ARC is the feature that gives it that extra relevance, and the broad set of inputs and outputs helps back up the idea.

What remains to be seen is how well the software holds up in real-world use. On paper, the SM90 has enough to make the short list for anyone shopping for a streamer under $1,000. Whether it becomes a serious contender will come down to execution, not just features.

Related Reading:

• Node ICON Review: Bluesound’s Most Refined Streaming Component to Date
• Shanling’s New CT90 Doesn’t Stream — But Audiophiles Will Still Want It
• Shanling's EC Zero AKM Plays CDs, Rips WAVs, and Looks Cool Doing It
• Shanling CD80 II: The High-Tech CD Player That Also Streams and Shreds
• CDs Are Back—and Shanling’s New EC Zero T Has Tubes and R2R to Prove It