Musical Fidelity's M8x DAC is the latest addition to the brand's high-end M8 range (which includes the five-star M8xi integrated amplifier). It has been meticulously designed to deliver the highest performance a DAC and headphone amplifier can provide at this level.
The M8x DAC features a fully balanced design architecture, ultra-low jitter technology, the use of Class A discrete analogue amplification and high-resolution audio support – all to ensure it can deliver "exceptional audio quality" with as little noise and interference on the audio signal as possible.
Inside are two 32-bit ES9038Q2M DACs in a dual differential mode, which feeds the balanced output stage and the headphone amplifier. This allows Musical Fidelity to "extract the most musical detail while minimising noise and interference". The M8x DAC keeps the left and right channels fully independent too.
A proprietary clock design and Time Domain Jitter Eliminator technology ensures minimal distortion and very low jitter levels, while an ultra-low-noise regulator optimised for high-resolution audio is also used. High-resolution files up to 784kHz PCM and DSD256/512 (the latter via USB) are supported, and the M8x DAC can process MQA files through the USB and SP/DIF inputs (a step up from the M6x DAC). There are eight digital filters available for PCM file playback, and upsampling for PCM signals can be individually turned on and off.
A key element to the M8x DAC's performance is the use of a fully discrete design, with individual components in the output stage instead of integrated circuits or chips. Musical Fidelity's reasoning is two-fold: efficient, integrated chips don't tend to offer the "neutral, natural, dynamic or vivid" sound crucial for a Musical Fidelity product, compared with what's achievable from more traditional discrete designs that use thousands of individual elements (such as capacitors, resistors, transistors). The brand says: "That makes for an extended design process, but in our opinion results in the best sound for your money."
Additionally, Musical Fidelity says the M8x DAC will be easy to repair and maintain, as the individual discrete components can be serviced as they are always made, whereas the integrated chips (which are used in the M6x DAC) can get outdated or go out of production.
The headphone amplifier stage also uses a fully discrete and balanced design with Class A operation powering headphones with 30 ohm impedance or higher. The brand says the M8x is capable of driving both power hungry and low impedance headphones, down to 8 ohms. Connectors include a standard 6.3mm headphone jack and a 4-pin XLR for balanced headphones, delivering what Musical Fidelity calls a "breathtaking soundstage" through either output.
To round off the list of connections, the M8x DAC's digital inputs include three optical, one coaxial and one AES/EBU, while there are one pair of RCA and one pair of balanced XLR analogue outputs. The power supply for digital and analogue circuitry is also – you guessed it – isolated to prevent any high-frequency interference.
Visually, the M8x DAC matches the rest of the range (such as the recently released M8x Vinyl phono stage) with a thick extruded-aluminium chassis that acts as a Faraday cage to protect the internal circuits from external noise and vibrations. In the pursuit of least interference on the signal path, Musical Fidelity has also opted not to use a display or any wireless features. While many products these days have attempted to combine performance with convenience features (such as Rotel's new DX-3 DAC), Musical Fidelity is chasing the purest, cleanest audio signal delivery with its M8 products.
As expected, the Musical Fidelity M8x DAC doesn't come cheap. It's available to buy in the UK for £3599, while those in Australia can expect to pay AU$7200 when it's available in April.
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