Musical Fidelity’s M8 line has been augmented by the M8x DAC, an upsampling high-end digital-to-analogue converter with an extensive features list.
The new M8x DAC is a fully balanced converter which also bundles a high quality, “ultra-powerful” headphone amplifier (both unbalanced 6.5 mm jack and four-pin balanced XLR sockets) and featuring discrete Class-A amplification stages. The M8x’s power supply incorporates a large encapsulated toroidal transformer designed for stable and noise-free power delivery while the circuitry also features power filtering and DC blocking. A separate power supply is employed across the digital circuitry.
Musical Fidelity has chosen two ESS Technology ESS 9038Q2M Sabre DAC chips in a dual differential, dual mono topology, with further circuitry designed to lower noise and eliminate Time Domain Jitter. The result, as Musical Fidelity states, is excellent Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and Total Harmonic Distortion plus Noise (THD+N) performance. The M8x DAC also offers optional upsampling plus reclocking and an “oversampling bypass mode”. Also in-built is a 16-core XMOS Processor for the USB audio input and an Altera Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD) MAX II Processor offering global re-clocking and PCM, DSD and MQA processing.
Also on-board are a group of eight filter options, with Filter 8 offering oversampling by-pass mode (default setting). Musical Fidelity states this setting disables the FIR filters, with source data upsampled to 352.8 kHz or 384 kHz. The M8x DAC can accept up to 768 kHz input signal, with the oversampling by-pass mode turning off filtering for superior performance.
The M8x DAC supports PCM frequencies up to 768 kHz while accepting DSD256 DoP and native DSD512 via the USB input. Coaxial S-PDIF inputs support 24-bit/192 kHz, MQA 384 kHz and DSD64 via DoP while the AES/EBU XLR input offers 24-bit/192 kHz PCM and the same MQA and DSD DoP resolutions. The optical Toslink options support 24-bit/PCM 192 kHz, MQA 384 kHz, and DoP DSD64.
Those resolutions are received via a stream of input connectivity options. There are one RCA coaxial S-PDIF, one AES/EBU XLR inputs, one USB-B port, one I2S HDMI-type socket, and three optical Toslink sockets. Analogue options are either RCA unbalanced or XLR balanced. On/off 12V triggers are provided by 3.5 mm mini-jack sockets.
As per the upper echelon Musical Fidelity products, the M8x DAC’s extruded aluminium chassis is superbly inert, precisely machined, and attractively styled. The inert chassis construction provides vibrational distortion control and Electro-Magnetic Distortion (EMD) isolation, acting as a Faraday cage. The front panel features a multitude of switching and mini-LED informational/status displays, but does not house an informational window display, due to the potential for noise introduction.
The new Musical Fidelity M8x DAC is available for audition in late April 2025 via Australian distributor Audio Marketing’s network of select audio specialist dealers around the country.
Musical Fidelity M8x DAC Digital-to-Analogue Converter
Price: AU$7,200
Australian Distributor: Audio Marketing
+61 2 9882 3877
www.audiomarketing.com.au
