Musical Fidelity M6x DAC

Musical Fidelity M6x DAC Digital Audio Processor

A authentic milestone in the history of one of the brands most closely linked to the legendary “british sound”: Musical Fidelity. This is how they define the new M6x DAC digital audio processor its creators, as a consequence of the concentrate of technical refinements that it houses inside, from a new D/A conversion circuitry with architecture in Double Differential Mode to the innovative Super Silent power supply transformer, passing through substantial improvements in the firmware and the increasingly attractive Roon Tested homologation or compatibility with MQA files. Going deeper into the details of the most sophisticated of Musical Fidelity’s digital processors, we must first highlight the use of the advanced ES9038Q2M D/A conversion chip, integrated into the prestigious Saber range of ESS Technology. Specifically, two of the same units are used, mounted in double differential mode, in order to achieve the features of a pure double monophonic design, features that are reinforced by the presence of a exclusive scheme of the Californian firm: the Time Domain Jitter Eliminator. Specifically, the excellent registers provided by the aforementioned scheme in parameters such as the signal/noise ratio and the level of total harmonic distortion+noise result in an incredibly detailed response to the transistors.

Other advancements incorporated into the DAC section of the M6x DAC are the resampling (which can be turned on or off) and the resynchronismoptions both managed by two processors (a 16-core XMOS and a MAX II Altera CPLD) in order to guarantee a optimal musicality. On the other hand, both the unbalanced outputs with RCA connectors and their balanced counterparts with XLR connectors include their own separating stage to maximize sound performance by combining a extremely low noisea large output amplitude and one high current handling capacity. The M6x DAC also includes brand new digital filters, a dedicated PCB and a powerful headphone amplifier with Class AB operation and power supply topology. Compatible with digital files encoded in PCM 32bit/768kHz and DSD up to DSD512, the new Musical Fidelity is Entirely manufactured in the European Union.

All this passion for excellence has been recognized by the jury of the influential association of specialized technology publications audiovisual EISA (Expert Imaging and Sound Association), which this year awarded the M6x DAC the Best DAC Award 2022-2023 justifying his choice in the following terms: “Signed by a pioneer in the field of DAC, the Musical Fidelity M6x DAC is a worthy successor to the Digilog model with which it all began in 1988. Behind its discreet but finely constructed aluminum chassis , there is a lot of powerful engineering solutionsincluding a custom-built sync clock and a pair of state-of-the-art D/A conversion “chips” signed by ESS, operating as a dual-mono design supporting high-resolution content at 32-bit/768kHz and DSD512 . When turned on, the Musical Fidelity offers a astonishingly introspective sound imaging and detail, with eight digital filters for the user to adjust the sound to their liking. For its part, the available inputs -USB-B and AES/EBU included- will cover practically all types of digital sources. And the M6x DAC is not only an excellent complement for a separation system with separate components based on loudspeakers, but rather also incorporates a high-quality headphone amplifier…”

Technical characteristics

• Very high-performance digital audio processor (DAC).
• 2 ESS Technology D/A converters with 32-bit technology.
• Resampling of incoming signals to 32 bits/768 kHz.
• Balanced and unbalanced analog outputs.
• Coaxial (1), optical (2), AES/EBU (1) and USB (1) digital inputs.
• Available in black and silver finish.
• Jitter level less than 12 picoseconds.
• Frequency response from 2-90,000 Hz (cutoff points at -3 dB).
• Signal to noise ratio greater than 120 dB at 1kHz.
• Separation between channels greater than 130 dB at 20,000 Hz.
• 1.5 W per channel headphone amplifier at 32 ohms.
• Made in the European Union.
• Dimensions: 440x100x390 mm (WxHxD).
• Weight: 6.9 kg.