Musical Fidelity M6x DAC: ES9038Q2M in dual mono and headphone amp
Musical Fidelity M6x DAC 32 will become according to the English manufacturer, a landmark device. This is the first model to use, like its predecessor, the Musical Fidelity M6s DAC, ESS 32 Bit HyperStream technology – but in differential dual mono, and even with an updated ES9038Q2M chip.
According to Musical Fidelity, the M6x uses boards with optimised signal paths. An ultra-quiet sealed toroidal transformer with low core saturation gets pre-filtered and cleaned of the 220 volt DC component. A 16-core XMOS processor and Altera’s CPLD MAX II are used for signal processing. The novelty has been given a switchable upsampling and re-sync function. Musical Fidelity also reports updated digital filters and MQA processing capability.
The Musical Fidelity M6x outputs analogue signals to fully buffered unbalanced RCA and balanced XLR outputs. The latter use a differential amplifier design. As for the digital inputs, the specification is standard: two optical S/PDIF interfaces, supplemented by AES/EBU, are capable of receiving PCM up to 24 bits and 192 kHz. The full capabilities of the new product, however, are available via USB-B and USB Audio Class 2. 0 – the Linear PCM signal from a PC or Mac can have a resolution of up to 32 bits and 768 kHz and DSD up to and including DSD512.
The Musical Fidelity M6x DAC 32 Bit Dual Mono DAC also features a built-in headphone amplifier capable of delivering 1.5 watts per channel into 32 ohm headphones. For connection, a 6.3 mm stereo jack is used on the front panel, which can have a silver or black finish.
The prices and delivery dates of the Musical Fidelity M6x DAC are not known yet.
