Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier – The new Musical Fidelity B Series
Musical Fidelity, the British HiFi manufacturer, is particularly proud to present the new Musical Fidelity B Series. The new Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier is the starting signal.
- The new Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier should prove to be the central component of the Musical Fidelity B Series.
According to the English HiFi manufacturer Musical Fidelity, the new Musical Fidelity B Series is a product line designed to make Musical Fidelity’s typical warm and dynamic sound accessible to as many music lovers as possible at a very attractive price. Strictly speaking, however, it should be noted that this is not a completely new product line, but rather the latest generation of the solutions that were already offered with great success in the 1990s.
The latest generation of the Musical Fidelity B Series should also be a great success, above all due to its particularly attractive price-performance ratio. It all starts with a central component, the Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier.
Classic design of an amplifier from Musical Fidelity
The appearance of the new Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier suggests that this is a solution that is entirely in keeping with Musical Fidelity’s philosophy, as it is presented in the familiar timelessly elegant design line that the English company chooses for all of its product lines.
This also means that a heavy and therefore robust metal housing is used, which effectively protects against electromagnetic interference. The front is even made from a particularly generously dimensioned extruded aluminium profile.
As a result, the Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier measures 430 x 90 x 324 mm and weighs 7,2 kg.
Expertise of the developers in the field of amplifiers
Musical Fidelity has been a recognised expert in the field of amplifiers for many years, and this is naturally also reflected in the new Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier. The development team, led by Simon Quarry, Technical Director of Musical Fidelity, took a year to optimise the layout of the circuitry of the new Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier and to design the PCB accordingly. Great attention was also paid to the selection of components, ensuring that they would be available for a long time. This is to ensure that this new amplifier is also a future-proof investment for the customer, as all relevant components are still available should the worst come to the worst.
Preamplifier with all relevant inputs
It is particularly noteworthy that Musical Fidelity has once again opted for a separate preamplifier and power amplifier for the new Musical Fidelity B Series. The manufacturer promises an ultra-low-noise preamplifier with maximum signal purity, whereby in addition to three line inputs, a phono preamplifier designed for turntables with MM cartridge systems is also available.
The Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier also features an integrated D/A converter, with an HDMI port in addition to an optical and coaxial S/PDIF interface. This means that nothing stands in the way of directly integrating a TV set. The ES9018 DAC D/A converter from ESS Technology Inc. can process signals with up to 24 bit and 192 kHz, as the data sheet reveals.
Interestingly, the Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier even has an integrated Bluetooth module, which corresponds to Bluetooth 5.1, but no streaming functionality over the network.
According to the manufacturer, streaming over the network was deliberately omitted as this is an area that comes up with the latest technologies far too quickly, whereas the Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier was designed as a solution for eternity, to put it a little exaggeratedly.
However, the Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier has a USB-C port as a high-quality power supply with 5 V and 1 A for external components, such as an additional streaming client.
The Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier naturally controls the volume solely at the analogue level, using a motorised precision potentiometer. The active input is selected using a button. It should also be mentioned that the Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier has a Pre Out.
Powerful solution in Class A/B
The new Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier is based on a discrete amplifier circuit in Class A/B, which can deliver two 60-watt outputs to speaker systems with an impedance of 8 ohms and two 100-watt outputs to speakers with an impedance of just 4 ohms. A generously dimensioned toroidal transformer and a pair of power transistors per channel are used to ensure that every speaker system is fully under control. It should also be mentioned that the Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier relies on highly efficient mains filters and that each module not only sits on its own circuit board, but is also supplied by separate power supplies.
Prices and availability
The new Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier should be available from specialist retailers in the next few days. The manufacturer quotes a recommended retail price of € 799,- for this solution.
Getting to the point
The new Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier offers everything you would expect from a stereo integrated amplifier from the specialist Musical Fidelity, but at a particularly attractive price, according to the promise of the renowned HiFi manufacturer. One reason for the outstanding price-performance ratio is not only the typical Musical Fidelity sound character with sufficient power, but also the extensive equipment, which ranges from analogue inputs, a phono preamplifier to digital interfaces including HDMI for integrating a TV set and even Bluetooth. The manufacturer also emphasises that this solution is designed to retain its value, making it a solid basis for a HiFi system for many, many years to come.
| Product | Musical Fidelity B1xi Integrated Amplifier |
|---|---|
| Price | € 799,- |
| Brand | Musical Fidelity |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Musical Fidelity |
| Distribution Austria | Audio Tuning Vertriebs GmbH |
| Distribution Germany | Reichmann Audio Systeme |
| Distribution Switzerland | Marlex GmbH – Audiophile Produkte |
| More about this manufacturer at HiFi BLOG |
