Musical Fidelity M3x DAC 32 Bit 192 kHz Upsampling DSD DAC
The new Musical Fidelity M3x DAC 32 Bit 192 kHz Upsampling DSD DAC is said to be an affordable high-end D/A walker that shares many of the features of its big brother Musical Fidelity M6x DAC 32 Bit Dual Mono DAC.
- As the little brother of the Musical Fidelity M6x DAC, Musical Fidelity presents the new Musical Fidelity M3x DAC 32 Bit 192 kHz Upsampling DSD DAC.
The new Musical Fidelity M3x DAC 32 Bit 192 kHz Upsampling DSD DAC is supposed to be an outstanding D/A converter for high-end hi-fi lovers with a somewhat slimmer budget. The English hi-fi manufacturer Musical Fidelity calls it the little brother of the Musical Fidelity M6x DAC 32 Bit Dual Mono DAC. The company thus describes this solution as a high-end D/A converter with a particularly good price-performance ratio.
The user should not lack connections to be able to flexibly integrate numerous sources, nor has the quality been skimped on, according to Musical Fidelity’s promise, who also emphasise that this is a solution that is completely developed and manufactured in Europe.
Musical Fidelity M3x – The little brother of the Musical Fidelity M6x DAC
About one year after the introduction of the Musical Fidelity M6x DAC 32 Bit Dual Mono DAC and thus the top model from Musical Fidelity in the field of D/A converters, the new Musical Fidelity M3x DAC 32 Bit 192 kHz Upsampling DSD DAC is now introduced as its little brother, as already described.
In order to be perfectly combined with other solutions of the Musical Fidelity M3 Series, it naturally presents itself in the proven design with an extremely solidly constructed housing with a solid aluminium front. This means that it can also be combined with other product lines of the English company without any problems, which should be explicitly emphasised at this point.
The Musical Fidelity M3x DAC 32 Bit 192 kHz Upsampling DSD DAC measures 440 mm in width, 363 mm in depth and has a height of 110 mm. This brings it to 6.8 kg.
Converter from Texas Instruments and upsampling
The signal processing is mainly done by a converter from Texas Instruments, namely a TI PCM1795 in combination with an SRC4392, also from Texas Instruments. Signals in Linear PCM with up to 32 bits and 192 kHz as well as DSD up to DSD256 are processed, and all signals in Linear PCM are upsampled to 24 bits and 192 kHz.
According to the manufacturer, this results in higher dynamics, lower distortion and less noise. If desired, the user can also choose between two filters, both for Linear PCM and DSD.
The full potential of the converter, however, is only available via its USB interface, a USB-B port that complies with USB 2.0 and USB Audio Class 2.0 and processes signals in Linear PCM with the aforementioned 32 bits and 192 kHz, as well as DSD up to and including DSD256 natively.
The two optical and two coaxial S/PDIF interfaces process signals in Linear PCM with up to 24 bits and 192 kHz.
It should be explicitly mentioned that this D/A converter from Musical Fidellity will soon bear the Roon Tested seal of approval as soon as the corresponding certification process at Roon Labs LLC. has been completed.
Unbalanced or balanced
The Musical Fidelity M3x DAC 32 Bit 192 kHz Upsampling DSD DAC offers the possibility to output analogue signals either unbalanced via a pair of RCA jacks, or balanced via a pair of XLRs.
The manufacturer explicitly points out that each output has its own output buffer to guarantee the best quality free of noise.
However, a circuit design that is specially optimised for the subtle task of signal conversion also contributes to this, which already starts with the correct PCB design and layout, according to Musical Fidelity. Design and layout must be optimised for the task at hand, a circuit must not only deliver impeccable measurements, but also actually sound good, according to the English hi-fi manufacturer.
Super-silent transformer
Another feature of the new Musical Fidelity M3x DAC 32 Bit 192 kHz Upsampling DSD DAC, which the manufacturer explicitly emphasises, is the power supply, which here is based on a particularly high-quality toroidal transformer, called a super-silent transformer, and which is combined with EMI filters and DC blockers to prevent any interference right at the start. The toroidal transformer, with its low core saturation, is also said to be ideal for audio, as it has extremely low electromagnetic radiation, which also helps to eliminate sound-damaging factors.
Prices and availability
The new Musical Fidelity M3x DAC 32-bit 192 kHz upsampling DSD DAC is expected to hit the shelves within the next few days, in a silver or optional black finish. The recommended retail price is € 1.499,-.
Getting to the point
Musical Fidelity has made high-end affordable with the new Musical Fidelity M3x DAC 32 Bit 192 kHz Upsampling DSD DAC, which expands the Musical Fidelity M3 Series and can be seen as the little brother of the Musical Fidelity M6x DAC 32 Bit Dual Mono DAC.
| PRODUCT | MUSICAL FIDELITY M3X DAC 32 BIT 192 KHZ UPSAMPLING DSD DAC |
|---|---|
| Price | € 1.499,- |
| 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 |
