Musical Fidelity M8xi 500 Dual Mono Integrated Amplifier

The power of the Musical Fidelity M8 Series combined with the very special charm and nuanced sound of the Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista Series, this is how the new Musical Fidelity M8xi Dual Mono Integrated Amplifier, which can now be found in specialist shops these days, should present itself. The fact that Musical Fidelity is talking about a Super Integrated Amplifier is no exaggeration, because a glance at the data sheet reveals it as a true power monster with twice 500 watts of pure power, but with the absolute control and sensitivity that has already distinguished the systems from Musical Fidelity.

Even though a wide range of different electronic components is available, amplifiers have always been the primary product segment of the English high-end hi-fi manufacturer Musical Fidelity, which, since last year, under the management of Heinz Lichtenegger, founder and president of Pro-Ject Audio Systems and Audio Tuning Vertriebs GmbH.

The long history of Musical Fidelity is adorned by many legendary amplifiers, and the new owner from Austria wants to continue the company’s fortunes based on these virtues. This has already been proven in this one year, in which the company relaunched many a coveted product line such as the Musical Fidelity M6 Series and expanded the range with the solutions of the Musical Fidelity M3 Series, Musical Fidelity M2 Series, and Musical Fidelity M5 Series.

Now it is time to refine the Musical Fidelity M8 Series as well, with a very special solution, which could be admired for the first time at the High End 2019 in Munich at the stand of Reichmann Audio Systeme as the German distributor for Musical Fidelity, and which is now coming onto the market, the new Musical Fidelity M8xi 500 Dual Mono Integrated Amplifier.

While the solution, which as just described was shown for the first time at the High End 2019 in Munich, was a prototype of the Musical Fidelity M8xi Dual Mono Integrated Amplifier, numerous details have been fine-tuned over the past few months, so that a solution is now available that is clearly superior in all respects to that of spring 2019.

So it was really worthwhile to be patient for a few months longer than originally planned by the manufacturer, because if you are looking for a really outstanding stereo integrated amplifier, Musical Fidelity might have just the right, no, almost perfect solution in its range with the new Musical Fidelity M8xi 500 Dual Mono Integrated Amplifier.

In a personal conversation with HiFi BLOG editor-in-chief Michael Holzinger, Heinz Lichtenegger even goes into raptures, speaking in connection with the new Musical Fidelity M8xi Dual Mono Integrated Amplifier of a solution that will set new impulses in the market. Imagine the outstanding performance of an amplifier of the Musical Fidelity M8 Series, with all the well-known musicality, but also with the very special charm of the Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista Series.

It was possible to realize the outstanding sound character of the Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista Series without having to rely on the responsible Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista Technology. Only in this way is it possible to realize these special features in a solution based under the Musical Fidelity Nu-Vista Series.

It goes without saying that all the features that customers have appreciated for years in the high-end solutions of Musical Fidelity are taken for granted.

The name of the latest offspring from Musical Fidelity already reveals a lot about the design of the Musical Fidelity M8xi 500 Dual Mono Integrated Amplifier, namely in the proven manner as a combination of a preamplifier with two mono blocks as power amplifiers, combined in a quite massive housing.

It goes without saying that the power supply is also taken into account, each component has its own “power plant” as the basis for an enormous power delivery according to the manufacturer’s specifications, which can easily control even the most complex and difficult loudspeaker systems.

Speaking of power, no less than 550 watts per channel are available here on loudspeaker systems with an impedance of 8 ohms, while with an impedance of only 4 ohms the figure is a remarkable 870 watts per channel. The manufacturer even goes so far as to speak of even higher power reserves, namely a peak of no less than 1.6 kW at 2 ohms. The stereo integrated amplifier of the Musical Fidelity M8 Series is a true performance monster, but – and this is the most important thing – it should not lack control and musicality.

The new Musical Fidelity M8xi 500 Dual Mono Integrated Amplifier is not lacking in input diversity, after all, it is designed to act as the central interface of a hi-fi chain, whereby in addition to analogue sources – unbalanced and balanced – digital feeds can also be connected directly, as the new Musical Fidelity M8xi 500 Dual Mono Integrated Amplifier has an integrated DAC. The spectrum here ranges from USB to optical and coaxial S/PDIF interfaces.

The new Musical Fidelity M8xi Dual Mono Integrated Amplifier has two pairs of screw terminals per channel for connecting speaker systems, and of course there are trigger inputs and outputs on the rear panel for central control with other components.

The front panel of the new Musical Fidelity M8xi Dual Mono Integrated Amplifier features a very large OLED display that ensures that the most important parameters are always clearly visible. This display is flanked by two massive rotary encoders, one for input selection, the second of course for volume control. The display can be dimmed or switched off with a button, a second one serves as a standby button.

How could it be otherwise, of course the new Musical Fidelity M8xi 500 Dual Mono Integrated Amplifier presents itself completely in the familiar design language of the Musical Fidelity M8 Series, which is available in black or silver with a solid aluminium front. This also ensures that the new Musical Fidelity M8xi 500 Dual Mono Integrated Amplifier can be combined not only with immediate family members, but also with its slightly more distant relatives from the other Musical Fidelity product series.

As already described, the stereo amplifier first shown in Munich at the High End 2019 as the prototype of the new Musical Fidelity M8xi 500 Dual Mono Integrated Amplifier was still far from what is now being delivered to the specialist trade. The price of € 5.990,- that Musical Fidelity is charging for this solution should not be a shock. Musical Fidelity promises that the new Musical Fidelity M8xi 500 Dual Mono Integrated Amplifier is worth every cent and sets a new standard in its class.

Getting to the point

After many a product from the Fidelity Musical Portfolio has been presented in a new version under the new management of Heinz Lichtenegger, it is now time to refine the Fidelity M8 Series with a very special solution, The new Musical Fidelity M8xi Dual Mono Integrated Amplifier, which was presented for the first time at the High End 2019 in Munich at the stand of Reichmann Audio Systeme as the German distributor for Musical Fidelity, will be available in specialist shops these days – somewhat later than planned, but in a more refined version. Simon Quarry has developed a true Super Integrated Amp, which combines the power of the M8 Series with the sensitivity and nuanced sound of the NUVISTA Series.