MUSICAL FIDELITY M6X DAC

Converter DAC, Dual Saber ESS ES9038Q2M 32bit/768KHz converters in dual differential configuration, Altera MAX II 16-core processor, MQA and native DSD512, Super silent toroidal transformer, Digital inputs 2 x optical, 1 x coaxial, 1 x AES/EBU and USB-B, fixed or variable RCA and XLR analogue outputs, 6.3mm headphone output with class AB power stage.

The Musical Fidelity M6x DAC is the new converter presented by the English brand equipped with a completely new architecture with Dual Differential Mode, Dual Mono Design and a Super Silent Power Transformer, through which it aims to raise the quality level of signal processing to a higher quality stage and also open up new options in terms of versatility.

Like its predecessor it also uses the so-called ESS 32 Bit HyperStream II DAC architecture from specialist ESS Technology Inc, implementing the new ESS ES9038Q2M, now used in dual version to create a pristine dual mono design.

The use of a 'Time Domain Jitter Eliminator' then ensures particularly low noise and accurate signal processing, free of artifacts that could damage the sound.

Other advances in the DAC section include upsampling, which can still be disabled, and reclocking, while signal processing based on Altera 16-core XMOS processors and CPLD MAX II ensures there's always enough room for these operations, finally we mention the new digital filters and MQA processing.

Another feature of the new M6x DAC is its power supply, which uses super-quiet power transformers with EMI filters that prevent interference and eliminate transformer hum.

Also in terms of connections it is really rich, being available a coaxial input, two optical S/PDIF and an AES/EBU, all capable of processing signals in linear PCM up to 24 bit and 192 kH and logically the USB port implemented as USB-B 2.0, which can process signals from a PC or Mac in linear PCM up to 32 Bit and 768 kHz and DSD up to and including DSD512 natively.

Finally, the unbalanced RCA and balanced XLR outputs each have their own output buffer, while the balanced output stage uses a fully differential amplifier design.

On the front there is also space for a headphone input via the 6.3 mm stereo jack which allows connection to a large number of headphones.

Technical specifications:

DAC circuit: 32-bit Hyperstream II

DAC Chips: 2x ES9038Q2M (Dual Differential)

Total Correlated Jitter: <12 picoseconds peak-to-peak

Linearity: <0.4dB up to -130dB

Frequency Response: -0.1dB at 10Hz, 0dB at 1kHz, -0.4dB at 20kHz

Channel Separation: >130dB at 10kHz @ 0dBFS

S/N Ratio: >120dB “A”

Total harmonic distortion: < 0.0005% at 1kHz @ 0dBFS

Digital Inputs:

1x Coaxial, 2x Optical, 1x AES/EBU, up to 192kHz/24bit (stereo PCM + MQA)

USB input: USB B 2.0, up to 768kHz/32bit (PCM + MQA stereo), DSD 256 (DoP stereo), DSD512 (native stereo)

Analog Outputs:

1 RCA pair line level fix/var @ 2V RMS at 0dBFS

1 pair XLR line level fix/var @ 4V RMS at 0dBFS

Output Impedance: < 10 ohms

Headphone output: Variable 6.3 mm jack

Headphone amplifier power: 1.5 W/channel into 32 Ω

Output impedance: min. recommended 16Ω headphones

THD: <0.005% at 1kHz @ 0dBFS

S/N Ratio: >115dB “A” wtd

Frequency Response: +0.1, -0.4dB from 20Hz to 20kHz

Dimensions: 440 x 100 x 390 mm (WxHxD)

Consumption: 20W, standby <0.5W

Weight: 6.9kg