Musical Fidelity M8xi Integrated Amplifier

M8xi | Integrated Amplifier

The M8xi is a Super Integrated Amplifier.

In 1990, Musical Fidelity made the first-ever Super Integrated amplifier: the A1000. lt received a rapturous welcome and, even today, second hand, is selling at high prices. The A1000 was the first of a long line of Super Integrated Amplifiers from Musical Fidelity. Its children: the NuVista M3, Tri Vista 300, kW500, M6/500i, NuVista 800 and NuVista 600 all were equally enthusiastically welcomed to the audiophile world. The M8xi is the latest and the best of the breed.

General Description

The M8xi is a separate preamp with two monobloc power amps sharing a common chassis. Each has its own heat sink and separate transformer. Genuinely dual mono. The preamp has its own separate power supply and is mounted close to the input sockets. Consequently, PCB tracks are very short. This elegant idea ensures that both channels' signals are ultra-low impedance the instant they get into the amplifier. This is a significant detail. Each channel has twelve big bipolar transistors - 200 amps peak to peak is easily available. The metalwork is high quality. The front panel is a custom made fine line extrusion of milspec aluminum. The custom made heat sinks have outstanding dissipation characteristics and finish. The M8xi construction has a feeling of solidity and quality.

New Circuitry

Over the last 5 years our power amp circuitry has reached a high state of development. In our never-ending quest for improving performance and customer value we have been looking for ways to improve our designs. One of the prime directives was to keep the low feedback configuration unchanged .. continue with low feedback! The problem was how to improve efficiency and performance without affecting the sound quality. If I say so myself, I think we have come up with a brilliant solution. Our new M8xi power amp design gives higher power, lower distortion, and better sound quality. Incredible but true. The output stage efficiency has been increased thus yielding about 10% more power for similar power supply voltage. More importantly, the whole driver stage is pure Class A. We believe that this innovative approach has a substantial effect on the sound quality. The sound stage appears wider whilst the micro and macro dynamics have more impact. This effect is particularly noticeable on well-recorded piano. I am sure you all know the piano is a percussive instrument but in truth, this is rarely audible on most Hi-Fi systems. Using an M8xi a piano‘s percussive nature becomes instantly obvious and jumps out of the loudspeaker. lt is a surprising and satisfying improvement to the sound quality. Vocals have more subtly, detail and presence. Large scale music has depth, width, and incredibly dynamic presentation. All in all the M8xi is a consummate all-rounder. Mostly it sounds like a small Class A amplifier with huge power.

The DAC

The M8xi also features a 5 input DAC. DACs are increasingly common in integrated amplifier designs to add convenience when connecting a variety of digital sources, so the decision was taken to build-in a DAC that would perform to a high standard, independently of the amplifier. For added integrity, the DAC features its own power supply. Based around the Texas Instruments PCM5242 TI low-distortion and low-noise DAC chip, which is also employed in many other premium products in the hi-fi industry as well as in previous Musical Fidelity products, the M8xi has 2 x coaxial (S/PDIF), 2 x optical (S/PDIF) and 1 x asynchronous USB Type-B inputs. The coaxial and the USB inputs are capable of supporting hi-res audio streams up-to 24-bit / 192kHz, and the optical input is capable of supporting up-to 24-bit / 96kHz. For maximal performance, all data streams are up-sampled and re-clocked by an internal converter to reduce jitter and remove unwanted artifacts in the sound.

Technical Performance

The M8xi delivers 550 + 550wpc into 8 ohms. It is extremely stable and very linear. The distortion is low too; lower than 0.005% in the audible frequency range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The M8xi has remarkable linearity and consistency. lt is unconditionally stable and will drive any loudspeaker in existence easily with ample power reserve.

Our Approach to Technical Measurements

In our view an amplifier should be completely neutral. lt is ‚a straight wire with gain‘. Easy to say but hard and complex to do. We want to stress that we do not believe that the technical performance is an end in itself. lt is a method of validating the total amplifier system concept. The aim of our circuit/PCB designs is to have low feedback and achieve complete neutrality, transparency, and great technical performance. The proof that we are on the right track is the technical performance. We think that technical performance cannot be summed up by the distortion at 1 kHz. Our view is that an amplifier has to be able to satisfy a wide range of technical requirements before it can be neutral.

Linearity

Almost all loudspeakers have complex impedance and loading curves. An amplifier must be able to maintain its voltage virtually, regardless of loading. If an amplifier cannot maintain its voltage across the spectrum, then the ultimate frequency response and distortion will be nonlinear. This is not neutrality.

Distortion

The overwhelming majority of amplifier manufacturers only talk about distortion at 1 kHz. We believe that this is only a fraction of the story. From our perspective, an amplifier must have very low distortion from 20 Hz- 20 kHz and beyond. We believe that an amplifier‘s high-frequency performance proves the total performance of the circuit and PCB layout. The M8xi distortion hardly changes from 10 kHz to 50 kHz. An outstanding achievement and validation of the circuit design and PCB layout.

Noise Ratio

Amplifiers should be quiet. If they are not, low-level detail is irretrievably lost. Also, the dynamic range is seriously compromised. Dynamic range is not just how much power an amplifier will produce, it is also how quiet it can be. Dynamic range is the total from the quietest to the loudest. The M8xi excels in this respect.

Precision Volume Control

The M8xi has a precision volume control. This ensures perfect tracking right down to very low levels which is unattainable with standard potentiometers. This outstanding precision is achieved by laser-trimmed substrate resistors.

Sound Quality

The M8xi is effortless, fluid, and dynamic. lt doesn‘t sound ‚loud‘. lt just sounds right. The dynamics are handled with no drama or fuss. They come and they go. There is no distortion; just pure undiluted music. lt sounds like a superb small Class A amplifier but with limitless headroom. Perfection!

Reviews

The M8xi is better than the sum of it‘s parts outperforming components in much higher price ranges.

EISA 2020

"Not only was it the most powerful and least expensive of the seven integrated amplifiers he has reviewed in recent years, it was also one of the best sounding"

Jason Vincent Serinus - stereophile 01/25

"This is a very fine-sounding mega muscle amp. It gives a smooth, confident, authoritative sound that is totally unfazed by whatever speaker it is driving. The sound you get is spacious and absorbing. It‘s clean, clear and open. The soundstage is cavernous."

David Price - stereonet 06/24

"This is not bludgeoning power either, it’s articulate and able to respond to the nuances of the material with remarkable speed."

editors -hi-fi + 12/22

"The integrated amplifier dwarfs most rivals. The M8xi never lets us down, rendering the sound with verve, insight and a physicality that is mighty appealing."

What Hi-Fi 10/2021

"…speed and control (aka pace and timing), great insight and sense of restrained power that came from forceful dynamics."

Outstanding – amongst the best!

Hi-Fi World 12/2020

"The way that all those transient details fly from the speaker with such effortless alacrity, might not be rare from an integrated at this price, but it’s certainly unexpected from one that’s this size."

Hi-Fi Choice 8/2020

"Most striking is this amplifier’s speed as transient details fly from the speakers with fleetness that you’d perhaps not anticipate from a great lump of an amplifier. The M8xi isn’t just heavy, it’s also fast"

hi-fi news 7/2020

"That volcanic power output does make itself felt though. And it’s effortless. It’s hard to get into words just how incredibly free of any sense of strain or limitation this amp is. This larger amp feels more nimble and light on its feet. It has a skill with timing that I’ve not previously encountered with any of the very high power designs."

AVForums 12/2020

"I would put the performance of the the M8xi up against the likes of Mark Levinson's Reference stack of gear, Pass Labs, Krell –I mean all the usual suspects. And yet Musical Fidelity did it not only cheaper but in a single chassis! And that is why it is our amplifier of the year."

Watch the Video

Recovering audiophile 12/2020

"I do not know if I have heard a finer amplifier than the M8xi in all my years of reviewing products. The M8xi is absolutely one of the finest integrated amplifiers on the market right now and arguably one of the finest ever made."

Watch the Video

Recovering audiophile 8/2020

"Musical Fidelity's M8xi gets the most out of any speaker."

Audio Test 4/2023

"Enormous power,Great sound quality!"

HIFImaailma 8/2022

Amplifier

Power Output (20Hz - 20kHz):

550 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms (870W into 4 Ohms); Peak 1.6kW into 2 Ohms

Maximum output voltage:

67 Volts RMS, 20Hz to 20 kHz; onset of clipping (190 Volts peak-to-peak)

THD+N:

<0.004% typical, 20Hz to 20 kHz (XLR)

Signal/noise ratio:

> 86dB ‚A‘-weighted (XLR)

Input impedance:

25KΩ (RCA), 50KΩ (XLR)

Frequency response:

+0, –1dB, 10Hz to 100 kHz

Maximum peak output current:

105 Amps

Damping factor:

150

Output devices:

3+3 pairs (bridged arrangement) per channel

Inputs (analogue)

4 pairs line level RCA connectors

2 pairs line level XLR (balanced) connectors

Inputs (digital)

2x Coax S/PDIF up to 24 bit 192kHz

2x Optical S/PDIF up to 24 bit 96kHz

1x USB B Asynchronous USB up to 24 bit 192kHz

Outputs (analogue)

1 pair line level RCA fixed

1 pair pre-out RCA variable

1 pair line level XLR variable

Outputs (digital)

1x Coax S/PDIF up to 24 bit 192kHz

1x Optical S/PDIF up to 24 bit 96kHz

General

Dimensions (WxHxD):

485 x 185 x 510mm

Max. Consumption:

2000Watts

User Reviews

2 Years Warranty

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