Yes the maximum volume thing is well known amongst M8 owners. I'm constantly using the master volume controls on my computers all day long, and so I would have spotted this issue instantly anyway. Why do I change the volume so much? Because online media channels tend to be normal one moment, and then blow your head off with extreme sound the next. So I tend to keep the volume very low most of the time, to avoid causing damage to my hearing. I think the generation that used to be better educated about sound, have gradually gone in to retirement in the past twenty years or so. So now we have the millennial generation who think it is clever, to have everything compressed to the maximum with a heap of bass frequencies on top, to pound and rip your head off with constantly aggravating noise in your face.
I think most people buy the M8 because they wish to playback DSD files, and at the time I bought mine in September 2015 it was the most bang per buck (or pound in my case!). One of the unexpected additional benefits for me, is coming across a lot of 32-bit audio files and therefore I am able to play those too. I've found that out of all the formats I have played on it, I mostly like vinyl rips the best followed by well made DSD album conversions. However sometimes it can be hard to choose between the two, because they can both have something different and equally good to offer, e.g. Toto IV (1982) [SACD] (2002 Remaster) and Toto (1982) - Toto IV [US Columbia, FC 37728].