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NEW! Musical Fidelity M1 DAC "A" for Asynchronous USB Input, Unboxing Video

Nov 12, 2011 at 8:11 AM Post #16 of 37
Unless I'm mistaken, this is the most affordable balanced DAC with an asynchronous USB input on the market. I would think it would be pretty popular. Question - do you know if the USB input has galvanic isolation? IIRC The Arcam DAC does not, which is a critical mistake on their part. I'm amazed that the $7,000 Meitner DAC doesn't have it.
 
Nov 12, 2011 at 11:06 AM Post #17 of 37
Does this DAC have 24/192 USB input or is it still limited to 48kHz via USB? Their site says it upsamples to 24/192, but it doesn't say via which input.
 
Nov 12, 2011 at 12:14 PM Post #18 of 37
I don't know if the USB input is galvanic isolation.  How do I find out?
 
The USB input is limited to 24/96k.  No drivers needed.  All other inputs will support 24/192k.
 
Nov 13, 2011 at 12:57 AM Post #20 of 37
nothing in the manual about it.  
 
Jan 14, 2012 at 6:54 AM Post #23 of 37
I suspect the "A" version will replace the existing one without any special publication. It's essentially a matter of replacing the existing receiver with an asynchronous one. The clock is a part of any digital transmission device such as the D/A converter so no need to replace that. As far as I'm concerned, one of the disappointments is the lack of 176.2kHz support which is a studio standard in this part of the world.
 
As far as the "upgraded power supply" is concerned, I think this was more of a necessity than an enhancement. The power transformer in the original version is as small and as cheap as the one in a 20 Euro DVD player. Regardless of the fact it has separate regulation for each of it outputs, it has no place in something that costs 400 Euro and is intended to be used for a couple of hours every day, or all day long. I was not surprised to see such a tiny transformer which is literally as big as a thumb nail but still hoped they used something a bit more substantial. Generally speaking, even a mid 1990s CD player from the likes of Denon or Technics have far better power transformers. 
 
What I resent to MF is the fact that now even if one wants to purchase their M1 DAC, has no way of knowing whether it is the improved version or not. They didn't even care to make the changes public on their website.
 
Jan 28, 2012 at 4:34 PM Post #24 of 37
Because of the async USB, is there now no point of getting an external v link as a sound quality improvement? This excluding the fact that you can upgrade the sampling to 192khz.
 
Jan 30, 2012 at 3:19 PM Post #25 of 37
Got my M1 "A" DAC some days ago and like it a lot. Below the internals of the old and new version. It looks like the power supply got a complete redesign. I am no expert but to my untrained eye it looks like MF switched from a conventional to a switching-mode power supply. Any ideas why Musical Fidelity did it?
 

 

 
 
Jan 31, 2012 at 9:47 AM Post #26 of 37
Thanks for the nudie.  How you like the sound?  I enjoy mine a lot.
 
Jan 31, 2012 at 3:31 PM Post #27 of 37


Quote:
djamtrax said:
How you like the sound?
Click to expand...


Can only compare the M1 DAC to my 10+ years old Marantz player and a low end sound card. The improvements are impressive even with red book files as the M1 sounds much more transparent, open and artifact free.

For my music taste (classical music) this is a great upgrade even in combination with my also very transparent G100 Lake People amp. However if you prefer the Sex Pistols over Mozart the M1 might offer more details than you want to hear. In that case I would combine it with a more forgiving amp.
 
 
Feb 13, 2012 at 1:05 PM Post #29 of 37


Quote:
davebsc said:
Unless I'm mistaken, this is the most affordable balanced DAC with an asynchronous USB input on the market. I would think it would be pretty popular.
Click to expand...

The HRT MusicStreamer Pro has all that at $499, including regulated power supply and analog isolation circuit.  Designed by Muse's designer.
 
Also, I did a search on Amazon and the old M1 DAC is "no longer available" and no sign of the new one, amidst 15 Musical Fidelity products.
 
Interest in a product usually revolves around effect marketing and promotion.
 
For example, HRT has a product that looks very competitive, the HeadStreamer, and yet no professional reviews...

 
 
 
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