[FraGGleR]

   
 
 
Michael told me that it will charge and run on a 12-14.4v charger from a car adapter, but I didn't ask him about smaller AC chargers because I thought the one that comes with it is already pretty small.

The one I received is nearly 3/4 the volume of the M8.  Is yours a laptop style charger or a wall wart?

 

[FraGGleR]

In advance of impending M8 delivery where can i get the correct (short length) cable to connect my HTC One to the device. Need a UK supplier pleasr.

Toxic Cables is in the UK.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

  I've never been big on reviewing products but have to make an exception today.
 
Michael and Stacie were kind enough to have my Hifi-M8 with Combo jacks delivered to me at RMAF today. I immediately connected it to my iPhone 5 with an ADL Ligtning cable from Moon Audio. The iPhone has  somewhere between 45 and 50 GB's of 192/24 files on it -  Stan Getz, Fun, Metallica, Stone Sour, Dusty Springfield, The Eagles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Eminem, The Righteous Brothers, Sam Cooke and whatever else.
 
Well, my personal verdict is in. This thing is fantastic! I used it with the Fostex 900, all of the Audeze including the two (2) new ones, The Beyerdynamic T1, Mr. Speakers and so on. The M8 can drive any of them to earsplitting levels and has none of the upper end grain when playing FLAC files - quite unlike like so many of the other devices to which I compared the M8 using the same iPhone as source.
 
I tried the new closed Audeze using their new DSP/DAC/Amp and was so unimpressed. Then, I plugged them into the Centrance and the headphones were great!
 
I did try the HD-800 with the M8 and really didn't care for them, but I've always found them to be sterile anyway. I can live with balanced Fostex 900's, the T1 or the closed Audeze with the M8.
 
At this moment, I've got my HE-500's on listening to Dusty Springfield. Normally, I prefer the HE-500's with the Schiit Lyr and Bifrost combo. The Centrance as a desktop amp / DAC is working just as well.
 
I apologize for not being able to write the kind of reviews which so many of you do, but I'm just a music collector and don't understand electronics as most of you. So, I just have to say, I have some 50,000 digital songs and videos (obviously I love music) and I love the way the M8 allows me to enjoy my music.

 
Thanks for the impressions - music collectors opinions count just as much.  
 
I also picked my HiFi-M8 up at RMAF this year, so I came home several hundred dollars poorer yet with a wicked grin on my face despite the expense.  I told Michael that I definitely wanted one of these right after RMAF last year (Oct 17th email), but I had so much good gear to listen to in the meantime that I wasn't in any hurry to get it.  I was going to wait for the 24/96 upgrade, but since we'll be able to do it at home ourselves without returning it I decided to pick it up now.
 
I agree with some of your HD800 impressions because the HD800 are difficult to pair with just any old amp.  A warmer (or even just a darker amp) often helps get the best performance from the HD800, but I would not say the M8 and HD800 can't be enjoyable to pair together, even though the amp is warm but not dark.  Maybe it's because I'm using a Moon-Audio Black Dragon cable that suits them well.  The M8 (and also DACport) are a better choice than the DACmini, so I consider this a bonus.
 
I also agree that the HE-500 are a better match with the M8 than the HD800 are (same with LCD-2), but the 500's are better with most amps unless you get one of the few amps that has good synergy with HD800.  At home my best amps with HD800 are my ZDT, then EF6 and DAC-100, which make the HD800 perform as well as I would like, although a few others can still drive them decently.
 
I had similar thoughts about the Audeze DAC/amp, and the LCD-XC were a little bit bland and cold sounding until I switched to the HiFi-M8 with them.  
I posted more impressions in a few places in the RMAF impressions thread - http://www.head-fi.org/t/685524/canjam-at-rmaf-october-2013-impressions-thread/15#post_9884575

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

  The one I received is nearly 3/4 the volume of the M8.  Is yours a laptop style charger or a wall wart?

 
Same charger as the DACmini, so laptop style brick.  

 

[aamefford]

Same charger as the DACmini, so laptop style brick.  

I left mine home 'cause the brick is just too big for me if I live out of a carry on and computer bag for the week. The 12 volt wall wort looks like a good solution.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

I left mine home 'cause the brick is just too big for me if I live out of a carry on and computer bag for the week. The 12 volt wall wort looks like a good solution.

 
I bought an extra charger for cheap last year from a forum member, so I can just keep it in my travel bag if needed.  Not saying I wont buy a smaller charger, just that it wasn't high on my list when I can also use an existing 12v car charger too.  I have a bazillion of those.

 

[georgelai57]

I am so confused by all these volts, watts and amperes etc. Can some kind soul explain whether when I look for an alternate charger what is the effect if the alternate charger I find is not the exact 12V, 2A and 24W specification of the standard charger? Thank you.

 

[eron]

I am so confused by all these volts, watts and amperes etc. Can some kind soul explain whether when I look for an alternate charger what is the effect if the alternate charger I find is not the exact 12V, 2A and 24W specification of the standard charger? Thank you.

Some details from the CEntrance blog: http://centrance.com/products/new/blog/2013/03/22/the-power-station/
 

  The bundled power supply needs to be beefy (and large) in order to meet Apple standards. We can't officially skimp on available power.
 
- iPads needs over 2 amps of current for charging at 5V. This is a requirement we cannot change.
- M8 needs about 1 amp to charge its battery and
- M8 needs roughly a half an amp to run the circuitry.
 
In total, you are looking at a peak current of about 4A at 5V needed to feed all the things, which are looking for power. In theory, 20 W of power needs to flow into the M8 if you want to play music, charge the M8 and charge the connected iPad. In practice you need even more, due to energy loss in cable, etc. We supply a 50 W power supply, designed for the worst case scenario.
 
Here is a less-stressful scenario: Charge the M8 while it's off and do not charge a connected iDevice at the same time (disconnect the iDevice).
 
In this case, you could get away with a smaller adapter. You would only need an adapter that provides about 15W in this case. Make sure that the output is at least 12V. Make sure that the plug is 2.5MM and that the (+) is in the middle of the jack.
 

What I gather is that most adaptors would fit. A minimal of 20W is required to be playing, and charging an iDevice. 
 
Good info to pin on the impression thread.
 
--
I've used a Windows laptop adaptor, and also an external hard drive adaptor.
--
Something CEntrance can help to clarify, is if charging the M8 through the USB-B cable, connected to a USB-charger like many mobile phones adaptors, like the iPhone, or iPad, is better than charging off a regular laptop's usb port. Also if a usb power adaptor like those for iPads that goes up to 12W, helps more. 

 

[georgelai57]

Some details from the CEntrance blog: http://centrance.com/products/new/blog/2013/03/22/the-power-station/

What I gather is that most adaptors would fit. A minimal of 20W is required to be playing, and charging an iDevice. 

Good info to pin on the impression thread.

--
I've used a Windows laptop adaptor, and also an external hard drive adaptor.
--
Something CEntrance can help to clarify, is if charging the M8 through the USB-B cable, connected to a USB-charger like many mobile phones adaptors, like the iPhone, or iPad, is better than charging off a regular laptop's usb port. Also if a usb power adaptor like those for iPads that goes up to 12W, helps more. 

Having digested all this, it is still somewhat confusing, and I doubt I'll know whether the +ve is in the middle of the pin.

I have an ALO amp charger (input 100-240V 50-60 Hz output 12.6V 1000 mA) and the M8 is Input 100-240V 0.7A 47-63 Hz Output 12V 2.0A 24W. If I don't connect an iDevice to the M8 and I don't use the M8 when charging it, I still don't know whether it is okay to use the ALO charger.

 

[sugarshark]

I'll take a stab at answering some of these questions
 

I am so confused by all these volts, watts and amperes etc. Can some kind soul explain whether when I look for an alternate charger what is the effect if the alternate charger I find is not the exact 12V, 2A and 24W specification of the standard charger? Thank you. 

 
When finding a charger, you need to check:
 
- is it the correct voltage type (DC)?
- is the polarity correct (+ve middle pin)?
- is the input voltage within the allowable range of the device?
- does the connector physically fit?
 
Then you need to make sure the charger can supply at least as many amps as the device requires. The wattage figure is just V*A, e.g. 12 * 2 = 24w
 
Based on the figures below I'd be looking for a charger that could do 1.5A @ 12v minimum,  or higher if you want to charge idevice at the same time.
 
 
Quote:

Having digested all this, it is still somewhat confusing, and I doubt I'll know whether the +ve is in the middle of the pin.

I have an ALO amp charger (input 100-240V 50-60 Hz output 12.6V 1000 mA) and the M8 is Input 100-240V 0.7A 47-63 Hz Output 12V 2.0A 24W. If I don't connect an iDevice to the M8 and I don't use the M8 when charging it, I still don't know whether it is okay to use the ALO charger.

 
Most power supplies will have a diagram indicating whether the centre pin is postive or negative, e.g.: http://www.rakewell.com/images/mains_ad_plate.gif
 
The centrance blog info says:
 
- M8 needs about 1 amp to charge its battery and
- M8 needs roughly a half an amp to run the circuitry.
 
Based on the above, and a 12v input, you'd need 18w (although they explicitly said 15w so i guess that is the real minimum). Your charger is only putting out 1A at 12v (= 12w) so from the above info it sounds like it is slightly under powered. Personally I'd find a better charger, even if it works it may only charge slowly..
 
 
standard disclaimer applies.. for general information only do not try this at home slippery when wet all rights reserved etc etc

 

 

[georgelai57]

[COLOR=FF00AA][/COLOR]
Sugar shark, thanks for taking the time to explain. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Centrance supplied two chargers, an additional one just for traveling with a disclaimer that it won't charge an attached iPod and it won't charge whilst playing? Wishful thinking. Thanks again.

 

[FraGGleR]

Sugar shark, thanks for taking the time to explain. Wouldn't it be wonderful if Centrance supplied two chargers, an additional one just for traveling with a disclaimer that it won't charge an attached iPod and it won't charge whilst playing? Wishful thinking. Thanks again.

You can buy a smaller charger off of their website.  I think some of the very first M8s got them which were replaced with the larger ones later.  It is a bit more expensive than some of the Amazon ones and only puts out 1A (enough to charge the M8, but not to charge and run, and not enough to charge another attached device), but you will get peace of mind knowing that it is guaranteed to work.
 
Where are you located?  A couple posted on Amazon should work just fine.  I haven't bought one because I'm not going to be using my M8 portably.  My Note II already feels to big to use as a music player

 

[georgelai57]

You can buy a smaller charger off of their website.  I think some of the very first M8s got them which were replaced with the larger ones later.  It is a bit more expensive than some of the Amazon ones and only puts out 1A (enough to charge the M8, but not to charge and run, and not enough to charge another attached device), but you will get peace of mind knowing that it is guaranteed to work.

Where are you located?  A couple posted on Amazon should work just fine.  I haven't bought one because I'm not going to be using my M8 portably.  My Note II already feels to big to use as a music player

I'm located in Singapore in the heart of Asia, so getting another charger. I just wanted to make sure I get the right one. It's just that my ALO charger is small and eminently portable.

However I do concede that I'm unlikely to use the M8 portably because of the size of the charger and the short battery life but there's no harm to be prepared. The Theorem is tempting (small charger and identical to my Solo-R) and 18 hours battery life ....

 

[FraGGleR]

I'm located in Singapore in the heart of Asia, so getting another charger. I just wanted to make sure I get the right one. It's just that my ALO charger is small and eminently portable.y
However I do concede that I'm unlikely to use the M8 portably because of the size of the charger and the short battery life but there's no harm to be prepared. The Theorem is tempting (small charger and identical to my Solo-R) and 18 hours battery life ....

Just saw where you posted the specs of your ALO charger.  That should be fine if the plug fits.  It will charge the M8 and extend run time, but you won't be able to charge another device.

 

[ExpatinJapan]

Listening to a few tracks via the new beta of an upcoming Flac app for OS (app name withheld for the time being).
 
Finally an OS app that includes/displays bitrates and other information (not all info displayed in the pictures).
 
Hifi-M8, iphone4 (as transport) and ATH-ESW11.
 
 

 
 
 

 
Looking forward to the 24/96 fully unlocked!