[Aero Dynamik]

I wonder, how will the quality of the volume knob (potentiometer) be on the HiFi-M8? I have the DACport and although I think it is a pretty good dac/amp, it initially had serious problems with the potentiometer being extremely noisy and scratchy. I had it sent back to CEntrance and they fixed it, to some extent... It is still scratchy, but as CEntrance charged me the return cost (to Europe) I just couldn't bother anymore... Obviously, I'm not the only one having this problem with the DACport. So, in this respect, what can we expect from the HiFi-M8?

 

[moodyrn]

The only part of the blog I was at least a little concerned about was the part about trying to get it to sound at least as good as the port. The impressions from the prototype at rmaf were that it sounded like a dacmini. So now I'm wondering if the final version is more like a battery powered port or a battery powered mini.

 

[Russell]

I'm expecting the M8 to sound at least as good as my DACport and have more than enough power/headroom to drive my LCD-3's.  (I'm finding the DACport merely adequate in this regard.)  Hopefully I'll have no worries at all.  (Fingers crossed!)

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Add one more from the pre-order list wanting clarification on "LOUD".  I paid with the understanding that the HiFi M8 would be suitably quiet and have adequate volume range for custom IEMs.
 

 
That shouldn't be a problem considering that my full-size DACmini (without a gain switch) is one of my favorite amps to use with all my custom IEM.

 

[AudiOh]

I agree that the sudden "it will sound as good as the dacport" came as a bit of a shock. I was hoping for a portable dacmini class device rather than a louder dacport.

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

Quote:

I agree that the sudden "it will sound as good as the dacport" came as a bit of a shock. I was hoping for a portable dacmini class device rather than a louder dacport.

Remember the price point of $699.  How much is a DacMini, and how much more would it cost to make it portable?

 

[moodyrn]

Especially after the impressions of the demo unit. Those impressions are the reason I was one of the first to jump on the preorder list. If the impressions would have been something like "wow it sounds like a more powerful dacport", I might not have been so quick to pull the trigger.

 

[moodyrn]

Remember the price point of $699.  How much is a DacMini, and how much more would it cost to make it portable?

That would make perfect sense if it wasn't for the demo unit impressions. And also there are references in this thread many pages back about this sounding like a battery powered mini.

 

[mitsu763]

It was marketed as having DACmini sound quality if I'm not mistaken. The comment about DACport also took me by surprise. I don't have any experience with the DACmini but it's been stated that the Hifi-M8 will use the same amplifier. I can't imagine anyone would be disappointed with DACport sound quality if that's what it ends up being.

 

[Saraguie]

Quote:

It was marketed as having DACmini sound quality if I'm not mistaken. The comment about DACport also took me by surprise. I don't have any experience with the DACmini but it's been stated that the Hifi-M8 will use the same amplifier. I can't imagine anyone would be disappointed with DACport sound quality if that's what it ends up being.

 
Same as I remember see that it had the same amp as the DACmini stated, which would leave us to conclude the HIFI M8 would sound like the mini.

 

[moodyrn]

I said this a while back, and now it may be more true than ever. Given the impressions of the demo sounding exactly like the mini(and yes those words were used), with all of the changes done to the hifi m8 in order to please every one, I think I would prefer just to have the demo unit at this point. Like a friend of mine said a couple of months ago, with all of the changes to make everyone happy, sound quality is probably going to take a hit. At that time, I said I still had complete faith in Michael. But it does get to a point of where sound would have no choice but to be compromised when so many people want so many "different" things. And the comment about dacport sound quality kind of validates what he said. But I still sincerely hope he turns out to be wrong.

 

[dookie182]

+1 on this one.
 
I'm really looking forward to something more of a "improuved battery powered dacmini" than a "more powerfull dacport" and was kind of taken aback with the reference as dacport sound quality.  Still hoping for a good suprise, as I have read a couple of claims like "hifi-m8 is our flagship product","if you liked the dac part of dacmini, you will love the dac part of hifi-m8"... And in the end, that's what I am expecting still, and why I touk the plung for preoreder unit.

 

[Saraguie]

Quote:

+1 on this one.
 
I'm really looking forward to something more of a "improuved battery powered dacmini" than a "more powerfull dacport" and was kind of taken aback with the reference as dacport sound quality.  Still hoping for a good suprise, as I have read a couple of claims like "hifi-m8 is our flagship product","if you liked the dac part of dacmini, you will love the dac part of hifi-m8"... And in the end, that's what I am expecting still, and why I touk the plung for preoreder unit.

We've posted a lot about SQ......let's wait, at lest I am, to form any impressions other than what we have been told by Michael, until Michael posts again.

 

[moodyrn]

Well no one has formed any impressions about sound quality. No one knows until the final release. What's been posted is the concerns about dacport sound quality that's been posted by him on his blog. I'm more than willing to wait. But that blog is less than encouraging for me.

 

[eron]

Quote:

Like a friend of mine said a couple of months ago, with all of the changes to make everyone happy, sound quality is probably going to take a hit. At that time, I said I still had complete faith in Michael. But it does get to a point of where sound would have no choice but to be compromised when so many people want so many "different" things. And the comment about dacport sound quality kind of validates what he said. But I still sincerely hope he turns out to be wrong.

Well, SQ actually got improved because of feedback. Michael mentioned several times very clearly that SQ is the first priority for the M8.