Musical Fidelity M1 DAC - Review by WHF

Just add my tuppence worth.

from personal experience it isn't about the best sub-£1000 DAC but which DAC has the best synergy with your kit.

For example: WHFI would probably say the best sub-£1000 CDP is the new Cyrus. And would it be better than my ageing Arcam? the simple answer is probably yes. Then you have to pose the question: Will it synergise as well as my current source? Only a dem will tell you. I'd rather have the Arcam over the Cyrus, and not because the Arcam is better, but it sonically dovetails better than a Cyrus on my kit.

The simple answer is have a listen and decide for yourself. 

We haven't done a full-blown Group Test recently of different DACs within a specific price range, but it's something we may well do in the future. We reserve judgement on picking the best product at £500, £1000 or whatever until those Group Tests have been done. The price bands may change deending on how the market develops.

And of course our annual Awards in October highlight a huge range of products at a wide range of price bands.

Hi PP,

I totally agree with you on this. And synergy is crucial as well as home listening.

But if we use this logic, then WHF Best Buy for individual components is almost void.

My gripe is that WHF has divided the DAC category too much (I can imagine why) but for some one who is looking to spend up 1000 Pounds (as an example) and want to know the best DAC then this might be helpful.

I definetly believe that more price does not always equate to better performace and would be really keen to see a sub 500 Pound DAC beating up a 1000 Pound DAC so it will offer one more proof that more money does not mean better performance

Thanks Andy that is good to know. If any requests are possible, please use a wider price range for the products especially in DACs (like below 1K, between 1K - 2K and say above 3K pounds) as I believe most of us are lost, at times, with the question "what if I had spend that extra 200 Pounds or 15% ?"

Think I'm on the same page as WishTree here. It should be quite impossible to say that this dac is the best under 500 quid. The main reasons being system matching, it makes too much of a difference to conclude that a particular product is class leading. If you want to use reviews to buy a product then you should pay careful consideration to what WHF says in the review, as in if you want good timing, neutrality or excessive detail. I think at this point that is what most of us need to say "yeah, that might sound very good in my system". Hell, thats how I've picked my system and it sounds bloody amazing for the money. Hope this helps,

Shafin

I also think that WHF are doing a good job in the new section where they take one product and build a system around it. I think that is more helpful and bare with me here "more correct" than saying this is the best dac in this price range. Picking class leaders is a job I'm glad I don't have 

I'm curious if they are going to be reviewing the new Beresford DAC, the Bushmaster.  From what i have been reading about it, it sounds very good indeed, and i think its only about £150.  Could be a massive bargain!!

Update: I've just been told we have a Group Test of £300-£500 DACs planned for the September issue of the magazine, on sale July 27th. Musical Fidelity M1 DAC vs its competitors.

It isn't void. You have to remember that WHFI test all their stuff in a specialised environment, and should be used as a guide. I'm a big supporter of WHFI and their review policies, but unless your (or my) room mirrors their acoustics and/or we have access to their equipment, then it should only be used as nothing more than a reference.

As regards to many catagories then I suppose you can't please everyone all the time.

As I've found out a few days ago - when home testing the Rega Apollo - it just didn't hang together as well as the Arcam. Now back in 2007 it de-throned the Cyrus CD6S, a machine WHFI recommended so highly... so what does this tell you about the Cyrus?

Sorry I'm using this one example as it's still fresh to me...

As always the only way to determine whether the MF DAC is possibly the best sub-£500 DAC is to test it against the Arcam rDac and Rega Dac and decide from there. 

Horses for courses. 

I went from a rdac (which I couldn't get on with) to the MF, and felt that it was a big improvement. 

But I'll put that down to my hearing and taste in music. Over the past 20 years I've tried and tried and tried again with Arcam stuff, but just don't get it. I am in a minority with that. 

I completely understand where you are coming from, WT, and thought the same when I read the review earlier (I even looked for comments on that article but there was none).

In particular, I also wondered why no mention of the Rega, which would be a pretty obvious rival, especialy at that price point.  However, I agree with PP that matching with your system (and a longer-term view arising via a Group Test) is a vital factor.  And above all, I'd never buy a DAC without trying it at home, so wouldn't care too much what any magazine said as long as the design was clearly not  suspect in some way (and from past experience with MF products that would be very unlikely). 

Lastly, it doesn't need much reading between the lines to detect the 'flavour' of this DAC, and the headline writer clearly wanted to (and succeeded in) grabbing our attention!

Well yes, we were trying to get your attention I'd just re-iterate two points: a Group Test is being planned, and as we've always said, use the reviews on the website or in the magazine as a guide, but there's nothing to beat listening to a product with your own ears.

That's fair enough, but I don't know if it says that much about the Cyrus or even the Rega, it maybe says more about your set-up and tastes?

All us punters can do is give our own, relatively unqualified, opinion. I'd imagine the guys at the mag have to make these sort of "best up to £xxx" comments as they must get asked those sort of questions constantly

Good to see you back making an appearance. 

Hi Cno,

Thank you, my friend.  Good to read you again too.  (I've been busy with work, hence relative 'radio silence').