On The M11
http://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk SEPTEMBER 201 9 HI-FI WORLD 75
REVIEW
the Mac, that declared it ‘unmixable’- a new situation and declaration to
me. USB C is a high data rate port
with a complex USB 3 software stack
in the M11 and it obviously decided
my Mac unsuitable during polling, even
though it works fine up to 384kHz
PCM over USB 2. So although my Mac
could deliver the music, the M11 set a
CD-only sample rate limit. Weird.
With a new MacMini (Mojave)
having USB 3 ports the M11 accepted
and was driven up to 384kHz sample
rate, set by the Audio/Midi utility as
always with a Mac. So Mac users may
not get what they expect unless using
the latest Mac/USB ports.
Connecting the M11 via wi-fi was
quick and painless. So were all the
other connection methods in my case
and they should be to most users I
believe.
A USB C-to-USB A cable is
provided. USB C is a reversible
socket that’s easy to use and worked
perfectly, ignoring the problems
described above, offering either
music file download from Mac or
PC, or music play from computer
to headphones as a DAC, with DAC
mode selected in the audio settings
menu. There is no S/PDIF digital input,
nor an optical output, only electrical.
The analogue connection side of
the M11 was also unusual. There’s a
3.5mm stereo headphone socket, but
also a larger 4.4mm 4-pole balanced
output Bantam jack that is rare. And
whilst this new socket is given full
visual presence with a shiny brass
surround, beside it lies a tiny black
hole in the case, asymmetrically
placed as a random after thought
it appeared; it is a 2.5mm 4-pole
balanced jack.
Fair enough: 2.5mm balanced jack
plugs are so small and fragile they
break and are impractical – I have
always complained about them. But
if you want to go balanced from the
M11 then yet another unusual plug is
needed, a 4.4mm Bantam 4-pole jack
(not supplied). Since balanced working,
where one headphone earpiece iselectrically isolated from the other
(they don’t share a return line) gives
relatively small sound improvement
this isn’t a big issue, but I felt the
player’s balanced analogue output
sockets were ineptly presented.
The 3.5mm stereo headphone
socket can be set to provide Line
output (2V fixed or variable level) so
the M11 can act as a CD player – one
able to deliver hi-res sound quality
above that of CD.
The socket can also deliver an
S/PDIF digital output when set to do
so, via a supplied 3.5mm jack-to-line
phono socket adaptor cable. This
means it can drive an external mains
powered DAC, the M11 acting as a
digital transport in effect – how I use
my AK120. Mains powered hi-fi DACs
give better bass quality and low-end
resolution than a portable working
from batteries; best to connect
digitally into a hi-fi DAC than from
the M11’s analogue Line output – this
comment applying to all players.
Start up was a short 15 seconds
before the basic user interface
appeared. Selecting the music player
app a track list of music comes up,The top face carries a single on/off
and wake-from-sleep button.Power
up is quick at 15 seconds.The microSD card carriers fit one
way only and extraction is with the
tool supplied.The small rotary volume control
has high resolution but takes a
lot of turning. There are trans-
port controls too.On the bottom face lie a conventional 3.5mm three-pole head-
phone jack that can be set to line output or deliver S/PDIF digital
through an adator cable. Also, there's a USB C socket and 4.4mm
four-pole balanced output (top) with 2.5mm (black) alongside.