Well, let's hope this configuration sticks for a good long time, but this post is really about the Musical Fidelity M2si.
It was a hard pill to swallow when my Marantz decided to betray me. But things happen, never when you want them to of course. But it did, and while I was troubleshooting the amp, and not getting anywhere, and then questioning other things in the chain, I decided that Amazon could be my friend at this time.
I've always been curious of the Musical Fidelity M Series, I actually bought an open box M3 before getting the Marantz and one of the channels wasn't working, so it went back. I had a MF Pre as well for a while and really liked it a lot, so fast forward and an Amazon 12 months no interest and 30 day return policy seemed to fit the bill.
So why the M2si? Firstly, really trying to avoid overspending, so I wanted to keep the purchase around $1k. Secondly, why pay for stuff you don't need/use. The "beauty" of the M2si is exactly that, it's the meat and potatoes of a system. No DAC, no phono, no headphone jack, just a chunky toroidal transformer and enough outputs/inputs to more than meet my needs. So if you need an integrated with any of those options, this isn't for you, if you don't, this little amp might just interest you.
Let's talk about what's right there in front of you, a beautifully well built, minimalistic, sleek design. Done, it's striking in my opinion, has some nice heft and nothing feels cheap.
Now the important part, what does it sound like. Well, it's got some "umph", which surprised me. 72 wpc into 8 ohms and I'm more than comfortable with the volume at slightly past 9 (see pic below). It's full bodied, deep and detailed. Clean highs that aren't harsh or bright and the mids and lows are crazy good. The one thing that stands out the most is the "air" this thing breaths into some music, the kick drum feels like it's in the same room with the airy thud it produces. Vocals are spot on, and it has some really nice separation and dynamics. It was really hard to knock anything on this unit. It definitely hits above it's price point, but honestly, it does so because it's more about the "rubber meeting the road" than the extra functionality most other amps include. I do have one negative, for such an attractively designed unit, the remote is fugly, it looks like it came off of a VCR from the 1980's, but I digress, it would seem all the cost went into the right places, so I can live with a fugly remote.
At $1100 I can't say it's a 'budget" amp, some do, I refuse. But if you can live without the "bells and whistles", it's an easy recommendation, and honestly, most are running external pre-amps, and DAC's change too often to make them a permanent fixture of the unit. I did toss my Schiit Magni on the Tape Out for my headphones and that should suffice for now, if not indefinitely.
If you have any questions, feel free to hit me up
vpiindustries.com
