I wanted to do this review ever since I started this channel. It is a review of an amp that I absolutely adore, and that always has a secret trick somewhere to even surprise me more.
9 years in, and still going strong
Recently, I looked at what amps I am going to buy in the future and stumbled upon the M5si for 1600; I even saw it somewhere for 1500 euros. It's been 9 years since this amp was released, exactly 9 years—it was released in December of 2015. And it still is a strong competitor for all these newcomers. But not just that. I believe there are not many amps in this price range that can challenge the M5si, if there are any at all.
Most affordable End Game?
And it got me thinking—as power, strength, quality, and precision is at this high level. Especially with its incredible 150W in 8 ohms, this is easily, for most people, an end-game amp. And not just that—all other end-game amps that I consider have the quality to be end-game are much more expensive. So, is this the most affordable or cheapest end-game amp? It affords an incredible amount of sonic quality for its value.
Yes, absolutely, it is. Unless you need an amp to drive absolute luxurious top-end speakers, this one is going to drive anything with ease. As I said, 150W in 8 ohms, and a super amazing 270W in 4 ohms. It is truly a strong man. But it also delivers delicate, balanced sound that has enough room to breathe, but also strength and weight.
Think about the alternatives: to get this much, you will have to get something like Hegel H190, Yamaha AS1200, Denon PMA2500NE, Rega Aethos, or Elicit, etc. I am not saying that this is a better amp—obviously power and strength are not all, and some of them might bring more refinement, better DACs, or clearer paths. But all of these amps that I have mentioned are much, sometimes 2 to 3 times, more expensive than the M5si. And trust me, they are not that much better to justify the price—not even close.
Features, build quality and DAC
And how does Musical Fidelity do that? Well, internally, the M5si is configured as two independent monoblocs with a separate preamp. This is very similar to the configuration of the M6si, which, in the words of Musical Fidelity, is an end-game amp, haha. So, two monoblocks sharing the same casework.
The DAC is a mystery, so we don’t know what they used inside. I don’t like that; I like when deciding on an amp to know what DAC they used inside. But many companies still don’t do that. Input and output are modest—honestly, nothing special at this price level. For today’s standards, it can even be considered poor. You have 4 line-level inputs, a phono input, and a USB-B input. It is a 24-bit/96kHz connection. And you also have a pre-out. What I miss here is an XLR, balanced input, as I these days prefer balanced connections when it is allowed.
As you can see, the list is rather short, and it lacks many digital inputs. The DAC inside is not very versatile, as back in the day, embracing integrated amplifiers with DACs inside was not such a common idea.
To kind of keep it up-to-date, adding an additional external DAC could be a great idea, as it will give you versatility to match newer amplifiers. But also, in my opinion, the DAC itself is probably the weakest point of this integrated amplifier. Adding even a 500-euro DAC—or if you want, spend big to support this amp like 1000 euros—you get sound that matches easily even the amps I mentioned earlier as close competition.
Not to say that the DAC inside is bad—it is good. It must be good, as it is tasked to process, clean, and organize this strongman of an amp. But nothing beats a quality external DAC for instant improvement of sound for cheaper.
Looks—I really like them, especially in grey color. It is very minimal, like the entire idea of this amp. Not adding much more than what is needed. But the buttons and big volume button are very well-designed and organized so that they have the right proportions to fit this idea of a cleaner approach, and yet are easily seen and recognized.
All that being said, let’s discuss why all of us are here: the sound!
Sound signature/quality
The sound signature of this amp is treading neutral waters, but with hints of masculinity and darkness. And that is my favorite combo—not that I don’t appreciate and like other sound signatures. But to me, treading in neutral shoes opens many doors for pairing and synergy. And it also declutters and shows detail far more without over-blooming and losing timing and speed.
But this is not your traditional neutral balanced amp, as it colors a little bit below 600Hz, giving the instruments weight and presence that expands mostly in lower mids and bass. Which is great—it definitely is an amp that benefits rock or electronic music. Something that has driving qualities that benefit from a larger presentation. But to paraphrase again, this is not a warm amp, so don’t expect groundbreaking, deep, weighty bass, and smooth lower mids.
This is a balanced amp, so the pleasures of a quality midsection are real. The details we hear are clear and super vivid. There is an inherent richness to be heard that allows instruments to have a better shape and be more rounded on the soundstage. Just giving that rich texture to it so the instruments feel live.
I love that percussions and strings have enough time to evolve and end, but with higher production, the textures around instruments become palpable. This detailed show how this is a serious audiophile gear.
Also, vocal reproduction is awesome. It has weight and presence but also tonal accuracy. And because it strives for the right tonality, it is not the most forward and showmanship-like. It is more subdued in perspective to how some ultra-detailed amps push. But when you have quality audiophile gear that separates this well, vocal is going to be firm in center. It is going to be separated from the crowd, having its lane paved for him for you to follow and enjoy.
But I cannot stress enough how this amp feeds quality speakers, with decluttered, weighty, and detailed midsection. If you pair this with rich speakers like Dalis, the joy is never-ending. From vocals to instruments, listening with this amp was a fun, emotional experience that you do not get that much often.
And don't forget the bass, as sometimes the problem with these more balanced amps is how they present bass. And M5si is there to represent it with speed and attack. And it does a wonderful job, into having this grounded powerful presence. That super compliments neutral presence. I spoke at length how much I enjoy the sound signature, but it is super noticeable when you listen to a lot of music with bass guitar. The pluck of strings is noticeable, has texture, and is full and fun. In galloping bass from listening to something like Rolling Stones, you definitely see benefits of having this amp in your synergy. It is fun, has attack and details, and just cuts through layers in production.
But if you look for dominant, big, massive bass, this might not be the best option for you. To be honest, side by side with Marantz Model 50, it just does not have this weight and grand scale and scope. It also is a bass that is full and just seeps into the midsection and creates a wonderfully smooth presentation.
And that can be said also for treble, same sentiment. I loved the clean presentation of treble and how it does not color or seep too much into mids. It is more laid back, and if you are a fan of overtly punchy, forward, and very detailed treble, just get speakers that are bright. Just kidding, sure it does help with synergizing with bright speakers. But if you are a fan of more forward presentation, it is good to taper your expectations here. Are there details? Yes. Do they separate well? Yes. But they do stay in the back. They don't expand the sound so much vertically, and they don't feel like a drummer just came into your house to do a live drum solo.
Pairing and Synergy
As far as pairing goes, it is easy to say that this amp is very servile and always easily ready to integrate into any system. Usually, I like to comment here on what kind of system I gravitate towards with gear that I review, but I noticed that this amp complements any kind of speakers. Maybe I personally prefer a bit treble-rich speaker or very midsection-rich speakers like Dali or Kef. But warmer speakers, balanced speakers, or bright speakers can synergize with this amp. It is just what kind of cocktail of sound you like the most. I prefer those neutral that lean to brightness with this amp, but anything goes, honestly.
And to even further explain my joy with this amp, I have to explain two listening scenarios I experienced with it.
Listening Scenario 1 - Skies of America
First one is very dynamically rich compositions of Skies of America by Ornette Coleman. It is an album right after his avant-garde masterpiece Science Fiction. But this one is a bit different as it tries to be this futuristic, almost like composition for a movie. Having this classical music that is being filtered through jazz and avant-garde arrangements to create this grand orchestral, almost biblical in proportions experience with strings, percussions, and pianos going from lowest notes to highest notes requiring experience dynamic-rich gear to fully experience it. And oh boy, did Musical Fidelity help your system deliver that. It was firm, very focused in both bass and treble, not losing itself in very complex compositions, always presenting a lot of details, and yet separating this into listening compartments on the soundstage to always remain rich and clear. It is a joy to listen to something like that from beginning to end and not feel lacking in any way or shape. Is it contrabass pounding and brooding in the background? You can hear it. Will it soaring violin announce the coda of compositions? It always felt that Musical Fidelity, with other talented gear, manages to shave and control, so it does not sound distorted or completely tonally off. Just an amazing experience.
Listening Scenario 2 - Wild God
But if these more strange sound signatures, complex arrangements, and avant-garde executions are just not your cup of tea, let’s take something emotionally charging, something where vocal is the star and anchor of all compositions. Someone with powerful and distinguished vocals. I listened to the newest album from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Wild God. And that album is pure unfiltered emotions. And to get this right, it is all about pairing, as I cannot say that all of this falls on the amp. It also requires you to get a bit forward and open speakers to get this experience. But it did allow Nick Cave’s a bit raspy, bit baritone vocal to have weight and presence. And yet cut through composition, be a star, be a showman to carry emotional weight of the song like Wild God and Songs of Lake. The sound is very ethereal and synth-heavy, so it is important that amp and speaker are able to declutter and separate midsection here. But not iron it out so it feels flat and neutral. And this amp does this with flying colors as it allows everything to be heard and analyzed clearly but also to feel the emotions and richness in vocals to feel and sympathize with what is happening in the song.
Closest modern alternative Arcam Radia A25
The closest alternative to this amp, which is new and modern, is definitely Arcam A25. These two amps are very similar in sonic qualities, but there is something that Arcam does so much better. If you want a sleek modern device with a great DAC and big versatility, including great inputs and outputs, if you want a modern variation of M5si, so yeah, this is the one.
Let’s just quickly discuss Arcam’s sound signature and quality. Arcam also can be considered a more neutral balanced amp, but while Musical Fidelity tends to add a bit of weight to its sound, I think Arcam adds a bit of brightness. So it is rhythmically a bit more capable than Musical Fidelity. It is a G-class amp, which is a more efficient A/B class type of amplifier. And as such, it truly delivers clean sound, a really delicate way to separate instruments that leaves great clarity and transparency in the process. It truly is a detailed amp that leaves a lot of room for breath and soundstage expansion.
It comes with really great 100W in 8 ohms and 165W in 4 ohms, making it capable of driving a large variety of speakers. And it looks nice with its accent of yellow on black. But as I said, the sound is very comparable between these two devices. But I will try to highlight differences and what does one do better than the other. First, the most obvious one is just sheer power between them. Even though it is not a con for either of these devices, it is obvious that M5si packs far more power and is capable of unparalleled drive in this price range. 150W in 8 ohms, 270 in 4... is just massive.
But speaking about massive, if you want bass, it is more commanding definitely on Musical Fidelity, with more precision and weight. But if you want rhythmical consistency, more presence in treble, you can go with Arcam.
There was a tad bit better tonality in Musical Fidelity, while Arcam preserved a bit more transparency. And I can start picking these small differences, but these are amazing amps that deserve your attention, and by your preferences, one will be more for you than the other.
As you can see, there is a lot to love about both, and they are very similar devices. And one can be for you, or the other one can be more for you, but both bring tremendous value in their respective price ranges. If you want a neutral amp that is super versatile with a hint of treble curve, Arcam might be for you. If you want an amp that can drive anything, that has presence and focus, that is detailed, Musical Fidelity might be for you.
Conclusion/Is modern market stagnating?
The conclusion is that while budget options are every year getting better, offering more than their predecessor, the fact is that there are constantly new great options appearing on the market, but the market and innovation are pretty much stagnating. Except for getting more versatile DACs, more future-fi integration with streamers, sonic qualities are stagnating for some time.
This amp is 9 years old, soon it will be 10 years, and still, it is extremely competitive on the market, so much that I don’t see its rivals at all. It is not modern; it is an amp that delivers the most important thing, and that is sonic excellence at an all-around dynamic scale. Quality that exceeds its price range and is capable of rivaling pricier amps. Excellent details, tonality, soundstage, separation, abundance of power, great bass is what you get, and you will be amazed.
So even if this amp is 9 years old, it is most certainly worth your attention and ears.
Pros:
Exceptional Sound Quality:
Neutral yet slightly warm sound signature with weighty lower mids and balanced bass.
Excellent detail and separation, especially in vocals and instruments.
Strong performance with rock, electronic, and dynamic music.
Powerful Amplification:
150W in 8 ohms and 270W in 4 ohms, making it capable of driving almost any speaker with ease.
High dynamic range supports complex compositions without distortion.
Great Value for Money:
Offers performance comparable to amps that are 2–3 times more expensive (e.g., Hegel H190, Yamaha AS1200).
Affordable "end-game" amp for most users.
Flexible Pairing:
Synergizes well with a variety of speaker types, from bright to warm.
Works equally well with audiophile-level music and casual listening.
Minimalist Design:
Clean, understated aesthetic with well-designed controls.
Durability and Longevity:
Remains competitive 9 years after its release.
Cons:
Outdated DAC and Inputs:
The internal DAC is not very versatile, limited to 24-bit/96kHz with minimal digital inputs.
No balanced XLR input, which limits connectivity options for some users.
Adding an external DAC is recommended for modern setups.
Bass and Treble Limitations:
Bass, while detailed, lacks the "massive" weight some listeners might prefer.
Treble presentation is clean but laid back, which might not satisfy fans of forward, punchy highs.
Limited Features:
Few line-level inputs and no modern streaming or wireless integration.
Comparatively modest connectivity for today's standards.
Competition from Modern Alternatives:
Devices like the Arcam Radia A25 offer more modern features, including a better DAC and versatility, albeit with slightly different sound profiles.
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