With the Musical Fidelity B1xi, the manufacturer revives its legendary audiophile B-series.
The concept behind Musical Fidelity’s B-series amplifiers has always been simple: uncompromising sound, high-quality components under the hood, and a clear focus on the essentials. That same philosophy is reflected in the new Musical Fidelity B1xi, once again aimed at audiophiles who, according to the manufacturer, value clean, dynamic sound — and without unnecessary digital extras. The entire design is analog, with a fully discrete amplifier stage. It features a Class A/B output stage that delivers up to 60 watts into 8 ohms, 100 watts into 4 ohms, or 140 watts into 2 ohms. A preamp output makes bi-amping possible. The power supply includes an oversized toroidal transformer paired with large capacitors.
Volume is controlled via a motorized potentiometer. While there’s no digital signal processing in the preamp or power amp paths, this is still a thoroughly modern amplifier. It offers HDMI ARC, coaxial and optical digital inputs, and even Bluetooth 5.1. The DAC used is the ESS9018 chip. One handy detail is the 5V USB-C port, which can be used to power a streamer, for example. Internally, the analog and digital PCBs are physically separated. Everything is housed in a solid metal chassis with a thick aluminum front panel.
Best of all? The price of the Musical Fidelity B1xi is very reasonable: €799.