CEntrance Hi-Fi M8 classic and LX models

I am going to audition the CEntrance Hi-Fi M8 classic or LX portable DAC and headphone amplifier next week. I'm looking at this product because it's easily affordable and it's pretty versatile and flexible. This was co-created by the Head-Fi.Org community a while ago and it's just come up on my radar now. I guess this makes me a bit behind the times.

Anyone here own either model? Thoughts?

This will be the last product that I audition for the next few months unless something really hot becomes a contender in the near future.

Thanks.

 

I listened to it for about 30 minutes earlier this week and I thought it was pretty good for the low price. It has a clean sound that is not colored so long as I don't apply the bass or treble shaping filters. I found a pretty decent synergy with my Sennheiser HD-800 and AKG K 702 headphones. My Shure SE-846 CL, Ultimate Ears Ue-10 PRO and Ue-18 PRO didn't fare as well with a low volume background hiss. I think it's a solid product, but it is a bit bulky for traveling purposes.

 

I got the CEntrance Hi-Fi M8 LX for an in home audition period of three days. It's impressively built to last and it's a bit busy with the front and back options. I read the user's manual carefully. So far, it's got a clean sound signature and it drives my Sennheiser HD-800 headphones with authority. I'm using the AC adapter plugged in at my apartment. This is a nice product with a small yet focused sonic signature that is essentially transparent and neutral with the bass and treble tone shaping turned off. I think it's too big and bulky for mobile applications. This is meant to be a small desktop DAC and headphone amplifier. The bass is well controlled and it's textured with sufficient slam. The mid range is clear and clean; it's essentially not colored. The treble is smooth and airy with a slight bit of roll-off in the top most octaves. The sound stage is smaller and focused with good depth and breadth, but it does not have that out of head sound stage. I could live with this product. The level of resolution and detail retrieval are good, but it's not exceptional. I'm using J River Media Center and I'm feeding it my FLAC loss less 24 bit 192 kHz high resolution music albums and it's impressive. It has a you are there presence and it's quite engaging. The pace, rhythm, and timing are good, but it lacks macro dynamic power and it lacks gilded micro dynamic precision. For its intended design goals and flexible applications, this is a solid product at an affordable price point. This is not reference grade audio by any stretch of the imagination, but it's competent. It commits the sins of omission rather than commission. It allows me to listen to the headphones rather than having to worry about the upstream components in the playback chain.

I'm also testing it with Spotify Premium and my large MP3 music library and it plays low bit rate audio pretty convincingly. There is a loss of high definition compared to high resolution music albums with a softer sound that is a bit imprecise and loose. It lacks the warmth to sweeten the sound of low bit rate audio files because it's essentially a neutral DAC and headphone amplifier. This is like drinking Arabica black coffee that you'll find in the grocery store if that makes any sense. Anyway, it's past midnight so cut me some slack.

I think that it's one of the better products in the $700 - $800 USD price bracket and it's highly competitive in that narrow range. This is no giant killer. It neither makes me want to listen to it for longer periods or it makes me want to try something different. It can be rather unremarkable because it's essentially removes a few layers between the listener and the soul of the music.

I like it, but I am not loving it either. I think that I'll pass on purchasing it. I'll continue to listen to it for the next three days and return it.

 

Actually, I have the CEntrance Hi-Fi M8 LX XL4 model. This has a combo mini, 1/8", and 4 pin XLR headphone output ports. It's quite versatile and flexible. I'm using the USB 2.0 port and I installed the CEntrance Universal Driver to get 24 bit 192 kHz playback of my music. I think that this makes for a fine DAC and headphone amplifier for someone looking for an upscale product priced well under $1,000.00 USD. It's competitive with my Ray Samuels Audio Emmeline HR-2 desktop headphone amplifier, but it's far more features rich, modern, and flexible. What it lacks are a pair of RCA stereo inputs. That's the biggest gripe that I have with this product and why I won't purchase it even though I have the money right now.

 

I just paid for mine. I now own the CEntrance HiFi M8 LX with the optional low gain IEM mod.

 

It has a dual purpose in actual usage. It can function as a small portable reference DAC and headphone amplifier. It can also function as a compact desktop DAC and headphone amplifier. I'm thoroughly impressed by it. I don't use the bass and treble tone shaping options, but I do set the impedance and gain accordingly for my headphones and in-ear monitors. This is a complete package that is versatile, multi-function, and flexible. I like it a lot. The sound performance is good. It's got a clean, neutral, accurate, and transparent portable reference sound. It goes well with my Sennheiser HD-800, AKG K 702, and Shure SE-846 CL along with my Etymotic Research ER-4P with 4S adapter. This is a solid product at an affordable and attractive price point. I can live with this product for a long time. It's got excellent build quality. I strongly recommend this CEntrance Hi-Fi M8 LX XL4 to others especially if they use the optical S/PDIF line in or out features.

I packed up my Resolution Audio Opus 21 music system and Ray Samuels Audio Emmeline HR-2. Now, I know that I was accustomed to an analogue and tube sound which was very seductive for 10 years. This CEntrance Hi-Fi M8 LX XL4 tells the truth plain. It can drive almost any headphone or in-ear monitor with authority.

 

I have to set the volume pot to roughly 11:00 AM position in order to drive my Sennheiser HD-800. I also set the gain and impedance to maximum levels on the back. I turned off the bass and treble tone shaping. It comes with a nice and fairly long transparent USB 2.0 cable and a beefy power adapter with a conventional PC power cord. The unit is fairly chunky in size, but it's light weight. The CEntrance device driver is simple and easy to install. It works with Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional with Media Center Update 1 64 bit. I like the fact that it serves a dual-purpose case usage for home and portable environments. So far, my MP3s sound just like low bit rate lossy music files. With high resolution music albums, it's much better with greater instrument separation, imaging, sound stage, etc. I really like this product even though it's a bit pricey. You get what you pay for. There's a numerous number of features and the price is very fair for the sound performance. I like it and I can live with it for a very long time.

My next step is to continue to save up my money to get either the Oppo Digital HA-1 or the Chord Hugo later this year. I want a true reference grade DAC and headphone amplifier that will beat the pants off of my Resolution Audio Opus 21 music system and my Ray Samuels Audio Emmeline HR-2 headphone amplifier.

 

I figured out that the CEntrance Universal driver ensures bit-perfect output using ASIO in J River Media Center 20. Now, I have to ensure that Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional with Media Center Update 1 64 bit outputs 24 bit 44100 kHz or 192100 kHz based on my music source. If I get the sample rate wrong, then I can't play YouTube videos or high resolution music albums. I enabled the headphone output to standard cross-feed and that helps with the weird blobs in my head imaging effects. It's not bit-perfect with this mode of headphone cross-feed enabled, but it makes the music more enjoyable for a longer listening period that doesn't cause me to become fatigued.

 

I'm an idiot! I forgot to plug in the power adapter into my uninterruptible power supply using the surge protector side of AC outlets and my CEntrance battery died. I plugged it back in and power cycled the CEntrance. Now, I'm listening to music 24/7/365 when connected directly to an AC outlet. This is a power portable reference audio DAC and headphone amplifier. It's driving my Sennheiser HD-800 and AKG K 702 headphones with authority. It's a bit pricey, but I can afford it.

I think that what I'm going to do is to keep saving up my money and I'll get the Chord Hugo. I want a dual-purpose portable DAC and headphone amplifier. The Chord Hugo is light years ahead of the CEntrance. You do get what you pay for in audio. I miss the Chord Hugo very much. Still, the CEntrance is a very nice product. It's got a neutral and smooth sound especially with high resolution music. It's a solid choice.

 

This CEntrance lacks the microdynamic details compared to my Resolution Audio Opus 21 music system. It's got good resolution and detail retrieval, but that's about it. It's really quiet even with my sensitive in-ear monitors. It's very accurate and tonally pure. I don't miss my big rig system with this CEntrance. Since it's so neutral, it synergizes well with almost all of my headphones and in-ear monitors. This was a good purchasing decision. It's a bit unexpected as I thought I would get something else that's significantly more expensive and features rich, but this was an impulse buy and I don't regret it one bit. I do recommend it to others looking for a high end portable DAC and headphone amplifier with reference grade audio sound quality. The battery life is pretty decent at five to six hours without the power adapter plugged in. I'll keep this product for a long time.

 

After listening to it for a few days, I've cogitated some conclusions. The resolution and detail retrieval are excellent. I find myself listening to nuances in the music that I didn't hear with my Resolution Audio Opus 21. It makes Red Book CD 16 bit 44.1 kHz sound more like high resolution music. It does not up or over sample though unless I tell J River Media Center 20 to perform sample rate conversion which I haven't done so yet. It has a fairly wide and deep soundstage especially with my Sennheiser HD-800 headphones. Listening to Enya's The Memory of Trees, I get a big and three dimensional sound stage. The pace, rhythm, and timing are quite excellent as well. It has no problems driving my headphones or in-ear monitors with ample power reserves on tap. The macro dynamics are powerful with wide swings between the softest and loudest sounds being smooth and coherent. It lacks the pivot point of much more expensive desktop reference grade DACs and headphone amplifiers like the Sennheiser HDVD 800 or portable products like the Chord Hugo though. It also lacks the hyper level of resolution and detail retrieval of those expensive products. It also lacks the very wide dynamic range and it sounds a bit congealed in comparison to the HDVD 800 and Chord Hugo. Those much more expensive products have much stronger pivot points that give it a more powerful and wider macro dynamic characteristic. It makes music sound more like live music especially the Chord Hugo. The bass, mid range, and treble on the CEntrance is quite evenly balanced with clean tonality. Nothing sticks out of place. It's easily one of the best portable reference grade DAC and headphone amplifiers under $1,000.00 USD on the market that I've auditioned and recently purchased. This is a pricey product. I could have gone with a less expensive Ray Samuels Audio portable DAC and headphone amplifier, but I wanted to get this CEntrance Hi-Fi M8 LX XL4 because it was produced with input from the Head-Fi.Org community and it's an American audio company.

With high resolution 24 bit 192 kHz music, it shines brightly. Everything scales up dramatically with more of the goodness being heard. It's definitely designed to exploit high resolution PCM music sources as much as possible at under $1,000.00 USD.

This is a pretty special product. I'm happy with it, but I'm not going nuts over it either. It definitely improves the sound quality of low bitrate MP3s quite a bit which constitutes the bulk of my music library. I haven't found a pair of headphones or in-ear monitors that I currently own that it can't drive with authority yet.

At this point, I am narrowing down my choices to either the Sennheiser HDVD 800 or the Chord Hugo for my next major purchase sometime in late December 2014 or early January 2015. I prefer the Sennheiser HDVD 800 because it offers dual symmetrical and asymmetrical headphone outputs so I can purchase a AES/XLR 4 pin balanced Sennheiser stock headphone cable, but the Chord Hugo is a game changer and it's a unique product with much more desirable features like 32 bit 384 kHz DXD decoding, DSD 64/128 decoding, and Bluetooth 2.1 A2DP with the AptX protocol. It also sounds more stunning with a much much higher degree of resolution and sound fidelity compared to the HDVD 800 which makes it sound duller to my ears even though I know it isn't.

I've modernized my technology this year. I bought a new Lenovo IdeaPad Y510P notebook PC with Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional with Media Center Update 1 64 bit notebook PC. I bought J River Media Center 20 and Illustrate's dBPowerAMP 15 Reference + Perfect Tunes. I bought Spotify Premium. I got the Shure SE-846 CL in-ear monitors. I also got the Sennheiser HD-800 headphones. I bought my CEntrance Hi-Fi M8 LX XL4 portable DAC and headphone amplifier. Next, I have to choose between the Sennheiser HDVD 800 or Chord Hugo as an end of the year purchase. Essentially, I'm done with physical discs. My Lenovo PC doesn't have a built-in optical disc drive. I packed up my Resolution Audio Opus 21 CD player. I use my PC as a source component. I either purchase MP3 music albums or stream Spotify Premium using Vorbis 320 kbps.

I have to keep saving up my money. Today, I should get an extra $220.00 USD in cash as extra income to end August 2014 on the positive side of the ledger. I should have more than enough money to purchase a Chord Hugo on December 29th, 2014 or January 4th, 2015 if I choose to get it. I like it's dual-purpose usage as a true reference grade audio quality desktop and portable DAC and headphone amplifier. When I heard it, it literally reprogrammed my mind as to just how far audio technology has evolved over the past 10 years since I last purchased my Resolution Audio Opus 21 music system and Ray Samuels Audio Emmeline HR-2 products. It has changed a lot in 10 years!

 

I recently purchased Bruce Springsteen's High Hopes. I got it from HD Tracks at 24 bits 192 kHz PCM. I also bought the Compact Disc version at 16 bits 44.1 kHz. I also bought the MP3 music album at 256 kbps joint stereo MP3. Using my Sennheiser HD-800 and CEntrance Hi-Fi M8 LX XL4, I can clearly hear the differences. The high resolution music album sounds superior with a wider, deeper, and more densely layered sound stage. Imaging is precise with great instrument separation and clarity. The resolution is astounding. It literally sounds like live music or at least Mr. Springsteen's intended goal of getting the consumer or audiophile in my case closer to his music and message. The CD version is quite good, but it lacks the you are there presence of the high resolution version. The MP3 version sounds the worst with noticeable artifacts and heavy compression. It sounds flat and lifeless in comparison to the CD and especially the high resolution versions of the same albums.

Of course, this should not surprise anyone including myself.

I paid $25 USD for the high resolution version. I paid $10 USD for the Compact Disc version. I paid $9.95 USD for the MP3 version. Mr. Springsteen is earning his paycheck from me on the High Hopes album. It's a great album that is his comeback album from his disaster known as Wrecking Ball which was widely panned as a flop.

So, there it is.

 

When I get the Sennheiser HDVD 800 or Chord Hugo, I'll relisten to Bruce Springsteen's High Hopes album versions again and report back. I should expect to say that it will sound far superior, but the gestalt of my previous comments should hold true and consistent with higher reference grade DACs and headphone amplifiers. I'm focusing on the Chord Hugo and it's going to take me an extra couple of weeks to afford it. It's coming though.

 

I should also point out that audiophiles usually purchase high resolution music albums at premium prices. None of my family members, relatives, or friends purchase high resolution music albums because the prices are high. It's simple economics. I've learned a long time ago that if audiophiles support a new codec or format, it's destined to fail among mainstream consumers. I don't see normal people spending the kinds of money that we do here at SHMF for expensive audio components and music content. We're a small and elite coterie here. This is why I am of the opinion that high resolution is a massive failure and it will remain a niche forever. I don't see many other people with Sennheiser HD-800 headphones or Sennheiser HDVD 800 or Chord Hugo. I'm the only audiophile that I know of here in Nutley, New Jersey. Until the record labels decide to reduce their prices for high resolution music content dramatically, it will remain unattainable for most music consumers.

MP3s still rule the roost. That is if you are old school and you pay for your music content and you collect albums and tracks. Most people have transitioned to music streaming services because it's such a low price for tens of millions of tracks. Ownership of private music libraries is dying in face of music streaming services. Broadband penetration in the United States is pretty high and it doesn't require very high bandwidth to stream lossy music content.

 

I love this product a lot. It's not unique, but it has a compelling set of features and the sound performance is excellent for the price. I love the neutral, flat, accurate, and transparent tonal balance. It gets out of the way and let's me hear the music as it was intended to be heard especially with high resolution loss less music albums. I'm really happy with it and I plan to keep it for a long time.

 

My MP3 music library sounds like audio nirvana with this CEntrance product! I LOVE MP3s forever and ever after! MP3 is the best audio codec in the universe period! I can store tens of thousands of tracks or several thousands of music albums with MP3s for relatively modest disk space. I bought this product just to make my MP3s sound divine and they do! Loss less is useless. It's a scam and a fraud by record labels to fleece their customers by re-purchasing the same music over and over again in new formats and codecs. I am a very hard core militant MP3 advocate for life! Great success!

 

My CEntrance continues to impress by doing nothing wrong to the music. This is a high end portable reference DAC and headphone amplifier. It synergizes well with almost any type of headphone or in-ear monitor. The clean, neutral, and accurate reference sound makes it sound like a chameleon. Low bit rate MP3s sound flat and compressed like they should without sugarcoating the sound. If it's in the recording, then I'll hear it. I can actually tell the difference in sound quality and spaciousness between tracks. This is worth its weight in silver. I really like it a lot! I strongly recommend it to others looking for a similar product and price range.

 

One of the things that this product excels at is detail retrieval. It preserves microdynamics quite well and it doesn't get lost in the music. It allows the textures, body, and definition of the music to remain audible without drawing too much attention to the smallest of sounds. Using sensitive in-ear monitors, it becomes more apparent that this is a high resolution portable reference DAC and headphone amplifier. Thus, it conveys more realism and a more natural sound to the music. I have to listen to music at night using my HD-800s to be able to hear these finer qualities in the music. Using my Etymotic Research ER-4P/S, I can definitely hear much more detail and resolution in the music as if I'm in the studio booth while the music is being played live for recording. It's really uncanny to find an audio product that strikes the right balance between detail and resolution without sacrificing natural sound. I think that is what makes the CEntrance so special. This was clearly designed to drive most of the different types of full-sized headphones, but it is equally aplomb with in-ear monitors just as well.

This gives me a taste of the high end desktop DACs and headphone amplifiers for a much lower cost for now. I'm definitely keeping this product as its' usefulness and features set are unmatched at this price point.

 

This is one of the best portable DAC and headphone amplifiers that I've auditioned and later purchased in more than 10 years. It really gets out of the way of the music yet it sounds so musical at the same time. I'm listening to Sting's Brand New Day music album and it conveys the purity and natural sound. It's quite musical and magical at the same time. I think that this is one of the finest products in its price range. I could have done a lot worse by choosing another product. Strongly recommended!

 

I can see you really like yours.

I have the classic with mini balanced jack. No complaints about the sound which is top notch. The case is kind of BIG and feels like there is space for a larger battery which it needs. I understand the battery will also charge the iPod when connected? Anyway no regrets buying this DAC/amp. While the footprint is quite large it is still less bulky than separate components.

 

No. The battery will not charge an Apple iPod, iPad, or iPhone unless you connect your CEntrance HiFi-M8 to the AC outlet. Then, it will charge both units together.

 

I just plugged in my Etymotic Research ER-4P with 4S adapter into my CEntrance HiFi-M8 LX XL4. I set the gain and impedance to the highest levels. The sound is crystal clear with oodles of resolution and detail retrieval. The sound stage is rather limited and closed, but it has precision imaging and instrument separation. It's such a clean sound that sounds so synergistic together. I'm listening to Aaron Copeland's Appalachian Spring and it's beautiful, grand, and visionary. I also really like the -42 dB passive sound isolation especially at night when it's quieter in my neighborhood. I'm becoming a night owl and this is a great way to spend the nights listening to my favorite music using my audiophile headphone or earphone system. This is why I never sold my CEntrance or Etymotic products. I knew this would be a fantastic portable reference grade audio system. Thanks to the low-gain IEM modification done by CEntrance directly, I get a black background with low impedance and high efficiency in-ear monitors. Copeland's music shines brightly like a star in the night sky. It's truly spectacular and I enjoy American classical composers quite a bit. The sound is just pristine with no degradation or sonic compromises just as it should be for these pricey products. It costs $1,000.00 USD for this combination and it sounds fantastic. I have achieved audio nirvana, but I'm not done yet with upgrading my mobile audio system. I'm definitely planning to get either a Sennheiser HDVD 800 for my HD 800 headphones or a Chord Hugo by the end of this year. That will be my last audio component that I plan to purchase for years to come. I'm focusing on building my music collection and I'm buying plenty of music with the help of family members, relatives, and friends that donate their CD collections to me.

 

I have found that my CEntrance HiFi-M8 LX XL4 is best paired with neutral reference grade headphones and in-ear monitors. It will reveal the pros and cons of virtually any headphone or in-ear monitor that connects to it. The sound is pure and natural in tone which I especially love about it. It is like a chameleon and it lets me concentrate on the headphone or in-ear monitor. The one fault that it shares in terms of sound quality is it has excellent resolution and detail retrieval, but it is not exceptional because the AKM DAC is not capable of DXD or DSD decoding. That being said, it is plenty accurate enough for me. I feel like I can hear into the music with fewer distortions and it delivers a very satisfactory listening session.

Toward the end of 2014, I plan to get the Chord Hugo to eclipse it. The level of sound performance will trump the CEntrance product by leaps and bounds as it should for the steep price of the product.

The best headphone for the CEntrance is the Sennheiser HD 800. The best in-ear monitor is the Etymotic Research ER-4S. The level of accuracy is just stunning. It really allows for close listening sessions where I feel a deeper connection to the music.