THE MUSICAL FIDELITY M8XTT  IS A NEW HIGH-END TURNTABLE INSPIRED BY A MUSICAL FIDELITY LEGEND

The Musical Fidelity M8xTT Turntable is a visually striking high-end turntable, combining high-mass and an isolation-focused design, with a bespoke 10” tonearm, multi-layered plinth and a heavy aluminium platter.

MUSICAL FIDELITY M1

In 2002, then Musical Fidelity owner, Antony Michaelson, approached Heinz Lichtenegger for input on a new concept he was developing. The idea was to produce a true high-end turntable that matched the aesthetic, technical performance and sound characteristics of his amplifiers. The result was the M1, a substantial record player that employed first-class engineering in order to achieve the level of performance Michaelson expected.

Now, Heinz Lichtenegger is revisiting this project as the current owner of Musical Fidelity and is seeking to bring back the turntable as a new model with the benefit of improved, modern skills and materials.

MUSICAL FIDELITY M8XTT TURNTABLE

The M8xTT product features include a dual-acrylic chassis that isolates the motor support from the tonearm mounting. A new Musical Fidelity 10” aluminium tonearm with azimuth and VTA adjustment. A decoupled motor assembly, dual-layer main platter with aluminium joint inserts and height-adjustable feet.

It has RCA and XLR output terminals and a leather mat and heavy aluminium puck are included. The Musical Fidelity M8XTT is handmade in Europe.

DUAL LAYER PLINTH

The M8xTT’s dual-layer plinth is made of non-resonant acrylic, mounted on four height-adjustable magnetic feet with Teflon spacers between the layers. The top layer houses the main bearing spindle and the tonearm mount for complete isolation from the stand-alone drive motor, which rests on the bottom plinth, isolated from the structure by a special foam material. The result is a turntable that by its design, eliminates the transfer of resonances from the surrounding environment and from within itself.

DRIVE MOTOR

The drive motor is connected to the TPE-damped main platter by a silicon drive belt. The platter also boasts a dual-layer construction, joined together by aluminium inserts which improves the flywheel effect as the platter begins to turn. This, in combination with the motor, which also features automatic speed changing between 33 and 45rpm, results in a turntable that is capable of, say Musical Fidelity, “exceptional rotational stability”.

NEW 10” TONEARM

The new 10” tonearm is a completely new model from Musical Fidelity, developed for the M8xTT. The ultra-low resonance design benefits from a conical aluminium tonearm tube and a transparent acrylic bearing ring. The arm is fully adjustable for azimuth and VTA settings, and comes equipped with two TPE-damped counterweights to support cartridges ranging from 6 – 20g. On the back panel are standard RCA phono sockets as well as balanced XLR connections for flexible system building.

MUSICAL FIDELITY M8XTT TURNTABLE TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Speed: 33 / 45rpm (electronic speed change)

Drive Principle: Belt-drive

Platter: 10kg sandwich aluminium platter with aluminium inserts and TPE damping

Platter Bearing: Inverted bearing with ceramic ball tip

Tonearm: 10” Musical Fidelity tonearm

Effective Tonearm Length: 254mm

Effective Tonearm Mass: 17g

Overhang: 16mm

Wow & Flutter: ± 0.05% (33) / ± 0.04% (45)

Speed Drift: ± 0.11% (33) / ± 0.10% (45)

Signal-to-Noise: -78dB

Dimensions (W x H x D): 533 x 245 x 413mm

Weight: 31.5kg

MUSICAL FIDELITY M8XTT PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

M8xTT: £8,249.00 (SRP)

Stock will begin shipping in late 2023. In the UK it will be available through Henley Audio’s dealer network.

Turntable is also available without a pre-mounted tonearm.

HiFi PiG Says: A rather lovely-looking turntable from Musical Fidelity with a strong history behind it.