Muse HiFi M5 Ultra Review

November 10, 2024

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Today, we review the Muse HiFi M5 Ultra DAC/AMP with Bluetooth. The retail price is $299 USD.

Disclaimer: HiFiGo sent us the M5 Ultra for this review. As always, I am here to share my honest and unbiased experience with the product.

Muse HiFi is a relatively new contender in the audiophile space but has been quite busy since its inception. The brand operates under Shenzhen Yunke Acoustic Technology Co. Ltd., an innovative enterprise blending research, development, production, and sales of HiFi audio equipment.

Muse HiFi’s journey into the audiophile world began with their in-ear monitor, Power, and has since expanded to include a suite of dongle-type DAC/AMPs. Despite only entering the market in 2022, they’ve been working non-stop, launching a lineup that includes the M1, M3, M3-MkII, M4, and now the flagship M5 Ultra.

In addition to their DAC/AMP lineup, Muse HiFi also offers two IEMs, the ME1 and East 6. However, today’s focus is solely on their latest and most advanced offering, the M5 Ultra. With its competitive price point, the M5 Ultra aims to bring a unique set of features and a couple of industry-firsts to the table. Let’s dive in to see if it lives up to its ambitious claims. The M5 Ultra is available for 299 USD on HiFiGo.

The Muse HiFi M5 Ultra is a portable DAC/AMP offering both wired and wireless usage, featuring dual amplification modes using Raytheon vacuum tubes. The design revolves around the dual JAN6418 miniature pentode tubes, which are quite unique in this price range. Muse HiFi has integrated these tubes into a specifically designed audio circuit, enabling users to switch seamlessly between tube mode for a warmer, more organic sound signature and transistor/solid-state mode for a more linear and neutral presentation.

At the heart of the M5 Ultra lies a DAC that we know like the back of our hands. The ESS ES9038Q2M DAC chip. At this point, every audiophile knows the chip due to its massive success globe-wide. However, for this unit, Muse HiFi collaborated with ESS to create a custom version optimized to work harmoniously with the JAN6418 tubes, compensating for the additional power demands of vacuum tube amplification and finding ways to minimize and eliminate interference, which vacuum tubes are often sensitive to.

The highlight of the M5 Ultra is its wireless capability. As far as I am aware, this is the first wireless-capable device with LDAC that integrates vacuum tubes. With Qualcomm’s QCC5125 Bluetooth chipset, the M5 Ultra is capable of the popular audiophile codecs like the LDAC and aptX Adaptive. Below is a brief overlook of its highlights.

Custom-tuned version of the ESS ES9038Q2M DAC Chipset
x2 Raytheon JAN6418 Pentode Vacuum Tubes
QCC5125 Bluetooth Chipset with LDAC & AptX Adapt.
Electron Tube Shock Absorber Technology
Accusilicon Dual-Independent Crystal Oscillators
Three-Level Gain Mode
Switchable Sound Signature ↓
Tube and Transistor Dual Amplification Modes
10h – 3000mAh Battery with QC4.0+PD Fast-Charging
Integrated Mic
Monochrome OLED Display
Wired & Wireless Modes
Driver is available on MuseHiFi.com. If you’re unable to reach the site, here’s their X / Twitter account.

Packaging & Accessories

The M5 Ultra comes in a very classy package. The leather exterior and nice design resemble mid-to-high-end mechanical watch packaging. When you open the box, you’re immediately greeted by the M5 Ultra. I have to mention that the addition of a glossy black handle to open the box enhances the premium feel. It’s a small but thoughtful detail. The front of the unit has a transparent panel that allows you to see part of the audio PCB. I love naked devices.

The accessories are cleverly placed in a drawer-like compartment at the bottom of this beautiful package. Along with the M5 Ultra, you get a navy blue leather pouch, which is a very appreciated addition, considering its price range. I have to applaud Muse for including it in the package. Many companies opt to sell cases separately for an extra $10, which I find quite cumbersome. Add it to the total cost, save us the hassle. On this front, Muse deserves credit.

In addition to the leather case, the box includes a charging cable, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and a Lightning to USB-C cable for older iPhones. They’ve also thoughtfully included a USB-A to USB-C adapter to ensure backward compatibility with older devices, which is a big positive as many manufacturers moved away from lightning and even USB-A. The interconnect cables are sleeved and have connectors with a stress-relief design for increased lifespan. The cables are jacketed and moderately supple.

Overall, in terms of accessories, the M5 Ultra offers a well-thought-out package with high-quality accessories. The inclusion of the leather case, in particular, earned high marks from us.

Design & Build Quality

The M5 Ultra features a chassis with tempered glass panels on the front and back, encased in a sandblasted aluminum body. To showcase the NOS tubes, the left side has perforated grills that emit a warm glow when the tubes are active. We saw a similar design approach recently on the N3 Ultra, and as I mentioned then, I’ll repeat now: this peak-into-the-tubes- design is visually appealing and aesthetically satisfying to look at and watch. I love it.

On the right side, you’ll find the buttons for controlling the device. Let’s take a closer look at the front and back. Both panels are made of curved tempered glass; the front features a monochrome OLED display integrated into the upper part. The lower part is a transparent window, allowing you to see the audio PCB inside. Whenever I review units with transparent designs, I always mention how much I like these “naked” designs. For me, it’s fascinating to see how a device works -internally- while showing off its usually hidden design elements.

The back of the M5 Ultra is more minimalistic, with the MuseHiFi logo, model name, and various certification badges at the bottom. Note that the control buttons are all on the right side, which is a great convenience for right-handed users. Meanwhile, the left side is almost entirely dedicated to the grilles that provide a view of the tubes. Additionally, there’s a tiny hole on the left side that houses an integrated microphone that allows you to take calls when using the device wirelessly. However, it does not work in wired mode.

Overall, I find the design of the M5 Ultra quite handsome, although I do have a few minor suggestions. First, while the grill patterns are aesthetically pleasing, they could be relocated to cover the tubes completely, as only about 60% of them are visible now with this design. The tactile feedback of the buttons and the overall material quality are impressive, providing a build quality that feels above its price point.

Having all the I/O ports on one side is a practical choice for portability and pocket use. However, using it on a desktop while charging can result in a bit of cable clutter unless you have a longer headphone cable (1.5 meters or more). These are minor quibbles, of course. Overall, the design and build quality of the M5 Ultra exceeded my expectations at this price point.

Technology Inside

In the world of desktop amplifiers, analog tubes are often utilized to add warmth, a richer timbre, and a distinct character to the sound signature. However, incorporating miniature NOS tubes like the JAN6418 into portable audio devices is a relatively new trend. We’ve seen them recently in products like the N3 Ultra DAP, which, similar to the M5 Ultra, offers switchable modes that allow you to engage or disengage the tubes for different sound profiles.

Muse HiFi acknowledges that one of the most common challenges with tube-based amplifiers is signal interference, particularly when it comes to electromagnetic interference from wireless devices. To address this, Muse HiFi collaborated with the ESS factory to customize a “6418” version of the ES9038Q2M DAC chip. This customized architecture is specifically designed to counteract interference from Bluetooth signal transmission, ensuring a clean output free from background noise and electrical interference, Muse HiFi claims.

One of the key challenges with using vacuum tubes in portable gear is that they are incredibly sensitive to physical impact. When the chassis they are enclosed in is tapped or jostled, the tubes can produce a faint ringing sound. It could be a brief or a longer artifact, depending on the complexity of the implemented suspension system of the tubes. This is especially common in miniature tubes like the JAN6418. In my experience with portable tube devices, such as the iBasso PB5 amplifier and Cayin N3 Ultra, manufacturers have implemented suspension systems to reduce this ringing effect, but it’s not entirely eliminated.

Muse HiFi, however, claims to have developed a comprehensive shock absorber solution for the M5 Ultra, incorporating proprietary rubber stabilizers and suspension mounts to isolate the tubes from external vibrations. All of the tube-based portable devices I’ve tested exhibited some degree of ringing, some more pronounced than others. But to my surprise, the M5 Ultra doesn’t produce any microphonic noise, even when tapping the chassis directly on a desk. This is quite impressive, as Muse HiFi’s shock absorber technology appears to provide complete buffering and absorption, eliminating any stethoscopic issues during use.

In terms of power output, the M5 Ultra offers three gain stages (L-M-H), yet oddly, the company hasn’t provided any official measurements. We don’t have exact figures for power delivery into a standard 32-ohm load, which is quite puzzling. Based on my experience, if the Low setting is approximately +0dB, the Medium setting feels like a +6dB boost, and the High goes up to about +9dB. For instance, it drives my U4s comfortably at around 85-90dB on volume step 45 in Low gain mode. After testing it with a few full-sized headphones, I would estimate its output power to be in the range of 300-400mW into a 32-ohm load. I plan to reach out to Muse HiFi for more precise data and will update this section accordingly once confirmed.