Audiolab M-DAC nano
Perhaps you're drawn to the idea of using a DAC to improve your music's sound quality for on-the-go listening, but you can't be doing with a wired connection. Well, this could be what you've been looking for.
The M-DAC nano is a tiny unit, barely bigger than a custard-cream biscuit. It’s light too, weighing in at just 28g. Being small and light are major plus points for portability, but the nano’s biggest advantage over rivals such as the Dragonfly or the Astell & Kern is that the connection with your device is done wirelessly, in this case by apt X Bluetooth (v4.2).
Wireless flexibility
This wireless link removes the need to tether your device physically to the DAC and takes portability to a new level. It can be in a different pocket to your source, for example, and positioned wherever is convenient to connect the leads from your headphones.
Audiolab even provides a faux-leather belt-clip to make things easier. A built-in microphone allows hands-free calls when connected to a smartphone and can also be used to work Siri or Google assistant.
While its rivals will take power from your device – reducing power reserves in the process – the nano has a built-in rechargeable battery, which is claimed to give eight hours' use from a full twohour charge. The DAC will power down after 10 minutes of inactivity to preserve power, and there’s also a neat wireless charging pad included in the box.
Unlike the original M-DAC – its older, purely domestic brother – this device uses a Cirrus Logic CS43130 DAC chip, something that’s designed for lowpower-consumption applications. The specs make impressive reading, with the Audiolab able to up-sample the incoming signal to 32-bit/384khz (at the press of a button) before converting to analogue.
Build quality is neat, though the requirement for low weight – important in a portable product – means that the casework, though well built and finished, doesn’t feel particularly substantial.
The controls are limited to a 64-step rotary volume cog that also controls the play/pause and skip functions depending on how many times it is pressed, and a small button marked ‘f’ which performs multiple functions such as on/off, Bluetooth pairing and changing the sampling frequency.
Oddly, the nano defaults to turning upsampling off when you change source or your device awakes from sleep mode. This can prove a little frustrating once you’ve realised that upsampling sounds better and delivers a bolder, more spacious balance. If you want to reselect it though, be aware that battery life takes a 30 per cent hit due to the extra processing involved when upsampling.
The question of Bluetooth
If we had doubts about the nano, they were about the effect Bluetooth may have on its sound quality. At £139, it has to offer a significant sonic upgrade from plugging the headphones straight into your device. Being reliant on Bluetooth, even of the apt X variety, could hamper that somewhat.
We use the DAC with our iphone 12 Pro and Macbook, and it doesn’t take long to realise that it offers a notably superior sound to both devices. We use a range of headphones from Klipsch's T5M Wired and the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0s to Beyerdynamics’ T1 Mk II – the nano supports 8-300 ohm loads.
The T1 Mk IIS in particular aren’t an obvious match, being pricey, domestic models, but they’re immensely revealing, not to mention insensitive, so provide a stern load for the Audiolab to drive.
A marked improvement
We listen to alt-j’s All This Is Yours and are impressed with the solidity of the presentation and the marked improvement in bass punch and power over our source components. Not only does the nano drive our headphones louder, but it adds a notable degree of refinement to the sound. Detail levels are good too, the Audiolab keeping a tight leash on the various instrumental strands through the album’s dense production.
We switch to Stravinsky’s The Rite Of Spring and the nano responds with wideranging dynamics and a pleasing dose of rhythmic drive. Tonally, things are nicely balanced, with no part of the frequency range demanding undue attention.
It’s an exciting and entertaining performance, one that’s comparable to the likes of Audioquest’s Dragonfly Red (p48). That’s some compliment, considering the Dragonfly is hardwired to your device and the Audiolab isn’t.
If you’ve got a good pair of wired headphones and want to improve your sound on the move then the M-DAC nano makes a mighty strong case. We can’t think of a similarly priced alternative that is so convenient, yet so capable.