Escape M1 Air
Compact yet musically assured, the timing, clarity and expansive presentation of the M1 Air make streaming feel vivid and surprisingly refined. The Ear Editor highlights its engaging optical output, strong detail and deep bass, while the rich feature set—AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Roon and multi-room support—adds serious appeal at this price.
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Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
90/100
Build Quality
82/100
Features Connectivity
93/100
Value for Money
94/100
Pros
Excellent timing and rhythmic drive, with lively, engaging playback that keeps music flowing.
Strong detail retrieval and transparency, with clear imaging and air around cymbals.
Very capable feature set for a small streamer, including AirPlay 2, Chromecast, Roon Endpoint, Spotify Connect and multi-room support.
Good value, delivering impressive performance for the price compared with many streamers under £500.
Cons
The analogue output is less refined in the treble than a good external DAC.
The sound balance is slightly upper-mid forward rather than fully neutral.
Casework is modest, with little budget spent on fancy enclosure materials.
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What Reviewers Are Saying
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 90/100
Reviewers describe a lively, engaging sound with strong timing, good transparency, and a wide, enveloping presentation. The main caveat is that the analogue output is less refined in the treble than a good outboard DAC, and the balance is described as slightly upper-mid forward rather than fully neutral.
Transparency Resolution
90/100
The M1 Air is called 'remarkably good at detail for the money' and is credited with 'a good sense of transparency' plus 'plenty of air around cymbals.' Reviewers also note strong depth of image and emotional expression, though the analogue output is said to be less refined than a good outboard DAC.
Tonal Balance Musicality
88/100
The tonal balance is described as very even overall, with a slight upper-mid emphasis that helps spoken word clarity without getting in the way of music. Reviewers repeatedly emphasise how entertaining and engaging it sounds, though the analogue output treble is not as thrilling as the digital side.
Dynamics
92/100
Dynamics and timing are a clear strength: reviewers praise the 'remarkably strong' sense of timing, 'real snap' from drums, and the way the music keeps them listening longer than intended. Despite the modest, compact design, it comes across as lively and rhythmically assured.
Soundstage Imaging
90/100
The M1 Air is described as producing a 'large enveloping sound' with modern, reverberant recordings, and it also brings out depth of image well. One reviewer even notes that an upgraded power supply opened the soundstage further, suggesting there is real space and scale here.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Build Quality
82/100
Reviewers do not dwell on heavy-duty construction or luxury casework, and one explicitly notes that Escape did not spend much of the budget on fancy casework. That said, the product is described as compact and carefully focused on the electronics rather than the enclosure.
Features Connectivity
93/100
This is extremely well equipped for a small streamer: Wi-Fi streaming, Chromecast built-in, AirPlay 2, Roon Endpoint, Spotify Connect, Bluetooth 5.0, and app control are all mentioned. It also includes volume control and broad casting support from native apps, giving it a much wider reach than a basic minimalist streamer.
Value for Money
94/100
At roughly £200-£250, reviewers present it as an inexpensive way into streaming that sounds far better than its size and price suggest. The praise is especially strong in the context of what else is available under £500, where it is framed as offering unusually impressive performance for the money.
Reviews & Sources
Professional reviews and sources for this product's Watt'n Potatoes analysis.
Online Reviews & Mentions
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Specifications
- Audio Streaming
- Hi-Res Multi-Room audio streaming (192KHZ/24-bit) over WIFI Chromecast built-in, AirPlay2, Roon Endpoint and Spotify Connect Lossless Audio Codec, Flac, APE and DSD support
- Digital Interface
- Customized ESCAPE REMOTE APP for both iOS and Android
- AirPlay 2 Chipset
- Apple AirPlay 2 chipset
- Output
- Combined 3.5mm analog + digital optical toslink output
- Preamp Output Voltage
- 1 Volt default set for use with the P9 2 Volts when the HIFI installation requires a higher output voltage
- WIFI
- 1 x 1 Dual Band 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
- THD + Noise
- < 0.06%
- Frequency Range
- 20Hz - 20KHz
- Bluetooth
- Bluetooth 5.0
- Product Dimensions
- 89mm (L) x 45mm (W) x 18.9mm (H)
Manufacturer's Description — Escape
When a problem becomes an idea
Premium Hi-Fi systems are bought to be enjoyed for years. So a lot of people don't want to part with their devices, even if they are not really up to date in terms of high-resolution wireless audio streaming anymore.
That is why we developed the M1 Air streaming DAC. A universal module that can be easily connected to most HI-FI systems and supports 192kHz / 24-bit hi-res audio files.
The M1 Air is equipped with Chromecast built-in, AirPlay 2, Roon, Spotify Connect and Bluetooth 5.0. This allows you to easily stream music services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Qobuz, airable internet radio or podcasts from a smartphone or other mobile device.
Also the P9, the top model of the P series, can be expanded with the M1 AIR module. For this purpose a special compartment is provided under the keyboard that is already equipped with a separate audio input (AUX2) and a USB power supply connection.
A new firmware version (MCU 3.26) must be installed on the P9 to be compatible with the M1 Air. Download the file below and install it on an empty USB drive. Turn on the P9. Place the USB drive with the firmware update into the P9 USB input. The P9 will power off and power on again (all LEDs on the keyboard will turn back on). The unit has been updated.
Play music in every room of your house
Wherever you have a good wireless WIFI network available, several M1 Air's can be linked together to form a hi-res multi-room audio system. Its small design footprint allows it to be easily placed anywhere in the house and offers a wide variety of streaming options.
However, you don't have to purchase a complete system right away. You can start by connecting an M1 Air to the existing HI-FI system and later expand with, for example, the P6 Air or P9 (equipped with an M1 Air).
One application for the entire Escape range.
Use all possibilities via the Escape® Remote application for your smartphone or tablet.
Verified Dealers
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Authorized dealers for Escape M1 Air
- Acoustic Streams — in-store — Lower Drift, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Alpha High End — online and in-store — Brasschaat, Vlaams Gewest, Belgium (website)
- AUDIO 2000 — in-store — Wuppertal, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany (website)
- Audio Influence — online and in-store — Fitzroy North, Victoria, Australia (website)
- AudioPerformance — online and in-store — Stenkullen, Västra Götalands län, Sweden (website)
- AUDIOPHILE HIFI — online and in-store — Tours, Centre-Val de Loire, France (website)
- Auditorium — in-store — Hamburg-Mitte, Hamburg, Germany (website)
- AV.com — online and in-store — Bacup, England, United Kingdom (website)
- B&H Photo — online and in-store — New York, New York, United States (website)
- Blackwood Sound — online and in-store — Marion, South Australia, Australia (website)
and 29 more verified dealers