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Musical Fidelity MX-VYNL
MX-VYNL - Overview
The MX-VYNL is a fully balanced, very high performance phono stage, able to operate with virtually any moving coil or moving magnet cartridge. With both traditional RCA inputs and our unique XLR fully balanced connection the MX-VYNL can be connected to 2 turntables simultaneously.
The MX-VNYL offers a wide range of input impedance settings for moving coil cartridges as well as several capacitance settings for moving magnet units. Unlike many of our competitors units the MX-VYNL allows easy adjustment of these settings while playing. This allows easy experimentation and tuning to find the optimum setting for all your equipment.
The MX-VYNL also includes our renowned RIAA correction that offers extremely accurate results to beyond 80kHz. That may sound extreme, but there is a good deal of information above 20 kHz that needs correction. If it isn’t corrected, it will show itself as ringing and overshoot.
With both extraordinarily low noise and exceptional overload margin the MX-VYNL can comfortably handle even the most demanding of cartridges and satisfy the most discerning of listeners.
MX-VYNL in brief
- Fully balanced XLR and traditional RCA inputs
- Fully balanced XLR and traditional RCA outputs
- Fully isolated inputs allow for switching between two turntables at once
- Adjustable input impedance on MC whilst it is playing
- Adjustable capacitance on MM whilst it is playing
- Very wide overload margin
- Accurate RIAA to beyond 80kHz
- Incredible noise ratio
- Low impedance output
- State of the art SMD technology
- Beautiful aesthetics and build quality
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Professional Reviews 91/100
Deliciously Crispy
Sound Quality
91/100
Cartridge Compatibility
94/100
Build Quality
85/100
Value for Money
93/100
The MX-VYNL brings vinyl alive with a warm, finely resolved midrange, a quiet backdrop, and punchy, spacious dynamics. HomeTheaterHifi found it clean, revealing, and exceptionally configurable, while Analogholic praised its lush instrumental tone and organized staging. With adjustable loading, gain, and fully balanced connectivity, it is a compelling MM/MC phono stage for ambitious analogue systems.
What Reviewers Are Saying
Pros
Warm, clean, and richly detailed midrange gives vocals and instruments natural body without harshness.
Quiet background supports punchy dynamics, sharply rendered transients, and spacious, well-organized imaging.
Extensive MM/MC loading, selectable gain, and balanced input/output make it highly adaptable across cartridges and systems.
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Cons
Mains-frequency interference limited ultimate measured noise performance in one review.
In one system, bass was slightly full and loose, while treble was clear but somewhat attenuated.
A suitable mini-XLR cable for balanced turntable connection may be difficult to source.
SOUND QUALITY PERFORMANCE 91/100
Reviewers found the MX-VYNL clean, revealing and highly musical, combining a notably quiet background with warm, full mids and strong spatial organization. Its presentation is not entirely neutral in every system: one review heard slightly subdued highs and bass that could be a little full and loose, while also finding its transients and detail highly impressive.
Transparency Noise Floor
89/100
Analogholic repeatedly describes a quiet background from which instruments and images emerge clearly, praising the freedom it gives to dynamics and resolution. HomeTheaterHifi did identify mains-frequency-related noise as a limit on ultimate performance, and its measurements fell short of the maker's published noise figures, though they remained respectable.
Tonal Balance Musicality
91/100
The prevailing character is smooth, warm and inviting without giving up definition: Analogholic particularly praises the beautiful, lush but clean midrange and natural saxophone and guitar tones. HomeTheaterHifi heard harshness disappear from the upper mids and treble, but noted clear yet somewhat attenuated highs and bass that could be slightly too full and loose.
Dynamics
92/100
Reviewers heard explosive drum solos, punchier percussion, sharp transients and strong rendering of low-level rhythmic nuance. HomeTheaterHifi found some passages marginally less dynamic than expected, but still impressive, and also praised the unit's substantial overload margin in both MM and MC operation.
Soundstage Imaging
91/100
Analogholic reports well-organized, layered staging, convincingly localized drumsticks and images that seem to leap out of a quiet background. HomeTheaterHifi likewise heard a very wide soundstage on "Unsquare Dance," with claps lingering more spatially than through its comparison setup.
Assessments of Build Quality, Usability, and Overall Propositions.
Cartridge Compatibility
94/100
The MX-VYNL accommodates both moving-magnet and moving-coil cartridges, with selectable balanced or RCA inputs and both RCA and XLR outputs. Reviewers highlight adjustable MM capacitance and MC impedance during playback, and HomeTheaterHifi describes it as configurable for nearly any cartridge and turntable combination.
Build Quality
85/100
The review evidence speaks most clearly to practical electrical execution: balanced connections and an outboard supply are intended to help keep interference away from low-level phono signals. HomeTheaterHifi's measurements found respectable noise performance, although not the published figures, and the reviews say little about chassis construction or long-term durability.
Value for Money
93/100
At approximately $899, HomeTheaterHifi calls the price quite reasonable and says it is difficult to find much fault, suggesting it should not become the weak link until the rest of the vinyl front end costs many times more. Analogholic also calls it a very good under-$1,000 contender and a strong bargain for the money.
Reviews
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Authorized dealers for Musical Fidelity MX-VYNL
- The Music Room — online and in-store — Erie, Colorado, United States (website)
- Abt Electronics — online and in-store — Glenview, Illinois, United States (website)
- Accessories 4 less — online and in-store — Apopka, Florida, United States (website)
- Acoustic Sounds — online and in-store — Salina, Kansas, United States (website)
- Acton Gate Audio — online and in-store — Cymru, United Kingdom (website)
- Alta Fedelta — online and in-store — Lombardia, Italy (website)
- Analogue Seduction — online and in-store — Whittlesey, England, United Kingdom (website)
- Area Hifi — online and in-store — L'Eixample, Comunidad Valenciana, Spain (website)
- Art & Voice — online (website)
- Audio Advisor — online and in-store — Michigan, United States (website)
and 150 more verified dealers