Disc Players

Although the Michi Q5 employs a single ESS ES9028PRO DAC its technical performance largely mirrors, or exceeds, that measured for the Michi P5 S2 preamp [HFN May ’24] with its dual-DAC implementation. Both products employ the same ‘fast’ minimum phase digital filter that offers a 76dB stopband rejection (94dB with CD) albeit with a far flatter response in the Q5 that reaches out to +0.02/20kHz, –0.13/45kHz and –0.25dB/90kHz with CD/48kHz, 96kHz and 192kHz media, respectively. Tellingly, both the Q5 and P5 S2’s output impedance rises below 100Hz, to 625ohm and 380ohm (re. 20Hz), respectively, while digital jitter is also a little ‘untidy’ for an ESS DAC in both units, though not worryingly high at just 75psec [black spectrum, Graph 2]. The result for CD at 135psec is largely accounted for by the 16-bit J-Test pattern [red spectrum, with markers].

The Q5 offers a healthy 4.8V (balanced) output, less than the P5 S2’s maximum 6.1V, but bests the latter’s 107dB A-wtd S/N ratio with a full 115.5dB. Low-level resolution is not quite in the same class, but is good to ±0.1dB over the top 100dB of its dynamic range. The Q5’s distortion is necessarily lower with 24-bit data over USB than 16-bit via CD at mid levels [0.0015% vs. 0.0047% re. 1kHz/–30dBFs, see Graph 1] while its peak level distortion of 0.0003%/1kHz is comparable to that of the P5 S2. At higher frequencies, however, the Q5 again bests the P5 S2’s 0.0095% with a lower 0.002% (all re. 20kHz/0dBFs), just as its stereo separation is ~10dB wider through mid and treble (99dB vs. 88dB re. 20kHz, respectively). Clearly, there are differences beyond simple component selection in the engineering – and ‘tuning’ – of these two products’ analogue output stages which contributes to their distinct sonic characters. PM