Audiolab M-ONE stereo amp/DAC arrives in August for £800

We first caught glimpse of the M-ONE at the Bristol Show and then again in Munich at the High End Show, but now it's almost ready to be released to the world. It takes the same compact case from the Audiolab M-DAC and keeps the central OLED display, but that's where the similarities start to veer apart.

While the Audiolab M-DAC is a DAC and headphone amp, the M-ONE adds an integrated stereo amplifer and Bluetooth streaming into the mix. The M-ONE has class AB amplification and delivers a claimed 60W of power.

There are two RCA inputs, plus digital coaxial and optical inputs, and two USB connections - a USB A for Apple devices and a USB B for connecting to your PC or Mac.

There's now support for DSD files, right up to DSD256. As on the new Audiolab M-DAC+ (which we've just tested), there's support for hi-res audio up to 32-bit/384kHz over the USB A connection. The on-board DAC is the ESS9018 K2M, the "little brother" of the ESS9018 eight-channel DAC chip in the M-DAC+.

As well as being at home powering stereo speakers, the M-ONE can also deliver sound to your ears via headphones, thanks to a built-in headphone amplifier - the same one as used in the M-DAC and M-DAC+.

The Audiolab M-ONE will be available to buy from August in black or silver for £800. With a similar price and spec sheet as the Cyrus One, we could be looking at a very interesting head to head in the next few months.

MORE: Audiolab M-DAC+ review

Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff and The Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).