Millennia Media imersiv D1

yyzsantabarbara OP - thanks, I'd love to take you up on that offer & visit after the holidays. 

I'm open to all options - while I do like what the L8500 brings to my system, I'll definitely consider the alternatives.

Happy holidays!

 

ChatGPT Explain

F0 Fast Roll-off Linear Phase (default) 
F1 Slow Roll-off Linear Phase 
F2 Apodizing Fast Roll-off Linear Phase 
F3 Fast Roll-off Minimum Phase 
F4 Slow Roll-off Minimum Phase 
F5 Hybrid Fast Roll-off Minimum Phase

These labels describe digital reconstruction filters inside a DAC.
They all do the same job (rebuild a smooth analog waveform from discrete samples), but they make different trade-offs between frequency response, time behavior, and ringing.

I’ll explain this in plain language first, then get a bit technical.

---

Big picture (what these filters change)

Digital filters mainly affect:

1. Ringing (tiny ripples around transients)

2. Phase behavior (timing accuracy vs symmetry)

3. High-frequency roll-off (how close to Nyquist the response stays flat)

None of these change bass, volume, or bit depth.
They subtly affect transients, imaging, and “feel.”

---

Two key axes to understand first

1️⃣ Linear Phase vs Minimum Phase

Linear Phase

• Perfect phase accuracy

• Time-aligned frequencies

• Causes pre-ringing (ringing before a transient)

• More “precise”, sometimes described as clinical

Minimum Phase

• No pre-ringing

• All ringing occurs after the transient

• Phase is altered (time smear)

• Often perceived as more natural or analog

---

2️⃣ Fast Roll-off vs Slow Roll-off

Fast Roll-off

• Very sharp cutoff near Nyquist

• Maximum frequency extension

• More ringing

Slow Roll-off

• Gentler cutoff

• Slight HF attenuation near top octave

• Less ringing

---

Now let’s explain each mode.

---

F0 — Fast Roll-off Linear Phase (default)

What it does

• Sharp cutoff

• Perfect phase

• Symmetrical ringing (before & after transient)

Sound character

• Maximum detail

• Precise imaging

• Can sound “digital” on sharp transients

Why it’s default

• Measures best

• Technically “correct”

• Matches textbook DAC design

Use if you want

• Studio accuracy

• Analytical listening

• Best frequency extension

---

F1 — Slow Roll-off Linear Phase

What changes

• Gentler HF cutoff

• Still linear phase

• Less ringing

Sound character

• Slightly smoother

• Less edge on cymbals

• Tiny loss of air at extreme HF

Use if

• F0 sounds too sharp

• You want linear phase without aggressiveness

---

F2 — Apodizing Fast Roll-off Linear Phase

Key idea: “cleaning upstream damage”

What apodizing means

• Suppresses ringing caused by earlier ADC filters

• Especially relevant for older recordings

What it does

• Still linear phase

• Fast roll-off

• Reduced pre-ringing artifacts from source material

Sound character

• Cleaner transients

• Slightly smoother than F0

• Often preferred for older digital masters

Use if

• Listening to early digital recordings

• You want precision with less harshness

---

F3 — Fast Roll-off Minimum Phase

Major change

• No pre-ringing

• Phase is no longer linear

What you gain

• More “natural” transients

• Punchier attacks

What you lose

• Perfect phase alignment

• Some spatial precision

Sound character

• More analog-like

• Slightly thicker

• Less etched imaging

Use if

• You dislike pre-ringing

• You value musicality over measurement perfection

---

F4 — Slow Roll-off Minimum Phase

Most relaxed filter

What it does

• No pre-ringing

• Gentle HF roll-off

• Least ringing overall

Sound character

• Warm

• Smooth

• Forgiving

Trade-off

• Softest treble

• Least “air”

Use if

• Bright system

• Long listening sessions

• Older or harsh recordings

---

F5 — Hybrid Fast Roll-off Minimum Phase

Best of both worlds attempt

What “hybrid” means

• Fast roll-off

• Minimum phase behavior

• Ringing optimized to be less audible

Sound character

• Good attack

• Cleaner highs than F3

• Less HF loss than F4

Use if

• You like minimum phase

• But don’t want slow roll-off dullness

---

Quick comparison table

Filter	Phase	Roll-off	Ringing	Sound
F0	Linear	Fast	Most	Precise, analytical
F1	Linear	Slow	Less	Smooth, accurate
F2	Linear	Fast	Reduced	Clean, refined
F3	Minimum	Fast	After only	Punchy, analog
F4	Minimum	Slow	Least	Warm, forgiving
F5	Minimum	Fast	Optimized	Balanced, musical

---

Practical advice (important)

You will not hear massive differences.
These are micro-tuning tools.

Common preferences

• Measurement / reference → F0 or F2

• Audiophile listening → F3 or F5

• Bright systems → F4

• Older digital masters → F2

If you want one safe recommendation:

F5 (Hybrid Fast Minimum Phase) is often the most universally pleasing.

---

Final takeaway

These filters are about how transients behave, not tone control.
Choose based on:

• Recording quality

• System brightness

• Personal sensitivity to digital edge

 

Filter	Phase	Roll-off	Ringing	Sound
F0	Linear	Fast	Most	Precise, analytical
F1	Linear	Slow	Less	Smooth, accurate
F2	Linear	Fast	Reduced	Clean, refined
F3	Minimum	Fast	After only	Punchy, analog
F4	Minimum	Slow	Least	Warm, forgiving
F5	Minimum	Fast	Optimized	Balanced, musical

Based on the post I made above I wanted to try the F5 filter.This filter seemed like a nice sounding filter a bit rounder in sound compared to the default F0 filter I have always used. I tried this for 2 days and over 20 hours (I work a lot). I was getting some ear fatigue on the first day. Maybe I was tired. Today, after a nice sleep back at it. First with my Yamaha NS5000 speakers. A little fatiguing, maybe I am listening to too much music. I moved to my office and on the Magnepan Mini same thing with the F5 filter. Now I am worried my ears a getting way too much music.

I remembered that I had changed the filter, so I switched it back to F0 using the remote. Boom, an immediate lessening of the pressure on my ears. Now back to music nirvana. Never too much music.

 

@yyzsantabarbara a friend told me about this DAC. Interesting engineering technique to use two DACS and combine. For sure can achieve very low noise and high dynamic range. The filter options remind me of HQ Player. Have you picked one overall setting or do you prefer a range?