Boutique DACs

Others that may fit:

• Mojo Audio
• Mearson
• LTA Aero
• Totaldac

I am curious, how are you defining “boutique style”, and what is your purpose for the list?

@yyzsantabarbara I've read great things about the Imersiv. my only question is could too much resolution be a bad thing?

@mitch2 Nice additions. my definition is a little loose, but more smaller companies, that do most for the work building the DAC. not mass market, find them all over. 

@kray the imersiv D-1 is the most musical DAC I have heard. For me, watching someone perform is the ultimate musical experience. I get that with the D-1 because it has unmatched resolution.

Today, I have 4 DACs in the house RME | Meitner MA3i | Schiit Byggy | Imersiv D-1. I own all except the Meitner. The Meitner is not as resolving but an incredible listening experience. A lot of people would say musical; I agree but not as musical as the D-1. Saying all of that I am selling the Byggy and buying the Meitner MA3i. I like it more than the Byggy.

Mike Moffat at Schiit has done genius level work with the Yggi DACs. Ed Meitner has also done something special with the MA3i. I prefer the MA3i over the Byggy, but none of them get me into the music as the D-1. the designer of the D-1 is John La Grou, seems like a brilliant guy who I met last month at a headphone meet in Denver.

The only reason I do not get a second imersiv D-1 is that it is a PIA for my setup to use and I need something more feature rich like the Byggy or MA3i.

I keep hearing good things about the Meitner MA3i from everyone who hears one.  I don't need one but would like to hear it.  Interesting the imersiv D-1 has been out for a little while now but for all the talk about evolutionary and revolutionary, I still do not see too much written about it.  $12K is not out of line, if it does what they say, IMO.  Lavorgna at Twittering Machines has one in for review (link).

Aesthetix especially if you consider good fundamentals like galvanic isolation,

a faraday cage and HRS isolation aka solid engineering as “ boutique “….