Millennia Media imersiv D1

@mitch2 audition it first. This isn’t a blind buy. 

"audition it first. This isn’t a blind buy."

@audphile1 - Great advice. A couple of the vendors do offer 30-day returns but I typically have not taken advantage of that type of return policy and would rather be mostly sure the item is right for my system and preferences before purchasing one.

The unit itself is so different from the gear I have enjoyed most over the years that I need to convince myself that it might be worth it.  I am typically not a fan of the sound of pro audio inspired gear (i.e., Benchmark), and the two small PCBs inside of the Imersiv D-1, as well as its external SMPS, are the polar opposite of my current favorite/reference DAC, the 88-pound Aries Cerat Helene.  It may just be a matter of me overcoming my own skepticism of whether the user reports are too good to be true.

@mitch2 if your favorite dac is a tubed AC, the odds of you liking the imersiv are near zero. I’ve not heard it but someone who’s ears I trust did. That’s why I said audition it. 

Twittering says

You may also be interested to learn that the Imersiv DAC worked wonderfully with the RCA input-only Barn resident Leben CS600x using the same XLR-RCA adapters and cables. I know I was pleased as punch. Imersiv are careful to point out that the behavior of the D-1 DAC’s RCA outputs will be amp/integrated amp dependent and in some cases using them may result in audible noise which is when their UTB device comes in handy.

Do not use the RCA. That is a waste of the DAC. It does not work with my gear. I spoke to John La Grou about that, and short story, it is a feature not a bug.

BTW - My buddy Danny McKinney from Requisite Audio is sending the unit I burned in with 200+ hours for demo. It must have 400+ hours now. It definitely needs burn-in. I had 2 brand new units and know the process.

BTW2 - the D-1 sounds nothing like the Benchmark DACs, which I owned every iteration. The DAC3B for example is a little hot on top and sounds like most decent DACs. For me the D-1 is at a much higher level. I am comparing this to things like PlayBack Designs MPD-8, Allnic D-15000 Signature OTL/OCL, Meitner MA3i.

But there you have it. In terms of other options I’d recommend anywhere near the Imersiv’s $12k asking price, there aren’t any.

The Meitner MA3i is not as revealing as the D-1 but I love that DAC too. The D-1 is my fav but that MA3i is one I can easily recommend at $11.5.

 if your favorite dac is a tubed AC, the odds of you liking the imersiv are near zero. I’ve not heard it but someone who’s ears I trust did. That’s why I said audition it. 

My friend Danny who also builds tube gear loves the D-1.