Millennia Media imersiv D1

I got a chance to audition the D1 in my system for a while. Long story short, I did not like it. It was unnatural sounding, not able to relax with it. Maybe it was bad synergy with my system. Not sure. I could not play DSD files- they were truly broken sounding. The DAC also stuttered and skipped when used with my streamer, a playback mps-x, which has been rock solid with every other DAC I’ve tried it with. I tried direct with laptop as USB source running Roon and still had odd issues with track to track stuttering and wonkiness. Maybe the D1 was defective. 

The D-1 is going to be limited going through an integrated amp like the CSiB (I owned it). I say this because the most resolving preamp I have heard is the Benchmark LA4/HPA4 and when I connected the still breaking in D-1 into it the sound was not particularly outstanding. It was better than the Schiit Singular DAC I also had on the preamp (both by XLR) but not by much., However, I was told by my friend, Danny who sells this thing, to go direct to amp because the designer told him that was the best way to hear the difference of the D-1 compared to other DACs. 

When put the D-1 directly into my CODA #16 amp and Yamaha NS5000 speakers the improvement in resolution was immediately evident. I put my HPA4 up for sale the next day. I have owned the LA4 or HPA4 since about 2012 and have heard it with many amps and sources. It was never the weak link until the D-1.

I sold my CODA #16 last week (still pending) and I will be using the D-1 with my CODA #11 amp and my Class D Audio GanFet 6.5 amp. Both have XLR and RCA inputs on the amp. I use XLR from the D-1 into either amp. I have a long Benchmark XLR cable to the Livingroom. I will only listen to the D-1 on my best system.

On my office system, Magnepan Mini + GanFet 6.5, I also have a Schiit Valhalla 3 OTL/OCL tube preamp + audiophile RCA switch to listen to 2 tuners and an RME DAC (for SACD's). The Valhalla 3 goes into the GanFet amp by RCA. The nice thing about the GanFet is that it automatically switches between RCA and XLR.

None of this is particularly convenient but the sonic difference of the D-1 makes it worthwhile for me.

I got my CODA #11 back from CODA. Doug Dale at CODA said this was the cleanest amp he had ever seen (30 years old) and that the only upgrade needed was the new speaker binding posts that all new CODA amps use.

He also adjusted the bias a bit and I am now getting more Class A and the amp is running a bit hotter.

The sound with the imersiv D-1 is spectacular. The #11 is a bit warmer than the CODA #16. Not warm like a PASS or the KRELL Duo XD lineup, but a bit warmer than the #16. I dropped the second Order Harmonic distortion on the DAC to Level 2 from Level 4 on Filter B. The higher the number the warmer the sound.

I loved the #16 amp, and a new owner is getting it delivered today. Great amp, but I like the #11 a bit more with the imersiv D-1. 

The point of this post is to suggest a slightly warm amp with the D-1. I seem to love Class A amps with this DAC, #16, #11, Schiit Aegir v1. 

My friend Danny McKinney at one time had plans to build a switching box for the D-1 DAC. However, he is busy with his new speaker design, and I got world today that imersiv is coming out with their own switching box. I have needed something like this since the day I got the D-1.

Here is an email response from imersiv about the new box.

The switching box will have 4 stereo inputs, and each input can be either RCA or XLR. For instance, 2 preamps and 2 DACs.

Box will have two outputs, for 2 different amplifier / speaker arrays (most people will just have one amp/speaker array).

You can route any RCA input to any RCA output, or any XLR input to any XLR output, also XLR and RCA simultaneously if desired. 

The switching box will have UTB transformers built in, so that DAC-1 XLR input can be routed to an RCA output. 

The UTB transformer is also available for $500 as a standalone product. I may get that if the box is too costly. I do not know the price of the new box.

BTW - Danny made a partial switching box with transformers and I had the prototype in the house. I was fabulous and the only thing I would put in front of the D-1. It does not limit the D-1. The imersiv version is similar. Also similar to the Townshend Audio passive preamp.

A New Kind of DAC? Imersiv D-1 Review

This guy sounds like me.