Millennia Media imersiv D1

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.

Hoping someone reviews this DAC vs the Tambaqui.   I am itching for a major DAC upgrade in the fall.

kumizi

I would also like to see more professional reviews with A/B comparisons between the D-1 and other DACs.

FWIW, I did listen to both DACs, but under very different conditions, so it's hard to extrapolate too much. 
I tried the D-1 for 2 weeks in my own system, thanks to the gracious support of Danny McKinney. I came away very impressed. IMO the D-1 is one of those few 'step-function' innovations, which truly pushed the boundaries within a category (DAC in this case). I would argue the same could apply to Silversmith Fidelium cables. Not sure if Allnic's OTL/OCL preamps would also fall within that category, or whether they are just an example of masterful design and execution within an existing paradigm.

I listened to the Tambaqui DAC at a dealers, in a full Mola Mola system with Piega speakers. A very well-put together system overall, but harder to isolate the effect from the DAC vs the rest of the system. We put the Tamabqui then in a few other systems, including Accuphase and EAR (closer to my Allnic system than Mola Mola). I really liked the Tambaqui but was more in awe than in love with its sound. The Tambaqui offered great resolution and speed, a lot of detail, a very 'airy', extended sound, but was somewhat lacking in body and timbre , for my tastes. 
If I could have multiple systems (audio fantasy) I would love to have a Mola Mola type set-up. If I can only have one system, I'd favor a more organic sound. 
De gustibus et coloribus, etc. 

I spent much more time with the D-1, in my own system. Compared to my impressions of the Tambaqui, it had a similar airy extension into the highs, but with even stronger, better-defined bass, and greater resolution of tonality in the mids. Voices and instruments sounded very layered on the D-1. I.e. for me, taking into account the different listening conditions, the D-1 beat the Tamaqui at its own game and then offered other qualities too. 

During the same 2-week period, I also tried the Allnic D-15000 DAC and L10000 preamp in my system. Both are amazing, in very different ways from the Imersiv. 

Paradoxically, perhaps, the obvious strengths that the D-1 and the D15000 DACs offer, led me to delay my upgrade decision. Each DAC is so specularly good at a specific sound quality (tonality for the Allnic, resolution , bass & imaging for the Imersiv) that it is hard to give up one for the other. I really want a DAC that offers both and hope such a DAC will become available 'soon'ish. 

@woutb Great feedback.

I also had the Allnic D-15000 Signature OTL/OCL in the house for a while with the Benchmark HPA4 preamp. At that time, I thought it was the very best DAC I had heard. A very detailed and holographic sound. I loved the OTL/OCL sound so much that I got a $500 Schiit Valhalla 3 OTL/OCL preamp as a stop gap, but it may become permanent since I am very happy with it. The Allnic OTL/OCL preamps are better, but the Schiit is very good.

I later heard the imersiv D-1 and the Meitner MA3i DACs, both in the house at the same time. The D-1 is more detailed, and I like it more but the MA3i is great and I expect to be buying that DAC for my office. The MA3i is also more robust with better playback options and connectivity compared to the D-1. The MA3i has DoP on SPDIF which I need for SACD disk playback. The MA3i also has XLR and RCA outputs that both work. The D-1 has neither of those.

Another DAC I will listen to before I pull the trigger on the MA3i is the new Allnic ASRA DAC. I do not think it is an OTL/OCL, but the ASRA headphone amp was really good, and the DAC should also be of similar quality. Only issue for me with the Allnic D-15000 Signature OTL/OCL was that DoP on SPDIF did not work. Hopefully they get that resolved on the ASRA.