MUSEWIRE – Music Tech News: U.S.-based Schiit Audio this week announced their newest value-audiophile creation, Mimir – an affordable balanced DAC with their own Mesh digital conversion, that’s also a full preamp and EQ via Forkbeard. And it’s made in the U.S.A. Schiit is well known for making DACs that don’t suck, when compared to other options in the same price range.

According to the company, “Welcome to Mimir, maybe the first truly new thing in DACs in, like, ever. Mesh makes our unique digital filter uniquely affordable. Forkbeard makes Mimir a full digital preamp, with volume, balance, a 3-band parametric EQ, loudness, and more. Stack Mimir with any of our amps to create your ideal integrated. Discover the full potential of Forkbeard!”

FEATURES:

Mesh: Our Unique Digital Filter, Made Uniquely Affordable
All of our True Multibit or Multiform DACs have used our own proprietary digital filter, developed through decades of R&D. Now, Mesh brings this unique digital filter to a much more affordable price point, by meshing (ahem) a 32-bit Microchip processor with a standard delta-sigma modulator. The result? Something that sounds a lot more like our more expensive DACs.

Add Forkbeard: Remote, Preamp, EQ, and More
Want even more than the best inexpensive DAC on the planet? Make it a full digital preamp with parametric EQ! Plug in a Forkbeard module, and you’ll instantly have remote volume, balance, a 3-band parametric EQ, Loudness, digital filter switching (Mesh and NOS), absolute phase invert, and input select.

Unison 384 USB and Linear Override Power Supply
Mimir also includes our own Unison 384™ USB input and unique Linear Override power supply, so you can run off the USB input for convenience—or plug in our external AC wall-wart to convert to a linear power supply with much higher voltage rails (and higher output).

Create Your Own Mini Gigastack
Add Mimir to Gjallarhorn F, Vidar 2F, or any other Forkbeard-enabled amp, and you have everything you need for an all-digital system, no preamp or EQ needed. Or, add a Saga 2 for ultimate relay-ladder volume control. Or, pair with Jotunheim, Lyr, or Midgard for an exceptional headphone system.

Designed and Built in the USA
By “designed and built in the USA,” this is what we mean: the vast majority of the total production cost of Mimir—chassis, boards, assembly, etc—goes to US companies manufacturing in the US. Our chassis are made in California. Our PCBs are made in California or Utah, and it all comes together in our Corpus Christi facility.

3-Year Warranty, 15-Day Easy Returns
Mimir is covered by a 3-year limited warranty that covers parts and labor. And if you don’t like your Mimir, you can send it back for a refund, minus 15% restocking fee, within 15 days of receiving it.

DEVELOPMENT:
The story of Mimir’s development and how it catalyzed the next generation of Forkbeard.

Background on the product development with the audio wizard known as Jason Stoddard of Schiit: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/schiit-happened-the-story-of-the-worlds-most-improbable-start-up.701900/page-12623#post-18665380

SPECIFICATIONS:

SE or Balanced Outputs:

Frequency Response: 20Hz-20KHz, +/-0.04dB
THD+N: 0.0003%
IMD: 0.0004%, CCIR
S/N: 118dB, referenced to full output, with or without external power
Crosstalk: -125dB, 20-20kHz

USB input: Unison 384™, up to 32 bits/384kHz supported, full UAC2 compliance

Other inputs: Optical SPDIF, Coaxial SPDIF, AES, all up to 24/192

D/A Conversion: Schiit Mesh™, a unique combination of our time- and frequency-domain optimized digital filter and a standard delta-sigma modulator, in this case an ES9028

Analog Stage: Based on LME49724 for balanced output, OPA1656 for SE output, both independent, with precision thin-film resistors and film capacitors, DC coupled

Output: XLR balanced and RCA single-ended

Maximum Output:

3.0V RMS balanced, 1.5V RMS single-ended when powered via USB cable
4.0V RMS balanced, 2.0V RMS single-ended with Linear Override AC wall-wart

Output Impedance: 75 ohms

Power Supply: USB powered with charge pump rail generator for +/-5V rails, reports as 500mA USB device
Linear override via 14-16VAC, 0.5A+ wall-wart, provides +/-12V rails and reports as 0mA USB device

Forkbeard requirements: schiit.com/forkbeard

Forkbeard Capabilities:
Input select
Sample rate reporting
Volume control
Balance control
3-band parametric EQ
Mesh or NOS filter mode switching
Loudness
Phase inversion
Size: 9 x 6 x 1.5”

Weight: 2 lb

PRICING:

Another amazing value priced bit of kit from Schiit: $299US

LEARN MORE: https://www.schiit.com/products/mimir

ABOUT SCHIIT AUDIO:
Schiit started in 2010 with the introduction of the original Asgard and Valhalla headphone amplifiers. Since then, we’ve introduced dozens of other unique, no-compromise, affordable, made-in-USA products, from DACs to preamps and power amps. Today, you can create an ultra-high-performance audio system (or systems) from our product line—without requiring a second mortgage to pay for it. Learn more: https://www.schiit.com/about

VIDEO (YouTube):
Overview of the Schiit Audio FORKBEARD app:

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This article first appeared on Musewire.com and is Copr. © 2025 by Christopher Simmons. No fee or other consideration was made for publication of this news article. Disclosure: Mr. Simmons is a long time customer of Schiit Audio, owning multiple DAC units.