miniDSP - Q2 2022 Newsletter

Hello Visitor,

We hope you're doing well, wherever you are in the world.

Quite a lot's happened in the past few weeks and we thought it would be worth sending a short update to our community. We hope you enjoy this newsletter and look forward to your comments. 

As usual, feel free to contact us if you have any questions or feedback.

DevTeam

miniDSP Flex shipping updates

As promised and on time, miniDSP Flex shipments started in January. We're very excited at the positive feedback we've received so far! The miniDSP Flex series is the results of many months of hard work and it's always a pleasure hearing of the enjoyment these powerful processors bring to your system. A few press reviewers also got a chance to share their feedback. Here is a great review worth reading from Amir at AudioScienceReview!

Thank you for the amazing support we've received from everybody, as we couldn't have done it without you! 

On the manufacturing front, the miniDSP Flex/Digital is now shipping! With its all-digital output panel, room correction using your favorite external DAC just became a lot easier. Here is a picture of the rear panel connectivity with USB/BT/SPDIF/TOSLINK/Analog audio inputs and TOSLINK/SPDIF digital outputs:

Unfortunately, we've also been out of stock of the Flex RCA and TRS versions due to chipset and manufacturing delays. We've finally been able to restock these models and restarted shipments last week. Thank you to all our patient community members!

All three versions are now available for order on our webshop with shipments of new orders starting by the end of this month. Check out the datasheet and user manual and feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

MCHStreamer Lite

Due to the global chipset shortage, the MCHStreamer has been out of stock for the past few months. To keep your projects moving along, we built a simpler version of the MCHStreamer called the MCHStreamer Lite. This interface is 95% similar to the MCHStreamer with I2S/DSD/TDM/PDM connectivity, but without the SPDIF/ TOSLINK/ ADAT input capabilities as it operates with a fixed onboard oscillator (that is, it is unable to clock to an optical input stream). 

The MCHStreamer Lite is now available on our webshop for 125USD. Check out the datasheet and the updated user manual and feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Note also that the MCHStreamer has also been restocked and is again available for purchase.

Application Notes

miniDSP isn't just selling hardware, we're also a strong believer in sharing knowledge with our extensive application note library. The past few weeks have been very active with no less than 10 app notes! Check out what our team been up to: 

Automotive Tuning: Let's start with the obvious: this car audio tuning guide is the most detailed we've ever seen! It's an extensive set of app notes ranging from microphone techniques, measurement, tuning and sound philosophy. A whole lot of tuning secrets to learn from our good friend and automotive tuning expert Philipp Paul Klose. Grab a coffee and take a seat as there is a lot to learn! 

Room Correction 101: A quick refresh on the basic steps of tuning your room with Dirac live and its benefits. 

Two way crossover: A generic application note on how to build your next 2 way crossover with a miniDSP platform (2x4HD/DDRC-24/Flex/SHD series).

Sub integration + REW: A generic application note on how to correctly integrate a subwoofer into a stereo system (2.1) using REW with the 2x4HD/Flex/SHD series. 

Sub integration + Dirac Live: A generic application note on how to integrate a subwoofer into a stereo system (2.1) using the Dirac Live application with a miniDSP platform. 

SHD + ROON: A step-by-step guide for those of you who are still wondering what Roon + SHD Series is all about! 

Psychoacoustics measurement with Mosqito + UMIK-1/2:  Measuring the psychoacoustic sound quality of audio sources is an exciting field of research. Here is a great app note by Philipp Paul Klose to get you started. 

Also noteworthy is that several of the UMIK-1/2 and REW app notes have been updated to reflect the latest changes on REW and miniDSP platforms. 
UMIK-1/2 + REW
UMIK-1/2 + HDMI (Win) and UMIK-1/2 + HDMI (Mac)
AutoEQ on miniDSP platform

Have an idea for a new application note? Make sure to share it with our team. 

News from the LAB

So what else have we been up to in the miniDSP LAB? 

- The SHD series received an updated Volumio build v1.121, solving a few minor bugs and adding final support for volume control via the Microsoft Surface Dial. You can check out the Surface Dial app note here. This update also improves Roon streaming by increasing buffer sizes when running Wi-Fi networks with higher latency. If you haven't done so already, please make sure to update your unit from the Volumio web GUI.

- A new UMIK-2 firmware was compiled to modify the device name so REW can easily recognize it and correctly compute SPL while in ASIO mode. Make sure to update your UMIK-2 firmware from the user downloads section as per the user manual. 

- macOS Monterey update: The latest update of macOS Monterey unfortunately broke file management for our plugins. This bug affected the way external files are loaded from the browser (e.g. to import REW EQ files). Our team recompiled all 31 plugins to fix this issue and pushed them to the User Downloads section of our website. Please be sure to download and install the latest version of your plugins if you are running macOS Monterey.

- As for what other platforms and updates we're up to behind the scenes, we can't share much as per our policy, but trust us that we're not resting on our laurels! You can expect some exciting new platforms and software updates in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!