TOPIC:

Hello Forum,

I'm new to digital signal processing and room acoustic correction. I'd like to select the best miniDSP with Dirac Live product for my purposes but the product array is quite bewildering. My set up is Macbook pro laptop as a playback source-->DAC (USB input analog output)-->2ch amplifier-->stereo speakers.

The SHD Studio gets rave reviews but I'm wondering if the feature set is overkill for me (e.g., don't need a streamer). Looking forward to reading your thoughts.

regards,

Don

Does the DAC have a coax input? If not, you won't be able to use it with the SHD Studio. In that case the SHD is the best bet. The streamer is just another input option, you don't have to use it.

Thanks for your reply.

The DAC has coax, TOSLink and USB options

@DonR

As already suggested by John, the SHD Studio would be the perfect fit here:
PC - > USB audio to SHD Studio - > Digital out (Coax/Toslink) to DAC.

That would be the way to go.

DevTeam

Just to confirm, since I had about the same question, namely "what is the lowest cost MiniDSP product that gives Dirac for stereo, at the same or higher quality level as the SHD series, but does not include streamer or DAC?"

Is this correct: "The miniDSP products that do that without a streamer cost more than the SHD Studio, so it is lower cost to use the SHD Studio and not use the streamer." Is that correct?

2nd question: Is the main factor that makes Dirac higher quality in the SHD series, compared to its predecessors, that it uses 24 bit and 96 kHz processing, and the predecessors did not? This question was triggered by me listening to Hans Beekhuyzen who said prior to SHD he felt that automated room correction did not work well overall with high quality systems, but SHD did work well.

@xrqp

Maybe check out the DDRC-22D that is SPDIF/AES-EBU/TOSLINK in/out DSP for Stereo. It's the lowest cost platform but you loose on the front panel and USB audio capabilities. www.minidsp.com/products/dirac-series/product-line-summary

Dirac in SHD is similar to Dirac in DDRC-22D (96k). The SHD is doing a lot more and hard to compare in an email. Looking side by side with the manual should tell you a LOT on how much more features there are in SHD isn't it?

DevTeam

OK. So I can use DDRC-22 (about $700) and get Dirac at the same quality as Dirac in the SHD Studio (about $900). So for giving up 2 features in the SHD Studio, 1) the streamer, and 2) the 2x4 type processing and crossover, I only save $200. I was hoping I could save more, but I assume your pricing is for good reason. Thanks.

@xrqp

That's indeed correct. Bear in mind that most of the cost here is the Dirac live license.. We're already doing our utmost best to make that technology affordable for everybody. Maybe stick to REW platforms or OpenDRC if you have limited budget?

DevTeam