TOPIC:

I have an SHD with Dirac in one room. I'd like to use Dirac in another room with 2.1 setup. Can I use the existing software, license & mic to set up the 2x4HD with Dirac, or would I need to purchase the DDRC24? 

Dirac Live licences on miniDSPs are tied to the hardware. So if you want to employ Dirac Live in a new setup with a different miniDSP, this device needs its own Dirac Live licence. 

Depending on the exact application I'd strongly consider a Flex with DL over a DDRC-24, given the addition of the display. I use a 2x4 HD as a digital pre-amp for about a year and the lack of a display is far from idea in this context.

Thanks, appreciate your thoughts. I'm looking for a solution for a nearfield production/DJ monitoring setup in a small room, with two active monitor speakers and a subwoofer where the MiniDSP and DL handle crossover and room correction. My mixer will take care of volume and I won't ever switch between outputs so I'm not sure the Flex is worth the additional money, or does the Flex have additional benefits in your view?

On second thought - maybe I should skip Dirac altogether and go for a regular 2x4HD, as it DL adds more latency than may be acceptable...

Yes latency was something I was going to ask if it would be a concern. I've not seen a definitive figure for latency on the DDRC-24 but on the DDCR-22D it is 23 ms and I'd guess the DDRC-24 is similar. The SHD has a minimum latency of 25 ms going by the post below, so possibly you could experiment with yours to see if this delay would be a problem?

www.minidsp.com/forum/flex-series/19880-latency#59414

One other comment would be to note that Dirac Live won't properly optimise the mains/sub crossover - all it will do is smooth whatever the combined response of the two is. To properly integrate the sub you'd want to set appropriate crossover filters and time delays in the miniDSP plugin but you'll need to make manual measurements in REW to figure out what settings would be appropriate.

In terms of a Flex vs 2x4 HD the measured performance of the flex on the ASR forum is better but I've not used a Flex to comment on how audible any difference may be. Bluetooth streaming is the other notable difference on the Flex. 

Thanks, very clear, your information is exactly what I needed, I tested with the SHD and the latency is too much for me. So I may still consider the non-Dirac 2x4HD as I understand that has about 3-4 ms latency, which should be acceptable. And use the miniDSP plugin (I’m familiar with setting up a sub on my SHD) and look into REW.

jeroen020 wrote:

Thanks, very clear, your information is exactly what I needed, I tested with the SHD and the latency is too much for me. So I may still consider the non-Dirac 2x4HD as I understand that has about 3-4 ms latency, which should be acceptable. And use the miniDSP plugin (I’m familiar with setting up a sub on my SHD) and look into REW.

The sub integration process is identical on both SHD and 2x4 HD - I own both devices and have integrated subs with each. My REW comments apply to what you do with your SHD as well.