TOPIC:

I would like to experiment with the SHD Studio connecting it to a 4x10HD, that in turn is used in my LX521.4 speaker system. My goal is to bypass any analog to digital conversion when feeding my LX521.4 - In fact, I thought to connect the digital output of the SHD Studio to the digital input of the crossover (i.e. the 4x10HD).
1) Can this scheme be feasible?
2) Then, using a Tidal subscription, I would like to play MQA streams, most probably limited to 24bit/96KHz. Can I achieve that?
3) Further, as a separate assignment, I would like to play fully unfolded MQA streams using an external MQA-enabled DAC, like the Bluesound Node2i, using its digital input. In principle, can the SHD Studio's digital output be connected to the digital input of an external DAC, perhaps like that?

Thanks for any hints
Marco

Generally speaking, MQA and DSP are not very friendly toward each other. You could do a software unfold on a computer using e.g. the Tidal app or Audirvana+ and then transmit the result to the SHD Studio over DLNA or USB...

Agree . My questions stem from the fact that I would like to add Dirac equalization to my curent LX521, but fact is that I already got a Bluesound node2i, because of its MQA ability. I was therefore considering eventually replacing the Bluesound unit with a SHD Studio, although deeming after use the node2i very good.
Options are two: (1) keeping the Bluesound streamer and inserting a DDRC-22D in the middle, between the node2i and the 4x10 HD (i.e, the digital crossover), or (2) replacing the node2i with a SHD studio to a 4x10HD, as a single box with Dirac functions. Would you have any advice?

PS: I would like like just to report that I today tried connecting the digital out of the node2i straight to the digital in of the 4x10 HD. Perhaps importantly, MQA tracks were played back correctly as well. Also, I got stellar quality of sound. I even struggled to perceive any quality difference between MQA and CD tracks, in the past very audible when feeding the audio source material through the analog inputs of the 4x10 HD (i.e, entailing an additional analog to digital conversion)

Thanks, Marco

Oh I see, the Node 2i will do the first unfolding and output 96k digital. There is a third option which is to put an SHD Studio between the Node and the 4x10 Hd. There's some redundancy admittedly but you could then decide to keep one or both (MQA and Dirac Live)... this is not advice, just a thought

If you haven't used Dirac Live before you can use the trial on your computer.

john.reekie wrote:

If you haven't used Dirac Live before you can use the trial on your computer.

Having said that, I can't find a trial download on their website any more, seems to have disappeared.