TOPIC:

Hello all.

I’m considering a new Hi-Fi/“HT” system with initially 2.0 speakers, and 1 analog source, built around a pair of Genelec 8341 (which have 110ohm AES/EBU input (and incidentally their own room correction system, which first got me interested in them)).

Love the idea of a mostly-digital system, the idea of streaming, and multiple room correction profiles. So considering an SHD (studio?).

I do have a record player (a Thorens 126/III with a modified Rega arm, Dynavector cart, some esoteric German RIAA) that I love and want to keep running.

It seems I need either the full SHD and an SPDIF to AES converter, or the SHD Studio with additional ADC for the record player. What would you recommend? Also, what’s a reasonably good ADC?

Thank you all!
Ragu

Thank you for mentioning this. I always thought a SHD is the same as a SHD Studio plus some analog inputs and outputs. But as the SHD does not offer digital XLR outputs the SHD Studio would be my choice for my case (Speakers and subwoofer with digital AES/EBU input).

So it would be interesting for me, too, what would be a good ADC to connect an analog device to the SHD Studio.

I’ve done more homework on this.

The price difference between the SHD full and ~ studio is around €450 where I live. Not nothing! I prefer to spend less money and I would greatly prefer to have a smaller device visible; the ADC I presume could be tucked away somewhere). The first difficulty was that there seem to be very few ADC out there that seem like good quality at a price below the difference between the two SHD.

On the other hand, Impedance transformers/plug adapters from 75Ω Coax → 110Ω symmetrical seem to exist. I wrote to Genelec about this and they recommend this product from Neutrik , which seems can be found for like €50. From the left speaker we can use the pass-through XLR out to the right, so we only need one until (a) subwoofer(s) come into play.

There are many alternatives to this, from the Canare BCJ-XJ-etc to much more complex, useful, many times more expensive converter boxes like RDL HR-UDC1 , which costs a cool $500.

(One caveat with the little inline adapter boxes, you need a RCA→BNC cable or adapter as well, but that’s just mechanical and not a big problem)

Although unfortunately the bigger outlay (and larger device), I am ultimately happy that this will be the solution: It means 1 extra input, no fretting about what ADC I need, and ultimately it gives me more freedom with speaker choice: If I end up hating the Genelec in my home, I can move on to any analog active speaker that I had on my list. With the SHD Studio, not so much!

If any of you gear heads see a flaw in my argumentation would you pl… who am I kidding this is an audio forum, of course you will.

Hope this helps
Ragu

Thank you for the valuable information. Especially the links to the adapters are very interesting. Do you have more of these?

As the SHD also has two digital RCA-outputs this still would work with 2 speakers and 1 or 2 subwoofers I think. Also I had the chance to change the speakers to some new without a digital input.

The only question is if the digital RCA plus conversion has the same sounding quality as the AES/EBU output, I often have read that digital is not equal digital with only the bits and bytes. But there may be differences like max bit depth, max frequency, signal quality (jitter), analog noise, ...

The way I understand it, SPDIF and AES/EBU are digitally mostly the same format, in fact miniDSP specifically mentions in the SHD manual that all the SHD series’s digital outputs are 24/96.

Electrically, AES/EBU is higher voltage and impedance in the signal because, being a pro audio format, it often needs to run over longer cables. Between what I read in this tech note from Rane Corporation , a thread about conversion on some pro audio web forum, and the fact that a Genelec person recommended the Neutrik adapter to me, I stopped worrying.

Hi Ragu,

please report when you have got a SHD and the solution with the adapter works.

Thank you
Gert

Gert,

Don’t hold your breath. I’m months out from making a decision about this.

ragurix wrote:

Although unfortunately the bigger outlay (and larger device), I am ultimately happy that this will be the solution: It means 1 extra input, no fretting about what ADC I need

I went through exactly the same process trying to decide between SHD and SHD Studio for the same reasons. Eventually, after many months, I went for the SHD on the basis that it removed the task of getting a separate ADC and kept the box count low. I don't regret it, although I'm not using the analogue input yet.

Hi hamish1000,

do you also use a SPDIF to AES/EBU converter to connect active speakers that offer digital inputs? If so, how does it work and sound?

Hi gbr

No, I'm using passive speakers with an external DAC/pre and conventional power amp.

hamish1000 wrote:

Hi gbr

No, I'm using passive speakers with an external DAC/pre and conventional power amp.

The DAC probably is connected via SPDIF?

(The converting between SPDIF and AES/EBU is the interesting topic for my use case.)

gbr wrote:

hamish1000 wrote:

Hi gbr

No, I'm using passive speakers with an external DAC/pre and conventional power amp.

The DAC probably is connected via SPDIF?

(The converting between SPDIF and AES/EBU is the interesting topic for my use case.)

Yes, the DAC is connected via SPDIF.