ToTo Man
the band not the dog
I've thus far resisted adding a miniDSP box to my system but, with the imminent arrival of two more subwoofers, it has now become a necessity.
A visit to their website today has left me confused about which one of their magic boxes is best suited to my need. I see sthey've also added new products and removed some old ones since I last looked.
My decision is complicated by the fact that I don't know which direction I'm going to take my system in. E.g. whether I'm sticking with passive loudspeakers or go active, and whether I'm willing to replace the DAC that I really like the sound of with a miniDSP DAC.
1) The most conservative option is inserting a miniDSP box between my amplifier and my subs. This would allow me to DSP the signal going to each sub. Everything else would remain as it is at the moment.
2) The most radical option is replacing my existing DAC with a miniDSP box. This would allow me to DSP the entire signal chain, main speakers and subs, presumably independently.
There are probably permutations that fall somewhere between these two extremes.
Points of interest:
- I currently use parametric EQ plugins in Audirvana+ to achieve the desired in-room response from my loudspeakers. This, of course, only works when playing music in Audirvana, it doesn't work system-wide on my Mac Mini, nor on my other digital or analogue sources.
- My analogue sources go through a vintage Technics SH-8065 graphic EQ that allows me to approximate my Audirvana EQ settings.
- My DAC's RCA outputs also go through the Technics EQ so that I can EQ the TV signal (XLR is otherwise my preferred output).
- I'd happily ditch the Technics EQ if a miniDSP could do the same job.
Questions/concerns:
- Looking at the info on the various miniDSP boxes, even though they have USB ports, USB is not listed among the digital inputs. Does this mean the USB input is only for controlling the miniDSP software or can it actually be used to output digital audio from my Mac Mini to the miniDSP box? If it can't then that's a deal-breaker.
- Is it possible to easily bypass all DSP settings on the miniDSP box. E.g. if I'm listening to my headphone amps or recording audio onto tape then I'm obviously not going to want any DSP engaged! If not then I'm probably better keeping my existing DAC for use with my headphone amps and tape decks.
This is how my system is setup at the moment. Note the light grey boxes at the bottom right corner are future additions still to be incorporated.
A visit to their website today has left me confused about which one of their magic boxes is best suited to my need. I see sthey've also added new products and removed some old ones since I last looked.
My decision is complicated by the fact that I don't know which direction I'm going to take my system in. E.g. whether I'm sticking with passive loudspeakers or go active, and whether I'm willing to replace the DAC that I really like the sound of with a miniDSP DAC.
1) The most conservative option is inserting a miniDSP box between my amplifier and my subs. This would allow me to DSP the signal going to each sub. Everything else would remain as it is at the moment.
2) The most radical option is replacing my existing DAC with a miniDSP box. This would allow me to DSP the entire signal chain, main speakers and subs, presumably independently.
There are probably permutations that fall somewhere between these two extremes.
Points of interest:
- I currently use parametric EQ plugins in Audirvana+ to achieve the desired in-room response from my loudspeakers. This, of course, only works when playing music in Audirvana, it doesn't work system-wide on my Mac Mini, nor on my other digital or analogue sources.
- My analogue sources go through a vintage Technics SH-8065 graphic EQ that allows me to approximate my Audirvana EQ settings.
- My DAC's RCA outputs also go through the Technics EQ so that I can EQ the TV signal (XLR is otherwise my preferred output).
- I'd happily ditch the Technics EQ if a miniDSP could do the same job.
Questions/concerns:
- Looking at the info on the various miniDSP boxes, even though they have USB ports, USB is not listed among the digital inputs. Does this mean the USB input is only for controlling the miniDSP software or can it actually be used to output digital audio from my Mac Mini to the miniDSP box? If it can't then that's a deal-breaker.
- Is it possible to easily bypass all DSP settings on the miniDSP box. E.g. if I'm listening to my headphone amps or recording audio onto tape then I'm obviously not going to want any DSP engaged! If not then I'm probably better keeping my existing DAC for use with my headphone amps and tape decks.
This is how my system is setup at the moment. Note the light grey boxes at the bottom right corner are future additions still to be incorporated.