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NanoAVR discontinued

JoachimStrobel

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Yesterday I saw, that MiniDSP lists the NanoAVR series under legacy products with an „EOL Jan 2020“. Their NanoAVR product site is removed, links into that site are dead:
https://www.minidsp.com/support/legacy-products

I believe that these devices were always underrated. They are great components for a modular Mch system, and provide the cheapest add-on entry into the Dirac world. They are still listed at resellers:
https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/dsp-...i-audio-processor-71-usb-ethernet-p-9832.html

The NanoAVR HD has HDMI in-out and a DSP in the middle that works nicely with REW.
The HDA is the same with additional (!) 8 channel analog out by a mid-quality DAC.
The DL is an HD with built in Dirac Live which can not be upgraded and has no BM, DSP-REW support is dropped too.
The HD and the HDA (!!) can both be upgraded to a DL(A) with a Dirac kit which is still available, and has the same limitations as the DL:
https://www.minidsp.com/products/plugins/dirac-live-upgrades/nanoavr-hd-to-dl-upgrade-detail

In particular the Dirac upgraded HDA has then both: 8 mid quality analog outputs and (!) HDMI output as all Dirac manipulation is done in the digital domain.

Problems:
- Only accepts HDMI-LPCM. Most Players will do that, but not all boxes (FireTV, Apple, Sky..). Seems that only the Oppo player had a HDMI input, otherwise LPCM conversion is tricky, or impossible (Atmos). But Oppos are gone too...
- Only takes HDMI 1.4. That includes 3D but not real 4K. Hence for 4K one needs a separate Audio and Video path, either from a player with two HDMI ports or a specials splitter that provides a HDMI stream out of a HDMI 2.0 stream, like this one (not tested):
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B07K5RKQB7...olid=1D3IQNXDY7L8N&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
- The NanoAvr seems to have a strange EDID signature or behavior that creates trouble. AN EDID emulator may have to be inserted in the HDMI connection. There are only two HDMI inputs, and switchboxes of some kind are therefore mostly needed.
- Using the NanoAVR means conversion of all inputs to HDMI.

I hope that there will be a replacement from MiniDSP or other news on this topic and it would be good if people posted what they heard about this. Otherwise I believe that this is, like the Oppo players, another discontinued great product that makes the Mch world poorer.

(I use a Dirac-HDA with an Oppo and an analog Mch Preamp, and break out 2channel Spdif from the Hda‘s HDMI output as input into a DAC)
 
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somebodyelse

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Isn't that using the same 8 channel dac board as the U-DAC8 that got the headless panther when tested?
 
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JoachimStrobel

JoachimStrobel

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… I guess that is part of the problem with the NanoAvr - but how much is left of a good DAC after Dirac?
 

DonH56

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DonH56

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doodlebro

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Considering there's dedicated receivers around the same price as this DAC that include Dirac, I'm not sure how you think the miniDSP is a cheap way to get into Dirac. It's a $1000 subpar pre/pro with zero future format support at the end of the day.
 

Sancus

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I mean, it doesn't surprise me that they're EOLing an HDMI 1.4 product with no eARC support in 2020...

I can't see much reason to buy one of these when the NAD receivers with Dirac exist. And if you want to connect to other things doing purely digital in/out, they have the DDRC-88D with AES in/out that is probably best for that, especially when the nanoavr was limited to LPCM.

The long term cheapest way to get into Dirac is probably a PC license, too, if Dirac ever gets around to selling those again?
 

doodlebro

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The long term cheapest way to get into Dirac is probably a PC license, too, if Dirac ever gets around to selling those again?

You don't even need Dirac to apply REW filters on a PC output. Not that it's Dirac, but the same stuff can be done with a little more work.
 
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JoachimStrobel

JoachimStrobel

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Considering there's dedicated receivers around the same price as this DAC that include Dirac, I'm not sure how you think the miniDSP is a cheap way to get into Dirac. It's a $1000 subpar pre/pro with zero future format support at the end of the day.
It is only cheap as an add-on to an already existing system, but not if need to buy amps and special transports.
 

mga2009

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Despite all of the cons, it would have been great at USD$150ish... or USD$200ish for the HDA, not at USD$350+(they even upped the price to $399 at the end).
 
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JoachimStrobel

JoachimStrobel

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I have seen it for 330Usd+300usd for Dirac + 75usd for an Umik. That is a lot, but as standalone Mch Dirac kit it is the cheapest. The said NAD is probably 1200 usd with the same mic and a full-range Dirac license, but then it has 11? Amps. And needs no Lpcm converter and HDMI switch and just has one ON switch. But can you upgrade the DAC? With the pre-out one upgrade the amps, leaving the integrated ones as dead-weight?
 
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