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Review and Measurements of miniDSP SHD DAC, DSP And Streamer

Dj7675

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Unless you can't fit a full rack-length component on your desk! Then you get the Studio model and try to find places to hide those two DACs you also had to buy. Though with miniDSP PWR-ICE amps in backbones you can get a clean install with Studio too, as the amps take AES inputs.

Living room setup: SHD Studio>AES>JBL 708P... done :)
 

Dj7675

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What about the subs? external DAC with AES input will easily cost another 300$

I miss the HDMI input and a 5.2 channel version of SHD :)
If subs are needed I would recommend full SHD then. d/a conversion is transparent. More expensive too but all in 1 box.
 

beefkabob

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SHD Studio + Grace Balanced DAC = 899 + 150.
SHD = 1200. $150 savings. Plus you have to use SPDIF to AES, which may be flaky. An adapter is maybe another $40 + cabling, up to $100 for an active adapter.
Laptop + Dirac Live Studio + USB to SPDIF = 300 + 349 + 20. But this takes more effort and may only do two channels.
 

jhaider

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What about the subs? external DAC with AES input will easily cost another 300.

SHD Studio has coax out too. I’m using a Topping D30 for subs right now. Coax in RCA out to sub amp (older D-Sonic with ICEpower 500ASP). $100 give or take.
 

Soundstage

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SHD Studio + Grace Balanced DAC = 899 + 150.
SHD = 1200. $150 savings. Plus you have to use SPDIF to AES, which may be flaky. An adapter is maybe another $40 + cabling, up to $100 for an active adapter.
Laptop + Dirac Live Studio + USB to SPDIF = 300 + 349 + 20. But this takes more effort and may only do two channels.
Usb to SPDIF for 20 how?
 

rvsixer

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If you already have spdif or AES DAC(s), Studio is fine. No spdif to AES or vice versa adapters required.
If you don't have DAC's already, SHD is the bargain. No spdif to AES or vice versa adapters, or DAC(s), required.
In either case, NO AES adapters are required for spdif DAC(s), since both Studio -AND- SHD have SPDIF out already.

And in the case of the aforementioned Grace Balanced DAC, be aware it does need a mini-spdif adapter.
 

beefkabob

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If you already have spdif or AES DAC(s), Studio is fine. No spdif to AES or vice versa adapters required.
If you don't have DAC's already, SHD is the bargain. No spdif to AES or vice versa adapters, or DAC(s), required.
In either case, NO AES adapters are required for spdif DAC(s), since both Studio -AND- SHD have SPDIF out already.

And in the case of the aforementioned Grace Balanced DAC, be aware it does need a mini-spdif adapter.

I have heard at least one fellow who needed an adapter to get SPDIF out recognized by Dutch and Dutch speakers. 705p works fine straight, though.
 

rvsixer

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I have heard at least one fellow who needed an adapter to get SPDIF out recognized by Dutch and Dutch speakers. 705p works fine straight, though.
Both current offerings of the speakers mentioned are digital via AES only (no SPDIF) and are supported directly by Studio, no spdif adapter required (conversely if an SHD is chosen over the Studio for its analog outs, both of the speakers support XLR).

I still see no reason to include the cost of spdif->AES adapter(s) to any reasonably thought out out system configuration/hookup. Buy Studio to hookup anything natively spdif or AES, SHD for anything natively spdif or analog. What reasonable use case, beyond picking components incorrectly, did I miss?
 
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beefkabob

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Both current offerings of the speakers mentioned are digital via AES only (no SPDIF) and are supported directly by Studio, no spdif adapter required (conversely if an SHD is chosen over the Studio for its analog outs, both of the speakers support XLR).

I still see no reason to include the cost of spdif->AES adapter(s) to any reasonably thought out out system configuration/hookup. Buy Studio to hookup anything natively spdif or AES, SHD for anything natively spdif or analog. What reasonable use case, beyond picking components incorrectly, did I miss?
I read posts on the minidsp forum by a person who owns the SHD and the DnD speakers. They said they had to get an ohm adapter to get the system to work. I bought one, thinking i'd have to do the same with a 705p setup, but it turns out I wasted $35.
 

oohlou

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Someone in the thread asked for pictures. I just got my SHD today so I figured I would take some!

20200316_103443.jpg
20200316_103557.jpg
20200316_103526.jpg
20200316_103539.jpg
 

oohlou

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Thanks for this. I have been curious and have wanted to open mine up. I wonder if anything that led to the (small, inaudible) jitter issue can be seen in these images.
No idea but is worth noting this is "Ver 1.3 Apr 10, 2019" and Amir's original review date was August 2018. So something has changed in the design (for better or worse is anyone's guess).

I can comment on the design a bit. I review electronic schematics and layout for a living, not in the audio world mind you but good PCB design is good PCB design in many ways.

First, the PCB is larger and there is more on it than I would have expected. Obviously this is a huge DAC but I was expecting to see something like a raspberryPi and a DDRC24 in there with cabling to the connectors. The modular raspberryPi like board is there but clearly the meat of the SHD is much more than what goes into the substantially smaller DDRC24. Also look at all those caps!

Second, look at the SHD and SHD Studio layout around the XMOS and AKM chips; note it is extremely similar. Also note those cables which go from one part of the PCB to another part of the same PCB. That is abnormal and suggests the layout in this area was locked before they decided where to put the raspberryPi like device. It suggests they had a well tested, well performing layout and rather than rip it up to fit the extra signals they ran cables instead.
 

RichB

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Speaking of the lack of HT Bypass mode - I'd love to see a SHD + with the following features added:

- Updated DAC performance
- HT Bypass
- 4 sub support
- Dual Mono Purifi or hypex based power amp

What a monster that would be...

Some changes:

- power amp.
+ Hand sanitizer :p

- Rich
 
D

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Dose anyone has experience with using the Minidsp SHD as an pre amp?
 
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