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Minidsp SHD Review Updated (DSP, DAC & Streamer)

CrustyToad

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Thanks for the review Amir!
Fantastic functionality and great performance in this product. This together with the NAD C658 they are the only ones to offer preamp, streamer, dac and Dirac in one component. The NAD seems to have many problems though...

Some competition to drive the prices down in the category would be great! Both about 1600-1700 euro on this side of the pond... Bit out of my reach for now.

But you only need to add an ncore / purify power amp and a sub
 
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gvl

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Needs 2 more channels for tri-amping, or am I missing something?
 

vkvedam

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What should it get?
The next one, if not mistaken it's a panther lying down as you stopped giving the golfing ones to SINAD of ~112dB in this price range.
 

outlookrt

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Anotherthing that's been added to the SHD this year is a new updated remote. Which allows for stop/start/prev/next/control of streaming playback. Although there is a issue where if spotify connect is paused it won't simply resume with the press of play. Not sure if it works for Roon. It's nothing fancy, a cheap light plastic thing, but it's a nice upgrade from the original remote and helps it be a bit more user friendly overall.

The DSP features are pretty amazing. Beyond Dirac +PEQ, i'm using the 4ch to prototype passive crossover for some DIY 2-way speakers!
 

win

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Needs 2 more channels for tri-amping, or am I missing something?

for 6 channels, you'd have to buy one of the minidsp 2x4hd addons, I believe.
 

Koeitje

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tw99

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Don't forget to take VAT into account when importing. Its still a bit cheaper, but not a big a difference as you think it would be at first glance.

In the UK, I paid something like £1150 including VAT ordering direct from them in HK, whereas the UK dealer lists it at £1600.
 

TabCam

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Oh gotcha you are right! Hope they will add something like that on their lineup, 1.600€ is out of discussion for my wallet.
With two Topping E30s it will be €1049 + 2 * €129 = €1307. With the toppings you also need a stable power supply. Still not cheap but it saves ~€350.
 

martijn86

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Thanks Amir! I've been researching every DAC + Streamer + Pre-amp that I could find for what seems like two years now. There was always sub-par performance or issues like with the NAD 658, no USB-in or proper EQ with my current Yamaha WXC-50, multiple boxes, high retail prices (€ 3000,-~€ 5000,-) like the Mytek Brooklyn, Lumin T2, Cambridge Edge NQ, Naim NAC-N 272 etc. You get the idea, my excel sheet is dazzling.

Amir, you've helped me find my 'last amplifier' in the Hypex NC250 (or should I now step it up to 4x ET. And I think I now found my 'last source'. With my ultimate goal to bring the fight to Active DSP corrected speakers with any passive speaker I feel like trying. Of course, nothing is perfect so I'll chain in a 12v trigger for convenience. ;)

So, thanks again for all the insight ASR and the community has offered. My research has come to an end today. I'm going to start saving up for the new and improved SHD.
 
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xykreinov

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Thanks Amir! I've been researching every DAC + Streamer + Pre-amp that I could find for what seems like two years now. There was always sub-par performance or issues like with the NAD 658, no USB-in or proper EQ with my current Yamaha WXC-50, multiple boxes, high retail prices (€ 3000,-~€ 5000,-) like the Mytek Brooklyn, Lumin T2, Cambridge Edge NQ, Naim NAC-N 272 etc. You get the idea, my excel sheet is dazzling.

Amir, you've helped my find my 'last amplifier' in the Hypex NC250. And I think I now found my 'last source'. With my ultimate goal to bring the fight to Active DSP corrected speakers with any passive speaker I feel like trying. Of course, nothing is perfect so I'll chain in a 12v trigger for convenience. ;)

So, thanks again for all the insight ASR and the community has offered. My research has come to an end today. I'm going to start saving up for the new and improved SHD.
I've been in a similar boat. It amazes me how there really is nothing like the SHD. I really don't know of any other ways you can get remotely in the ballpark of the same SINAD performance coupled with ability to do 10 bands of hardware PEQ. Further, that amazement extends to the HiFi market's lack of demand for hardware level DSP and PEQ abilities in general. It makes so much bigger a difference in sound than most upgrades you can do in your chain, yet most still crave a few dB in SINAD instead; let alone those still financially enslaving themselves to specless boutique products.
 
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CrustyToad

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I've been in a similar boat. It amazes me how there really is nothing like the SHD. I really don't know of any other ways you can get remotely in the ballpark of the same SHD performance coupled with ability to do 10 bands of hardware PEQ. Further, that amazement extends to the HiFi market's lack of demand for hardware level DSP and PEQ abilities in general. It makes so much bigger a difference in sound than most upgrades you can do in your chain, yet most still crave a few dB in SINAD instead; let alone those still financially enslaving themselves to specless boutique products.

Thanks Amir! I've been researching every DAC + Streamer + Pre-amp that I could find for what seems like two years now. There was always sub-par performance or issues like with the NAD 658, no USB-in or proper EQ with my current Yamaha WXC-50, multiple boxes, high retail prices (€ 3000,-~€ 5000,-) like the Mytek Brooklyn, Lumin T2, Cambridge Edge NQ, Naim NAC-N 272 etc

I have also been looking for a similar product that combines this functionality with a performing DAC. It's puzzling how you can get a good (as in ASR approved :)) AVR for about half of that money and this includes decent amplifiers for 5+ channels, but a stereo version with DSP starts this high up in price. The same functionality with similar performance below 700-800 €/$/£ would sell like hot cakes I think...

With two Topping E30s it will be €1049 + 2 * €129 = €1307. With the toppings you also need a stable power supply. Still not cheap but it saves ~€350.
Indeed a good alternative but with multiple boxes.
 

Helicopter

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The next one, if not mistaken it's a panther lying down as you stopped giving the golfing ones to SINAD of ~112dB in this price range.

As a DIRAC processor this is excellent. It is much more than a DAC, and outperforms all but 1 or 2 products with similar functionality at a much lower price.
 

Koeitje

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With two Topping E30s it will be €1049 + 2 * €129 = €1307. With the toppings you also need a stable power supply. Still not cheap but it saves ~€350.
Volume control is going to be a bitch then. The advantage of the non-studio is that you can just use it as a pre-amp without fucking around.
 

sarumbear

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Daaadou

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I was also looking for a pre amp replacement.
I do like my Rotel 1590 very much but it does not come with EQ or DSP functionnalities (Bass and treble lol) and since it has a DAC, it would imply multiple box doing the same thing.
I would have considered the studio version of the SHD but the Rotel unit is sensitive to the perturbation in the electrical network (very old building in downtown Paris) and even if it is not a big annoyance (one or two pops sometimes in the evening), it is probably better to go on with a totally different unit.
I was looking for the RME ADI also but the DSP in the MiniDSP unit is far more advanced.
Other options on the market are super expensive as it was previously said.
Though, this SHD unit requires to buy an external headphone amp but that's a minor flaw.

I'll probably get one next year and sell my Rotel pre.
 

Morpheus

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Don't forget to take VAT into account when importing. Its still a bit cheaper, but not a big a difference as you think it would be at first glance.

Plus customs handling fees and the time and bother...saving penies and too much trouble in the end maybe..Still envious of much cheaper it is in the US.
I know Dirac is sort of the whole point, but wish they made this with an OpenDrc platform, and three channels so you could roll your own, and cheaper too, no Dirac licensing..Waiting for Okto to rock their boat :)
 

tw99

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I've been in a similar boat. It amazes me how there really is nothing like the SHD. I really don't know of any other ways you can get remotely in the ballpark of the same SINAD performance coupled with ability to do 10 bands of hardware PEQ. Further, that amazement extends to the HiFi market's lack of demand for hardware level DSP and PEQ abilities in general. It makes so much bigger a difference in sound than most upgrades you can do in your chain, yet most still crave a few dB in SINAD instead; let alone those still financially enslaving themselves to specless boutique products.

I was looking at a thread on another forum where a guy was talking about how a particular combo of mains and speaker cable made a "significant" difference to his system. To these people a box like the SHD would be anathema, because it would "degrade the signal" or something. They prefer an imaginary difference to a real one!!
 
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