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I've been debating the purchase of an STR preamp or miniDSP SHD and it reminded me of all the old Car and Driver comparisons between the 911 and Corvette. Expensive, elegant and sophisticated or blue collar rough around the edges but less expensive.
So, I have a nice quiet amp (AHB2) and want to put together a nice 2.2 setup that is streaming only (Node2i source) and includes room correction capability. I have experience with the Anthem STR preamp and it's been superb, likely transparent based on Audioholics testing, and has a ton of features, many of which I don't need given a streaming only system. It does have a slick interface with a lot of preferences that can be set to make life easier (startup volume, max volume, turn off delay, ARC settings, etc). ARC Genesis has been excellent at sub integration for me and it's super easy to use. Retail is $4300.
In the other corner is the miniDSP SHD, much less expensive at $1200 give or take, but lacks phono inputs, HT bypass (I think) and likely has a more cumbersome UI with fewer preference settings. I have no experience with miniDSP stuff so that could be wrong. However, it has a high performance DAC and DIRAC with apparently countless settings and options for tweaking the signal. Probably a better choice for someone who likes to really get into the weeds with the EQ settings.
My question for you all is which do you think would be the better choice for a streaming 2.2 setup WITHOUT REGARD to the cost difference? My hypothesis is that the ultimate result with regards to SQ would be the same and would depend more on the speakers and subs. The STR would be smoother and easier but the SHD would provide more options for adjusting the FR curve. Comments much appreciated.
So, I have a nice quiet amp (AHB2) and want to put together a nice 2.2 setup that is streaming only (Node2i source) and includes room correction capability. I have experience with the Anthem STR preamp and it's been superb, likely transparent based on Audioholics testing, and has a ton of features, many of which I don't need given a streaming only system. It does have a slick interface with a lot of preferences that can be set to make life easier (startup volume, max volume, turn off delay, ARC settings, etc). ARC Genesis has been excellent at sub integration for me and it's super easy to use. Retail is $4300.
In the other corner is the miniDSP SHD, much less expensive at $1200 give or take, but lacks phono inputs, HT bypass (I think) and likely has a more cumbersome UI with fewer preference settings. I have no experience with miniDSP stuff so that could be wrong. However, it has a high performance DAC and DIRAC with apparently countless settings and options for tweaking the signal. Probably a better choice for someone who likes to really get into the weeds with the EQ settings.
My question for you all is which do you think would be the better choice for a streaming 2.2 setup WITHOUT REGARD to the cost difference? My hypothesis is that the ultimate result with regards to SQ would be the same and would depend more on the speakers and subs. The STR would be smoother and easier but the SHD would provide more options for adjusting the FR curve. Comments much appreciated.
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