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Dirac Mac Mini Help
- Thread starter RickyC34
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- Thread Starter
- #22
I appreciate you trying to help me out. Amazon says the topping dac will be here in a couple of hours. If I can't figure it out by then ill do a fresh install and delete mini dsp from the pc to make sure that's not causing any issues. I currently have the dac's connected to the USB 2.0 ports. I will try the nonworking one in a usb c port to make sure. I guess I could try new cables as well but feel like that all could be a waste of time because the signal comes through from the processor page and volume cal page of dirac.
I would use the stand alone. The plugin would be used a vst3 and would be used in conjunction with something like JRiver. Your Audio settings for the speakers look correct to me. I don't know anything about Black Hole as I run mine DLBC as a Windows guy. Suggest you contact Dirac Help Desk, and see if they can walk you through this. They helped me, and I'm sure they can get you up and running.
- Thread Starter
- #24
@droid2000 No static no if I select the aggregate device as the playback device. If i leave the config set to stereo and other options selected in the picture I get sound from the front left speaker and left sub. 1st-time output has come out of each dac at the same time besides the volume calibration page. Obviously, the problem is that it's still only 2 of the four speakers/subs. If I did get this route to work vs the Dirac virtual device I lose the ability to adjust the volume via my wireless keyboard. Mostly just an inconvenience but also increase the chance of me blowing my ears or speakers up if an app decides to play at max volume.
I would have happily gone with the topping DM 7 route (and kept windows) but my gear is not balanced the motu m4 would also work for me but again, all balanced.
I would have happily gone with the topping DM 7 route (and kept windows) but my gear is not balanced the motu m4 would also work for me but again, all balanced.
- Thread Starter
- #25
System uninstall/reinstall + removing the minidsp for the topping dac had no change to my previous results. I opened a help ticket with Dirac. I will update this post once I hear back from them or figure this out. I'm locked at 2 channels of output until then.
- Thread Starter
- #26
May have found a solution but believe there could be some holes in it. Using the loopback software I can do the routing as you see in the attached picture. There is no output on 3 or 4 tru of the pass-thru channel so I routed ch 3 and 4 to mirror 1 and 2. At the volume calibration page it shows two speakers and two subs, each sweeping individually. So i guess my question...is there a downside to routing like this? It makes me feel like I'm doing the 2 in 4 out mini dsp mix which is something I was trying to avoid and part of my reason for wanting to switch to DLBC.
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I'm not familiar with the loopback software so now sure what impact it will have. I'd be a little leery of using it since you shouldn't need it, and it introduces additional complexity into the sound path that you shouldn't need.
At this point I'd use Dirac tech support. It's probably something very simple that has been overlooked. One little misconfig can ruin it all. I learned that playing around with my system after a few too many cocktails lol.
Let me know how it turns out. I have become emotionally invested in finding solution to this problem.
I think it's an interesting problem too, and I'd like to know how it's solved. Best of luck with it.
- Thread Starter
- #31
Thank you, I'm still not up and running and waiting to hear back from Dirac. I was reading a thread that seemed to have a lot of people who had success with my setup, I'll ask in there to see if anyone has suggestions. What do you think about my post #26 on this thread? Do you see downsides that that setup? Still so odd that even there the problem is staring me in the face 0 output from 3 and 4 on the pass-tru device.
I've never used loopback software myself, but one of the reasons, I think, you want DLBC for is to take that stereo signal and create a crossover which is, based on the measurements you've taken, the ideal crossover for your room and set up. In short you want DLBC doing all that, and it's not clear to me, based on that diagram in post 26, that's what's happpening. I apologize I can't help your further, but my set up is in Windows, and seems to be working perfectly well, but I am using one multichannel DAC (OCTO Dac 8 Pro).
You could also use a Motu M4 which I'm sure would work just as well, though it would not have a master volume control for all 4 channels, and you would probably need to control the volume through something in the software.
But I do think it's an intruiging idea of using Black Hole to group two separate USB Dacs, and I was not aware they could be synced that way b/c each one of them has their own clock and runs asynchronously AFAIK. I do know miniDSP has a device called the UDIO-8 which enables you to take two or more DACs with SPDIF or AES/EBU input and clock them to the master clock in that device, so they can all run synced, but I was unaware it was possible to do the same thing with Apple computers via USB.
- Thread Starter
- #33
Is all of your gear balanced? I would have loved to go the OCTO, DM7, or Motu route but my gear is not. I'm ok with adjusting the volume on the software side. I could use something like a Flric as a workaround. I really wanted this to work. Having the ability to swap components and the addition of DLBC was highly attractive.. Still no word from Dirac, hope to hear something on Monday.
Except for the subs, everything is balanced. I just think it helps with longer runs and things like hum. Dirac will get back to you, they're very good about that.
- Thread Starter
- #36
Dirac got back to me this morning!
From Dirac "The filter needs to be a Bass Control or a Bass Management filter. If it isn't, nothing will be upmixed to the subwoofers."
I thought I did this but it appears I saved it just as a nonbass control filter. Re-ran calibration and made sure to save a filter in slot one using bass management and that did it! You can tell what kind of filter you have after hitting calibrate on the processor. You can see the filter type there. either RC, BM or BC.
Bass is extremely weak but If I crank their dial up to 80-90% they are audible. Calibration had me turn their dial to about 15-20%. I'm sure I just need to adjust target curves etc.
From Dirac "The filter needs to be a Bass Control or a Bass Management filter. If it isn't, nothing will be upmixed to the subwoofers."
I thought I did this but it appears I saved it just as a nonbass control filter. Re-ran calibration and made sure to save a filter in slot one using bass management and that did it! You can tell what kind of filter you have after hitting calibrate on the processor. You can see the filter type there. either RC, BM or BC.
Bass is extremely weak but If I crank their dial up to 80-90% they are audible. Calibration had me turn their dial to about 15-20%. I'm sure I just need to adjust target curves etc.
I'm new to the miniDSP+Dirac......and will appreciate some help. I have a nice DAC and a 2+1 stereo setup and want to add subwoofer management with room correction. Currently I have my woofer wired with high level speaker wires and I use Roon +REW for correction.
After reading your above --- am I correct that I can have my existing DAC unbalanced output go to the minidsp analog inputs?
After reading your above --- am I correct that I can have my existing DAC unbalanced output go to the minidsp analog inputs?
You could, but this would incur an unnecessary a/d conversion. Better to run the digital output from the miniDSP into your DAC.
And where does the sub connect?
Digital output ch. 3 or 4 from miniDSP to a 2nd (inexpensive ) DAC.
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