MINIDSP Adept ADC & Phono Preamp Review

[matteo.tonini]

Did I understand you guys correctly?

Yes. The USB port on the device is an output: sends audio FROM the Adept TO the pc.
What you want is the opposite as far as I can tell: you want the PC to be the source, and output to an external device.
The Adept won't do it

 

[Bland_username42069]

So USB audio here is an output to the PC or possibly other takers - but it is not a playback device available to the PC.

Did I understand you guys correctly?

Exactly.

You would use the Adept to feed either
A DAC preamp
An integrated amp with built in DAC
Active speakers with a DAC and volume control built into speakers
Or record the output of your turntable / line level analog source to your PC.

 

[m8o]

Wow... MiniDSP does it again.

 

[Sirius]

I have now read the entire thread about this interesting box, the miniDSP adept. I now have two questions:
1) Is the new firmware with five different gain settings up zo +12 db out already?
2) what kind of headroom, does one typically need from the loudest parts of a record, to allow for some crackle on a record, that is fairly clean?
I presently habe two options for my AT33/PTGII:
A) hook it up to my PSAudio Nuwave Phono Converter, where I have plenty of adjustability, and it also serves as an ADC, and then use its line out and go to an unbalanced Line in of my Linn G-ADSM/3. The disadvantage here is that the PSAudio NPC introduces some humm, if set to the necessary gain level (around 72 db usually). The digitizing with Vinylstudio on my Macbook works very well and is easy to perform.
B) hook the AT33/PTGII directly to the MC in of the Linn, and listen. The sound is very good, low noise and no hum. In case I want to digitize, I use a Line out of the Linn and adjust the volume on the Linn, and use the Line in of the PSAudio NPC. The disadvantage here is that I have to switch off my speakers (they would be way too loud), and monitor on the MAC speakers.

I am considering replacing the PSAudio which is plenty adjustable, but not very good at noise, by the miniDSP Adept.
The cartridges I use are: AT33/PTGII (my best cartidge and only MC), Elac ESG796H Sp (a vintage excellent MM), Elac EMM290HB30 (very good low output MM), Ortofon Vinyl Master silver (regular MM).

 

[morillon]

New Adept FW 1.8 released

Dear All Some new features with the latest firmware of Adept were just released last week! It took our team quite a bit of time to optimise the onboard code and ADC settings to make sure performance isn't compromised. Here are the new features worth mentioning: - New gain settings to add more...

www.minidsp.com

 

[stefanovesa]

New Adept FW 1.8 released

Dear All Some new features with the latest firmware of Adept were just released last week! It took our team quite a bit of time to optimise the onboard code and ADC settings to make sure performance isn't compromised. Here are the new features worth mentioning: - New gain settings to add more...

www.minidsp.com

Thanks for reporting. I can confirm that the new analog gain for 0.4 mV is perfectly adequate for my 0.3 mV MC cartridge, no need in my scenario to crank the added digital gain.
The only issue is that the binary for flashing seems not working with latest MacOS versions, I flashed the unit in Windows.

 

[mackat]

Just ordered one looking forward to trying it out!

 

[DrCWO]

If you're Roon users and like to listen to LP via Roon and its DSP using ADEPT just give a try to rooPlay.

Best DrCWO

 

[bungle]

Thanks for reporting. I can confirm that the new analog gain for 0.4 mV is perfectly adequate for my 0.3 mV MC cartridge, no need in my scenario to crank the added digital gain.
The only issue is that the binary for flashing seems not working with latest MacOS versions, I flashed the unit in Windows.

It does (work with latest macOS), but they always forgot to add executable bit to it. Just enter the package and do "chmod +x" to binary (and it works fine).

 

[formdissolve]

If you're Roon users and like to listen to LP via Roon and its DSP using ADEPT just give a try to rooPlay.

Best DrCWO

Wow, I was wondering if something like this existed. I might have to give this a try!

 

[henrikjensen]

The Adept works perfectly with an Ortofon MC X50

 

[stefanovesa]

The Adept works perfectly with an Ortofon MC X50

Have you the chance to compare to a full analog setup with the same cartridge? Mine, even if I have connected the Adept to the same pre phono used in the full analog setup, sounds different and unsatisfatory, in particular in the bass region. Honestly, due to the vinyl shortcomings and SOTA Adept ADC, I was expecting a result completely undistinguable from my previous full analog setup.

The rest of my chain is "SOTA": Classic Audio MC PRO and RME ADI-2 DAC FS...

 

[henrikjensen]

Have you the chance to compare to a full analog setup with the same cartridge? Mine, even if I have connected the Adept to the same pre phono used in the full analog setup, sounds different and unsatisfatory, in particular in the bass region. Honestly, due to the vinyl shortcomings and SOTA Adept ADC, I was expecting a result completely undistinguable from my previous full analog setup.

The rest of my chain is "SOTA": Classic Audio MC PRO and RME ADI-2 DAC FS...

Hi Stefanovesa,

I have not had a chance to compare to a full analogue setup - sadly.

I upgraded from a Ortofon Super OM 40 (Stylus 40) FG70 to the MC X50

And I have been blown away - actually in tears when hearing the first couple of albums.

The Bass is tight, each note clearly distinguishable.

Playing Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 2 (Leonard Bernstein, Deutsche Grammophon Limited reissue 2023) is an absolute revelation. Orchestra is perfectly panned out left - right and depth wise. All instruments are clear and present - the closest I have ever come to a live performance in a Hi-Fi system.

My setup is as follows:

Ortofon MC X50 -> Revox B795 -> MiniDSP Adept 96Khz -> CamillaDSP acting as convolution processor with 16K (bass) + 16K (treble) taps (on Raspberry PI 5) -> Topping DM7 DAC -> 2 (one for each speaker) x Hypex NCAS500MP (440W for Bass + 120W for Treble) -> Custom build speakers (Bass / Mid -> Purifi-Audio 8" PTT8.0X04-NAB-01 + Treble -> SB-Acoustics SATORI TW29TXN-B-4 / TeXtreme)

 

[stefanovesa]

Hi Stefanovesa,

I have not had a chance to compare to a full analogue setup - sadly.

I upgraded from a Ortofon Super OM 40 (Stylus 40) FG70 to the MC X50

And I have been blown away - actually in tears when hearing the first couple of albums.

The Bass is tight, each note clearly distinguishable.

Playing Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 2 (Leonard Bernstein, Deutsche Grammophon Limited reissue 2023) is an absolute revelation. Orchestra is perfectly panned out left - right and depth wise. All instruments are clear and present - the closest I have ever come to a live performance in a Hi-Fi system.

My setup is as follows:

Ortofon MC X50 -> Revox B795 -> MiniDSP Adept 96Khz -> CamillaDSP acting as convolution processor with 16K (bass) + 16K (treble) taps (on Raspberry PI 5) -> Topping DM7 DAC -> 2 (one for each speaker) x Hypex NCAS500MP (440W for Bass + 120W for Treble) -> Custom build speakers (Bass / Mid -> Purifi-Audio 8" PTT8.0X04-NAB-01 + Treble -> SB-Acoustics SATORI TW29TXN-B-4 / TeXtreme)

No doubt! Unfortunately in my case there is something wrong to identify. What is "CamillaDSP acting as convolution processor with 16K (bass) + 16K (treble) taps (on Raspberry PI 5)" ?

 

[henrikjensen]

Have a look here for a full description of CamillaDSP -> https://www.camilladsp.com

A very cool piece of software written by Henrik Enquist

I use CamillaDSP to perform audio convolution of my loudspeakers. Audio convolution is the process of applying mathematical filtering to an audio signal using an Impulse Response (IR). This process allows you to tweak the response of the loudspeakers freely. I user the processing to get a perfectly flat frequency and phase response from the loudspeakers form 30hz to 20Khz.

16K (16000) tabs gives an 80 ms delay in the processing between input to and output from CamillaDSP.

I cannot hear any ringing or other digital artefacts - and I have done a / b testing against a standard filter setup using Linkwitz–Riley 4th order crossover at 1600hz.

 

[stefanovesa]

Mine sounds sensibly better at 44.1 kHz, when I feed RME ADI-2 DAC FS via SPDIF coax. I've asked MiniDSP and they denied it resamples the signal. At 44.1 the result is quite undistinguable from a full analog setup.

 

[john61ct]

quite undistinguable from a full analog setup.

Is that meant to be a good thing? As if analog is "better" by default?

 

[stefanovesa]

Is that meant to be a good thing? As if analog is "better" by default?

What I meant was that if I feed the Adept with an analog signal, whatever it is, in this case that coming from a pre phono, I'm expecting that a SOTA ADC gives me a result quite indistinguable from the analog input. That's the case if I set the Adept at 44.1 sample rate.

 

[john61ct]

Yes, fair enough for within an ADC.