Minidsp Flex Review (Audio DSP)

[juliangst]

And just another question. Does the Flex work like a four channel DAC?
When Dirac Bass Control becomes available for Windows/MacOS it will probably require a multichannel DAC for the high and low pass filtering and I'm really interested in getting Bass Control (for Windows)

 

[withoutsuit]

Compared to most 100-200€ it’s about the same. At about -40dB which is quite low we still have 80dB of SINAD which should be good enough

You mean, setting the minidsp master volume at -40db and turning the volume in the amplifier higher?

 

[juliangst]

You mean, setting the minidsp master volume at -40db and turning the volume in the amplifier higher?

What I mean is that you don't really have to be concerned about the IMD at lower volumes. Just set the amps volume at a point that works best in your case.
At the end you don't want to touch the speaker amps volume again and control your speakers and sub with the miniDSP volume knob

 

[antcollinet]

And just another question. Does the Flex work like a four channel DAC?
When Dirac Bass Control becomes available for Windows/MacOS it will probably require a multichannel DAC for the high and low pass filtering and I'm really interested in getting Bass Control (for Windows)

No - it is a two channel DAC - one stereo channel.

Those two channels can be routed to any of the four outputs with DSP (Eg crossoever, delay, filter, eq etc.) applied as you like to each output.

 

[usersky]

Maybe duplicate or discussed elsewhere but does anybody know what's the connection between MiniDSP and Harman/Samsung?

This is the splashscreen for MiniDSP Flex DL software v1.16, with Harman/Samsung logo:

 

[voodooless]

Maybe duplicate or discussed elsewhere but does anybody know what's the connection between MiniDSP and Harman/Samsung?

This is the splashscreen for MiniDSP Flex DL software v1.16, with Harman/Samsung logo:
View attachment 234353

See bottom text in your picture.

Adobe AIR SDK from HARMAN

airsdk.harman.com

HARMAN have taken over the development and support for the Adobe AIR SDK, a cross-platform framework used by a wide range of applications and games

 

[usersky]

Oh that's totally unexpected, Harman messing with Adobe, God help us all! I though they bought MiniDSP, one doesn't advertise the framework's owner in it's software splashscreen usually. I guess that splashscreen is showing while loading any air based app. Thanks!

 

[kolestonin]

I checked the official product page and the manual but it seems there is no info on power and usb cables length.
My web research did not also help.

Can a fellow member give some info on the length of both above mentioned cables?

 

[euge_lee]

I checked the official product page and the manual but it seems there is no info on power and usb cables length.
My web research did not also help.

Can a fellow member give some info on the length of both above mentioned cables?

Power: about 5 feet
USB: short, about 3 feet

If you need exact, I can measure.

 

[antcollinet]

Aprox (I was trying to measure behind a cubboard) 5ft for power and 3ft for USB


EDIT: Snap

 

[kolestonin]

On Dynamic range screenshot of this review there is a text saying 'MiniDsp max volume'
My understanding is that this excellent performance is valid only when volume out is set to maximum.
So setting MiniDsp Flex volume to max and using a Pre amp for volume control is almost mandatory.
Cause below maximum volume its ability to expose detail is reduced drastically as at lower volumes it is a digital volume control.
At low volume this DAC will not offer a lot more than a cheap one as it's its SINAD and dynamic range will be greatly reduced.
A really good and quality pre amp is also necessary cause otherwise it will reduce the systems clarity all by itself.

Are my above conclusions correct?

I am a noob building a system with a Hypex Ncore amp and plan to use a MiniDsp Flex as my DAC.

Should I cut some budget from my speakers and buy a good pre amp(ex: Topping Pre90) or my concerns in using MiniDsp without a pre amp are somehow exaggerated?

 

[voodooless]

On Dynamic range screenshot of this review there is a text saying 'MiniDsp max volume'
My understanding is that this excellent performance is valid only when volume out is set to maximum.
So setting MiniDsp Flex volume to max and using a Pre amp for volume control is almost mandatory.
Cause below maximum volume its ability to expose detail is reduced drastically as at lower volumes it is a digital volume control.
At low volume this DAC will not offer a lot more than a cheap one as it's its SINAD and dynamic range will be greatly reduced.
A really good and quality pre amp is also necessary cause otherwise it will reduce the systems clarity all by itself.

Are my above conclusions correct?

Volume control, via DAC or pre-amp?

Lets say you're in a situation where you have a DAC with a really low noise floor and excellent SINAD score, but you're still using a mediocre integrated Amp because currently you don't have the money (or simply don't justify the purchase of a new one). Would you chose to put the Pre-amp at max...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[anotherhobby]

I've been enjoying my miniDSP Flex for the last 8 months since it came out. Once again I continue to really appreciate that there are 4 different presets that can hold unique Dirac calibrations. The latest use case was because my wife and I headed to the family cabin to work remote for a few weeks. There is zero audio up here, and the last time I worked remove from here I sorely missed listening to music. This time I grabbed my Revel M105's, my Topping PA5, my miniDSP Flex, my umik-1, and all associated cables and brought them with. I set up 2 listening spots in the cabin: one in my temporary office for during the day, and one in the main living space for evenings and weekends.

I never would have thought to take one of my systems with me to to size, setup, and tweaking time, but the Revels are pretty compact and the miniDSP made setup insanely fast and easy. It took just a few minutes to run a quick Dirac calibration for each spot, saving each to a preset that I can swap between. Also, I never use the bluetooth feature at home, but up here it's a life saver due to limited sources and network.

So, nothing new here, just super happy with my miniDSP Flex, and finding it's "flexibility" one of it's greatest assets.

 

[ahofer]

I've been enjoying my miniDSP Flex for the last 8 months since it came out. Once again I continue to really appreciate that there are 4 different presets that can hold unique Dirac calibrations. The latest use case was because my wife and I headed to the family cabin to work remote for a few weeks. There is zero audio up here, and the last time I worked remove from here I sorely missed listening to music. This time I grabbed my Revel M105's, my Topping PA5, my miniDSP Flex, my umik-1, and all associated cables and brought them with. I set up 2 listening spots in the cabin: one in my temporary office for during the day, and one in the main living space for evenings and weekends.

I never would have thought to take one of my systems with me to to size, setup, and tweaking time, but the Revels are pretty compact and the miniDSP made setup insanely fast and easy. It took just a few minutes to run a quick Dirac calibration for each spot, saving each to a preset that I can swap between. Also, I never use the bluetooth feature at home, but up here it's a life saver due to limited sources and network.

So, nothing new here, just super happy with my miniDSP Flex, and finding it's "flexibility" one of it's greatest assets.

View attachment 234985

I see some strategically placed sound absorption in front of the left channel. Nice spot!

 

[juliangst]

I've been enjoying my miniDSP Flex for the last 8 months since it came out. Once again I continue to really appreciate that there are 4 different presets that can hold unique Dirac calibrations. The latest use case was because my wife and I headed to the family cabin to work remote for a few weeks. There is zero audio up here, and the last time I worked remove from here I sorely missed listening to music. This time I grabbed my Revel M105's, my Topping PA5, my miniDSP Flex, my umik-1, and all associated cables and brought them with. I set up 2 listening spots in the cabin: one in my temporary office for during the day, and one in the main living space for evenings and weekends.

I never would have thought to take one of my systems with me to to size, setup, and tweaking time, but the Revels are pretty compact and the miniDSP made setup insanely fast and easy. It took just a few minutes to run a quick Dirac calibration for each spot, saving each to a preset that I can swap between. Also, I never use the bluetooth feature at home, but up here it's a life saver due to limited sources and network.

So, nothing new here, just super happy with my miniDSP Flex, and finding it's "flexibility" one of it's greatest assets.

View attachment 234985

How does it sound with and without Dirac enabled?
I can imagine that improvements by Dirac are really great in such a non-optimal room

 

[anotherhobby]

How does it sound with and without Dirac enabled?
I can imagine that improvements by Dirac are really great in such a non-optimal room

Better, cleaner, more equally balanced. Noticeably less "tubby" in the mid bass. I didn't make any adjustments to the curve at all for this, just point and shoot. Below are some sweeps I took before and after in my temp office. For putting almost no effort in, the result is quite good.

I also have to say, I think the Dirac calibration application is surprisingly good software with a nice intuitive interface, and it was really rewarding to have it calibrated and sounding great so fast, especially for something I'm only using for 3 weeks.

 

[sprellemannen]

I've been enjoying my miniDSP Flex for the last 8 months since it came out. Once again I continue to really appreciate that there are 4 different presets that can hold unique Dirac calibrations. The latest use case was because my wife and I headed to the family cabin to work remote for a few weeks. There is zero audio up here, and the last time I worked remove from here I sorely missed listening to music. This time I grabbed my Revel M105's, my Topping PA5, my miniDSP Flex, my umik-1, and all associated cables and brought them with. I set up 2 listening spots in the cabin: one in my temporary office for during the day, and one in the main living space for evenings and weekends.

I never would have thought to take one of my systems with me to to size, setup, and tweaking time, but the Revels are pretty compact and the miniDSP made setup insanely fast and easy. It took just a few minutes to run a quick Dirac calibration for each spot, saving each to a preset that I can swap between. Also, I never use the bluetooth feature at home, but up here it's a life saver due to limited sources and network.

So, nothing new here, just super happy with my miniDSP Flex, and finding it's "flexibility" one of it's greatest assets.

View attachment 234985

A room with a beautiful view.

 

[CyBorek]

The manual and specs state 96KHz without Dirac, but 48KHz with Dirac.

View attachment 185823

So if I understand correctly, when I am using dirac room correction everything what is played is degraded 48kHz against 96kHz in non dirac mode?

 

[voodooless]

So if I understand correctly, when I am using dirac room correction everything what is played is degraded 48kHz against 96kHz in non dirac mode?

It's not degraded, just resampled

 

[mike70]

It's not degraded, just resampled

yes ... it would be funny an ABX test about how many people can hear the difference between the same track (same mastering) at 16/44.1 and 24/96.

i think many would be surprised ... maybe "hi-res" is the new snake oil.