MiniDSP SHD or Stick with Wiim Ultra? Advice Needed!

[doroteoarangof3]

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice on whether I should upgrade to the MiniDSP SHD or stick with my current setup using the Wiim Ultra.

Here’s my gear:

• Speakers: Bowers & Wilkins CM9
• Subwoofer: Bowers & Wilkins DB1 Dual 12"
• Amp: PURIFI 1ET6525SA 2-Channel (2nd Gen EIGENTAKT) for the CM9s

I mostly stream music through Spotify or Tidal. I’ve tried the room correction feature on the Wiim Ultra, but I’ve found it to be lacking. The MiniDSP SHD’s Dirac Live seems like it could be a big improvement for room correction and overall sound optimization.

Would upgrading to the MiniDSP SHD be worth it for my setup? Or should I stick with the Wiim Ultra and explore other room correction options or tweaks?

I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences, especially if you’ve used either device or have insights about Dirac Live. Thanks in advance!

 

[5-pot-fan]

Unless you need to sell the Ultra to fund a Minidsp, why not get one and feed it from the Ultra (assuming there is connecttivity that you consider acceptable)?
Possibly that way you retain the useful parts of the Ultra while gaining the (apparently) better EQ facilities?
I have an Ultra, BTW.

 

[Mnyb]

Better to learn and use REW to measure and implement manual corrections .

But maybe Dirac has a better auto mode ? I do distrust automatic modes , imo they oversimplify the issues at hand ?

 

[Mort]

I've tried both Diraclive and Wiim room correction many times on a few different systems. I don't think I'll raise any eyebrows by saying Diraclive is better.

Wiim is still fantastic for the money and adequate.

You many not need the SHD. Keep the Wiim Ultra as a streamer and get a Flex with DiracLive for less than half the SHD.

 

[doroteoarangof3]

I've tried both Diraclive and Wiim room correction many times on a few different systems. I don't think I'll raise any eyebrows by saying Diraclive is better.

Wiim is still fantastic for the money and adequate.

You many not need the SHD. Keep the Wiim Ultra as a streamer and get a Flex with DiracLive for less than half the SHD.

I like this idea, however my question is which one would be better, the analog unbalanced RCA or the analog balance TRS option? Considering the Buckeye amp has XLR inputs, and the B&W DB1 sub also has XLR inputs

 

[Mort]

I like this idea, however my question is which one would be better, the analog unbalanced RCA or the analog balance TRS option? Considering the Buckeye amp has XLR inputs, and the B&W DB1 sub also has XLR inputs

That's a matter of preference generally. All else equal, most of us here prefer balanced but it costs more and only in rare cases (ground loops) does it improve fidelity.

I think the Flex balanced is worth the small upgrade cost, personally. Guessing from your current rig, I think you would also like it. You'll need TRS to XLR cables but that's easy.

 

[Mnyb]

Imo , its a learning curve don't overcook the correction in any tool you use .

My opinion is that full range correction is questionable ?

You correct for room modes in the modal region in the bass below the schroder frequency . Above that you can correct for on axis defects in the anechoic response of the speaker if you know them .

Edit: and ofcourse add broad low Q corrections to taste to bright to muddy ? bad recording etc.

 

[Lawhaus]

I went the other way and will never look back to Dirac and MiniDSP again. I had MiniDSP and Dirac Live, but with the DDRC24, not the SHD.

Overall the user experience is much better with the Wiim. It also has real subwoofer integration. With Dirac on the SHD it’s still just stereo with no real LFE processing. So you end up with a hybrid solution where you have to manually tweak and measure the sub with REW and MiniDSP software. Hope you get it right. And then let Dirac do it’s thing.

I did this many times over multiple years. The experience with the Wiim is much easier because everything is done on the mobile app. And subjectively I’m getting better results.

 

[tw99]

Speaking as a MiniDSP owner, I wouldn't buy one in your scenario. It's more cost effective to use REW and a decent microphone to generate filters for the WiiM, and I'm not convinced that Dirac gives significantly better results.

Current MiniDSP products don't offer Dirac Live Bass Control, and never will (although maybe some future hardware product line could introduce it), so the subwoofer integration is limited too.

 

[doroteoarangof3]

That's a matter of preference generally. All else equal, most of us here prefer balanced but it costs more and only in rare cases (ground loops) does it improve fidelity.

I think the Flex balanced is worth the small upgrade cost, personally. Guessing from your current rig, I think you would also like it. You'll need TRS to XLR cables but that's easy.

I was just looking more into the specs and noticed that the Flex has a 2 Vrms output which is the same as the Wiim Ultra. But the SHD has 4 Vrms output. Will this make a big difference?

 

[JustJones]

I was just looking more into the specs and noticed that the Flex has a 2 Vrms output which is the same as the Wiim Ultra. But the SHD has 4 Vrms output. Will this make a big difference?

Depends on which Flex you get the balanced Flex is 4 Vrms the unbalanced is 2 Vrms.

 

[peng]

I like this idea, however my question is which one would be better, the analog unbalanced RCA or the analog balance TRS option? Considering the Buckeye amp has XLR inputs, and the B&W DB1 sub also has XLR inputs

Agreed with Mort, just use the Wiim with a Flex, but get the balance version for extra headroom for the buckeyeamp that may have only 25 dB of gain.

 

[pogo]

Why didn't you consider a Bluesound Node Icon?

 

[terryforsythe]

Unless you need to sell the Ultra to fund a Minidsp, why not get one and feed it from the Ultra (assuming there is connecttivity that you consider acceptable)?

I had a SHD. It has streaming built in, and did everything I wanted/needed, including streaming from Tidal, Spotify, Roon, LMS, etc.

I have an Ultra I use in another system. Don't get me wrong, it is a nice unit, especially for the price. But, the only compelling reason I see to use the Ultra with a SHD is if someone has WiiMs in multiple systems and wants to synchronize them to play the same music.

 

[terryforsythe]

Would upgrading to the MiniDSP SHD be worth it for my setup?

It depends.

Compared to the Ultra, the SHD will give you much greater control over your subwoofer integration - selectable crossover topologies and crossover slopes, adjustable time delay, 10 PEQs for each suboower channel and each stereo channel (40 total), and Dirac Live.

But, your subwoofer itself may have some equivalent features built in. So, I think the question comes down to how well are you able to integrate your subwoofer with your speakers in your current setup. If it already sounds fantastic, I would stick with what you have. If you are having a hard time getting a smooth frequency response in the crossover region and/or your subwoofer's built-in room correction is not cutting it for you, the SHD may provide room for improvement.

EDIT: Considering that you already have the Ultra, though, I concur with using the Flex balanced if you feel a need for improvement over your current setup.

 

[doroteoarangof3]

Why didn't you consider a Bluesound Node Icon?

Do you know whats the output voltage of those balanced XLR for the node icon?

 

[pogo]

I haven't seen any data on this yet.

 

[Ultrasonic]

But maybe Dirac has a better auto mode ? I do distrust automatic modes , imo they oversimplify the issues at hand ?

Note that Dirac Live doesn't have a fully automatic mode. It is always intended as a tool with the user making adjustments based on their personal preferences. When people just run it once, don't like it, and then discount it they are making a mistake.

I own an SHD and have used both Dirac Live and REW to make measurements and apply corrections. The biggest advantage of Dirac Live for me is that it makes using data from multiple measurement points quicker and easier than it is using REW, and I do think that it's best to do so vs basing any EQ on measurements just at the main listening position.

For me the number one selling point of miniDSPs like the SHD or the Flex is the ability to properly intergrate a subwoofer, by enabling the application of high-pass filters and time delays to the main speakers (almost always closer than a sub). I don't know if the Wiim has the same functionality? If not its a reason to consider a miniDSP. Importantly though this is NOT done automatically using Dirac Live but requires the user to make additional measruements using REW to do this optimally.

As others have said, if you don't want the built in streaming functionality then there is the Flex model as well as the SHD. One advantage of the SHD that I personally like is the ability to use a Microsoft Surface dial as a volume control. There is also slightly greater input/output flexibility. Going by the miniDSP product pages there is also the upside that the SHD runs at 96 kHz when running Dirac Live vs 48 kHz on the Flex, although I've never explicitly seen miniDSP confirm this difference when it gets asked about on their forum. Dirac filters aren't calculated above 20 kHz anyway so quite what impact this may have I'm not sure anyway.

 

[terryforsythe]

I don't know if the Wiim has the same functionality?

With recent software updates it now has basic room correction built-in. It is not as advanced as Dirac Live. I have not yet played with it, but I believe that it only applies IIR filters.

 

[Ultrasonic]

With recent software updates it now has basic room correction built-in. It is not as advanced as Dirac Live. I have not yet played with it, but I believe that it only applies IIR filters.

Personal view: I'm not convinced that the FIR element of Dirac Live makes a worthwhile difference over IIR filters. I also only like and use it just in the low-bass region.

It was specifically the time-delay and crossover elements of subwoofer integration that my question related to though.