This is an update to the review of minidsp SHD that I did a couple of years ago. My tests have evolved since then and company has stated that they fixed a few issues I found in that test. The SHD costs US $1,195 and includes a USB DAC, streaming engine (based on Volumio) and of course, DSP functions for crossover, filter and Room EQ using Dirac. The version I have was purchased new and drop shipped to me by a member.
Here is a shot of the unit, albeit with protective plastics still on it:
The back panel shows the useful suite of connections:
For control you need to download the special software from minidsp. You need to make an account, redeem codes, etc. which is a bit aggravating. I downloaded the latest versions but could not get them to work. Then I saw the notice that said to uninstall old version first. I did that and reinstallation worked the second time. Once there, the user interface is a delight compared to just using the display on just about any multifunction unit.
For my testing I used USB input and XLR output.
Minidsp SHD Measurements
Let's start with our usual dashboard. I had to dial down the output to 4 volts as anything above that would cause clipping and at any rate, 4 volts is our measurement standard anyway:
The original unit I tested has the same excellent performance in one channel but lower in the other. Nice to see both matching now, moving the SHD up a few notches in our overall ranking of all DACs:
Multifunction products such as AV processors have struggled to break the 100 dB mark and here is minidsp reaching to 112 dB, showing that signal processing and EQ need not be a barrier to excellent performance.
Sweeping the output level shows that 4 volts is the optimal setting:
Dynamic range is very good:
Intermodulation distortion is nice as well:
Filter response is not as good as I like:
Would want to see that attenuation down in -100 dB range or so. I thought this would cause problems for THD+N vs frequency and its wide bandwidth but it was not:
Linearity is perfect showing good accuracy:
Multitone test signal is well behaved:
We now get to the one test that gave the previous SHD some heartburn: jitter. This is the original results:
Here are the new:
We see faint signs of the original problem but they are now very nicely attenuated and at -130 dB and lower, not remotely an audible concern.
Conclusions
The Minidsp SHD could have had ordinary measurements like many other multifunction devices and not hurt its marketability. Yet, someone there thought no, they need to do better and better they did. With distortion and noise at or below threshold of human hearing, the Minidsp provides competitive performance to some of the best desktop and high-fi DACs yet provides a ton of extra functionality they do not. And across four channels, not just two. Yes, you pay for that but for a top class system where the SHD would get deployed, I think the cost can be justified.
Kudos to the company for taking our criticism to heart and revising the design. As such, it is my pleasure to strongly recommend the Minidsp SHD.
------------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.
Appreciate any donations using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
Here is a shot of the unit, albeit with protective plastics still on it:
The back panel shows the useful suite of connections:
For control you need to download the special software from minidsp. You need to make an account, redeem codes, etc. which is a bit aggravating. I downloaded the latest versions but could not get them to work. Then I saw the notice that said to uninstall old version first. I did that and reinstallation worked the second time. Once there, the user interface is a delight compared to just using the display on just about any multifunction unit.
For my testing I used USB input and XLR output.
Minidsp SHD Measurements
Let's start with our usual dashboard. I had to dial down the output to 4 volts as anything above that would cause clipping and at any rate, 4 volts is our measurement standard anyway:
The original unit I tested has the same excellent performance in one channel but lower in the other. Nice to see both matching now, moving the SHD up a few notches in our overall ranking of all DACs:
Multifunction products such as AV processors have struggled to break the 100 dB mark and here is minidsp reaching to 112 dB, showing that signal processing and EQ need not be a barrier to excellent performance.
Sweeping the output level shows that 4 volts is the optimal setting:
Dynamic range is very good:
Intermodulation distortion is nice as well:
Filter response is not as good as I like:
Would want to see that attenuation down in -100 dB range or so. I thought this would cause problems for THD+N vs frequency and its wide bandwidth but it was not:
Linearity is perfect showing good accuracy:
Multitone test signal is well behaved:
We now get to the one test that gave the previous SHD some heartburn: jitter. This is the original results:
Here are the new:
We see faint signs of the original problem but they are now very nicely attenuated and at -130 dB and lower, not remotely an audible concern.
Conclusions
The Minidsp SHD could have had ordinary measurements like many other multifunction devices and not hurt its marketability. Yet, someone there thought no, they need to do better and better they did. With distortion and noise at or below threshold of human hearing, the Minidsp provides competitive performance to some of the best desktop and high-fi DACs yet provides a ton of extra functionality they do not. And across four channels, not just two. Yes, you pay for that but for a top class system where the SHD would get deployed, I think the cost can be justified.
Kudos to the company for taking our criticism to heart and revising the design. As such, it is my pleasure to strongly recommend the Minidsp SHD.
------------
As always, questions, comments, recommendations, etc. are welcome.
Appreciate any donations using: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/how-to-support-audio-science-review.8150/
