Minidsp SHD Review Updated (DSP, DAC & Streamer)

[Glasvegas]

Apologies if this has ready been asked, but is this a mark ii model with hardware upgrades, or is it just a firmware update?

It was answered on page 7, post #124

According to Amir - “Hardware”

 

[o2so]

It was answered on page 7, post #124

According to Amir - “Hardware”

So how is one supposed to know if they got the new version?

 

[Haskil]

J'ai testé cela sur de nombreux appareils et les performances ont toujours été les mêmes que celles de l'USB. Cela utilise Roon comme point de terminaison. Si vous utilisez Airplay (qui apparaît également dans Roon), de mauvaises choses se produisent à la fois avec la troncature et le rééchantillonnage.

Mais, quand 98% de vos enregistrements sont en 16 / 44.1 ce n'est pas un vrai problème ... Mais en fait, je pense que vous devriez tester Airplay pour que nous sachions exactement ce qu'il fait par rapport à un VTT ou à un appareil qui implémente cette transmission protocole. Ce serait formidable si vous pouviez le faire. On serait corrigé: quand cela a été vérifié sur un site français il y a 10 ans, c'était 16 / 44.1, mais il est possible qu'aujourd'hui ce soit 16/48 ou 24/48.

 

[Orfanik]

Everything is well known ! All AirPlay audio streams are encoded as a CD-quality audio stream (16-bit at 44.1 kHz) and use its proprietary ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) codec. It's as simple !

 

[Glasvegas]

So how is one supposed to know if they got the new version?

Answered on page 2, post #39

Again, according to Amir “Best to ask the company. I know they told me a while back that they had updated it”

 

[Haskil]

[QUOTE = "Kit Walker, post: 614776, membre: 9670"] Tout est bien connu! Tous les flux audio AirPlay sont encodés en tant que flux audio de qualité CD (16 bits à 44,1 kHz) et utilisent son codec propriétaire ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec). C'est aussi simple! [/ QUOTE]
I know that like everyone else, but a measurement made by ASR does not eat bread ...

 

[rvsixer]

My AVR is hooked up directly to my integrated amp inputs where the volume control is fixed...

I am not following, since my comment was based on your reply instructing @IslandMD to hook up his AVR to the SHD analog inputs; which would then have 26ms added delay on the main channels (leaving the AVR to handle that difference on the remaining sub/surround channels).

 

[Michael Kelly]

Volumio? It means there is a Raspberry inside? If yes, which version? 3 or 4?

Not necessarily, Volumio runs on a number of single board computers. From the photos it looks like a NANO-PI Neo 2.

 

[Glasvegas]

Amir’s measurements were performed using USB input.

Would the results be the same using the optical toslink input?

 

[rvsixer]

Would the results be the same using the optical toslink input?

I would assume they did not break SPDIF on the newer version:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...dsp-shd-dac-dsp-and-streamer.4286/post-104266

 

[Glasvegas]

I would assume they did not break SPDIF on the newer version:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...dsp-shd-dac-dsp-and-streamer.4286/post-104266

Thanks for that link. My intention would be to use it with a Chromecast Audio optical output instead of using the internal streamer.

 

[mikeburns]

In their FAQ they have this. I don’t exactly under
”
Why do I get distortion when I turn on Dirac Live? Print
Modified on: Sun, 3 Nov, 2019 at 8:21 PM

Usually, this is caused by overboosting. Remember that all EQ requires additional headroom. In the case of Dirac Live, it will boost by up to 10 dB, so if you run your SHD at 0 dB volume with a digital input (e.g. in the case where you control volume in the amplifier instead of in the SHD), then you will certainly get clipping of the output signal. If you experience distortion, reduce the level in the SHD to less than -10, and increase the gain on the amplifier accordingly.”

Did you try just the Wifi Dongle included with the SHD? Or did you ever try a 3rd party one?

Just the supplied one. As I mentioned it worked fine and then would just drop out. I doubt there was anything wrong with the dongle, rather an issue with its implementation on the shd (indicated by the large numbers of people having the exact same problem). In the end a stable wifi connection provided by a wifi booster and then connecting this wifi signal to the shd via Lan gave the expected level of reliability.

On the other note about boost and clipping it seems like I'm not affected as I do not run the shd at 0db to an separate attenuator, rather I just use the volume pot on the shd. I probably would experience clipping if I pushed the volume all the way up to 0db output but have never needed to (as mentioned by Amir earlier on). Sorry if I added to the confusion and good work spotting this issue. It is something to be aware of. I just figured Dirac applied a 10db cut when it was engaged to avoid this issue. I notice the volume is always about 10db lower when Dirac was engaged and assumed that was the case...

 

[mikeburns]

Thanks for that link. My intention would be to use it with a Chromecast Audio optical output instead of using the internal streamer.

I have a chromecast connected to my shd this way. It works really well, though I pretty much just use the Spotify connect app now instead and so rarely use the chromecast.

 

[mikeburns]

I only use it as an endpoint for Roon and it works just fine.

I guess everyone's use case of volumio is going to vary. I for one have found volumio basically unusable due to the lack of processing power the onboard nanopi has. If I used roon I would probably not have had an issue. Same with already having a networked library to stream from. For anyone going old school with an attached hard drive the nano pi does not really have the grunt to cope with a large library (and is specifically referenced in the manual). It is a bummer, considering how cheap a slightly faster running computer is... The rpi4 solved this issue for me, but added a second box.

 

[Glasvegas]

I have a chromecast connected to my shd this way. It works really well, though I pretty much just use the Spotify connect app now instead and so rarely use the chromecast.

May I ask, did you try powering the CCA from the USB host port on the rear of the SHD?

 

[rvsixer]

Thanks for that link. My intention would be to use it with a Chromecast Audio optical output instead of using the internal streamer.

Just be careful what you feed the Chromecast if sound quality is a concern:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ents-of-chromecast-audio-digital-output.4544/

 

[amirm]

But when 98% of your recordings are 16 / 44.1 that's not a real problem ... But actually I think you should try Airplay so that we know exactly what it is doing in relation to an ATV or a device that implements this transmission protocol. It would be great if you could do that. We would be corrected: when this was verified on a French site 10 years ago, it was 16 / 44.1, but it is possible that today it is 16/48 or 24/48.

I have tested Airplay many times. It limits SINAD to 96 dB or so.

As to 98% of recordings, I have a ton of recordings that are above 44.1. I have purchases thousands of tracks that are in high res PCM and some in DSD. And I use Tidal which with MQA upsamples to high-res. So it is definitely a problem for me. From future proofing point of view, I don't like the limitation that Airplay provides even if you have nothing above 16/44.1 right now.

Also, I have found a strange problem with Airplay in some implementation where the timing gets all screwed up. I saw it in a Denon AVR recently.

 

[mikeburns]

May I ask, did you try powering the CCA from the USB host port on the rear of the SHD?

No I had it powered up using the power supply. I didn't realise it would work powered by USB...

 

[mikeburns]

Just be careful what you feed the Chromecast if sound quality is a concern:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ents-of-chromecast-audio-digital-output.4544/

CCA is fine for 44.1 and in my case was plenty for mp3 streaming via Spotify (which is what I purchased it for). For high res and anything that really isn't background listening I use flac via the rpi4. CCA is such an easy way to get easy streaming from a range of different platforms. It is a no brainer to have one in any system.

 

[Glasvegas]

No I had it powered up using the power supply. I didn't realise it would work powered by USB...

I don't know if it would work. If it did, it gets rid of another power supply and cable.

Effectively, it would be a perfect solution for me. An all-in-one good measuring DAC with DSP and built-in Chromecast.