miniDSP Tide16 - Holy Grail with 16 Channel Atmos/DTS:X, high SINAD

[EWL5]

you first

I've already stated fairly publicly that the Tide16 is not for me. There were quite a few that said it was for them so let's see if it was all hype or not. LOL!

 

[RichB]

Does the Tide16 process 44.1 kHz sources at the native rate or does it up-sample everything to 48 kHz?

If it always up samples 44.1 kHz then it may be necessary to digitally attenuate to avoid inter-sample overs.

- Rich

 

[peng]

https://www.minidsp.com/community/threads/tide16.24083/post-76593

Thanks, that was me who posted the question way back.

 

[Joaquinín]

Does the Tide16 process 44.1 kHz sources at the native rate or does it up-sample everything to 48 kHz?

If it always up samples 44.1 kHz then it may be necessary to digitally attenuate to avoid inter-sample overs.

- Rich

But the Tide 16 "only" attenuates digitally (never in the analogue domain), right?

 

[TimoJ]

Does the Tide16 process 44.1 kHz sources at the native rate or does it up-sample everything to 48 kHz?

If it always up samples 44.1 kHz then it may be necessary to digitally attenuate to avoid inter-sample overs.

- Rich

Their specs say: Supported Sample Rate: 20 – 216 kHz sample rate converted to processing rate (48kHz)

 

[dasherzx]

Fully digital tide16 next please

 

[DatSpeakerTho]

Sample rate conversions have been pretty much entirely transparent for a long time now. Not a thing I would worry about at all.

 

[rirelien]

I came over all nerdy and looked at all the HDMI extractor switches I could find that would pass 4k120 video and lossless Atmos audio.
They all had a lot in common - HDMI 2.1, HDCP 2.3, 48Gbps bandwidth, 8k60 and 4k120 video, and most supported VRR, ALLM, DV and HDR10+.
The differences are in whether the audio is output over regular HDMI or by HDMI eARC (or both).
The model numbers have links to the manufacturer's pages. Let me know if you find any others.
I particularly liked the FeinTech and Orei switches with multiple inputs and eARC output.
Since these are all so modestly priced, I think there's an opportunity to make the video switching disposable and updateable, and keep one good audio processor.

This is a great resource.

Personal feedback: I have an earlier Feintech unit which I use as a switch and eARC extractor; with a Nintendo Switch, Apple TV and Mac as sources, LG projector for video, and a MiniDSP Flex HT connected via eARC, it's been pretty solid. I've had some video dropouts/flakiness though, but I can't pin it down -- might be a bad cable somewhere. (Long optical HDMI to the projector.). Only happens perhaps once a month, and a power cycle of the unit seems to help. It mostly stays powered on...

 

[welwynnick]

If it always up samples 44.1 kHz then it may be necessary to digitally attenuate to avoid inter-sample overs.

But the Tide 16 "only" attenuates digitally (never in the analogue domain), right?

Their specs say: Supported Sample Rate: 20 – 216 kHz sample rate converted to processing rate (48kHz)

Sample rate conversions have been pretty much entirely transparent for a long time now. Not a thing I would worry about at all.

I think Rich is right, because the need to accommodate inter-sample overs (normally a DA conversion issue) still apples to digital to digital conversion.

If the interpolated/reconstructed analogue signal goes beyond digital full scale, the re-sampled digital signal may need to go higher because you could have new samples in new positions that could sit on top of the peaks, rather than straddling them either side, in the recording.

If that happens, the clip will be captured in the SRC output, and the inter-sample-over headroom in the DAC will be of no use. Of course all this happens in any modern DAC anyway because of the re-sampling and digital filtering up to the native conversion rate (say 192kHz) but I think this is a special case for SRC to a lower sample rate for DSP.

Digital attenuation is a slightly different issue because it affects dynamic range, but in this case I think it WILL help, as the Tide16 might only have a problem at max volume.

I'm sure modern SRCs are pretty good, but I think Darth, Audiovibes and Highfidedlity will beg to differ over the the Cirrus Logic CS8422 SRC in the Nuprime H-16 (digital output) and Appsys Flexisys.

Possible solution for DTS/Dolby/Atmos+eARC+HDCP to AES/EBU - via Dante? (for Okto DAC8PRO etc)

When is the expected release date of DPR-16? Initially it was Q3/Q4 2025.

www.audiosciencereview.com

Sound quality of my H16-AES isn't that great as soon as you increase volume levels. I can hear noticable distortion.

Nuprime-X H16-AIP Product

audiophilestyle.com

Regarding the CS8422, no matter which sample rate used, I got the same brittle, generic sound signature imposed on my audio with the RDL box. A shame as I paid $720 for it and it now sits in a box in my storage.

 

[thcdru2k]

I use a Flex HTx which also internally processes at 48 kHz for DSP. In practice, I would not worry much. If you are really concerned you could leave some digital headroom somewhere upstream (for example set WiiM/streamer max volume around 97-99%, or reduce digital trim/input gain a couple dB in the miniDSP) or avoid boosting filters excessively. I do not do any of the above and have not run into any issues.

 

[welwynnick]

Fully digital tide16 next please

Even though the Tide16 does have some of attributes that one might exploit using digital outputs, like superior DSP and DAC, I agree.
There was a discussion about it on the minDSP forum, where someone proposed having ADAT connections.
That would make it compatible with a lot of recording studio equipment, but it wouldn't help much with the other benefit - AES digital connections to active speakers.

ADAT please?

The Tide16 platform is marketed for "professional studios" and has flexible QuadCore ARM processor platform... The features set in it is amazing, no doubt. Just consider that to use it not only for HDMI entertainment, but also to run a studio off it - it needs directly addressable 16 digital...

www.minidsp.com

 

[Mort]

AES digital connections to active speakers.

It's niche even among the niche.

 

[welwynnick]

It's niche even among the niche.

Yes, but so's an AudioPraise VanityPro...
;-)

 

[peng]

Does the Tide16 process 44.1 kHz sources at the native rate or does it up-sample everything to 48 kHz?

If it always up samples 44.1 kHz then it may be necessary to digitally attenuate to avoid inter-sample overs.

- Rich

The Tide, like minidsp's Flex devices, have the input volume offset to deal with the inter-sample peaks issues if necessary.

 

[welwynnick]

The Tide, like minidsp's Flex devices, have the input volume offset to deal with the inter-sample peaks issues if necessary.

It only just ocurred to me that, yes, that would work.
However, it would only work if the volume control was upstream of the ASRC.
My guess is that it would be downstream, so the volume control would be implemented after all possible inputs and sample rates had been converted to 48k for DSP.

 

[peng]

It only just ocurred to me that, yes, that would work.
However, it would only work if the volume control was upstream of the ASRC.
My guess is that it would be downstream, so the volume control would be implemented after all possible inputs and sample rates had been converted to 48k for DSP.

I think miniDSP knows that, and will therefore do it the way you want it Lol..

On Inter-Sample Peaks - miniDSP Tide16 User Manual

docs.minidsp.com

How to handle ISPs​

As explained above, ISPs become an issue when the sample rate of a full-scale digital audio signal is changed. Most modern DAC chips oversample their incoming audio stream, and are thus susceptible to distortion from ISPs.

In the miniDSP Tide16, while the internal digital processing uses floating-point arithmetic and is therefore not subject to the digital limit until the output to the DAC, it also has an integer-based asynchronous sample rate convertor (ASRC) at the input stage.

Our solution to ISPs in the Tide16 is to allow the user to reduce the level of the digital signal before it enters the ASRC. This is accomplished by setting the input volume offset of specific inputs to a negative value. A value of -2 to -4 dB is all that is needed:

Note that this measure is needed only if the digital signal is likely to contain ISPs. The most likely culprit is digital audio originating from a CD or file. As noted above, audio from streaming services is much less likely to have ISPs.

 

[welwynnick]

Good answer.

 

[RichB]

The Tide, like minidsp's Flex devices, have the input volume offset to deal with the inter-sample peaks issues if necessary.

c
It is good that it can be addressed, but this should not require human intervention.

Here is a post by @John_Siau addressing inter-sample overages that generated by the fixed rate conversion in the MiniDSP that requires -3 dB of attenuation.

DSP Measurements and Rising Noise Floor

And an updated summary table based on tests run so far: Michael

www.audiosciencereview.com

Roon provides an indicator when inter-sample clipping occurs. By observation, this occurs quite often during sample-rate conversion.

It would be nice if there where for the Tide16 to detect and report possible overs.
The over-sample error is created by the normal operation of the product so the product should at the very least default to configuration that stops the problem from occurring.

This is yet another reason that AVPs need testing with processing engaged to get some indication of SINAD/Performance in normal use.

- Rich

 

[Eric Larson]

Tide16

miniDSP Tide16, Immersive AV-DSP Processors powered by Quad Core ARM processor, 16ch balanced analog outputs, 3x1 HDMI , USB audio, Bluetooth, Including license for Dirac Live + DLBC + ART suite

www.minidsp.com

STOCK UPDATE(05/05/2026): Great news — the Tide16 is now available for purchase! We’re still QC’ing units, building up stock, and flashing everything with the latest firmware. Since this is our most complex platform yet, we’re taking extra time with QC and burn‑in. We expect to start shipping orders in chronological sequence around mid‑month. Thanks again for your patience and for sharing our excitement.

Tariffs are $875

 

[Mort]

Tariffs are $875

And shipping is $30