What products are missing?

[dshreter]

Starting a thread to discuss realistic products that are seemingly missing from the market.

What product would I like? A compact mainstream HDMI eARC enabled 2.1 pre-amp for use with powered speakers.

Powered speakers have become much more popular and are my desired upgrade path. Ease of use with my TV is a family essential, and Sonos Amp has set the bar in my household for convenience to use with the TV or streaming music. The equivalent in a pre-amp package just doesn’t seem to exist though, and AVRs/AVPs offer a lot more than I need and come at a high price.

Why can’t they just shove HDMI into the MiniDSP Flex? That would make me very happy.

What other products would you like to see?

 

[jhaider]

A 2-channel preamp/processor with multisub support (at least 2, better 4) via Dirac Live Bass Control and loudness compensation. Ideally desktop sized.

 

[Rednaxela]

Just the remote and volume controlled DACs we already have so many of, but then with a ten band PEQ. Not five - ten.

Adding a 10-band PEQ to a DAC - What is holding manufacturers back?

Sony could do a 3-band one in 1989. What is it that seems to make a proper stereo DAC with just 7 more bands too much to ask for in 2022? No software interface required, a simple screen and a couple of front panel controls would do. Even be preferred actually. Is it too difficult? Too niche...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[voodooless]

An AV Processor that cost less than the same hardware with amps included

 

[dshreter]

An AV Processor that cost less than the same hardware with amps included

You and your common sense. Perhaps packing it into a smaller case too.

 

[sq225917]

A sub plate amp that takes a digital input and tracks the volume of my dac. I tend to use both pre-amp and dac volume controls.

 

[Guy.G]

HDMI inputs with eARC support, for sure - though not exclusively eARC.
The output from an HDMI splitter can (sometimes) be more reliable than taking the output from a TV.


DACs/AVRs with digital mixing functionality, and/or auto-sensing inputs.
Surely I can't be the only person that wants to be done with manually switching inputs, or having to explain how to use the system to people?

'Smart Amps' like Sonos have implemented auto-switching, but don't have the credentials to drive a high-end setup (or features like room correction).
Most outboard/rack mixers are huge and only have noisy analog inputs/outputs - or if they do support digital it's ADAT.
The interface of these devices tends to be designed with the assumption that a computer will be in control of the system, too.

When I was looking for solutions, the Roland M1000 is the only thing I could find which seemed to be applicable; but it's very old, long discontinued, and difficult to find now.
I deeply regret passing on the last one I found for sale because its price seemed too high - because I haven't seen another show up in over a year now.


I'd really like a dongle DAC, or similarly portable device (perhaps even a DAP), that I could load a custom HRIR into.
With a custom HRIR (which is basically a wav file with a set of impulses), listening to my headphones now sounds like it's the speakers in the room that are playing the music.
But I lose that with portable playback. Things like Apple's spatial audio are okay, - it gets the sound out of my head, but never convinces me that it's playing from speakers in a room. I don't think my own hearing really matches the standard profiles for this kind of tech that well, and AirPods are not my favorite headphones.

I suppose the ideal place for this might be in a pair of Bluetooth headphones themselves - or perhaps a software player running on the phone; but until that happens, loading an HRIR on a portable DAC seems like it might be the next best thing.

The Creative SXFI Amp is nearly that device.

The app generates a profile based on photographs of your ears/head, and you can also select a headphone profile based on various popular models they have measured - or enter your own custom EQ.
The results are not that much better than Apple's spatial audio for me though, and it isn't the best sounding amp.
But it shows that such a device could exist.

 

[HarmonicTHD]

AVR (at least 7.x.x) with 100 plus SINAD on balanced pre-outs (at 4V RMS) with DSP/RoomEQ (e.g. Audyssey or Dirac) engaged and at least 2 sub-out (ideally with MSO or similar capability) plus built-in streamer for the usual streaming services.

 

[jsilvela]

Daisy-chainable volume controls / preamps.
You can already do this with amps. There are more than a few 3-channel amps, I guess to offload the LCR amplification from an AVR/AVP.
But if you want a >2 channel volume control, you are completely stuck with an AVR/AVP.
I'd like a preamp where I can connect stereo inputs, and also the outputs of a simple multichannel decoder.
It seems going from stereo to >2 means getting rid of part of your electronics and springing for an AVR. I'd like a more evolvable approach.

 

[Vacceo]

You and your common sense. Perhaps packing it into a smaller case too.

Well, with 11 to 16 channels, It is not that easy to use a much smaller case. But yes, the general idea is quite correct, specially regarding price.

 

[bodhi]

Daisy-chainable volume controls / preamps.
You can already do this with amps. There are more than a few 3-channel amps, I guess to offload the LCR amplification from an AVR/AVP.
But if you want a >2 channel volume control, you are completely stuck with an AVR/AVP.
I'd like a preamp where I can connect stereo inputs, and also the outputs of a simple multichannel decoder.
It seems going from stereo to >2 means getting rid of part of your electronics and springing for an AVR. I'd like a more evolvable approach.

Why not get an AVR and be done with it? I guess that's what the manufacturers are asking themselves.

I would like the Denon 4700 I have but without the amps and half the size. I don't actually need it though and about nobody else does either. It's not that the amps or huge size makes it work worse.

The size thing is strange, why so big? Marantz had this tiny 7.2 amp with everything I needed but only the budget REQ and 2 preouts. It was also cheap. I'd have paid more for slightly updated version.

 

[mglobe]

A bullet proof wireless remote control volume knob that can use bt and ir to communicate.

 

[jsilvela]

Why not get an AVR and be done with it? I guess that's what the manufacturers are asking themselves.

I would like the Denon 4700 I have but without the amps and half the size. I don't actually need it though and about nobody else does either. It's not that the amps or huge size makes it work worse.

The size thing is strange, why so big? Marantz had this tiny 7.2 amp with everything I needed but only the budget REQ and 2 preouts. It was also cheap. I'd have paid more for slightly updated version.

You're right, I know you're right. It's just a shame that at some point you need to ditch your integrated stereo amp and get one of these big boxes.
And then use only a fraction of the connectors in the back.
They're adding more and more channels too. I wonder who is willing to go for 7.2 in their living room. :shrug:

 

[A Cute Earring]

A bullet proof wireless remote control volume knob that can use bt and ir to communicate.

…and RF other than bt.

 

[eddantes]

A miniDSP competitor that will give us a:

• Desktop DAC/HP amp with a PEQ or DSP with multiple profiles to switch between (a desktop version of IL-DSP... kinda)
• A DAC wth a builtin PEQ or DSP with multiple profiles to switch between (a cheaper miniDSP Flex competitor)

(I should just buy the Flex n shuddup)

 

[flor]

Something like Lyngdorf TDAI 1120, but as a preamp, so without amplification, would be nice. It has hdmi, dac, analog in, room correction, streamer.

If it had digital out with attenuation you could use it to control your active speakers with digital in.

 

[DWPress]

How about a simple speaker selector with an app for volume control?

The house has a AppleTV as a Roon endpoint and it's connected to an amp which I've connected an impedance matching speaker selector for zones like kitchen, deck and living room. I want an app so I don't have to walk over to the inline wall mounted volume knob or the box to turn on/off a zone!

 

[dshreter]

Something like Lyngdorf TDAI 1120, but as a preamp, so without amplification, would be nice. It has hdmi, dac, analog in, room correction, streamer.

If it had digital out with attenuation you could use it to control your active speakers with digital in.

YES, the world of digital outs needs to include attenuation!!!

 

[andrewjohn007]

An audio extractor for HDMI 2.1 that won't negatively affect video/audio (FY Bill Gates and Microsoft for removing the optical out on the Xbox Series X)