audiophile sound from miniDSP

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hi
i want to know if you can expect audiophile quality sound from using miniDSP used for activer crossovering for bi-amped speakers. is it better than using opamp based active crossover?

regard
pranam

I hope I won't get attacked here as I was in another thread.
In my opinion you can definitly expect audiophile quality from the dsp.
I have a dsp in my hifi chain, with passive speakers. I use the minidsp as high-pass for the speakers (as they are small sealed speakers), as they cannot handle too much power at low frequencies, and high-pass for my subwoofer.
The quality is very little worse compared to not using the minidsp at all, and can probably be further improved by using a psu instead of the usb power. There war a post I cannot find anymore, that showed even with graphs how the sound becomes better with a good psu.
If you do an active system, without the addition of a passive crossover (as it is in my system) it would most like sound even better. That is, I do believe that only active crossover would sound better than active+passive ;) .
 
2x8 board costs me a total of 495 USD! (including customs and shipping).
this cost is not justifiable for a speaker which costed me less than 200 USD.

Mmmh, not sure how you do that Math but FYI:
miniDSP 2x8 = 299USD (+40 with miniDIGI)
Plug-in = 10USD
Shipping = 25-30 depending on location
Total = 334USD to 374USD

I'd recommend that you do a bit of reading on our website or other reviews (e.g. HifiZine) since there seems to be a lot of questions which are repeats of existing long threads.

DevTeam
 
Mmmh, not sure how you do that Math but FYI:
miniDSP 2x8 = 299USD (+40 with miniDIGI)
Plug-in = 10USD
Shipping = 25-30 depending on location
Total = 334USD to 374USD

I'd recommend that you do a bit of reading on our website or other reviews (e.g. HifiZine) since there seems to be a lot of questions which are repeats of existing long threads.

DevTeam

add to that 30% of total cost which is customs/duty here in India.
 
2x8 board costs me a total of 495 USD! (including customs and shipping).
this cost is not justifiable for a speaker which costed me less than 200 USD.

Of course, you must use equipment that is equivalent to the rest of your system. If not, you'll get this mismatch. Perhaps you arenot ready for the likes of the 2x8. Why not go for 2 of the 2x4's? Or even a single one?

BTW, do you have the required measurement equipment to make such a purchase worthwhile? (Calibrated microphone, etc.)
 
I would suggest, then, that you are not ready for it. MiniDSP is compatible with REW (Room EQ Wizard). This, IMO, sets it apart from any analogue system. To use REW, you'd need a reliable microphone. The Panasonic capsules are nice for a beginner (I used to have a DIY mic), but I believe that if you're using a device as sophisticated as a DSP, it really makes sense to use reliable measurement data.

Aside from that, there's experience to be gained from the measurement process itself. I'd say, nothing wrong with planning ahead, but maybe taking small steps would be the wise thing to do. There's no bigger disappointment than having the right equipment, but a poor result.

EDIT: Forgot to say that accurate measurements are also required to get the crossover right. Most of what makes a project successful is in the execution, not only the tools.
 
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REW is definitely a long way to go for me. as a beginner in hifi audio, my focus is to make a good sounding (its subjective ofcourse!) audio system with as much better components as possible but still within my budget. i think tuning an accurate xover and equalization are more significant in deciding a 'good sounding' system before i attempt REW. what do you guys say?
 
REW aside, I've just had another thought: A tool like the MiniDSP is useful for experimenting with different crossover configurations, whilst being able to instantly hear the effects of the changes. However, the MiniDSP plug-ins do not feature the option of importing raw measurements and seeing the final transfer function, to my knowledge.
 
>> am also referring the same link. are you using preamp?

No, plug it in the line In of your sound card and its OK.
I use a laptop and its integrated soundcard for measuring.

>>i think tuning an accurate xover and equalization are more significant in deciding a 'good sounding' system before i attempt REW. what do you guys >> say?

That REW can really help you for equalization :)
 
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My first measurement system (IMP) had a very useful feature called cycling. Nothing special, just repeating one measurement after another (each taking a few seconds) and showing the actual frequency response curve. Doing so it is quite easy together with miniDSP to adjust filters online and promtly seeing the measured! effect. With this iterative process, system equalization is done in very short time (with some experience).
Not sure about REW, but a similar approach should be possible with most actual measurement systems.
It's definitely worth to dig yourself a little bit into speaker measurements (in room vs. free field), filter techniques, speaker equalization (what makes sense and what not,...) etc. It is great fun and will bring you a big step forward towards good sound
 
My first measurement system (IMP) had a very useful feature called cycling. Nothing special, just repeating one measurement after another (each taking a few seconds) and showing the actual frequency response curve. Doing so it is quite easy together with miniDSP to adjust filters online and promtly seeing the measured! effect. With this iterative process, system equalization is done in very short time (with some experience).

It's been a while since I've used it, but I believe that Speaker Workshop has the same feature.
 
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