minipsdp vs minidsp HD

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Hey guys how's it goin ? I've been looking at the Minidsp and the minidsp HD.
I plan on using it to build a pair of 2 way bookshelves. The questions is, Am I going to hear a noticeable sound quality difference between to 2 ??? Is it wort the extra hundred bucks for the HD ??

looks like the biggest difference I can see is the internal processing of 48k vs 96 kHz internal processing

Minidsp: 28/56bit DSP Engine
24 bit ADC/DAC resolution / 48kHz sampling rate
Unbalanced inputs switchable with a jumper between 0.9Vrms and 2Vrms
Unbalanced outputs: Max 0.9Vrms
Digital Audio input/outputs via I2S ports on expansion connectors
Volume control by potentiometer on 3pin header
5pin, 2.54mm pitch header for panel mount USB connector
Plug&Play USB driver and real time Software configuration using miniDSP plug-ins
USB self powered device and wide range of DC power options (4.5 to 24VDC)



MinidspHD: ADSP21489 400MHz Sharc DSP floating point engine
XMOS Xcore200 for USB control and bidirectional audio streaming
24 bit ADC/DAC resolution
Unbalanced inputs switchable with a jumper between 4Vrms and 2Vrms
Toslink digital input
Unbalanced outputs: Max 2Vrms
USB Audio Class 2 Bidirectional streaming with ASIO drivers, driverless under MAC OSx. }
Plug&Play USB driver and real time Software configuration using miniDSP plug-ins
Device does not required a PC once configured
External single 12V supply
 
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Hard to say if you will hear a difference. I believe some people listening to some reproduction systems at their preferred volume level would probably hear a difference and others wouldn't. No simple one-size-fits-all answer.

Also, some of the specifications you list are pretty vague. For instance, you say 24-bit ADC/DAC and ASIO drivers, but hopefully you are aware that some 24-bit data converters barely perform to 16-bit accuracy. They can handle 24-bit signals, but that says little about how the measure, nor about how they sound. Some I have seen on miniDSP boards look pretty bad to me. However, the price may be attractive for what it is. Could make it a good value proposition.
 
I didnt like the sound of my miniDSP "V1" or whatever it was. Ended up using it for just the LP, before selling it on ebay. Seemed to have a low-mid Fi consumer sound to it. I'd definitely spend the extra $100 for the HD, especially if it's a DAC as well as a DSP.

Remember the "V1" (for lack of a better name) encodes your analog signal to digital, processes it, then decodes it back to analog. Somewhere in that signal chain it lost something, to my ears anyway. Others mileage may vary, as they say. The HD, apparently, can skip the encode part taking digital input directly. That in itself will make a difference in how it sounds. Now the fuss is only over the DAC part of the device, which FAIK, could be pretty good.
 
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