The Two Channel Advice Thread

it is just one of those things that I just wont even consider doing, to have multiple D/A conversion stages. we spend so much time and money chasing shorter signal path etc and that just seems antithetical to it.

for right now I will either use the miniDSP as the one hub of all digital processing and D./A conversion and just eliminate all other DACs and preamp. not a problem since I am already thrilled by then room correction and the cross over cut off settings. it has been eye opening.

or I take the minidsp out and use one of my DACs (the soekris, the RME ADI etc) in the traditional way. in this config my omegas will run full range and the subs low pas will be set from the plate amps. this is how it was before (and I have complete use of my pre) but now that I know what Ive been missing I cant be content with it.

so the real solution I guess will be to spend a bunch of money at minidsp.com and get one of those D/D Dirac units so that I cn have the room correction and the DSP and my own DAC at the same time. the only weird thing I guess would be that I will have to have a dac dedicated to to subwoofers. the volume will of course have to be taken care of in the digital domain as well.

 

that is the original configuration I've been using for years before. it sounded the worst. for some reason high level inputs on these plate amps dont sound too good. when I use low level RCA inputs the results are immediately better (these plate amps dont have xlr).

 

Except in your original post you said you were keen to try some other DACs in your system, so it seemed to me that that was a given.
I'm happy to admit that at this point I don't know what you really want and I have no solution for you.

 

you answered my question about the subwoofer output on the decware pre amp (CSP2+ btw) and a bunch other very useful info. thanks. You just assumed that I use the analog inputs on the minidsp which I dont and I won't. not a big deal. yes very keen about trying some other DACS but prefer not to put a minidsp in the analog part of the chain, it is not something that I meant to do.

 

iirc, you can control the volume of each mini dsp channel...

 

Completely agree that it doesnt matter much to me if bass signal goes through more stages of D/A conversion. this scheme will for sure work very well except one detail: the minidsp also sets a high pass on the speaker channels at 65hz. I tried it because I read somewhere that taking the strain of doing the lowest frequencies, off the full range driver helps them work with more control and ease (no cone break up?)
I tried it and I found the effect very positive and very noticeable. of course it brings out some real existential questions about a the use of a widebander in the first place, since I am effectively adding the crossover that I was so insistent on taking out (by the virtue of buying a crossover-less full range speaker)
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I guess thats just asking too much. not having the minidsp in the path of the signal from my DAC to my 300b monoblocks is already a very nice perk you cant have everything

 

I've got an active monitor setup and need suggestions for a DAC with a volume control and small footprint. I own an Oppo HA-1 but am tired of controlling the volume via remote.

The Freya/Bifrost combo caught my eye, but it's just too big for my desk. The Benchmark seems like it would fit, but that's more than I'm willing to spend.

I would just get a Mackie Big Knob or similar passive control but heard it affects quality.

 

You’re saying you DON’T want remote? And am I gathering you need balanced outs?

 

@elecarec browse the RME ADI-2 thread see if it works for you.

 

I would say depends what active monitors. For my basic setup with LSR305 I am very satisfied with second hand Dac Magic Plus. I think that for around $300 it is a very good DAC with volume control. Of course for $2k monitors that would not be my choice. If you want cheap passive I prefer https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1166537-REG/palmer_pmonicon_passive_monitor_controller.html to Big Knob. Nice looking and made in Germany, pretty good channel balance as well for a basic device

 

Does the volume knob on your HA-1 not work? I think we are missing an element or two about your setup/needs.

 

Worrying about an extra step of digital to analog to digital or vice versa when you have what are probably speakers with audible cab resonances in an awful room is the last thing to worry about. It's always guys with undetailed, unrevealing, distorted garbage like Harbeths or "full-range" etched, razor wire horns too.

You can get miniDSP products that keep it all digital and output digital into your special dac into your special pre-amp into your special amp into your special speakers. They have digital in and out. Buy something that can output SPDIF/AES/ADAT/USB/WHATEVER. Like a computer or one of those dante dongles or something.

Or you can get buy a mic, a cheap interface, a bunch of bass traps, a few room treatment panels, cover them in prints, use some bookshelves for a diffusor and do a dead end live end room that kicks the shit out of the hundreds of dollars you're dropping on digital crap that's the equivalent of putting vaseline on the camera lens to hide the landspeeder wheels or barbara streisand's honker. really you can have a desk/tv + speakers + gear end opposite cool, sophiscated live end and no rape cave pretty easily. or you can find inanimate robots or dead women who dig the rape cave

live end, dead end works in houses unless you're a surround sound slut who needs subwoofer explosions and the tank from saving private ryan shooting right up your ass.

Besides a better speaker / amp that is analog input -> ADC -> DSP crossover -> DAC -> individual amps can still be extremely transparent and beat electrical active crossovers and passive crossovers. Modern conversion is extremely good and you are going to need a bunch of loopbacks to notice anything wrong with it. Tons of extremely detailed and relatively transparent modern gear uses it. Even Cirrus codec chips well done (eg not in a focusrite) can be detailed. Stick one crappy component in a truly clean signal pat? You'll notice and it will be much worse than worrying about an extra step of conversion. I've heard dsp crossover monitor speakers in treated rooms that certainly kick the shit out of whatever special microwaved, canned new england creamy clam chowder speakers meets chinese szechuan chicken tv dinner garbage people are worried about patching up. it's always those guys. the old pioneer and yamaha dudes just crank it and rock out. Just patch it up with a mic, treatments, and serious eq and stop worrying about shit. Fix bad shit, don't worry about fixing bad shit. Some bass slut with a subwoofer's setup will be way more fun than microwaved clam chowder and lean cuisine szechuan bore fry no matter what you do anyway.

 

What's this speaker setup smell like? How do the planktons taste?

 

Diced and emulsified food waste generously salted to stop the spread of salmonella

 

I suspect a Stereophile approved recommended components list with associated culinary equivalents to not be outside of your wheelhouse. Hop to it.

 

Dungeons require toys featured in the Hustler bass slut centerfold fold-out.

 

do you speak anything but jibberish? I mean, seriously break it down to some scholastic reading library bus grade 5 stuff; grunt it out: DAC sounds warm, speakers sound bright. I get your schtick, you're like the andrew dice clay of pro-monitor impressions, but FFS, it ends up being noise when nobody can figure out what the f**k Harriet Tubman's cootch waffle burnt microwave clownsauce jarbletinkle whateverthefuck astronaut farts actually sound like. f**k me. it makes my head hurt.

yes, harbeth speakers are rolled off. do you have anything else to say?

 

Yeah, I would prefer balanced outs. And I don't care if it comes with a remote or not, since the entire point of my upgrading is being able to control the volume using a knob within arm's distance.

This actually looks pretty good; the size is certainly right.

Gearslutz claims it colors the sound and screws up the stereo imaging.

It works fine. The problem is that the unit is too big to fit on my desk.

 

Maybe I don’t people with a prime time network tv sense of humor to figure out what the hell I’m saying. Ever thought about that?