Minidsp SHD Review Updated (DSP, DAC & Streamer)

[mikeburns]

I don't know if it would work. If it did, it gets rid of another power supply and cable.

Effectively, it would be a perfect solution for me. An all-in-one good measuring DAC with DSP and built-in Chromecast.

It really is a great device. It's impact on my system was profound. Adding a CCA to it was a cinch and added yet more connection options. The SHD has some apps that will add connection options as well, hence I don't use the CCA much at all now, but it's nice to have it. Volumio works fine for streaming. Just not processing.

 

[Glasvegas]

Just be careful what you feed the Chromecast if sound quality is a concern:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ents-of-chromecast-audio-digital-output.4544/

Not sure what you mean. As far as I know if you cast from a native app (Tidal, Qobuz, Spotify) it should be as good as any other streamer. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[beefkabob]

Thinking of selling my SHD studio. To get am avr. But an avr would have inferior crossovers and melding of the sub and speakers.

 

[Glasvegas]

It really is a great device. It's impact on my system was profound. Adding a CCA to it was a cinch and added yet more connection options. The SHD has some apps that will add connection options as well, hence I don't use the CCA much at all now, but it's nice to have it. Volumio works fine for streaming. Just not processing.

The inclusion of Volumio put me off the SHD at first. I've tried Volumio and just found it unusable.

However, it seems to be running on a $20 Nano Pi. So, I'm guessing free software running on that doesn't account for much of the overall price of the SHD. Would hate to pay a lot of money for a feature I would never use.

If you ever get the chance, I would love to know if the Host USB port can power the CCA.

 

[Daaadou]

Thinking of selling my SHD studio. To get am avr. But an avr would have inferior crossovers and melding of the sub and speakers.

Why would you sell your SHD?

 

[tw99]

Volumio on the SHD works fine as a DLNA player, so for people who have an external library it will still be quite useable.

 

[rvsixer]

CCA... It is a no brainer to have one in any system.

Be a waste in mine, since I already have multiple ways to wirelessly cast CD quality streams to my system.

 

[wjc]

I am not following, since my comment was based on your reply instructing @IslandMD to hook up his AVR to the SHD analog inputs; which would then have 26ms added delay on the main channels (leaving the AVR to handle that difference on the remaining sub/surround channels).

Agreed. Would configuring a preset without any Dirac filters help reduce the latency? It's not the same as turning off Dirac.

 

[rvsixer]

Agreed. Would configuring a preset without any Dirac filters help reduce the latency? It's not the same as turning off Dirac.

IIRC user Dreite tested the same latency with or without Dirac enabled/filters. His post on this is in the first SHD thread.

 

[AGLeS]

Any suggestions on how to best add Bluetooth to the SHD? Looking for a dead simple integration to satisfy the technology-challenged in my household.

 

[maverik_77]

Volumio? It means there is a Raspberry inside? If yes, which version? 3 or 4?

It is a nanopi neo2 black.

so a 1.600 euro unit uses a underspec 20 euro single board computer to manage the streaming part? From my experience with PiZero 512M RAM are a bottleneck for Volumio and from what I see NEO2 is 512.
Quite surprising, I have to say.

If I remember correctly it has a 1GB neo2 black. That said it struggled and dropped connection to my NAS through WiFi and ethernet. It does not have the processing power to handle lot of data. Had issues when running with hdd connected to USB too. People with roon don't have any issues. I am now using a RPi4 through USB to SHD and all connection issues solved.

 

[win]

Any suggestions on how to best add Bluetooth to the SHD? Looking for a dead simple integration to satisfy the technology-challenged in my household.

most straightforward would be a Bluetooth to rca adapter. But you’d need to select the specific input on demand which can be complicated.

it also works with airplay, but you get the same problem of input selection being necessitated.

logitech harmony is a godsend for such use cases.

 

[renaudrenaud]

It is a nanopi neo2 black.



If I remember correctly it has a 1GB neo2 black. That said it struggled and dropped connection to my NAS through WiFi and ethernet. It does not have the processing power to handle lot of data. Had issues when running with hdd connected to USB too. People with roon don't have any issues. I am now using a RPi4 through USB to SHD and all connection issues solved.

I use a lot of single board computer in my projects. For music, I use Logitech Media Server. I tried Volumio but it never finished to index my music files: it's not a question of hardware power but a question of software.

 

[o2so]

Do we know how the inbuilt ADC fare?

 

[rvsixer]

Do we know how the inbuilt ADC fare?

Previously covered on first page of thread.

 

[Haskil]

I have tested Airplay many times. It limits SINAD to 96 dB or so.

As to 98% of recordings, I have a ton of recordings that are above 44.1. I have purchases thousands of tracks that are in high res PCM and some in DSD. And I use Tidal which with MQA upsamples to high-res. So it is definitely a problem for me. From future proofing point of view, I don't like the limitation that Airplay provides even if you have nothing above 16/44.1 right now.

Also, I have found a strange problem with Airplay in some implementation where the timing gets all screwed up. I saw it in a Denon AVR recently.

Thanks for your response, Amir! 96 dB is a very good performance in practice. I am very lucky not to hear a blind difference between a file in HR and the same recording decimated in 16 / 44.1, with DbPoweramp. The reason for my percentage is that I have around 10,000 dematerialized CDs in my computer and around three hundred recordings in DSD - SACDs - and 24/48, 96 or 192 (audio blurays and files purchased on qobuz). So Airplay does not limit me qualitavently since I do not hear this difference. But of course, I wouldn't spit on the floor if Apple put Airplay in HD, of course. However, I have read, but is it true ?, that Airplay streams 24/48 to ATV? Is it true ?

 

[Kaspers]

I have a chromecast connected to my shd this way. It works really well, though I pretty much just use the Spotify connect app now instead and so rarely use the chromecast.

Mike, could you tell me if it's possible to adjust the volume of the SHD, by making use of the hardware buttons on your phone, while using the Spotify APP on your phone, controlling the music on the SHD?

 

[mikeburns]

Mike, could you tell me if it's possible to adjust the volume of the SHD, by making use of the hardware buttons on your phone, while using the Spotify APP on your phone, controlling the music on the SHD?

I am away on holiday currently so can't be sure but I seem to remember that worked fine... I will check when I eventually get home and set up (moving house as well). Maybe someone else can check if it works and get back to you faster?

 

[mikeburns]

I use a lot of single board computer in my projects. For music, I use Logitech Media Server. I tried Volumio but it never finished to index my music files: it's not a question of hardware power but a question of software.

This is interesting. Maybe that's why moode could complete my index but Volumio couldn't, as opposed to the processing power? I guess the only way to check would be to install moode onto the nanopi on the SHD... I'm not too game to try that though.

 

[mikeburns]

It is a nanopi neo2 black.



If I remember correctly it has a 1GB neo2 black. That said it struggled and dropped connection to my NAS through WiFi and ethernet. It does not have the processing power to handle lot of data. Had issues when running with hdd connected to USB too. People with roon don't have any issues. I am now using a RPi4 through USB to SHD and all connection issues solved.

Yeah this fully fixed my issues as well. How much of the issues are down to the nano pi I wonder? Would be awesome if mini dsp could offer a pi upgrade. I figure it would be fairly easy to swap out a pi for another within the unit, so long as they supply the appropriate software.