Hi there everyone, this is a very interesting piece of equipment! I am pretty close to purchasing one but have a few questions for the experts.
Firstly the dac does not measure much better than my own current smsl su8 v2. Are there functionalities in the shd that the su-8 is not able to do or vice versa? I cannot figure out if the mini dsp will be able to play/convert dsd files specifically?
Secondly can the shd replace my preamp if I am really only streaming via a RPi4 (using moode) or across a chromecast connected via spdif? Or is there something I am missing here? My current preamp is a Quad 99, but I am moving out of vinyl and getting rid of my turntable etc and focusing mainly on digital streaming as my source.
Lastly there seems to be a few people having issues with the internal computer running volumio. Would it be fine to continue using my RPi4 using moode - connected to the usb input of the shd (shd acting as dac)? Ignoring the internal mini computer running volumio?
I realise these are straightforward questions, just thought I would ask any current owners or experienced users for their thoughts. I am really keen for the dsp functionality but don't want to downgrade the sound quality of anything else in my system.
Thanks for your thoughts on this one. It seems like a perfect solution for me to reduce my box count and gain some much need room correction!
My previous preamp was/is a Parasound P5. I've replaced it with the SHD and it's been great so far. I gave up on vinyl a while back, so everything I do is streaming or network storage. Since I'm all digital, getting a digital pre-amp with all the great DSP controls and Dirac just made sense.
I also previously streamed from a Bluesound Node 2i. I've kept it around just in case I didn't like using Volumio or the streaming capabilities built into the SHD, but I've had no problem with them. The Bluesound is currently unused.
I would say, the SHD is more for the tweakers, like me
. I always have a laptop on hand to hook up and play around with the DSP or measure using REW, etc. IMO, If you don't happen have a computer you can easily hook up in the same room, it may be a bit cumbersome to get set up at first. And then depending on how much you want to keep fiddling as well.