I've been reading about the capabilities of the MiniDSP line of products. I currently have an excellent RME ADI-2 DAC FS receiving local music content (I don't stream) from an "original" Statement (no NextGen upgrade, but hope to be able to fund it in the future). The RME specs out great, sounds excellent, and the built-in parametric equalizer has been a useful, albeit somewhat limited tool.
The MiniDSP Flex (as the seemingly "best fit" for me from the MiniDSP product line) would appear to have nearly equal specs to the RME while providing significantly better subwoofer integration (I have two SVS SB-1000 Pros in my relatively small listening space), 10-band parametric equalization (vs the RME's 7 if you use the hack with the Bass and Treble settings), and the option to experiment with Dirac Live Digital Room Correction. With my weird room shape, having Dirac could be an asset.
With both the RME and MiniDSP products, though, only one USB port for music is available. This means being limited to working with either the RME/MiniDSP settings/test signals or, by swapping the cables to the single USB port, listening to music content coming from the Statement. To my knowledge, there isn't a way of "tweeking" the RME/MiniDSP settings then quickly switching to actual music from the Statement to assess whether the "tweeks" have made any audible difference, better or worse. Since swapping cables takes longer than the persistence of subtle audio memory, the value of all but the most obvious sound quality changes are generally impossible to determine. Lacking an ability to audibly evaluate most system "tweeks," one is left with selecting RME/MiniDSP settings for their appropriateness in theory.
I've tried guiding changes to my system using the Room EQ Wizard (REW) app, but I've found it difficult to use due to its complexity (it's probably a much more powerful tool in the hands of an audio engineer, I'm sure). From reading online, my initial impression of the MiniDSP software is that it seems much more accessible to the typical non-audio engineer. I already have a MiniDSP UMIK-1 and cables.
Have any of you used a MiniDSP product with your Innuos music server? Have you found a way to ameliorate the connection shortcomings that I've mentioned above? Do you have any other thoughts/advice regarding the pairing of Innuos and MiniDSP products...or another alternative to consider?
As the RME ADI-2 DAC FS is a fine device and the MiniDSP products share the same single-USB port limitation, am I overestimating the value of investigating a change? I keep wondering since, as it stands currently, I can't say definitively whether my subwoofers, in particular, are properly integrated with my vintage Ohm Walsh 200 MK-2 main speakers. Thanks!
The MiniDSP Flex (as the seemingly "best fit" for me from the MiniDSP product line) would appear to have nearly equal specs to the RME while providing significantly better subwoofer integration (I have two SVS SB-1000 Pros in my relatively small listening space), 10-band parametric equalization (vs the RME's 7 if you use the hack with the Bass and Treble settings), and the option to experiment with Dirac Live Digital Room Correction. With my weird room shape, having Dirac could be an asset.
With both the RME and MiniDSP products, though, only one USB port for music is available. This means being limited to working with either the RME/MiniDSP settings/test signals or, by swapping the cables to the single USB port, listening to music content coming from the Statement. To my knowledge, there isn't a way of "tweeking" the RME/MiniDSP settings then quickly switching to actual music from the Statement to assess whether the "tweeks" have made any audible difference, better or worse. Since swapping cables takes longer than the persistence of subtle audio memory, the value of all but the most obvious sound quality changes are generally impossible to determine. Lacking an ability to audibly evaluate most system "tweeks," one is left with selecting RME/MiniDSP settings for their appropriateness in theory.
I've tried guiding changes to my system using the Room EQ Wizard (REW) app, but I've found it difficult to use due to its complexity (it's probably a much more powerful tool in the hands of an audio engineer, I'm sure). From reading online, my initial impression of the MiniDSP software is that it seems much more accessible to the typical non-audio engineer. I already have a MiniDSP UMIK-1 and cables.
Have any of you used a MiniDSP product with your Innuos music server? Have you found a way to ameliorate the connection shortcomings that I've mentioned above? Do you have any other thoughts/advice regarding the pairing of Innuos and MiniDSP products...or another alternative to consider?
As the RME ADI-2 DAC FS is a fine device and the MiniDSP products share the same single-USB port limitation, am I overestimating the value of investigating a change? I keep wondering since, as it stands currently, I can't say definitively whether my subwoofers, in particular, are properly integrated with my vintage Ohm Walsh 200 MK-2 main speakers. Thanks!