After hearing so much about MiniDSP projects and having gotten my appetite wet by the iDSP from OSD I bought one.
I had a rocky road with the iDSP app initially regarding to to the auto room correct function to generate FIR filters I got it ironed out.
I didn't use the iDSP for subs but instead used it in an expanded implementation with an XO at 300hz to the woofers in my speakers which were already designed as an active system to get better baffle step and LF room correction.
The IDSP is the same board as the Parts Express DSP unit but with 2v out in mono and nice RCA's vs 1/8" jacks. Same software as well.
I decided to try the Mini in my next active XO project and as a first step I substituted it for the iDSP in an already well sorted system.
The result using the panel to configure the Mini was terrible!! The filters had terrible ringing and a huge loss of transparency.
How could this be I asked myself. The iDSP is dirt cheap vs the Mini and the Mini has far fewer features relating to dsp built in to go wrong.
We all know the Mini panel is very basic but allows the more complex FIR filter import through either plugin (Dirac) or 3rd party FIR filter generators
It turns out that the Mini built ins are IIR filters for simplicity vs the FIR based iDSP and it is clearly audibly better with FIR based filters.
Unfortunately to access the much better sounding FIR based adjustments for the Mini we need to spend a bunch more, a WHOLE BUNCH MORE!!
As a baseline the iDSP has dynamics, phase, delay, limiters, Sub harmionic synthesizer, Dynamic bass control, parametric eq plus the XO up to 48db. The iDSP is doing all that via FIR based filters, which makes sense as IIR filters would fall apart with so many complex filters, and does it via the iPhone app and it's only $5 to buy the app vs hundreds for DIRAC or Eclipse Audio's program.
Granted in the grand view of what I have invested into my system several hundred bucks is cheap but having such great sound from a $50 unit has me pissed that it's going to cost and be far more complex of a process.
I had a rocky road with the iDSP app initially regarding to to the auto room correct function to generate FIR filters I got it ironed out.
I didn't use the iDSP for subs but instead used it in an expanded implementation with an XO at 300hz to the woofers in my speakers which were already designed as an active system to get better baffle step and LF room correction.
The IDSP is the same board as the Parts Express DSP unit but with 2v out in mono and nice RCA's vs 1/8" jacks. Same software as well.
I decided to try the Mini in my next active XO project and as a first step I substituted it for the iDSP in an already well sorted system.
The result using the panel to configure the Mini was terrible!! The filters had terrible ringing and a huge loss of transparency.
How could this be I asked myself. The iDSP is dirt cheap vs the Mini and the Mini has far fewer features relating to dsp built in to go wrong.
We all know the Mini panel is very basic but allows the more complex FIR filter import through either plugin (Dirac) or 3rd party FIR filter generators
It turns out that the Mini built ins are IIR filters for simplicity vs the FIR based iDSP and it is clearly audibly better with FIR based filters.
Unfortunately to access the much better sounding FIR based adjustments for the Mini we need to spend a bunch more, a WHOLE BUNCH MORE!!
As a baseline the iDSP has dynamics, phase, delay, limiters, Sub harmionic synthesizer, Dynamic bass control, parametric eq plus the XO up to 48db. The iDSP is doing all that via FIR based filters, which makes sense as IIR filters would fall apart with so many complex filters, and does it via the iPhone app and it's only $5 to buy the app vs hundreds for DIRAC or Eclipse Audio's program.
Granted in the grand view of what I have invested into my system several hundred bucks is cheap but having such great sound from a $50 unit has me pissed that it's going to cost and be far more complex of a process.
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