How to get Dirac Live onto Roon?

Audio Gear Talk
1

Hi everyone, I am a new Roon user but liked it so much that I converted into lifetime after one week of Trial.

But right now, I am wondering what the best path is to get Dirac Live into my Roon setup, with minimal cost as the preferably goal:

Here is my situation:

  1. Mac Studio running Roon Core feeding into SMSL DO200 MKII DAC and then into SMSL AO200 amplifier.

  2. First challenge is technical. It seems Roon does not import Dirac Live as “DAW plugin” and running Dirac Live standalone will involve other sound processing apps and tools that are beyond my capabilities.

  3. Even if I manage to solve the above technical challenge, then there is the issue of future upgrade. I plan on getting a dedicated Intel NUC to run Roon Core so I can free up my Mac Studio to do work stuff. Besides, Intel NUC seems to be support native DSD512 that my SMSL DA200 DAC is capable of. I am not sure if ROCK supports direct DSD512 though. In any case, It would involve migrating Dirac Live onto Windows later which may bring up additional complications like Dirac licensing limitation or other unanticipated OS-related issues.

  4. Based on the above, it seems a hardware solution like miniDSP’s SHD Studio is a better way since it’s a hardware. But then, with Dirac’s limitation of 96/24 on this device, it seems to be a step-down from my current MQA and DSD512 (over PCM) SMSL DAC.

What would you do in this situation? If budget is not limited, I would jump into those NAD “all-in-one” solutions but I would like to keep my current equipment for at least another year or two (while saving up for more expensive AV equipment), so what is the best way to add Dirac Live to my Roon system?

2

My solution was to go with the MiniDSP box. The hi-res numbers are a little arms-racey, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to hear a difference above 96 anyways. I’m very happy with it but YMMV.

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3

Thanks for your feedback. Which miniDSP box do you have? They have different options but each with Pros and Cons:

  1. miniDSP Flex with Dirac Live License – $694 is the cheapest option on miniDSP but the device is not Roon-ready

  2. miniDSP SHD Studio – $949 is a step-up with Roon-ready but it doesn’t seem to have bass cross-over?

  3. miniDSP SHD – $1249 seems to have everything but it’s a significant jump in cost from Dirac Live Mac license of $349

4

I don’t think I’ve seen anything on the forum which shows Roon working with automatic rate changing with Dirac Live. Another choice would be to acquire a license for Audiolense XO, which you can use to measure and create convolution filters in Roon format. It’s €390 and then you need a microphone, such as a UMIK-1 or -2 from miniDSP and you are set to go with multichannel. You can select a lesser expensive Audiolense option if you are using only 2 channels. JCR

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5

I use a first gen MiniDSP SHD (Roon Ready) as the endpoint in my system, this gives me full Dirac support independent of Roon. The SHD Roon end point is Volumio based, the core will transcode formats as necessary to work properly with the SHD. The SHD supports only PCM but the Core will transcode DSD to a supported resolution.

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6

I went with the 22D box and I feed the TV through it as well. It’s more expensive now than when I purchased 3 years ago. They’re solid devices and I found the measurement process easy.

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7

I faced the same problem, coming from a complex setup with dCS Network Bridge - DAC - Preamp - Amp. After month of investigation I decided for the ‘big step’ and bought a fully integrated solution, an Arcam SA 30. I have to say, I am more than happy. Roon works flawless and the Dirac integration as well. For me there is no way back.
And as a side-note: Dirac is really worth the money. After all the hours with REW this is a straight forward process with very acceptable results.

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8

I already have the UMIK-1 and Audiolense XO is a fantastic solution, but it is only available on Windows, so I am out of luck on this one for now.

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