I’ve just recently gotten into the streaming world with a NAD C 658 with Core running on my MacBook Pro. Like many of you, I’m trying to find a seamless way to integrate Dirac Live into my Roon ecosystem. I have a system setup I’d like to propose and have a conversation around why it may or may not work.
Here’s what I’m thinking: Mac Mini (2011, so no 192), with RoonBridge, SoundSource and Dirac Live app and AU plug-in installed.
In SoundSource, use the bridge as the source, and add Dirac Live as an effect, going to the headphone/Toslink output, which is then plugged in to one of the optical ports on the C 658. That is seen as an endpoint, and voila.
I can’t try this live right now as I have no Toslink cable and my amp is down.
What do you think? Could this work? Reasons why not? I’m not worried about bit rates right now, as that can be addressed by throwing more $$ at the problem. I’m more interested in this as a concept.
I am trying to wrap my head around getting Dirac into my system as well, but if you have a C658, you already have Dirac running on that, correct? It will provide DSP correction to the stream before it leaves for your amplifier(s). Why would you need to run it in a plug-in before it gets to the C658?
I can indeed have Dirac running on my C658, but I have to control it outside of the Roon ecosystem that way. My thought was to have Dirac running via something I could control via Roon. If I have the setup as described above (and it works ) then I can make Dirac correction as simple as switching zones from the primary wireless to the zone that is plugged into Optical 1 via the mini, etc. Does that make sense?
When you are talking about “zones”, are you referring to zones in the BluOS environment? So Roon/Dirac would be a separate zone (music files/Tidal -->Mac Mini/Roon/SoundSource/Dirac–>NAD C658 Optical Input) and therefore, separate music source zone?
Have you seen this link that shows how to run Dirac on the Mac OS as you are suggesting?
I still don’t understand why you would put a Dirac host in front of another DIrac host, but let us know how it works out…
I was referring to the Roon zones. The flow would be something like music > mini with (RoonBridge -> SoundSource -> DiracLive plugin -> system out) > Toslink to C658. Then I could just change my current endpoint from the C658 (wireless) to the Optical input where the mini is plugged in, and never leave the Roon app/ecosystem and turn on/off Dirac processing. And thanks for the pointer! I haven’t seen that s/w before and will take a walkthrough.
) then I can make Dirac correction as simple as switching zones from the primary wireless to the zone that is plugged into Optical 1 via the mini, etc. Does that make sense?