Is that a good thing about the Minidsp, or do you prefer the Allo sound?
I think he meant there was no difference. I thought the same question as you.
Now that I re-read my statement it could mean two things. Sorry about that. They sound the same. I always liked the way the Allo sounded, but then the miniDSP came along and duplicated it perfectly, so the Allo isnāt āspecialā it is just another well engineered product like the miniDSP.
I leave the Dirac on always. I used to toggle it off thinking I was getting a ācleanerā sound, but I could never detect a difference other than the lack of room correction. So, now I just leave it on.
Like you, I use Meridian DSP speakers and really like the sound of Alloās DigiOne Signature. I have a Minidsp USB-to-S/PDIF multichannel converter coming from Hong Kong right now, and am hoping it will have comparable sonics.
My existing gear: Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum 2 integrated amp feeding KEF LS50 and dual REL T9i subs. I am in the process of researching gear upstream of my integrated amp. So basically looking for a streamer to feed the DAC I will buy (Schiit Yggdrasil). My ROON core is going to be on a NUC8i7 ethernet connected which I have just purchased. My REL T9i subwoofers are recommended to be fed off the same high level outputs as my KEF LS50 speakers on the amp. Could anyone tell me how I would fit the Minidsp SHD Studio into my setup? Where in the chain and to what connections so I can get the benefit of a streamer and Dirac while using ROON.
Thanks very much for sharing as I have been waiting for more than 6 months since I spoke to MiniDSP about ROON integration and have heard no news from them on progress.
Between your NUC and your Schiit.
Thanks for your help Peter, so ethernet connected to Minidsp to get the audio stream and USB out to Yggdrasil? i.e. the MiniDSP does itās processing and room correction BEFORE the DAC?
Yes, before the DAC is the best place to put the SHD. Note - If you get the full SHD (not the studio), it has a very good DAC - I just eliminated my NAD M12, and now use my SHD to directly feed my power amp. It sounds great, equal if not better than the many other DACs Iāve tried.
My thought was to separate the streamer from the DAC to allow upgrades/changes. The tech is improving pretty rapidly these days. Additionally, I have no option to ātry before you buyā with the SHD. Is it possible to bypass the DAC of the full SHD if I find the sound isnāt to my liking longer term?
The dac is transparent-it just faithfully conveys digital to analog. You could do an external dac with digital out, just not sure why.
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So far as I can see, both from their quarterly newsletter and searching their site, the Minidsp is still not ROON certified though this has been pending now for near a year according to exchanges I had with MiniDSP. I wonder if this is actually ever going to happen. Also, Iām still debating in my mind whether it is better just using self made REW filters via ROON itself, or getting the filters made by HAF or Accurate Sound Calibration or using DIRAC. My subs are dual REL T9i and REL very strongly states their subs should be given a full high level signal and then use the excellent crossovers built into the subs. Meanwhile MiniDSP wants the dual subs to use SHDās crossovers. I wish this was easier:rofl:
I just upgraded my SHD Studio to the latest firmware that was released today and the Roon volume control is now working. Awesome! Does that mean itās Roon certified now?
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Thanks for posting. Great news. I have both the SHD Studio which I have hooked up to JBL 708P active speakers and also the SHD hooked up to an amp and passive speakers in my main listening system. Great news adding the volume control for Roon.
Could DSD be streamed thru SHD Studio to DAC? Or using DOP?
Is anyone else, since the update getting random halts in playing ?
My SHD is now just losing connection to roon (Select an audio zone). that comes back a few sec later.
Would like to know as well, as am considering room correction for tricky loudspeaker placement. A SHD seems just the ticket, and am wondering if itās better to have roon downsample all hi-res music to 24-96 or have it done by the SHD. On the flip side, is it better to have roon upsample 16-44 to 24-96, or have it done by the SHD? Would very much appreciate thoughts on this, or am I overthinking this too much? 
Personally, I donāt think this should be a concern. If a DAC like the SHD has 32-bit converters and heavy CPU capabilities, the DAC will handle all of that anyway. My DAC (MSB) has significant signal processing capabilities and I find that having Roon upsample before the DAC actually degrades performance. The DAC is doing it anyway, and doing it in a way the designers preferred.
Bottom line is that good room correction is going to be more significant than any subtle changes that come from upsampling.
am i correct the SHD is now roon certified?
Iām not seeing it showing Roon certificed. However it works perfectly for me (including controlling the master volume, which it didnāt before).
My volume does not work in Roon and Iām on the latest system. Did you do something to enable it?