Upgrade to the Minidsp SHD?

I currently have a MicroRendu and Modi3. I’d like to add a MiniDSP/Dirac device.
Do you guys think replacing the MR/Modi3 with a “Mini DSP SHD” would be worthwhile upgrade?
Or, should I keep the Modi3 and add the “Mini DSP SHD Studio” and add a 2nd Modi3 for the subs?
Or, do nothing.

My reservation about the the SHD non-studio is the built-in dacs. I assume they are better than the Modi3, but what if I want to change the dac in the future?

The ‘big’ SHD has just about the same digital I/O as the Studio. You can connect a different DAC later if you want (as long as the new DAC has SPDIF input). Studio has AES/EBU outputs in addition to RCA SPDIF, but I don’t think that is a big issue. Internal processing is 96kHz (also Dirac) so that is the practical limit anyway. Also not a big issue IMHO.

So if playing a 192khz file will Roon show it being down sampled to 96khz?

I don’t think it will. Downsampling probably takes place after Volumio has received the stream from Roon.

I’m close to pulling the trigger on the SHD.
I’m interested in using Dirac and the ability to configure multi subs and all the other tinkering magic the minidsp can do.
What do you guys think?

Did you buy the SHD?
If so, what has been your experience?

No. Not yet. I’m a bit concerned with the non linear power supply. Hans Beekhuyzen said adding a linear power supply didn’t change the sound at all and it fit nicely with his reference 1 system. He also said it sounded on par with his SOTM 200 neo ultra which he loves.

I got one. It sounds indistinguishable from my NAD M12, (either as a Roon player, or feeding in the digital out from the NAD). and as a bonus has Dirac.

I love it. Just expectantly waiting for roon based volume control!

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How is the Dirac? How much did it improve the sound?
What do you mean by “Roon based volume”? What Is the problem with the volume?

I found the Dirac 2.0 best when correcting 1k and under. As others noticed with dirac 2.0 , correcting higher that muffles the dynamics on the high end. But the low range is the important part to me.

re volume - Right now, roon cannot control the SHD volume. But that is coming in an update - as soon as the SHD is roon certified. See the other SHD threads for info.

Thanks. I’m trying to decide if it’s worth buying the SHD to replace my MicroRendu/Modi3 combo.

I just picked one of these up and Roon based volume control is working for me.

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Hi Mike
I have the same question here. I am looking to replace my streamer (allousbridge sig) by a streamer + Dirac live solution. I am almost pulling the trigger on the Shd solution.
Are you happy with your new streamer?
Does it work easily/plug&play through Roon?
On my side, I would like to keep my current DAC, so I look at the only digital solution, is it possible to use the USB as an output to connect my DAC? My Dac also has aes/ebu inputs.
Does it support all resolutions /sampling rates?
Does it do DSD native?
Sorry many questions
Thanks!

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I am very happy with the SHD.

Yes. The ability to work as Roon endpoint is enabled with a single option within the Volumio settings. As soon as that is done, it will appear in the Roon Audio Settings. The only quirk is that it has an “uncertified” warning. Last I heard, miniDSP is working on certification but I don’t know the status.

The miniDSP SHD Studio does have AES/EBU outputs but keep in mind that one of the most powerful aspects of the SHD series is that they have a 2 channel input and a 4 channel output. There’s no issue using only 2 output channels on the SHD Studio, but if you’re going to add a sub (or two) or set up biamping with crossovers, you’ll need an additional two channel DAC.

It accepts up to 32/192 but all signals are internally processed at 24/96 and output at 24/96. It will upsample or downsample as needed.

I don’t think so. There’s no mention of DSD anywhere in the manual.

Overall, I think the miniDSP SHD if fantastic. Its sound is exceptionally clean and does all the streaming/processing/conversion/preamp duties completely seamlessly. Streaming Roon is flawless. It also serves as an AirPlay device so my wife can casually stream music to it off her phone and I can stream audio to it while watching videos on my Mac. It switches between those LAN based functionalities automatically.

I have only encountered two issues:

  1. Controlling the volume through the Roon app on my phone works, but when you first start the Roon app and access the volume setting, it jumps to 100. You can work around it by accessing the volume setting before it plays or pausing the player. Once you’ve accessed the volume, it works fine for adjustments. I opted to set the SHD to Fixed Volume in the Roon settings and use the remote control instead.

  2. The included Wifi dongle was fine for setting up the SHD but not for streaming. Hard wired ethernet would be preferable but this was not an option where I placed it. I tried a different dongle but it wasn’t recognized. I ended up using a portable Wifi router (TP-Link AC750) as a bridge (client mode). This has worked absolutely flawlessly.

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Thanks very much. I am going to dive into the user manual.

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Anyone still using the miniDSP SHD? How does it fair with Roon in 2022?

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I’m still using my SHD. It’s absolutely rock solid as a Roon Endpoint.

The only thing I wish is that it had a built-in wifi adapter (the supplied dongle didn’t work well for streaming). I worked around that with a USB powered network bridge but it’s not as clean of a setup as I would like. If you have wired Ethernet available, that’s not an issue.

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My Modi3 just took a Schiit. I have a Microrendu endpoint and was thinking of getting the SHD. Is it worth the upgrade from the Microrendu or should I just buy a new dac?

OK tyvm. I’m thinking about picking up the SHD Studio instead because I already have a DAC I want to use in my planned 2 channel stereo setup. Also I’m only doing a two channel setup with two towers. So no subs right out of the gate.

Thanks for the heads up about the wifi adapter, I can run an ethernet cable to it.

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I like the fact that the SHD is a Roon Endpoint, DAC and preamp all in one device, along with very flexible bass management and room correction. I can’t think of any device in this price range that does all that. Whether it’s worth the upgrade is too subjective for me to say. It depends a lot on your budget, what speakers/subwoofers you currently own and what you plan to do in the future. I’ve used it with several different amps/subs/speakers/powered monitors and it has performed flawlessly through all my upgrades.