miniDSP Launches Dirac Live®-Enabled SHD Streaming Processor Series

Now Shipping in Two Versions (SHD & SHD Studio), the SHD Dirac Live Room Correction Processor Fits Right Into Any Modern Audio System

October 2, 2018

miniDSP (www.miniDSP.com), a market leading designer and manufacturer of digital signal processing platforms and solutions for a wide range of applications, is proud to announce the launch of the new SHD (Streaming High Definition) Series digital audio processor incorporating Dirac Live®, the world’s premier room correction solution. The SHD Series heralds a new era in affordable yet powerful DSP-based network streamers. Both the SHD (MSRP: $1,199.00 USD) and SHD Studio (MSRP: $899.00 USD) are now available.

“First and foremost, the SHD is a stereo Dirac Live room correction processor,” explained Tony Rouget, miniDSP CEO. “Three digital inputs, two analog inputs and USB Audio enable the SHD to fit right into any modern audio system, while processed outputs are available as unbalanced and balanced analog as well as digital. Dirac Live calibration uses our popular UMIK-1 microphone and Dirac’s easy- to use calibration tool.”

The Dirac Live Calibration Tool walks the user through simple steps to get good measurements for great room correction. Dirac Live's sophisticated algorithms intelligently correct frequency and time errors around the whole listening area, so one should expect improved stereo imaging, greater clarity and realism, more accurate timbre, and a deeper, tighter and more accurate bass. Dirac Live is the perfect balance of automation and control as an interactive control graph allows the user to set limits on the frequency range of correction and tailor a target curve to the listener’s own sonic desires.

The SHD is an analog and digital unit. SHD Studio is a more compact, all-digital solution and comes with all features of the full version, but without the analog component.

“We have also added network streaming over Ethernet, using a dedicated quad-core ARM processor,” Rouget continued. “Out of the gate, we are shipping with Volumio, a popular open-source network streamer. Volumio gives you access to music files from sources as diverse as a USB stick, to files stored on your local network, to Internet Radio and Spotify. Finally, we’ve added a second pair of outputs and a suite of our powerful but user-friendly DSP audio tuning software…ten-band parametric EQ per channel, crossovers up to 48 dB/octave, compressor/limiter, and a 2x4 matrix mixer…for powerful audio system tuning in applications ranging from integrating a single subwoofer to a two-way active speaker.

SHD hardware features and included items:
? Processor: 32-bit floating-point 450MHz Analog Devices SHARC DSP
? 32bit Audiophile converters: AK5574 / AK4490EQ 
? Powered by Dirac Live® Digital Room Correction
? Quad core ARM processor for network audio streaming - Preloaded with
Volumio
? Inputs: Stereo digital (USB Audio/AES-EBU/SPDIF/Optical), stereo analog
(Balanced XLR, unbalanced RCA)
? Outputs: 4 x digital (SPDIF out), 4 x analog out (Balanced XLR, unbalanced
RCA)
? White/Black OLED front panel controller
? License for Dirac Live Calibration Tool (stereo, Windows/Mac compatible)
? UMIK-1 calibrated measurement microphone
? Microphone tripod stand

“Certain external variables are always going to negatively impact audio quality, regardless of hardware design and sophistication,” Rouget concluded. “The one way to alleviate this issue is to implement a digital room correction solution such as Dirac Live as it reduces these variables and satisfies the discerning ears of our customers. Our
continued work with Dirac is exciting not only for us, but for the miniDSP community, as  well.”

For more information on miniDSP, please visit www.miniDSP.com