Dirac live the best way..

[S.o.k.]

I like Dirac live and what it does in my setup, but what is the best way to set up a system running Diac live. I own and use a minidsp shd as streamer and ofcorse dirac live device (roon rock is ment to be added again). Now i am wondering if i can get better sound by makeing a caps 20 or like, install dirac live and use it as server / player and dirac host. Is it the way to do it or? 

[gingerbrown]

Have you found a solution? I'm on the same path...

[S.o.k.]

Well i won Dirac live (the big version) but will try to go a different way. I sold the MiniDsp Shd, and got a Audionet pre 1 g3 and a Dennafrips Venus dac. Player is now Roon rock on Sonore opticalrendu. I like that sound better but i still need somekind of dsp. So perhaps i will try my minidsp 3x4 hd to control my 4x 12" subs and /or the new Dirac live on pc version or perhaps Acourate room corection.. 

[gingerbrown]

I'm wedded to my Dirac calibration, which makes the SHD Studio a bit immovable for me. I'd like to buy a Sonore Opticalrendu to improve my streaming front-end. To accommodate the SHD Studio this means converting from usb out of the Sonore to spdif into the SHD, then to AES/EBU out of the SHD into my Holoaudio Spring DAC. This seems then to at least to partially defeat the point of the purity of the Sonore approach!
So, I've been looking at pc alternatives to the SHD Studio which could run Dirac Live 3 & accommodate high quality USB input and output (like JCAT cards). Afterdark even have an optical networked pc but with a standard USB card & no expansion options.

 

[S.o.k.]

The Shd i a fine all i one solution, but i do not find it to be the presenting best resolution. Perhaps its due to its inbuild volumio streamer, that works great, but it is just not as good as other higher end streamer that i used via USB ports. If you go for the pc version i would try looking at new Caps.that Audiophile style Chris has made. I wolud go for a nice usb soundcard like the one you wrote. JCat and perhaps just convert to optical and back via the sonorre aproach. I like the opticalrendu a lot and think i will be hard finding something better a similar price and a good leap upwards:-) if you are interested i have the full and biggest Dirac version for pc for sale 

[gingerbrown]

Yeah, I have a separate streamer & a separate preamp, so the SHD comes with waste. I've optimised it as much as possible with linear power, isolation & even passive grounding. It's funny how Dirac is still mostly flying under the radar as an approach to improve high-end 2:x audio.
Apparently JCAT & DIrac 3 are not cooperating on my friend's server & he's way more experienced than me at server builds. I've been looking at the Caps. that Chris made.
Where is your pc for sale? I might be interested... I'm going to have to scratch this psychological itch somehow. 

[S.o.k.]

On 1/18/2022 at 11:40 PM, vgrubb said:

Sorry, it was sold.

3 hours ago, gingerbrown said:

Yeah, I have a separate streamer & a separate preamp, so the SHD comes with waste. I've optimised it as much as possible with linear power, isolation & even passive grounding. It's funny how Dirac is still mostly flying under the radar as an approach to improve high-end 2:x audio.
Apparently JCAT & DIrac 3 are not cooperating on my friend's server & he's way more experienced than me at server builds. I've been looking at the Caps. that Chris made.
Where is your pc for sale? I might be interested... I'm going to have to scratch this psychological itch somehow. 

Perhaps a SoTm usb soundcard could be the way. I used that before with succes. I do not have a pc for sale but only the Dirac live program for pc. It is the full version with bassmangement etc. 

 

23 hours ago, gingerbrown said:

Have you found a solution? I'm on the same path...

 

4 hours ago, gingerbrown said:

I'm wedded to my Dirac calibration, which makes the SHD Studio a bit immovable for me. I'd like to buy a Sonore Opticalrendu to improve my streaming front-end. To accommodate the SHD Studio this means converting from usb out of the Sonore to spdif into the SHD, then to AES/EBU out of the SHD into my Holoaudio Spring DAC. This seems then to at least to partially defeat the point of the purity of the Sonore approach!
So, I've been looking at pc alternatives to the SHD Studio which could run Dirac Live 3 & accommodate high quality USB input and output (like JCAT cards). Afterdark even have an optical networked pc but with a standard USB card & no expansion options.

 

 

[S.o.k.]

 itch somehow. 

Perhaps a SoTm usb soundcard could be the way. I used that before with succes. I do not have a pc for sale but only the Dirac live program for pc. It is the full version with bassmangement etc. 

[gingerbrown]

This could definitely work, if I go the diy route. How much are you looking for?

[S.o.k.]

Its the multi chanel version pricetag 499 $ = 380 £ i think 280 £. Would be a fair price. It works with one pc. So i will send the codes and uninstall it on my pc (haven't downloaded it yet.)

[gingerbrown]

The thing I still don’t get is the incoming signal from the streamer for a diy Dirac server. Did the sotm usb card handle incoming & output signal?

The purist way of running the opticalrendu would be usb out to the diy Dirac server, right? 
And do you know of any others exploring this way, with Dirac calibration in the digital chain. It still seems a bit taboo, which I laugh about with Terry Ellis, who did my calibration. It’s not 10% better, it’s at least 20% best guess. 

[S.o.k.]

Hmmm well it all depends. If you use a pc with fx Dirac and hq player, JRiver or Roon. And ad Dirac. You cant run it as ronn rock server. So you have to make make as good as you can for handling your files procesesing them and send them to the next in chain.. if used with opticalrendu i would not install Sotm usb card. I woul send via lan to the optical converter and from there to opticalrendu. I would make the pc with linear psu and pasive cooling ect. I agree that it is not taboo (but it is 😅) room and speaker corection is allmost a must have for most setups i belive. As i am writen this i am installing Dirac live processor, (a bit difficult) i will get back to you with a first impresion :-)

[S.o.k.]

On 4/2/2022 at 10:02 PM, S.o.k. said:

Hmmm well it all depends. If you use a pc with fx Dirac and hq player, JRiver or Roon. And ad Dirac. You cant run it as ronn rock server. So you have to make make as good as you can for handling your files procesesing them and send them to the next in chain.. if used with opticalrendu i would not install Sotm usb card. I woul send via lan to the optical converter and from there to opticalrendu. I would make the pc with linear psu and pasive cooling ect. I agree that it is not taboo (but it is 😅) room and speaker corection is allmost a must have for most setups i belive. As i am writen this i am installing Dirac live processor, (a bit difficult) i will get back to you with a first impresion :-)

Now i installed Dirac live and Processor suite. There is deffently a big difference with Dirac. One thing is allso nice, and that is that i do not detect any difference in sound level, with or without Dirac wicth is not the case, when i use Dirac bulit in my Arcam avr550.

[gingerbrown]

Nice one! I found that the custom calibration Terry Ellis did for me made a further big difference to the stock one. 

[S.o.k.]

Ah i think you can gain a lot by finetuneing it. 

[jaaptina]

I have been using SHD Studio for a few years now. Recently I added a Sotm sms-200. Inside the SHD I removed the sd-card from the pi board and removed the cable between pi and the SHD board. That way the pi board is disabled. The SHD still functions as before. However without ethernet input and without Volumio. 

SHD and the sotm sms-200 are powered by the same 12V Sbooster. It seems after disabling the pi adding the Sbooster has a positive effect on the sound where it didn't matter before. Comparing both set ups isn't possible. But to my ears the setup with the Sotm sounds clearly better. Better separation and more real. 

[gingerbrown]

Wow! Thanks for sharing jaaptina! Modding the SHD Studio to simplify it makes a lot of sense! I have a 12v SBooster attached to mine already too, so I’m some of the way to where you’ve landed. 

[gingerbrown]

I still dream of a ultra high quality usb-in -Dirac processing - usb-out device to further simplify the chain. 
At the moment I’m switching from spdif-in - Dirac processing - aes/ebu out

 

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