DSP Active Crossover

I use DEQX to actively crossover my subwoofers at 85 hz. It also corrects timing and room issues.  It is the only way I can integrate subwoofers. Fabulous results but I needed professional help from Larry Owens — say approximately three hours of our combined time. 

@jaytor ,

Good move. I have been doing this for 25 years and keep a close eye on the market. I have been chosen to beta test the new DEQX Pre 8 which has a 4 way digital crossover you can program to do whatever you want. It has complete bass management, room control, EQ capability at 1 Hz intervals (target curves) and streaming capability. It will be $10,995.00 retail. There will be a less expensive unit following called the Pre 3 which has a two way crossover most people will use for subwoofers. It should be about $4000 less expensive. Another approach which would be much less would be the MiniDSP SHD studio and two good DACs like the Benchmark. That will run about $5000. The MiniDSP SHD (not the studio version) has its own internal DACs and costs $1500. Its crossover is suitable for subwoofers. It uses DIRAC Live which is easy to use and works well, but it is not very flexible and the EQ only has 10 corners. For the money it is excellent. There is the Anthem STR preamp for about $4000 which I have not had the opportunity to use. Finally, the Trinnov Amethyst which has great room control but only a very basic subwoofer crossover. The DEQX is clearly the best unit for 2 channel stereo on the market today and if all you need is a single 2 way crossover the Pre 4 is going to be a bargain. I expect it will be released in about 6 months. 

@mijostyn - that looks like a nice piece of gear. Do you know what DSP it is using?

I think the Danville dspNexus 2/8 is an excellent value at $3K, but currently doesn't have software as simple to use as products like the DEQX. You have to be fairly comfortable with computers.

The HW is well built, but the casework is not as fancy as the DEQX Pre 8. The power supply seems to be the weak point and I suspect the DEQX is better (based on what I've seen for their previous products).

I was able to try out the dspNexus on one channel of my main system yesterday. So far, I have only set up the crossovers (96db/octave), adjusted time alignment between my main planar line arrays and my woofer towers, and added a bit of PEQ to the low-frequency channel. My bass response is fairly smooth without any equalization so I didn't apply a lot.

I haven't tried to create any convolution filters yet. And so far, I've only played it from my PC, not from my streamer. Next step is to set it up connected to my streamer and playing both channels to see how it sounds. 

mijostyn, Did you A/B the minidsp SHD with the latest DEQX in the same system using all the same gear at the same time? "clearly the best" can only be known by serious listening tests. If you did do a serious A/B.....what were the sonic differences? The Minidsp is $1300 with standard mic.

The SHD also has digital outputs that can drive the fantastic and super transparent modded Peachtree GaN 1 amps. A bi-amp system using two modded Gan 1 anps and the SHD should be super duper and cost less than $5K.....so all you need is drivers and a baffle......the SHD can take analog inputs (like a phono stage), is a Roon ready streamer has digital inputs including usb drives and has analog outs as well as the digital outs....all volume controlled. Super versatile.

Of course, the SHD is only a two way xover.....so complicated systems need something else unless one can daisy chain or parallel the minidsp units. Don’t know if that can be done.

@ricevs 

When my TacT 2.2x bit the dust the DEQX was still two months away. So, to fill in the space I got a MiniDSP SHD $1500 with UMiK 2. The Pre 8 is still one month away, so I will be glad to tell you what I think after a week with the DEQX. All I know about the processor at this point is that because of Covid and delays in getting the first processor they redesigned it for a new and better processor that became available. It is a 64bit floating point system. It also shot the price up a couple of grand. My 25 year old TacT sounded better than the MiniDSP. Lets face it the MiniDSP has 4 DAC channels and two ADC channels, It also streams and handles DIRAC Live. That is a lot of stuff for $1500. Benchmark Media Systems is using an SHD Studio and two of their own DACs and think it is great. That is a $6000 proposition. That is a tempting second choice if the DEQX is too rich. The SHD has a slight graininess to it. It is not crystaline. The TacT was, and as long as you had a computer hooked to it you could do anything and I do mean anything. I am not sure yet how a computer relates to the Pre 8. I do not even have a manual yet and yes, I asked for one.