Preamp vs DAC vs Streamer

@signaforce

You may want to repost this as a starter thread in digital to find other members who may have experience with the miniDSP SHD. I doubt there are many, to be honest, but a search of miniDSP on this forum does seem to have some life.

I would advise against any whole Chinese product (engineered; mfg in China; sold online from China) but there are a subset of those that take the risk on this site, usually buying suspect cables on alibaba. 

While it is an exciting time to be an audiophile and vinyl spinner I have been noticing much more blurring of the lines when it comes to products that are labeled audiophile but are notably AV related. Most on this site will sport 2- channel setups and anything beyond that is open to derision. It is social media after all and we all miss making fun of one another without repercussions. 

The connecting factor between 2 and multiple speaker setups is the screen. Two channel setups may have always had digital readouts, toggles and flywheels, but now they are increasingly having screens big enough for menus and EQ manipulation. Having two NAD amps, I am interested in one that can utilize Dirac Live but so far all I am seeing is integrated amps. Hopefully, that will change.

What Dirac Live says can be cured, can generally be cured via acoustic panels, bass traps, etc. Many audiophiles have limitations with gear setup and having Dirac Live can be used as a tool for proper distribution of room treatment. But it's value lessens if you have generally gotten over the hump of understanding what is going on with your room with reflection points and have remedied the worst of it. Still, I would like to incorporate it at some point when it is feasible to do so, if for no other reason than confirmation bias. 

Amir at ASR measures scientifically but offers up no judgement on sound. While the product measures well, there are plenty of highly sought after audiophile electronics that do not measure well. Grain of salt, perhaps. Remember, the hardest to drive speakers are the ones that sound the best, if for no other reason than you finally found an amp that can drive them!

You definitely want your digital going through the Rogue because the output tubes will soften the edges of digital music. The stock J&J tubes- maybe not so much- but upgrading your tubes is a game changer for digital music through the Rogue. While my Yggy still cannot out shine my Rega turntable, this is the closest they have ever gotten and the Mullard tubes only accent the richness of vinyl.

A highly resolving SS preamp that can touch the Rogue is not going to cost less than $1,300 and getting a DAC included that would rival your current DAC is highly suspect. Now, if they threw in a few ShamWows and a Ginsu knife then it may be worthy of consideration!

@goodlistening64 

Thanks for your thoughts. The miniDSP came up on another thread I created on tuning my Rhythmic sub with line in. I had never done that in the past and only used LFE from my AVR’s using room correction. The recommendation came from audiophiles. It is a Chinese product, as is Topping, a well respected DAC. There is a US dealer that I would purchase from if I was to buy it. 
The logic of connecting digital to the miniDSP is that the miniDSP has full remote control from my harmony one. I understand the Rogue is a superior preamp, but as you know the remote does not power it on, something I was disappointed with… no issue with vinyl, but with streaming, I like to stream before going to bed, and prefer to do that remotely. I thought about trading up to the RP-5, but it is a little too tall. 
On the positive side, I think I now have the Rhyhmic property set for my R11’s and room and have a set of NOS Brimar’s on the way from Absolute Sound. I look forward to installing them when they arrive! Thanks again!

To be clear on why I really needed room correction or at least low & high pass was I was getting +16db spikes at 32hz from my R11’s! That cannot be adjusted out. Never was a problem before as my crossover point was much higher than that. But now running full range… major problem. And my room, based on windows is not conducive to bass management. 
Luckily plugging the rear ports on the R11’s alleviated the problem. I am hoping with the new tubes, and the bass management, I have in place, I can avoid the miniDSP, as I prefer to stay analog. Thanks 

@signaforce 

"+16db spikes at 32hz" Yeah, that's a problem! At least you know the KEF's can dig deep..I am guessing though that such an issue would be from a movie soundtrack rather than a musical track.

You may not really need the subwoofer especially if you don't listen to music that dips below 30hz. I had used a sub for a few years but realized it was overkill and listening without one put more emphasis on the midrange frequencies - which is where most of the music resides. Doesn't help that I am getting older and my hearing is fading. 

Two ports on each speaker that houses 4- 6 1/2" woofers is fairly unique, especially a port that high up on the speaker. Throw windows and a sub into the mix and I see your dilemma and a need for measurements/data. To add to that scenario, the Brimar tubes are likely to add more bass. Good luck with that! ;)

As for the Rogue, I typically turn it on a couple of hours before I listen. My understanding is that a preamp with tubes can be left on at all times, but not the case with an amplifier. My DAC is on all the time, as Schiit suggests to do so as it will better the results. 

Please be sure to share your thoughts on the tonal changes of the Brimar tubes once you have had some time with them as they are on my want list.