[Wooderson]

1. Buy a "MiniDSP in a box". I got the balanced flavor since I wanted to have high drive voltage for my EP4000.
2. Get the "Stereo 2-way, 2 way crossover, Advanced" plugin.
3. Dig a 12v wall-wart out of your "box of junk I may use somday (~1% chance)".

- 1A should be plenty of drive. Spec sheet says 150mA, but that seems light.​

- WARNING: Use a volt meter to check the voltage. The first so-called 12v transformer I tried actually put out 8v. The 2cd one was a solid 12v (a selectable-voltage model from RS).​

- While unplugged, chop off the connector and strip the wires. Plug it in. Use voltmeter to check the voltage and determine the polarity.​

4. I'm driving the MiniDSP with my Onkyo AVR (RCA, single ended).

- Chop off your RCA connector and strip it down so that you have the signal and shield twisted and nicely separated.​

- You will also need a little piece of wire to short the shield input (S) to the neg polarity input (-).​

- In my pictures, you see 2 RCA cables. That's because I use a 30ft stereo RCA cable to run my LFE signal. I use a Y at the AVR and a Y at the MiniDSP so that I use both L and R in parallel (30ft seems like a long run. 1/2 the R just feels better.).​

5. If you're driving a pro amp like mine, get an XLR cable and chop off the female end.

- Strip it all down so that the black, white and shield (carefully unbraid it using something like a jeweler's screwdriver) are all nicely twisted and the same length.​

6. Now connect everything to the MiniDSP connection blocks. Pretty straightforward.
7. I'll let you follow MiniDSP's directions to launch the plug-in software, configure, sync to MiniDSP. Make sure you do all the initial syncing while not connected to the rest of your system. After the first sync, you can connect it up and then modify the settings in real time (cool!).
8. After getting it up and running, I watched the input level while driving a pretty high volume from my Onkyo. It was barely bumping up from -inf. So I needed to move the jumper to high-sensitivity (0.9v-max instead of 2.0v-max).

- Remove the 4 screws from one end of the box.​

- Pull the connector blocks straight off of the box. Then you can remove the face plate and the top plate. Then move the jumpers as marked on the ckt-board/manual.​

9. Fire up REW and follow the MiniDSP's website directions to dump your EQ settings into your plugin software PEQ settings (export to a file, then import that file into the plugin software). I used the PEQ after the crossover, but I don't think it matters (does it??).

Play around with some of the other settings. Like, I use one band of the PEQ @ 1kHz/low-Q(wideband) to cut some hum. Oops, I just looked at my pictures and I see that I connected the +(black) wire of my XLR cable to the (-) terminal. Doesn't matter of course.

Anybody want to buy my FDP?

Good luck,
--Myles

 

[GranteedEV]

Nice post :clap:

 

[Wooderson]

Thanks! Simple though they may be, everbody loves pictures. :wave:

 

[Svendsen]

Thanks for the guide.

A little question - I'm thinking of buying a minidsp balanced to eq my svs pc12-plus dsp sub, but I'm a bit in doubt as to how to set it up - I know I could just place it between the sub and my avr (pioneer elite sc07)s lf-out. But since I run active monitors as front speakers (genelec 8040) and I think the pioneer is very limited as to finetuning the crossover between the monitors and the sub, I thought whether it would be better to use the minidsp as a crossover and use the 2.1 advanced plugin (and then not use the lf-output from the avr, but instead adjust front speakers to large, so that they will get the lf-signal) - Would this be foolish? it would be a 5.0 system instead of 5.1 - would anything be lost - and would anything actually be gained - would it be better just to use the minidsp for the sub?

Thoughts

 

[Wooderson]

Too complicated for me :dontknow:. I'll punt to others reading this.

The one thing that worries me though is the dedicated .1 LFE channel being sent to the mains and then extracted out. I guess it would work, but it just seems weird.

I guess I don't understand why you can't partition all bass into the LFE output of the AVR (including L/C/R/SR/SL bass info routed to the LFE compliments of the high-pass crossover of L/C/R/SR/SL).

 

[Svendsen]

Too complicated for me :dontknow:. I'll punt to others reading this.

The one thing that worries me though is the dedicated .1 LFE channel being sent to the mains and then extracted out. I guess it would work, but it just seems weird.

I guess I don't understand why you can't partition all bass into the LFE output of the AVR (including L/C/R/SR/SL bass info routed to the LFE compliments of the high-pass crossover of L/C/R/SR/SL).

Thanks for the quick reply. The reason why I think I might get a better result if using the crossover in the minidsp is the ability finetune the crossover-point more than the AVRs possibllities of 80, 100 or 150hz. And I also thought a bonus could be better opportunity to adjust the mid-upperbass of the speakers - so I perhaps could get a flat response up to 200hz.:dontknow:

 

[terry j]

dunno if these will help, you find out!

http://www.hifizine.com/issues/minidsp-tutorials/

 

[SteveMA]

dunno if these will help, you find out!

http://www.hifizine.com/issues/minidsp-tutorials/

I have an Onkyo 3007 AVR with "stereo" preamp outs for 2 subwoofers (I have just finished a couple of Dayton RSS 390HO subs). If I understand this tutorial on subwoofer eq and integration correctlly, using the subwoofer preamp outs as left and right inputs to the miniDSP I would:
1-select stereo output mode
2-continue with the settings as per tutorial (complete with measurements, EQ etc)
3-use outputs 1&2 to feed the left and right subwoofer amp channels (leave outputs 3&4 w/o connections)

Is this, in fact, correct?

Thanks,
SteveMA

 

[sga2]

I have an Onkyo 3007 AVR with "stereo" preamp outs for 2 subwoofers (I have just finished a couple of Dayton RSS 390HO subs). If I understand this tutorial on subwoofer eq and integration correctlly, using the subwoofer preamp outs as left and right inputs to the miniDSP I would:
1-select stereo output mode
2-continue with the settings as per tutorial (complete with measurements, EQ etc)
3-use outputs 1&2 to feed the left and right subwoofer amp channels (leave outputs 3&4 w/o connections)

Is this, in fact, correct?

Thanks,
SteveMA

Correct. I have same setup (3007 + miniDSP 2x4 unbalanced Rev B + 2.1 advanced plugin). I connected 3007's Sub outputs 1&2 thru miniDSP (inputs 1&2 to outputs 1&2 - no connections to 3&4) to dual SVS PC12+'s.

EDIT: The miniDSP Input 1 is processed to Outputs 1 & 3... Input 2 to Outputs 2 & 4. I have each of my two subs connected through independent DSP channels - Input 1 to Output 1 (Output 3 unused) and Input 2 to Output 2 (Output 4 unused). One can DSP up to 4 subs by using Outputs 3 & 4. Just keep in mind that anything you do to the Input side of the DSP will affect both Outputs.

Regards,
sga2

 

[ceh383]

Correct. I have same setup (3007 + miniDSP 2x4 unbalanced Rev B + 2.1 advanced plugin). I connected 3007's Sub outputs 1&2 thru miniDSP (inputs 1&2 to outputs 1&2 - no connections to 3&4) to dual SVS PC12+'s.

My understanding is input 1 goes to output 1 & 3 and input 2 goes to output 2 & 4.

Yet, with inputs 1 & 2 hooked up to sub-out 1 & 2 on my AVR I only get output on 1 & 2 of the minidsp.

I have 3 subs, and would like to eq them separately, so I need output on all of the minidsp outs, how is this done?

 

[sga2]

My understanding is input 1 goes to output 1 & 3 and input 2 goes to output 2 & 4.

You are correct! I'll update my post above to avoid confusion.

Regards,
sga2

 

[sga2]

Yet, with inputs 1 & 2 hooked up to sub-out 1 & 2 on my AVR I only get output on 1 & 2 of the minidsp.

I have 3 subs, and would like to eq them separately, so I need output on all of the minidsp outs, how is this done?

You should be able to eq 4 subs. Check the following:

System Settings

1. Set "Sub Output Mode" to "Stereo Mode".

Audio Settings

1. "Input Gain" module - Be sure all outputs in use are not muted and set gain to 0 dB for all channels in use.
2. Input side "Parametric Eq" modules (typ. for 2) - Eq should be set flat until you start making adjustments.
3. "Crossover" modules (typ. for 2) - Be sure LPF and HPF for each channel (two channels per module) are properly set fto pass subwoofer frequency range (e.g., 10-80Hz).
4. Output side "Parametric Eq" modules (typ. for 4) - Eq should be set flat until you start making adjustments.
5. Output side "Delay/Gain/RMS" modules (typ. for 2) - For all channels in use, disable Mute and set gain to 0 dB.
   

Hope this helps.

Regards,
sga2

 

[ceh383]

You should be able to eq 4 subs. Check the following:

System Settings

1. Set "Sub Output Mode" to "Stereo Mode".

Audio Settings

1. "Input Gain" module - Be sure all outputs in use are not muted and set gain to 0 dB for all channels in use.
2. Input side "Parametric Eq" modules (typ. for 2) - Eq should be set flat until you start making adjustments.
3. "Crossover" modules (typ. for 2) - Be sure LPF and HPF for each channel (two channels per module) are properly set fto pass subwoofer frequency range (e.g., 10-80Hz).
4. Output side "Parametric Eq" modules (typ. for 4) - Eq should be set flat until you start making adjustments.
5. Output side "Delay/Gain/RMS" modules (typ. for 2) - For all channels in use, disable Mute and set gain to 0 dB.
   

Hope this helps.

Regards,
sga2

This is how I thought I had it setup, however, after going back into the settings I noticed the sub out was still set to "mono"

It's now set to "stereo" so I have to put it back inline and see if it works....

Thanks for the input, Chuck

 

[sga2]

This is how I thought I had it setup, however, after going back into the settings I noticed the sub out was still set to "mono"

It's now set to "stereo" so I have to put it back inline and see if it works....

Thanks for the input, Chuck

Don't forget also that you have to sync the settings to the miniDSP in order for them to take effect.

Regards,
sga2

 

[ceh383]

Don't forget also that you have to sync the settings to the miniDSP in order for them to take effect.

Regards,
sga2

I think that might have been my problem...

EDIT...I put it back inline after verifying settings, still no output from out 3 or 4 on the minidsp...
Did I get a bad unit?

 

[sga2]

I think that might have been my problem...

EDIT...I put it back inline after verifying settings, still no output from out 3 or 4 on the minidsp...
Did I get a bad unit?

Can you export and post your miniDSP settings file?

Regards,
sga2

 

[ceh383]

HERE it is...

 

[sga2]

HERE it is...

Sorry to ask... but could you create a new file and post? I get an error message when I try to upload this to miniDSP.

Thanks,
sga2

 

[ceh383]

Sorry to ask... but could you create a new file and post? I get an error message when I try to upload this to miniDSP.

Thanks,
sga2

Well, first off thanks for the help with this...
I actually got it working, I set it aside for a couple days, then with a clearer head I tried again. I'm not exactly sure what I was doing wrong, but I'm sure I was doing something wrong.
I have the crossovers set for the subs per their output capabilities....I think....
These are the starting points I'm going to use for measurements.

At this point I have output to all 3 subs, and I'll see how it goes...

Chuck

 

[sga2]

Well, first off thanks for the help with this...
I actually got it working, I set it aside for a couple days, then with a clearer head I tried again. I'm not exactly sure what I was doing wrong, but I'm sure I was doing something wrong.
I have the crossovers set for the subs per their output capabilities....I think....
These are the starting points I'm going to use for measurements.

At this point I have output to all 3 subs, and I'll see how it goes...

Chuck

Excellent! Glad to hear you got it working. I love this device.

Regards,
sga2