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Post by linas on Aug 4, 2023 11:22:16 GMT -6
Hey guys,
Let's discuss miniDSP Flex here. What do you think about it?
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Post by notneeson on Aug 4, 2023 14:52:02 GMT -6
Hey guys, Let's discuss miniDSP Flex here. What do you think about it? I think maybe @trakworx has one? |
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Post by domono on Aug 4, 2023 15:23:36 GMT -6
I’ve got one, it’s great, I love it.
Had it for about a year now. Wanted to run dual subs and be able to turn them off and have full range mains only, play with a flexible crossover and minimize extra AD to DA conversions. Mine is the balanced model and I don’t run Dirac. Currently I use it as a crossover between my one15s and dual SVS SB-2000s, no EQ. I run SPIDF from my Ultralight Mk5 to the Flex instead of feeding the Flex via USB because it’s more convenient to not have to switch devices and makes it easy to use the Sonarworks mic if I want to run Sonarworks.
No latency complaints as far as playing soft synths and especially mixing. I don’t track guitars or use amp sims so I don’t have experience with it there. As I understand it, there is some small built in latency that you can’t get around even when using no crossover or EQ. Of course that would get worse with FIR filters or Dirac.
It sounds good to me. In a not-at-all rigorous comparisons between my Ultralight Mk5 by itself and the Flex, I had no preference. It resamples *everything* at 96khz, 48khz if you’re using Dirac.
My subs are unbalanced but I use XLR to RCA converter cables from Emotiva and the only issue is a small low volume thump/click when I mute the unit or switch presets heard through the subs when i have them on. This thump does make me reluctant to use an unbalanced amp with my mains. In retrospect, the way my setup has panned out I I probably should have gone with the unbalanced model or Flex 8.
It feels a hair cheap but what do you expect for the capabilities at that price point? The knob wiggles a bit and one of the feet came off immediately. And it runs hot.
I used it with JBL LSR 305 Mk1s and 2x LSR 310 subs and its output seemed to be in an awkward middle ground for those speakers. It didn’t feel hot enough for +4dbu and felt like too much for -10dbV. Either would work but neither felt right to me.
The scary part: One time I rebooted it with my subs + amp and all on and when it came back to life it blasted digital noise at full volume. I hit the power switch to my amp but it took a split second before I reacted. I was using NHT SuperOnes at the time which survived unharmed but I worry the Amphions would’t make it through that blast unscathed. Apparently this behavior has been fixed in subsequent firmware updates. It only happened to me that once in all the time I owned it, never happens again, but I’ve been paranoid and extra careful ever since. Only having a digital volume control and running One15s does feed that paranoia a bit as well.
I should probably run some tests and get real latency numbers some day. Is there something else specific you’d like to know?
BTW this is my first post here. I love this forum but generally don’t have much useful to add so it’s cool to be able to speak on something I have experience with.
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Post by linas on Aug 5, 2023 12:11:06 GMT -6
Hey thanks for your input, buddy!
Yeah, I have it somewhere and was thinking if I should try using it in my, ahem, studio. I currently am using Babyface Pro FS with high end speakers and I am thinking about setting up a studio in my current bedroom. What if I was able to connect two seperate speaker sets to this box and have different EQs running? We bought it for using with custom subs but I cancelled that project. We were going to build a high end studio with my dad but I do not really want to live with my dad anymore so I moved to another city. Anyway, what if I hooked Babyface to Flex and then high end speakers and Yamahas through it? Would that work? I think, you shouldn't use it this way, but that would be cool, right lol
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Post by domono on Aug 5, 2023 14:57:21 GMT -6
Your idea would work just fine. I want the Flex 8 so I can do something similar but with subs as well.
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Post by linas on Aug 5, 2023 15:41:34 GMT -6
Good to hear! So Flex would work as an expensive splitter then?  (...and as an EQ) |
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Post by domono on Aug 5, 2023 17:45:11 GMT -6
Yes it would work. You could have separate EQ settings per pair and match levels so there wouldn’t be a big jump between speakers at the same volume setting.
Something I failed to mention in my previous post, is that changing presets takes a few seconds and temporarily mutes the output. So you wouldn’t be able to rapidly switch between your monitors. Wouldn’t bother me but might be an issue for some.
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(...and as an EQ)