Dirac and subs - help please with general advice

[kravi4ka]

Hoping to receive some advice from someone who's actually done it. I have a pair of Harbeth P3ESR speakers and I love them but I would like to try and augment them with a pair of subs. I have not chosen the subs so basically I can do anything within a reasonable budget, the room will need a Dirac helping hand for sure... Any word or if you know a thread that already covers it will be appreciated.

 

 

[Kal Rubinson]

What is the rest of your system?

[kravi4ka]

 

Well, that is flexible as well... Not good, I know, but I have too much equipment. 

 

Currently the system uses a Naim Uniti Nova feeding the Harbeths. That one has e preamp out, not sure if they can be used together with the speaker output. Says preamp/sub out. I cannot find any kind of meanigful manual for that one...

 

I also have several DACs - a Young DAC(first generation, pure DAC,RCA only), a Young DAC MkIII(DAC plus preamp, balanced output only), a Mark Levinson 360s as well(both balanced and RCA output). Each of them is somethig I can live with.

 

Source is a computer that can handle heavy tasks plus a MicroRendu. Have all kinds of Atom, i3 and i5 small form factor computers. 

 

I also have several power amps with both XLR and RCA inputs. 

Thanks in advance, all that could be changed of course if there is a good working solution based on a monitor plus sub configuration.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I am not seeing a clear configuration emerging.

 

1.  If you are going to run Dirac on your computer, you need to know that it does not do bass management.  That will have to be done with something else.  JRiver or ROON will do but then you will need to have multichannel output and a multichannel DAC.

 

2.  Another option is to use an external crossover for the mains/subs and use a stereo version of DiracLive.

[ronkuper]

The main tasks you would want to research are -

1. Getting the signal to the sub/s 

2. Integrate the sub/s with your speakers (crossover, spl, phase, etc)

3. Optimal sub/s placement 

4. Room Correction for your sub/s 

 

There are many options but alas not many audiophile-friendly (really hope this will change someday).

 

On top of my head, options for getting the signal to the subs:

1. Use analog preamp with bass management (usually, they would be HT oriented) 

2. Use a prepro instead of your DAC (that would mean using HDMI from your computer)

3. Use an external crossover 

4. Use a multi-channel DAC and perform bass management in software

5. Use subwoofers with a built-in crossover

6. Splitting the output of your DAC/Preamp to the sub  

 

For Room Correction, if you specifically want to use Dirac with your sub you'll want to look at the following options:

1. Bass Management in player (Roon/JRiver) --> Dirac Live --> Multi-channel DAC (like the exaSound e38) 

2. Bass Management in player (Roon/JRiver) --> Dirac Live --> AV PrePro 

3. PC --> AV Processors with built-in Dirac Live (from the list on Dirac's website)

4. Many options at miniDSP (some will do ADC/DAC to the signal for processing)

 

Other options for subwoofer specific Room Correction - 

1. A subwoofer with built-in room correction (for example JL-Audio Fathom series) 

2. Something like the Anti-mode - http://www.dspeaker.com/en/products/anti-mode-8033.shtml

 

Each option has its limitations, pitfalls, and complexity. 

The easiest way would probably be using an AV PrePro with built-in Room Correction. 

The most "computer audiophile" way would be using a multi-channel DAC and go software everything (Bass management, room correction, etc). 

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Another option is simply getting a DEQX box.  Not a Dirac but damn good.

[kravi4ka]

Thank you very much, gentlemen! Makes it much clearer now, I will need to think about it for a while then, will get back to you when I get some more research 

[flak]

This might be the simplest and lowest cost solution for applying Dirac together with crossovering of the sub/s:

https://www.minidsp.com/products/dirac-series/ddrc-24

https://www.minidsp.com/applications/digital-room-correction/ddrc-24-for-2-1-system

(a second sub can be connected to output 4)

 

Flavio