Cheapest way to try Dirac Live

[rsmt2000]

Hi

Just wondering if any one tried dirac live with minidsp's nano avr dl? I only know of emotiva xmc but at 2000k its not cheap. The minidsp is $549. Since I already have a decent avr marantz sr6006, just itching to try dirac and want to know opinions if there is anything i will be missing by going with minidsp solution to try dirac.

Thanks in advance

Ron

[mikesiskav]

You can actually try Dirac Live for free. All you need to do is download the PC version. It's a two week trial. Just hook up your computer to your AV receiver/pre-amp via HDMI. You do need a good microphone like the UMIK-1. Besides the two week limitation, the only other limitation is that the correction only works for content that is played from your PC.

Here's the link to download:
http://www.dirac.com/online-store/

I tried it on my system and was very impressed by the improvement. That's what convinced me to step up to the Emotiva XMC-1.

[sludgeogre]

Besides the free trial, MiniDSP is the cheapest way to go by far. Emotiva is the next cheapest if you're doing normal home theater, but it's actually cheaper if you're doing Atmos, as you'd need two modules to do Atmos with MiniDSP, and it's a huge guide that looks like a daunting pain in the butt, and it's still kinda jerry-rigged. Stepping up from Emotiva you have to pay through the nose. Dirac does seem to be gaining traction, so you may see some cheaper stuff soon.

What I'd really love to see is an affordable Trinnov room correction system, as their systems are only attainable by the very richest of people. I don't know how companies like them can survive forever off of pricing like that. You've got to dip into a lower priced market eventually, otherwise market saturation is going to take hold, unless you have a high number of repeat customers. There needs to be an Ascend of the Trinnov world. A company that recognizes the incredible capabilities of the invention and offer it for a price that more people can afford, like Ascend did with RAAL.

[mikesiskav]

If I'm not mistaken, it looks like the NanoAVR DL can handle at most, two sources, is that right? So you would feed two sources into the NanoAVR DL, then out to your receiver. I suppose if you had an additional HDMI switcher you could make it work with even more sources.

Sherwood actually came out with a version of Trinnov for the R-972. I believe Curtis has one of these.

[curtis]

What I'd really love to see is an affordable Trinnov room correction system, as their systems are only attainable by the very richest of people. I don't know how companies like them can survive forever off of pricing like that. You've got to dip into a lower priced market eventually, otherwise market saturation is going to take hold, unless you have a high number of repeat customers. There needs to be an Ascend of the Trinnov world. A company that recognizes the incredible capabilities of the invention and offer it for a price that more people can afford, like Ascend did with RAAL.
Sherwood/Newcastle implemented a stripped down version of Trinnov in their R972 back in 2010...it retailed for $1800. It was riddled with bugs, but over the course of a couple of years most were ironed out, but by that time, it was too late, and Audessey was taking hold. Accessories for Less had a sale on them for $600, and I was advised to snatch one up...I did and have been using it as a pre/pro for the last 3-4 years.

The unit has it's quirks, but Trinnov, even this stripped down early version, is outstanding. I am having a hard time imagining living without it, but I am told that Dirac is the next best thing. My R972 is getting old...and I am thinking about getting an XMC-1 to use as my electronics centerpiece so I can expand into the 4K world when I am ready.

The R972 experiment with Sherwood/Newcastle failed (Outlaw was to follow with a clone), because the integration proved to be too costly for them. I have heard rumors of another company making an attempt at a the consumer level...but it hasn't happened. I thought it might be ATI because the marketing executive that was with Sherwood/Newcastle at the time of R972 is now there, but they own Theta Digital and they have implemented Dirac.

Other than MiniDSP and Emotiva, Dirac can be found in Arcam and Audio Control pre/pro solutions...still expensive. Theta Digital is even more expensive.

As for Trinnov, and new solution will be unobtainable for me unless I come into a lot of money. If you are unfamiliar with it, I suggest you read about it...it is more than than just room eq correction. It actually also does placement/spatial correction as well.

[sludgeogre]

Sherwood/Newcastle implemented a stripped down version of Trinnov in their R972 back in 2010...it retailed for $1800. It was riddled with bugs, but over the course of a couple of years most were ironed out, but by that time, it was too late, and Audessey was taking hold. Accessories for Less had a sale on them for $600, and I was advised to snatch one up...I did and have been using it as a pre/pro for the last 3-4 years.

The unit has it's quirks, but Trinnov, even this stripped down early version, is outstanding. I am having a hard time imagining living without it, but I am told that Dirac is the next best thing. My R972 is getting old...and I am thinking about getting an XMC-1 to use as my electronics centerpiece so I can expand into the 4K world when I am ready.

The R972 experiment with Sherwood/Newcastle failed (Outlaw was to follow with a clone), because the integration proved to be too costly for them. I have heard rumors of another company making an attempt at a the consumer level...but it hasn't happened. I thought it might be ATI because the marketing executive that was with Sherwood/Newcastle at the time of R972 is now there, but they own Theta Digital and they have implemented Dirac.

Other than MiniDSP and Emotiva, Dirac can be found in Arcam and Audio Control pre/pro solutions...still expensive. Theta Digital is even more expensive.

I had no idea, pretty awesome story. Too bad that Trinnov lost out on the lower priced market due to the implementation problems. Frustrating to say the least. I also eventually want to grab an XMC-1 and delve into Atmos and 4K. My theater room will have a 1080p projector and my current Marantz AV7701 as the nerve center. I'm pretty happy with the AV7701, although I don't use Audyssey correction right now, I just use it to set levels and distances, then I set my own crossovers. Maybe in my new room it'll sound better after a few treatments, we'll see.

[rsmt2000]

You can actually try Dirac Live for free. All you need to do is download the PC version. It's a two week trial. Just hook up your computer to your AV receiver/pre-amp via HDMI. You do need a good microphone like the UMIK-1. Besides the two week limitation, the only other limitation is that the correction only works for content that is played from your PC.

Here's the link to download:
http://www.dirac.com/online-store/

I tried it on my system and was very impressed by the improvement. That's what convinced me to step up to the Emotiva XMC-1.

Thank you Mike.