Amp with Dsp built in help

[winkychevelle 10+ year member]

I think bang for buck this one is probably the best it's about the same price as the others listed above but this one does 24/192 and has two akm DAC chips inside the processor which are well known and respected chips.

I haven't seen the software yet I'm going to take a look at the software for this one this one looks really promising.

https://www.minidsp.com/products/car-audio-dsp/c-dsp-8x12

Unless u are feeding digital signal straight bto the dsp the dac will be limited to the first output.

Most android phones are limited to 24/48k, cd is 24/44.1k USB stored files are limited by the headunots processor.

You threw me down the rabbit hole here and actually set me to do changes to my input system.

The helix dsp is probably one of the best if not the best on the market save for the alpine F1. And the alpine F1 is like 25grand and an all in one system not individual components.

You may be better served buying a dap that can output in coaxial straight to the dsp. That would give the daps limit which is usually really high straight to the dsp.

Personally I think I'm gonna go the the alpine ilx-509 so I can run tidal at bit true into the alpine dac and then RCA analog into a dsp.

 

[Califmike33]

Well it's nice that I got you thinking about your own system that's great.

You are correct the helix 3.2 mini DSP is able to process I believe 24/96 it's able to stream through Bluetooth 24/96. It has coaxial input and optical. The helix also has Burr Brown DAC chips which are what process the music and your music takes on a characteristic of that Burr brown chip which is more of a warmer type sound.

The last one the mini DSP that I posted in the last link uses two akm chips which are DAC chips those take on a little bit more brighter sound than the Burr browns. I know a lot about the akm and Burr browns because those are used in high-end home audio.

What's interesting is the last one that I posted the mini DSP is capable of 24/192 which is extremely high resolution music I'm looking seriously into that one I want to see the software first.

You are correct about the coaxial ,coaxial coming out of my head unit which I have coaxial into the DSP is the best setup you're going to get you're going to get the highest resolution of music in that process when you run high quality RCA cables out of the DSP into your amp you might lose a tiny bit but very little you will have about as good of a piece of music as you can get.

Like I stated earlier those other older dsps will only do 24/48 which is still not bad it's well above CD quality CD quality is 16/44 that is CD quality so it's still quite a bit above that but a lot of the files I have are 24/96 or 24/192 and they make quite a bit of difference over CD quality you hear stuff you never heard in the music before.

From my research the Helix one is probably the best one to get it's extremely well made in Germany nothing but high quality parts throughout the whole thing not just the dacs but all the processing capacitors resistors are all high audio quality it's probably the best one to buy.

 

[Califmike33]

I have had a few DSP, and with good headphones, they sound nice. I have my LG V60 phone which has a quad Dac and has been tuned, it sounds amazing with good Sennheiser HD 650 headphones and drives them plenty loud, it's my DSP player and phone in one. I use a program called USB audio pro, it's for FLAC and high-end files, i can go USB type C to USB and plug straight into my head unit if i want. I plan on doing that sometimes.

I have LDAC built into my phone which can stream 24/48 i believe, the Helix has Bluetooth that can play 24/96 thru Bluetooth, so unlimited possibility.

The mini dsp doesnt let you try the software, most companies let you download there dsp software and try it before you buy, not mini dsp as far as i can see and that could be a deal breaker. I guess back to researching dsp further.

 

[winkychevelle 10+ year member]

I have had a few DSP, and with good headphones, they sound nice. I have my LG V60 phone which has a quad Dac and has been tuned, it sounds amazing with good Sennheiser HD 650 headphones and drives them plenty loud, it's my DSP player and phone in one. I use a program called USB audio pro, it's for FLAC and high-end files, i can go USB type C to USB and plug straight into my head unit if i want. I plan on doing that sometimes.

I have LDAC built into my phone which can stream 24/48 i believe, the Helix has Bluetooth that can play 24/96 thru Bluetooth, so unlimited possibility.

The mini dsp doesnt let you try the software, most companies let you download there dsp software and try it before you buy, not mini dsp as far as i can see and that could be a deal breaker. I guess back to researching dsp further.

Yea the only thing I'm hing up on is getting high res out of my phone. Tidal is supposed to override the androids 24/48 set output to a bit perfect signal but to input that signal into a headunit is where I get lost. I don't know of many headunits that can take audio signal direct without using an app or a saved file system. Tidal let's you stream so you don't have a huge file storage. I know I could run straight to a dsp but I'd like to maintain the functionality of my headunit. I could do analog into the headunit I suppose but then idk if the headunit reconverts it to digital to be converted again to analog.

Most headunits don't have a coax out and few have a optical out. Analog out straight to a dsp seems to be the only way in most cases

 

[Califmike33]

Im lucky i have optical out and coaxial out on head unit. Not sure how I guess if you have internet on your head unit, and run title app it would be processed thru head unit, then sent to dsp to amp. I have internet on my head unit also.

I think if your stream Tidal to phone, , then usb c out of phone into head unit it should maintain quality. I think best way is have internet on head unit put Tidal app on head unit and let dsp process the sound.

I have mint mobile on my head unit and pay 15 per month and get loads of data.

 

[Califmike33]

Playing with JL Audio TWK 88 software, dont like it, Mosconi is better in my opinion, but Audio Control is most simple and has a good layout.

I just played with Helix software and its nice, but i think for being simple and easy to understand audio control wins the thes software layout i think.

 

[winkychevelle 10+ year member]

Im lucky i have optical out and coaxial out on head unit. Not sure how I guess if you have internet on your head unit, and run title app it would be processed thru head unit, then sent to dsp to amp. I have internet on my head unit also.

I think if your stream Tidal to phone, , then usb c out of phone into head unit it should maintain quality. I think best way is have internet on head unit put Tidal app on head unit and let dsp process the sound.

I have mint mobile on my head unit and pay 15 per month and get loads of data.

My understanding is that if I run tidal through android auto wired it bypasses the phones dac and pushes the work to the head unit. In that case most upper end, Sony, pioneer, alpine, Kenwood and jvc decks would be able to handle 24/192 to anolog out.

Analog out will still carry the same but rate and bandwidth but be more susceptible to noise. Not really a big problem I'm my mind.

From there if I went with a dsp like the dd dsi-3 it would get double converted by a superior dac in the dsp so I shouldn't lose anything during that conversion.

This would limit things to 24/192 but realistically I doubt I care about going any higher than that. I could buy a cheaper dac to directly plug into the phone and get the full 32/3** then analog into the headunit. Hoping it would bypass through to the analog outputs.

The I would have to have some sort of dac to output coax or s/pdif direct into the dsp anyway

 

[Califmike33]

Yes phone dacs ****, mostly on LG V 40 50 60 have very good dacs in there phone, there music phones,, most other phones have cheap dacs. Yes 24/192 is crazy good quality, i would be happy with 24/96. Im not sure what my head unit is able to play, i know it plays flac files so at least 24/96 . I

I would want the audio out of phone to bypass head unit if possiable and go to good dsp and they be converted.

i know USB audio pro on a android phone is the best you can get, it bypasses the phone dac. It detects when you plug your phone into something and then bypasses and sends signal to other dac, dsp , etc, really good app and it has ton of settings.

 

[winkychevelle 10+ year member]

Yes phone dacs ****, mostly on LG V 40 50 60 have very good dacs in there phone, there music phones,, most other phones have cheap dacs. Yes 24/192 is crazy good quality, i would be happy with 24/96. Im not sure what my head unit is able to play, i know it plays flac files so at least 24/96 . I

I would want the audio out of phone to bypass head unit if possiable and go to good dsp and they be converted.

i know USB audio pro on a android phone is the best you can get, it bypasses the phone dac. It detects when you plug your phone into something and then bypasses and sends signal to other dac, dsp , etc, really good app and it has ton of settings.

Supposedly tidal bypasses the androids internal dac now when using the USB as an output least that was what I had read.

I don't have any interest in apple products so I have to look at other options. And since I don't have a large database of music high res streaming services are interesting. I'll probably try the mid level tidal plan once I rebuild my system. My system is 90% ripped out of my truck right now so I'm in the planning stages again myself.

 

[Califmike33]

You know there's another one that's just as good as Tidal something with a Q.

Didn't know it would bypass the Android's DAC that's a good thing as long as you got something good you're sending it to. I really don't think head units have very good da season them they're probably low quality I think you need a good quality DSP.

I played with every DSP software except for one which day will not let you download it they're all very similar but I think I'm going to go with the helix DSP mini Mark 2. It will play 24/96 the software is pretty good it's not the best I think audio control has the best software. It's just the Helix uses such high quality parts very high grade audio quality stuff which I don't think you can beat it it's super tiny so it'll fit right under my seat, the price is about the same as other ones 499 which most of the other ones are right in that same ballpark which is my maximum amount that I'm willing to spend on a DSP.

Are you talking like whole new head unit everything in your truck are you like cutting it starting all over?

 

[Califmike33]

Here you go perfect story on Android audio and streaming.

Tidal is quietly rolling out a bit-perfect Android app | Darko.Audio

Resampling be gone!

darko.audio

I follow this guy this guy is a very good when it comes to audio.

 

[winkychevelle 10+ year member]

You know there's another one that's just as good as Tidal something with a Q.

Didn't know it would bypass the Android's DAC that's a good thing as long as you got something good you're sending it to. I really don't think head units have very good da season them they're probably low quality I think you need a good quality DSP.

I played with every DSP software except for one which day will not let you download it they're all very similar but I think I'm going to go with the helix DSP mini Mark 2. It will play 24/96 the software is pretty good it's not the best I think audio control has the best software. It's just the Helix uses such high quality parts very high grade audio quality stuff which I don't think you can beat it it's super tiny so it'll fit right under my seat, the price is about the same as other ones 499 which most of the other ones are right in that same ballpark which is my maximum amount that I'm willing to spend on a DSP.

Are you talking like whole new head unit everything in your truck are you like cutting it starting all over?

I've looked at quite a few headunits and several have dacs that can support 24/192. I've still yet to pick my dsp since my pioneer deck was performing most of my dsp in my last system.

To get coaxial or s/pdif input for a dsp I'd have to find an external dap to pass the signal through and convert from USB c to the proper connector.

I think I could still use the Bluetooth or wireless android auto at the same time as the USBC out to dsp but I would lose audio output from the headunit until I swapped the source input at the dsp.

The headunit would mostly be handling handsfree calling and navigation at that point.

 

[winkychevelle 10+ year member]

Here you go perfect story on Android audio and streaming.

Tidal is quietly rolling out a bit-perfect Android app | Darko.Audio

Resampling be gone!

darko.audio

I follow this guy this guy is a very good when it comes to audio.

Yea I read that one thing into car audio headunits is where I find things get murky info wise

 

[Califmike33]

I have no idea what my head unit is capable of 24/96 24/192 I don't know I'm going to put some flac files on a USB stick and play them I don't know if my head unit will tell me what the resolution is it's playing at or if it will going to have to find out I'm curious what my head unit will play.

 

[winkychevelle 10+ year member]

I have no idea what my head unit is capable of 24/96 24/192 I don't know I'm going to put some flac files on a USB stick and play them I don't know if my head unit will tell me what the resolution is it's playing at or if it will going to have to find out I'm curious what my head unit will play.

Yea I don't know how to test it post headunit. Out of my depth there. Personally I don't car to get the absolutely highest fedelity. It would be nice but I know in a car there is a point of diminishing returns. If I could get the 24/96 or preferably 25/192 I'd be happy.

Really I just want to get away from Bluetooth for audio.