@b_limo,You ain’t kiddin. I think mijostyn here on Agon uses Dirac for subwoofer and other audio correction and the OP’s mention of his using the MiniDSP SHD (preamp) as a (stand alone?) preamp sure as heck got my attention. As did the below response from a MiniDSP SHD preamp owner reviewing the preamp.
I just looked up your preamp and that’s a cool little piece. Probably a better pre than I originally thought.
OP sorry for getting off topic but your mention of your SHD is/was the first time I’ve actually looked into Dirac before and the application of Dirac/preamp as I said before, got my attention.
+1 The Vision Set 400 Amp New
Used Clayton S40 Amp
Read more about review stating More Than Just a Component Level Upgradent subs. Unlike many, I believe most high end speakers cannot reproduce the bottom end faithfully.I run a 2-channel system with a couple of excellent subs.
The SHD was a desperate attempt to improve what I knew were problems. My assumption was that the room, placement and timing of the drivers was causing the less than pleasing sound hitting my ears, and I knew my equipment is capable of producing much better performance.
And get ready for it--I inputted my phono Preamp through the analog inputs. This produced no strange digital coloration or changes to my expectation of that sound profile. The resulting room correction far outweighs the neurotic audiophile purist concerns I originally had. A/B testing proved this to me. My analog sound lost nothing and gained everything. I’m over it