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Front and rear panels

The miniDSP SHD Studio is a sophisticated device with a range of audio applications. This section of the manual explains operation of the SHD Studio in its default configuration. Once you are familiar with its basic usage, read the following sections of this manual to learn how to set up more advanced configurations with miniDSP Device Console.

Once your configuration is complete, you can run Dirac Live to optimize the whole system for your room.

Front panel

The front panel and rotary encoder provide access to the key features of the miniDSP SHD Studio. These can also be accessed with a remote control.

miniDSP SHD Studio front panel with OLED display

Volume

To change the volume, rotate the encoder. The volume changes in 0.5 dB steps. Minimum volume is -127.5 dB and maximum volume is 0.0 dB.

Preset

To select one of the four presets, press the encoder knob once, then rotate until the desired preset number is displayed. Either press the encoder knob again or wait for a second. The display will show "Pls wait..." while the new preset is being loaded, and then return to normal.

Audio source

To select an audio source, press the encoder knob twice, then rotate the encoder until the desired input source is displayed. Either press the encoder knob or wait for a second and the display will return to normal with the new input selected.

Dirac Live enable/disable

To turn Dirac Live filtering on and off, press the encoder knob three times, then rotate the encoder knob until the desired selection (on or off) is displayed. Either press the encoder knob or wait for a second and the display will return to normal with the Dirac Live status:

miniDSP SHD Studio: turn Dirac Live on and off

Mute

To mute output, press and hold the encoder knob. When the display changes to show "Mute?," release the knob. To unmute, repeat this procedure.

miniDSP SHD Studio: mute and unmute

Standby

To put the SHD Studio into standby, press and hold the encoder knob. When the display changes to show "Standby?," release the knob. To take it out of standby, press the encoder knob.

Rear panel

Warning

Ensure all equipment is powered off when making audio connections.

Connections on the rear panel of the miniDSP SHD Studio

  1. DC power inlet. Connect the supplied 12 VDC power supply here.

  2. Host port for USB music stick or Wi-Fi adapter.

  3. Ethernet port for network music streaming.

  4. USB port for control and audio streaming. Connect to an available USB port on your computer.

  5. Digital inputs. Connect digital sources using optical (TOSLINK SPDIF), coax (RCA SPDIF), or AES/EBU (XLR). Sample rates from 32 up to 216 kHz are supported. The three digital inputs can be individually selected with the front panel encoder or the remote control.

  6. SPDIF Out. Connect downstream digital equipment, such as DACs, active speakers with a digital input, and A/V equipment with RCA cables. These outputs each carry a stereo signal. The data format is 24-bit 96 kHz. Connected equipment must therefore be able to accept a 24-bit 96 kHz input signal. Note: if using two different DACs, you may need to adjust the time delay on the output channels accordingly.

  7. AES-EBU. Connect downstream digital equipment with XLR AES-EBU cables. These outputs each carry a stereo signal. The data format is 24-bit 96 kHz. Connected equipment must therefore be able to accept a 24-bit 96 kHz input signal.

  8. Headphone output (on front panel). The signal on this output jack follows output channels 1 and 2.