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MiniDSP 4X10HD Channel loss . . .
I bought this subject unit a few years ago and it has been powered-up continuously while the amps have been cycled and after a power outage last night one of the tweeter channels squealed when the amps were powered up.
I shut it down by pulling the power cord since it has no means to do so otherwise. Waited for a minute and powered it back up and the tweeter channel #3 is dead. Swapped cables and amp channels around and the problem is the output of channel #3. It will provide some hiss to the tweeter (Compression Driver) when connected but no audio signal is passed to it.
This is just another reason why I am more in favor of car audio DSP solutions thus far [more robust electronics] and leaning towards replacing this unit with another Musway DSP624 for far less money than the desired MiniDSP Flex-8 unit.
It isn't useless as it can still be used for 2-way stereo PEQ/XO.
Thoughts?
Comments
If the software for the Musway will do what you need, I see no reason not to switch.
Thanks for the vote/feedback, JR.
After having stated in the past that there is more than one way to perform nice sounding XO's/PEQ than those of the accepted norms and reviewing this thread --> https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/dsp-assisted-reflex-system.404349/
I have had no need for any more capabilities than the Musway DSP unit offers.
Experimentation in-room with simple/basic alignments have been very fruitful for me without resorting to custom biquad programming given sufficient ability to shape standard XO slopes via PEQ and changing subwoofers from vented to sealed to minimize Group Delay.
Bummer! I use a miniDSP in my car. No problems yet.....🫰🏼
I have experienced this too, but the solace is that my MiniDSP was fixable for me.
I have thrown several "respectable " audio components in the garbage can over the years because they were not fixable or nor worth fixing. Perhaps 15 years ago I threw away a Marantz 2270 receiver having a dead channel and a wonky phono preamp because the repair shop said it wasn't fixable.
I also have a Mosconi Gladen 100.4 with a dead channel and completely terrible correspondence from the factory. Eventually, the factory repair guy charged me about $250 for the repair and didn't fix the channel! It is STILL dead !!!!
The frustrating part of this the Marantz 2270 and Mosconi Gladen are not "ordinary" quality products, They are very good quality products, and they still... died.
I have thrown away many ordinary pieces of electronics over the years too. In retrospect, my computer products have been exceptionally reliable over the years with very few hardware problems.
With regard to MiniDSP specifically. I have 4 of them in the house, 3 of these are actively used. I have 2 4x10HD units and DID have problems. The blessing for me was the folks at the factory were happy to fix my 4x10HD and the biggest $$ chunk was the shipping cost. Further, the folks in tech support at MiniDSP were awesome! They were incredibly helpful and decent. I highly recommend you contact MiniDSP to work through your problems.
On balance, the hardware for the MiniDSP is... okay and the price is commensurate. The software is excellent in my opinion.
Among the above issues, the Mosconi 100.4 was easily the most bothersome. It was a GOOD piece of car audio electronics that failed, the support was incredibly slow, and when support did arrive it proved completely ineffective and I paid for it ! BAH !!!
Also, some years ago I compared the sound quality of 3 "budget" amplifiers in my living room. It was messy and there were car batteries present too. The amplifiers were an older ZED US Acoustics car amp, the Mosconi 100.4, and a Texas Instruments TPA3255EVM. It would seem reasonably the Mosconi 100.4 would win since it was an EISA award winning amplifier. It didn't. The Texas instruments TPA 3255EVM won, and it wasn't close. This was a single event sample size for me, but assuming quality OR reliability in the Mosconi Gladen 100.4, a profoundly well reviewed car audio product, was a mistake.
Hopefully some of this helps.
Dave
Thanks, Dave!
I shall contact MiniDSP tech support as you suggest.
Considering all the other channels are working, the DSP chip(s) are probably fine. It may just be an opamp that bit the dust, which would be fairly easy to fix. Fingers crossed for you!
I'm going to commiserate with you, Steve.
Skip the pic if you're having a meal:
I live an area where power outages are not infrequent. And if it's not a blackout, then we have brownouts.
I learnt the hard way when my Network Attached Storage died. When I replaced it I got a UPS for it- and that's how I came to learn how often the power if suboptimal.
But then my amplifier died. After the repair, I asked the tech if I should get a UPS for the AV equipment. It couldn't hurt, he said. But he also encouraged me to turn it OFF at the power, don't leave it in Standby when not in use.
AND ensure it's used in temperature controlled environment. Who knew that passively cooled class A/B amps with bag heatsinks don't like being subjected to ~90F 360 days of the year.
(I thought it was just me who hates the weather)
So I replaced it with a class D amps.
After a couple of years of service, one of gave up the ghost-
So even if I have turn off things at the mains, this is what happens when you live in a town whose main function is military outpost.
This is why my amps are now fully sealed, and my speakers are sealed...
Hopefully miniDSP tech support, or a local tech can help you out.
The worst thing is when parts are discontinued- and there are direct replacement.
My TV was only 9 years old when it died. Apparently that's the new normal with LCDs, because they are releasing new models every year, and only hold spare parts for 7 years...
My fridge also died after about 15 years. You really have to go (online) dumpster diving to find replacement parts.
I've had pretty good luck in the past with electronics/PC gear.
Looks like a chip exploded and there is some sort of bug shorting out some components ^ there.
MiniDSP Support contacted 2/1/2024 with repair request - Support ticket created.
RA# issued by MiniDSP Support 2/1/2024 for repair and return.
Unit just landed on my porch from China, repaired - total cost round-trip was $240.00 - all shipping related costs - no repair fee.
I'll test it out soon . . .
Highly functional again - used the settings I had come up with using the Flex-8 on the 4x10HD and it sounds better than ever now.