One Box for Subwoofer Integration, Room Correction and Speaker Tuning
The MiniDSP Flex DSP Processor is the third generation of miniDSP's compact 2-in, 4-out processor, built around a 400 MHz SHARC floating-point DSP. It handles subwoofer integration, active crossovers, parametric EQ, delay and full room correction, all from a small chassis with an OLED display and a remote. You choose the input and output that matches your system: unbalanced RCA, balanced TRS or digital.
Why You'll Love It
- One box, many jobs. Subwoofer integration and time alignment, active speaker crossovers, PEQ, FIR and IIR filtering and delay, all in a compact preamp you drive from the front panel or the remote.
- Dirac Live ready. Add the optional Dirac Live 3.x licence for full-range room correction from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, the same platform found in high-end AV receivers.
- Hi-res inputs, including Bluetooth. USB audio, SPDIF, optical and Bluetooth with LDAC, aptX HD, aptX and AAC, so you can feed it from a computer, a streamer or straight from your phone.
Under the Hood
- Serious processing. A 400 MHz Analog Devices SHARC floating-point DSP running 32-bit / 96 kHz (48 kHz with a Dirac Live licence).
- Audiophile measured performance. Up to 120 to 121 dB(A) SNR and -110 to -112 dB THD+N depending on the version you choose.
- USB audio recording. The four processed channels stream back over USB, so you can record a source such as vinyl after DSP.
CHT Insider Verdict
The Flex is the DSP most of our customers land on because it does nearly everything. It is equally at home taming a subwoofer, building an active speaker system, or acting as a digital preamp with room correction. Pick the RCA version for most systems, the balanced TRS version if your amplifier or active speakers use balanced connections, or the digital version to keep the signal in the digital domain. The optional Dirac Live upgrade turns it into a proper room-correction engine.
Pro Tip: Buy the version that matches your amplifier's inputs first, because the I/O is set in hardware and cannot be changed after purchase. The Dirac Live licence, on the other hand, can be added any time, so if subwoofer integration is your main goal, start with the RCA version and a UMIK mic and add Dirac later.
Specifications
| Processing | |
| DSP Engine | Analog Devices SHARC ADSP21489 floating-point, 400 MHz |
| Processing Resolution | 32-bit / 96 kHz (48 kHz with Dirac Live licence) |
| Configuration | 2 channels in / 4 channels out |
| Filtering | FIR + IIR, parametric EQ, crossovers, delay |
| Room Correction | Optional Dirac Live 3.x, full range 20 Hz - 20 kHz |
| DSP Presets | Up to 4 |
| Connectivity & Control | |
| Digital Inputs | USB Audio (UAC2), SPDIF (RCA), Optical (TOSLINK), Bluetooth (LDAC / aptX HD / aptX / AAC / SBC) |
| USB Audio | Bidirectional, records 4 processed channels back to computer |
| Control | OLED front panel with encoder, IR remote, miniDSP Device Console |
| Frequency Response | 20 Hz - 20 kHz ±0.1 dB (±0.01 dB digital version) |
| By I/O Version | |
| Unbalanced RCA | 2x RCA in / 4x RCA out, 2 Vrms, 100 kΩ in, SNR 120 dB(A), THD+N -110 dB (0.0003%) |
| Balanced TRS | 2x TRS in / 4x TRS out, 4 Vrms, 200 kΩ in, SNR 121 dB(A), THD+N -112 dB (0.00025%) |
| Digital | 2x RCA in / SPDIF + TOSLINK + USB out (no analog out), D>D SNR 137 dB(A), THD+N -130 dB (0.00003%) |
| General | |
| Dimensions | 150 x 180 x 41 mm |
| Power Supply | 12V / 1.6A external (US/UK/EU/AU plugs) |
| In the Box | Flex processor (per chosen I/O), IR remote, 12V power supply, USB cable |


