Saturday, 24 January 2026

miniDSP UMIK-2 USB Microphone: analog gain & optimizing self-noise. Plus audiophile gear pictures from "No Other Choice".


Last week, I discussed the miniDSP UMIK-2 USB measurement microphone and as I mentioned then, it's not often that we see much discussion about these devices among audiophiles even though they are important in helping us chase down sonic problems and of course to calibrate the sound system. To me, that calibration process is an essential part of achieving a truly "accurate" sound system once we sort out basic room set-up; assuming high-fidelity accuracy is what you're after of course!

So, before heading off to other topics, I thought I'd explore a little more about this device.

Saturday, 17 January 2026

miniDSP UMIK-2 USB measurement microphone (also ambient noise floor, measurements of my system using Dirac Live with Paradigm + SVS subs)

Well, as mentioned previously, it was a great holiday season and here's another gift from Audio-Santa 🙂 - the miniDSP UMIK-2 measurement microphone. I bought this through Solen.ca here in Canada and they did a great job with the order and quick shipment. Amazon Canada often has limited stock of miniDSP products.

I'm sure the miniDSP company is well known to many audiophiles at this point. I bet many of you, like myself, already have one of their UMIK-1 microphones which I've used in a number of the acoustic measurements on this blog since 2019.

As you can imagine, the UMIK-2, initially released in late 2020, is an evolution of the UMIK-1 with upgrades which we'll talk about. First, let's have a peek at the physical device itself.

Saturday, 10 January 2026

More Bass: The SVS SB-2000 Pro subwoofer (sealed, 12", 550W, DSP, Bluetooth)



Over the holidays, Santa brought me a new SVS SB-2000 Pro subwoofer (currently US$900 black ash, US$1000 piano black, Canada: black ash, piano black) for the system in the sound room. As you can see, I got the slightly more expensive shiny piano black version. As usual, I bought this from typical consumer channels.

On this blog, we've talked about full-range sound, including the importance of subwoofer(s) in order to experience "fully" all there is in our recordings. As a pop, rock, electronica, orchestral, movie-lover, the ability to experience down to 20Hz (even a little lower into "infrasound") with adequate power, and low distortion is all part of what it means to achieve "high-fidelity" audio that is transparent to the source recording. As usual, it doesn't mean I can't enjoy my music without these sub-bass frequencies! It's just nice to know that I'm not neglecting content present in those lower registers as provided by artists and audio engineers.

During the pandemic, in the spring of 2020, I bought myself an inexpensive 8" Polk PSW111 to use as an "accessory" subwoofer to help fill-in the bass response in concert with the mighty Paradigm SUB1 (1700Wrms, 6 x 8" drivers), my main subwoofer that achieves frequency response down below 20Hz. For these last 5+ years, the little Polk has done its job reasonably well but it clearly has limits. For example, when pushed up in level, I can hear the "chuffing" from the small ~4" diameter down-facing port. Also, a ported 8" sub like this can really only be expected to reproduce down to the mid-30Hz at best.

And so, moving ahead, let's spend some money to retire that little Polk sub to my main floor living room, making space for this SVS! 😁