Where should I buy a Helix DSP Mini in the US?

[ozzuneoj]

I understand what you're saying Haakono. I found a guy on Facebook saying he could get one for me new for $399, which is why the $499 price from a shop caught me off guard.

The total cost for me would include some kind of remote for switching between presets, because my awesome wife is totally okay with me doing all of this. She appreciates good sound. She can't wait for me to at least get the sub in our current car. We miss it. So, the least I can do is have a preset for her listening position when she's riding in the car. Having to get into the trunk and open the amp compartment to push a button sounds pretty lame for a $500 unit. And is worth mentioning that $500 isn't a drop in the bucket for us like it is for many here. I like to get the best bang for the buck, long term.

I'll keep my eyes open for a deal though.

[jtrosky]

You used to be able to save a significant amount by buying from one of the Ebay sellers, but now it's not really much cheaper at all. For example, I bought my original DSP.3 from the audio_for_fun seller on Ebay - it was only $535 shipped. Now, they want like $599+$50 shipping - so you are only saving about $50 over new from a US-based authorized reseller. Just not worth it to save $50, being that you'd have to go through the Ebay seller for any warranty issues. I was willing to take the risk for $535 vs $700, but not for $650 vs $700...

I find it very rare to need warranty service on electronics during the warranty period. It's usually either DOA out-of-the-box or it works fine for years. I don't think that I've ever had to have an electronic item serviced while under warranty... EVER.

[BigAl205]

If the Ebay seller you're talking about is audio_for_fun, I've bought several things from him, and always had a good experience.

[ozzuneoj]

Can anyone explain the differences between the DSP2 and DSP3? I can't seem to find anything directly comparing the two and it's probably far more likely that I'll find a good deal on a second hand dsp2.

[jtrosky]

I think that the main difference is that the DSP.3 is based on the newer ACO-based hardware - which gives it a lot of the "extras", such as the ability to use the mobile app (which does everything the director does - but requires a wifi adapter to work), the Augmented Bass Processing, RealCenter, StageXpander, ClarityXpander etc.

Otherwise, I'm sure that they are pretty comparable. The DSP.3 also probably has slightly better specs, but I doubt any would make a significant difference.

I *think* they have the same inputs/outputs, but I didn't check - you can check that on the AF site to be sure.

[ozzuneoj]

Well, that was quicker than expected.

I just found someone selling a DSP.2 in excellent condition with the box, manual and cables for $300 plus shipping. It is being packed up now for $315 shipped and the seller is super cool to talk to and has lots of positive feedback on the marketplace.

Going by the ebay sold prices for the older models (even the DSP 1), I think I did pretty well here. What do you guys think?

I highly doubt I'll miss any of the differences between the DSP2 and the newer models. There doesn't seem to be an English page on the Audiotec Fischer website for this model anymore so I can't directly compare them.

[jtrosky]

Nice! Yes, I'm sure that you'll be very happy with the DSP.2. It's SO much better than anything else you can get for $300! That was a good deal - I think that you've saved yourself a lot of future grief with going with such a good DSP and skipping the lesser DSPs!

[ozzuneoj]

Glad to hear that!

This deal feels much better to me. I always try to buy the best bang for the buck... and that frequently involves getting something really good at a price far below MSRP. Spending $500-$600 outright for a device I have zero experience with is... not the way I usually do things.

The ZX750.1 and ZX200.2 I've been using for 13 years were actually both purchased as refurbished from Kicker and were an awesome price at the time. I've probably paid like $12 per year for that 750.

[ozzuneoj]

Well... the seller also has a Zapco ST-2B 2 channel amp he'd throw in for $50 more...

I don't know if I have room for all of this where I plan to install it, but I could possibly go active if I added that amp. :o

That seems like quite a good price, but I should probably just save the money and put it toward a proper 4-channel amp later. The way I'm wiring the car (crossovers will be in the back with the amps) will make it super easy to switch to active later.

[jtrosky]

Depending on how far you go down the rabbit hole, you may eventually want to just replace your main amp and the DSP.2 with a Helix amp/DSP combo device, such as the V-Eight Mk2. The Helix DSP's hold their value very well, so you'll always be able to sell the DSP.2 if you ever decide to upgrade in the future. In hindsight, I kind of wish that I would have went with the Helix V-Eight Mk2 over the separate JL XD600/6v2 (6-channel amp) and Helix DSP.3 - but when I started all of this, I had never even heard of Helix. :-) The V-Eight Mk2 would have just made for a much cleaner install.

The only thing that Helix doesn't have is a dsp/amp combo device that is also capable of powering your sub. JL and AudioControl have devices like that. but Helix doesn't - in fact, it's the reason why some people go with JL or AudioControl over Helix - simply because they have options that will power all of your "regular" speakers, your sub *and* act as the DSP as well - all in a single device. With Helix, you will need a separate sub amp.

If/when I ever have issues with my JL 6-channel amp or my DSP.3, I will probably replace them with the V-Eight Mk2. With my system, the Helix "virtual channels" feature would be nice to have ("virtual channels" are only supported on the newer DSPs and amp/DSP combo devices - the Helix DSP.3 doesn't support "virtual channels").

Welcome to the Helix club though! I think that you'll find that you made a great decision. You easily have the best DSP you can get for $300. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any Helix/tuning-related questions - lots of people with a lot of experience here.