# Are there any DSPs available that have direct MOST bus inputs?



## HIS4 (Oct 6, 2005)

I know there are items like the moBridge DA1 that will take in a MOST input and output a toslink or the DA2 which outputs analog but that just adds another piece of equipment to the system. What I want to find is a fully functional DSP with EQ, TA, etc that has a direct MOST input. Is there such a thing?

I know there is a moBridge DA3 but from reading the material on the website, it doesn't seem like it does EQ.


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## BlueGhost (Jul 28, 2014)

Rainbow's DSP specs says it will have an optional MOST input.

The Digital Sound Processor made by rainbow.For the best listening experience in your car.


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## HIS4 (Oct 6, 2005)

BlueGhost said:


> Rainbow's DSP specs says it will have an optional MOST input.
> 
> The Digital Sound Processor made by rainbow.For the best listening experience in your car.


I saw that one but there isn't much info about the DSP or the MOST input module.


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## boyrafly (May 1, 2015)

nice information
thanks all


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## nanohead (Oct 21, 2013)

Curious what kind of car you're playing with. I have 2 MOST cars I want to mod. First is my Audi R8. It has the fancy audio system, that sounds lousy. Good thing the motor sounds amazing!


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## HIS4 (Oct 6, 2005)

nanohead said:


> Curious what kind of car you're playing with. I have 2 MOST cars I want to mod. First is my Audi R8. It has the fancy audio system, that sounds lousy. Good thing the motor sounds amazing!


I'm considering buying a Porsche 981 Cayman GTS or 991S. Both use the same system. In my current car I opted not to get premium sound and thus avoided needing to interface through MOST.


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## nanohead (Oct 21, 2013)

HIS4 said:


> I'm considering buying a Porsche 981 Cayman GTS or 991S. Both use the same system. In my current car I opted not to get premium sound and thus avoided needing to interface through MOST.


My wife has a 2014 Cayman (awesome car BTW). The stock head unit is pretty lousy, but at least it has a decent amount of speaker locations. Its a 2 year lease thats up in a few months and I didn't make any changes. If she wants another one, we'll likely buy it and then I'll do an audio system.


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## Tom Westling (Feb 13, 2011)

I loaded the demo software of the DA-3 and it does do eq. You actually just drag the eq curves to affect eq. I'm getting a Porsche Macan with the base stereo and don't know yet whether it outputs MOST or not.


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## nanohead (Oct 21, 2013)

From what I've read, all of these cars output audio streams via MOST. I was gonna use the MoBridge, and then route to some DSP, either analog or digital depending on my mood that particular day. I'd rather use a complete DSP than the DA-3. This week, I'm in love with Helix


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## Tom Westling (Feb 13, 2011)

I spoke with the director of mObridge and he told me that the DA 3 is a DSP. It does eq., time delay, active driver filtering, etc. Here is from the mObridge website regarding the DA-3:

The heart of the device is a 400MHz+ Blackfin Digital Signal Processor (DSP). The use of such a powerful DSP allows for 8 channels of audio to be extracted and processed.

The thing I like about this type of system is that you are taking the MOST digital signal DSP processing and then only having one D to A done. You also retain the stock head unit's volume control. With the Helix or Mosconi processors (we have my son's Acura with an Pure i20 feeding a digital signal to a Mosconi 4 to 6 spdif processor) that has to use separate volume control.


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## nanohead (Oct 21, 2013)

Thats interesting. Its not clear from the info I've read, their website is massively confusing, where they have 9000 products that look the same, but apparently are single purpose devices. The unit I could get my head around looked like just a protocol bridging device. I just downloaded the software and it actually looks pretty decent for what they call the DA3 DSP Professional. 

I may give them a ring and get some more info. Nice find BTW


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## Tom Westling (Feb 13, 2011)

I agree on the site. I learned about it asking the mObridge guys if the Macan had MOST. I hope it helps. The mObridge guys were great with my questions. They are in Australia so I communicated via email.


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## nanohead (Oct 21, 2013)

I'll do the same. Hard to tell where and how to buy their stuff, but I guess we'll figure it out. The other issue is that their configurator doesn't look like its been updated since the 2011 model year, but I'll get more specifics. We have a C207 based E550 Cabriolet that I want to mutilate, and also a 2010 R8 that has the worlds lousiest expensive audio system. They're both keepers, so they're gonna get the full treatment. Just had an Aston Martin Vantage I got rid of, as it pissed me off with its personality disorder... funny thing is, the Aston audio system was pretty awesome as delivered from the factory! But it was the only thing that actually worked most days


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## HIS4 (Oct 6, 2005)

nanohead said:


> I'll do the same. Hard to tell where and how to buy their stuff, but I guess we'll figure it out. The other issue is that their configurator doesn't look like its been updated since the 2011 model year, but I'll get more specifics. We have a C207 based E550 Cabriolet that I want to mutilate, and also a 2010 R8 that has the worlds lousiest expensive audio system. They're both keepers, so they're gonna get the full treatment. Just had an Aston Martin Vantage I got rid of, as it pissed me off with its personality disorder... funny thing is, the Aston audio system was pretty awesome as delivered from the factory! But it was the only thing that actually worked most days


I actually contacted moBridge about the compatibility to the 981/991 since its not listed on their site and they said they do have a few cars running their equipment and for the most part it working except that sometimes the remote turn on will be triggered by the MOST. They did not elaborate on that but I suspect that means the remote turn on could be turning on the amps when the car is still off since the MOST does kick on every once in a while even when the car is off. At least that's what I've noticed in my BMW. I can hear certain components in the car turn on even if the car is not on like the system is going through self checks.


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## Hugg727 (Sep 17, 2009)

I had a difficult time sourcing the mObridge, I wound up getting the Audison Bit Dmi, which is the same device. I have it feeding a Moscon D2 dsp/amp via toslink and I have all of my factory controls intact ...volume,phone, nav, parking beeps..they all work. The audison is the remote trigger for my amps and it does use the most signal to turn on but it doesn't turn the amps on unless I start the car. I have removed the most connector and noticed that when you open the door it lights the fiber,but that doesn't trigger the remote lead. There must be coding via the most signal that tells the difference


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## mbradlawrence (Mar 25, 2013)

Im in the same boat right now. Cant decide if i should get the day -- 750 or get a da1 and processor that accepts optical. The reason for the second option is that thinking long term with what I know now, I will not get upgraded audio in the future and at least audi and bmw only use most bus on the upgraded.

Also, morbridge claims that volume will be retained. Has any one had an experience otherwise using a DSP in combination with a DA1?


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## mbradlawrence (Mar 25, 2013)

Also, this might be holy grail (its a combined mobridge with a BIG amp):

1500W DSP Digital Amp, 4.1 Ch, Bluetooth MOST Input - Rare Audio Pty Ltd


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## Tom Westling (Feb 13, 2011)

My plan on my Porsche Macan with the base stereo is to see if the headunit can be programmed to thinking it is an upgraded system and send the MOST signal out. 

There is a Rainbow DSP thread that looks interesting as well.


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## Hugg727 (Sep 17, 2009)

I would think that Audison would jump all over this idea. They are already oem'ing the DA1 from mObridge. Seems like a good partnership waiting to happen.


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## subterFUSE (Sep 21, 2009)

mbradlawrence said:


> Has any one had an experience otherwise using a DSP in combination with a DA1?



I have the mObridge DA1 + Helix DSP Pro and can confirm that it does retain the factory volume control because the DA1 encodes the volume information into the optical digital signal.


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## subterFUSE (Sep 21, 2009)

Hugg727 said:


> I had a difficult time sourcing the mObridge, I wound up getting the Audison Bit Dmi, which is the same device. I have it feeding a Moscon D2 dsp/amp via toslink and I have all of my factory controls intact ...volume,phone, nav, parking beeps..they all work. The audison is the remote trigger for my amps and it does use the most signal to turn on but it doesn't turn the amps on unless I start the car. I have removed the most connector and noticed that when you open the door it lights the fiber,but that doesn't trigger the remote lead. There must be coding via the most signal that tells the difference



We connected my mObridge to a switched power source so it won't come on while the car is parked.

Also, my Helix DSP Pro has a smart turn on system for the amplifiers. The DSP will not allow the amps to turn on unless there is active audio playing. This feature was specifically designed for modern cars that don't always "sleep" when the car is parked. It can also turn your amps off if you are not listening to the stereo.


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## subterFUSE (Sep 21, 2009)

I still don't quite see a massive benefit to having the DSP and MOST interface in the same unit.

The MOST interface is outputting a digital signal.
There are not any more D/A conversions happening.
Digital out of MOST interface, Digital in to DSP and then DSP converts to Analog for the amps.

Or, in the case of the Bit DMI + Audison Bit One or Bit Ten D + Audison Voce or Thesis amp, the DSP outputs Digital to the amp and the amp converts it.


I would think the actual DSP inside of the mObridge DA3 is probably not as powerful as the DSP in the Helix Pro or Mosconi 6to8.
I would prefer to have the DSP of my choice, than be locked into the one with the MOST interface.



The only good reason I see to do the DA3 is for BMW which has traditionally used the factory stereo speakers for it's parking sensor beeps. i.e. the rear sensors beep on the rear speakers of the OEM stereo. If you use a DA1 preamp, the optical output is only stereo, so you lose the ability to have parking beeps on the rear speakers. The DA3 retains the rear channels from the OEM audio and send them to the DSP. That, to me, is the only serious benefit of the unit.... although I don't use rear fill speakers anyway, so the benefit is nullified.


Besides, I got rid of my BMW and got an Audi. Audi has separate tone generators for their parking beeps, so they work without the stereo. Much smarter.


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## subterFUSE (Sep 21, 2009)

One last thing....


Although the MOST interface can retain the OEM volume controller, for the best sound quality you don't want to use the OEM volume. The OEM volume should be run at maximum and the volume controlled by the DSP.

This is because variable digital volumes have the best signal/noise when played at full volume. Digital signals usually never clip, even at unity. So by running the output from the MOST interface at full you will be giving maximum signal/noise for the DSP to process.


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## mbradlawrence (Mar 25, 2013)

Hugg727 said:


> I would think that Audison would jump all over this idea. They are already oem'ing the DA1 from mObridge. Seems like a good partnership waiting to happen.


Check out Rare Audio -- looks like mobridge is doing it on their own combining most connection, DSP and an amp. 

BTW, I have a DA3 (MOST/DSP combo) coming, we shall see how it works!


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## subterFUSE (Sep 21, 2009)

Just downloaded the DA3 software.


Here is what I noticed:


Crossovers: Butterworth, Bessel, Chebychev. No Linkwitz.

Up to 24 dB slopes allowed.


EQ is parametric, and it looks like you can program more than 30 bands? At least, the software let me create more than 30 EQ points. Not sure what that means when the software is in demo mode?

Not sure I like how the EQ interface works. You click on the response curve and drag it around. Looks cool at first, but the screen gets very cluttered when there are many EQ points used.

I think the EQ adjustments have 2 variable Q settings. One affects the low end of the adjustment, the other for the high end.
So you can shape the high and low sides of the EQ parameter differently? Interesting.


0/180 polarity invert.


Time alignment steps are .01ms.

Channel gain adjustable in 1 dB steps.


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## JimmyDee (Mar 8, 2014)

I'm currently running a mObridge DA1, in combo with a Mosconi 6to8.

I've just ordered a mObridge DA3 unit, which I expect to get in about a week.

I'll post my comments / findings about the DA3, after I get it installed and tuned.

From what I can see online, the DA3 seems to be every bit as powerful as the Mosconi (more powerful in some cases), and the software seems to be very complete. I've done an offline simulation with the software, and basically just replicated all my settings from the Mosconi software, to the mObridge software. When the unit arrives, I'll download the settings to the DA3, and (in theory) it should sound the same as the Mosconi... we'll see.

The only reason I am going with a DA3 unit, is:
1. a means of simplifying my system.
2. curiosity... I want to see if the DA3 actually sounds as good (or better).

If the DA3 sounds / performs as good as the mObridge DA1 / Mosconi 6to8 combo... then I'll be selling my DA1 / 6to8.
Stay tuned, if anyone is looking for a deal on a DA1 / 6to8 (with SP-DIF optical input, and Bluetooth, and mini controller) combo, drop me a line.


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## JimmyDee (Mar 8, 2014)

3 months after installing the Mobridge DA3, I'm doing a follow-up...

First of all; the unit is excellent! Sound quality is superb.

I originally was running a DA1 with a Mosconi 6to8. I wouldn't say the DA3 sounds better... but it sounds every bit as good.

The benefit is in the simplicity of the system. The DA3 covers all bases, and offers everything you need in ONE UNIT. 

Sure, there are sound processors that have a few extra 'bonus features' (ie. Helix DSP Pro), but the DA3 covers everything you'd need to do a proper tune / setup.

In real-life install, I would say that the DA3 seems to work better than my DA1. It starts-up faster. Not sure if this is because of newer firmware, or just because it's only one thing that needs to start - versus a separate Mobridge, and then a separate DSP. 

The real advantage to the DA3, is that the presets can be switched from the FACTORY H/U SETTINGS. In other words, on my Audi I have a few different surround settings. The DA3 uses these settings as the 'switch' between presets. 

The real disadvantage to the DA3... is that they haven't managed to get the presets to work properly (yet)! This is my only complaint with the unit. I'm sure it will get resolved, in time... but Mobridge has declined to comment on their progress. 

I'd give it a 9.5 out of 10. 
If you have a MOST audio system, then this is an awesome solution.


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## Dannotech (Mar 25, 2015)

Don't do the rainbow. I hate it. Lol


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## tjswarbrick (Nov 27, 2013)

I just picked my car up Friday, with the DA3.
Same shop - who loves the 6-to-8 - is working on a 435i and an Cayman GTS, and said everything in there right now is getting s DA3. So I think it'll work with your Cayman.

They set the T/A, crossovers and EQ. It sounds very good, but I think it could be made better with a bit more time and tuning.

I played with the software a bit on the laptop last night, but have not transferred anything between there and the actual unit. It was a little weird to start, but looks very powerful and reasonably intuitive once you figure out that it is very click-intensive.
From what I understand, you click to set the EQ curves, but can also type info in by hand.


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## HIS4 (Oct 6, 2005)

tjswarbrick said:


> I just picked my car up Friday, with the DA3.
> Same shop - who loves the 6-to-8 - is working on a 435i and an Cayman GTS, and said everything in there right now is getting s DA3. So I think it'll work with your Cayman.
> 
> They set the T/A, crossovers and EQ. It sounds very good, but I think it could be made better with a bit more time and tuning.
> ...


I looked into it a little bit but since I'm holding on to a PS8, I haven't really considered getting one yet. The one thing that draws me to it more than anything is the space saving feature. Since I would have to get a DA1 anyway to tie in the PS8, it seems like the DA3 is about the same size as the DA1.


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## Onyx1136 (Mar 15, 2009)

Dannotech said:


> Don't do the rainbow. I hate it. Lol


What don't you like about it? Broad, vague statements don't really tell us anything.


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## tjswarbrick (Nov 27, 2013)

HIS4 said:


> I looked into it a little bit but since I'm holding on to a PS8, I haven't really considered getting one yet. The one thing that draws me to it more than anything is the space saving feature. Since I would have to get a DA1 anyway to tie in the PS8, it seems like the DA3 is about the same size as the DA1.


Space- and money-saving for me.
As far as we could tell, the DA1, DA2 and DA3 all use the same chassis and housing. It's tiny. Haven't cracked it open to see if it's just 1 additional chip... And the cost is only ~ $100-200 more for the full DSP suite than for the simple MOST converters. 
Wish I could drive out to HI and show you...

Love the speakers, BTW! But I think I want to bring 'em a little higher on the top end; I think they're crossed to the tweets around 2500Hz right now.


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## tjswarbrick (Nov 27, 2013)

HIS4 said:


> I know there is a moBridge DA3 but from reading the material on the website, it doesn't seem like it does EQ.


Just because I've read that it can do 31-band EQ per speaker, or 13-band overall, and I was trying to get to the bottom of it - it looks like it has a 1024-band EQ that you can configure pretty much however you want!
(I can't imagine wanting or needing that much EQ. But there you are.)


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## HIS4 (Oct 6, 2005)

tjswarbrick said:


> Space- and money-saving for me.
> As far as we could tell, the DA1, DA2 and DA3 all use the same chassis and housing. It's tiny. Haven't cracked it open to see if it's just 1 additional chip... And the cost is only ~ $100-200 more for the full DSP suite than for the simple MOST converters.
> Wish I could drive out to HI and show you...
> 
> Love the speakers, BTW! But I think I want to bring 'em a little higher on the top end; I think they're crossed to the tweets around 2500Hz right now.


I had them crossed at 4000Hz on the high side. I tried 5000Hz for awhile but I think they sounded better at 4000.


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## tjswarbrick (Nov 27, 2013)

HIS4 said:


> I had them crossed at 4000Hz on the high side. I tried 5000Hz for awhile but I think they sounded better at 4000.


Thanks again.
I input a target of 180 HP to 3800 LP into the mObridge UI, but haven't installed it to the DA3 yet.


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## mrpeabody (May 26, 2010)

Onyx1136 said:


> What don't you like about it? Broad, vague statements don't really tell us anything.


^This.

I know I've heard there's some issues with the outputs and I think the WiFi module isn't ready.

Hopefully if it's just bugs they can get it fixed. I played around with the tuning software and I dig it.


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## isma24 (Aug 31, 2020)

Hi, sorry to revive an old thread but i would like to know what codings are required to get a MoBridge DA3 to work on a BMW F30 2012 with CIC headunit. I have only basic stock audio without any amp.


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## Jroo (May 24, 2006)

Not sure what you mean by codings? Have you contacted Mobridge? Earlier in the year, I contacted them about the DA3 and they said they cant say if it will work or not, which was my model car was not listed. The unit had a hard time understanding the Volvo most so they dont recommend. Cant speak for your model car


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## naiku (May 28, 2008)

isma24 said:


> Hi, sorry to revive an old thread but i would like to know what codings are required to get a MoBridge DA3 to work on a BMW F30 2012 with CIC headunit. I have only basic stock audio without any amp.





https://mobridge.us/wp-content/uploads/documents/DA3-DSP-Professional-MOST/M1000-M-DA%20Manual-BMW.pdf



See if that helps.




Jroo said:


> Not sure what you mean by codings? Have you contacted Mobridge? Earlier in the year, I contacted them about the DA3 and they said they cant say if it will work or not, which was my model car was not listed. The unit had a hard time understanding the Volvo most so they dont recommend. Cant speak for your model car


Which Volvo do you have? I contacted Mobridge about my 2015 V60 and got the same answer, thankfully the Helix SDMI25 works perfectly though, just needed to configure the jumpers and then use a MOST Y-cable to copy the Volvo head unit serial into the Helix unit.


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## mobridge (Oct 5, 2009)

Its not that the mObridge unit doesn't work with the Volvo as we have a number of people using it. But the car does need to learn the factory serial number of the existing amp and getting users to follow the procedure was quite difficult. The units can be configured into Volvo learn mode with our Wizard and the use of the Y piece learn the factory numbers and code themselves in. When the unit gets set back into Volvo mode then it happily works just fine.

cheers,

mObridge


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## naiku (May 28, 2008)

That explains why I had read a few things here and there about people using a Mobridge with a Volvo, it's possible to get it to work, just not widely known or available. The difficulty in getting people to follow the process likely explains this reply i got when asking about Mobridge and my V60:

"The Volvo had too many variances in trying to get the system to 'marry' the unit so it got to the point where it just wasn't worth pursuing this any more."

Funny that people were having difficulty following the procedure though, when I coded the Helix with the factory serial, the hardest piece was getting power to both factory amp and MOST interface at the same time. The rest of it was very simple, I'd imagine the Mobridge process to be very similar, if not easier since it sounds like there is a wizard to guide things.


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