Hi Blang. Per Barry the Soundoctor's strong recommendation, I plugged the ports on my Raidho's and never looked back. Barry's explaination of the impact of the secondary output from the ports and their detrimental effect on phase optimization was pretty convincing. I gather this is an important, if not under appreciated, consideration with the DEQX. If/when I pull the trigger on the HDP5, I do not expect to unplug the ports. Of course, the ports are far less critical when electronically crossing over. I'm crossing over at about 90hz so the low bass in the mains is irrelevant and I think sealing the box tightens the upper bass and definitely improves the timing considerations.
Per your question regarding the room optimization on the JL sub, I plan on bypassing it and letting the DEQX handle it all.
I was at a very similar place as you are now -running the mains full range. Per Barry's superb instructions, I plugged the ports, added an inexpensive yet adequate dbx electronic crossover (a critical piece), carefully aligned the placement of mains and subs, and painstakingly set the phase on the sub. The results were stellar. I have not tweaked the system in months and had no desire to until I discovered DEQX. The HDP5 has everything to take every one of these settings to the next level, while providing a major DAC and crossover upgrade over my Oppo and dbx respectively. There are some compromises such as not having a critical home theater passthru and the same concern about MQA. On the other hand, the new support for on-board Roon is the icing on the cake.
Per your question regarding the room optimization on the JL sub, I plan on bypassing it and letting the DEQX handle it all.
I was at a very similar place as you are now -running the mains full range. Per Barry's superb instructions, I plugged the ports, added an inexpensive yet adequate dbx electronic crossover (a critical piece), carefully aligned the placement of mains and subs, and painstakingly set the phase on the sub. The results were stellar. I have not tweaked the system in months and had no desire to until I discovered DEQX. The HDP5 has everything to take every one of these settings to the next level, while providing a major DAC and crossover upgrade over my Oppo and dbx respectively. There are some compromises such as not having a critical home theater passthru and the same concern about MQA. On the other hand, the new support for on-board Roon is the icing on the cake.