Firmware Updates and changes to SQ

Ok being a Naim user I have become increasingly annoyed with how the SQ of my Uniti Atom changes with firmware updates. These updates are on the whole to fix bugs or add new features and mention nothing about SQ. My Atoms signature has changed a few times over the last two years.

So I am interested to find out if such things also affect other makes and models of streamers, all in ones etc.

So if you could say what your kit is and answer a plain yes or no if any updates to firmware on your kit has altered it’s SQ without it being an update being explicit if it doing so.

  • Yes
  • No

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How do I say what what my kit is tied in with the vote?
Voted No never noticed a difference, kit is Naim Atom :slight_smile:
We’ve had this discussion before, I’ve probably got cloth ears.

Salkstream III - no change.

Odd as I am not the only one who has had SQ changes as many up in arms on Naims forum and its been
brought up before. This latest one has changed it again. Last time we talked about it you said you hadn’t updated it from when you bought it, so I take it you have?

Latest bios. I may well not be a critical listener. Tonight I was too busy bopping about with volume constraints removed :slight_smile:

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at your age… be careful out there :rofl:

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The latest firmware of Naim DAC in 2015 add DSD support (DSD to PCM conversion) for free, it also changed SQ a lot. Most of users like it, some did not.

But DSD SQ of Naim DAC is not good, so I use Roon to do DSD to PCM conversion before sending to Naim DAC, it sounds much better.

Are you allowed to downgrade the firmware, then you could confirm the SQ changes (if any)?

I certainly know what everybody’s talking about here. I have a pair of Devialet expert Pro 1000s and every time there is a firmware update the sound quality changes. To me that is very annoying and for a bunch of reasons. When you first listen to a certain product like Devialet your cable selection which include Power cables, interconnects, data connection cable and speaker cables are selected based on that sound quality and sonic signature. Not only that, your room set up which includes acoustic treatment is also centered around it. Imagine when that sonic signature totally changes. It is a very user-friendly and convenient product which also is very power efficient but I miss my old gear that I traded it in for. That included an Ayre KX-R and one of the older Krell amplifiers that sounded great. IMHO Keep your old analog preamps And amplifiers and use your music server with a good DAC plugged into the preamp

Nope they don’t really support downgrading. You have to really moan about it to get previous firmware they send as a link and then you run into support issues put up with bugs and limited features.

I also have a 1000 Pro and don’t hear sound quality changes when the firmware is updated (rare though that is). Devialet also say in general that they do not expect firmware updates to change the SQ. That said, if you’re listening and expecting to hear a change, you will most likely hear it.

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This!..

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The last Devialet FW update (Feb, 2019 - adding Roon) is a year old, and I didn’t notice a SQ change.

No I was not expecting to hear to change, but on two firmware updates I did. It all depends on how critically you listen to your music and how trained your ears are after years of listening. I have had others tell me the same thing about the Devialet.

I’m not talking about the Roon update, I’m talking about Devialet

Let’s not get into an argument about whose ears are better.

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I’m not getting into any argument, you expressed a point of view and I expressed mine. If there was any argument, which I hope it wasn’t, you started off by saying that I would a difference if I was expecting it to. That is an argument

Take a look at the number of updates Devialet has had, I think you will know what I’m talking about because obviously right now you don’t

Nope, it’s a highly likely outcome if you were expecting a difference. But you said you weren’t, so likely folk will take that at face value.

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Let me ask you this: Why would anyone be expecting a change? Would there be any reason to? You hear a change because that’s what you detect. Sorry, but we have a difference of opinion