You might expect to hear a change because other people have reported hearing a change, just to give one example. Or because “everything matters” and the new firmware is not identical to the old firmware.
In my particular case, I feel that the firmware update that came about a year ago was a good one. Prior to that they were a bunch of updates; some of them stretching back to my D800s. Right after the firmware update, things would change in terms of the display. Immediately after The update, I would detect a change in the sonic character. my first reaction was; “this is not what it sounded like before.” Then I called up my dealer and asked him if he felt a difference and he said he did. A couple of days later he called me up and said others have had the same complaint. He has stopped carrying Devialets now
Well the big bass boost I got from firmware last year was not expectation bias I can feel it.
Voted Yes, although I have to admit that the last update was a “good” one…
System:
ROCK (NUC7i7)
Cisco 2960
SOtM SMS-200ultra Neo / SPS-500
Schiit EITR
Naim Dac/XPS2
Naim NAC 282/HiCap
Naim NAP 250.2
Naim Ovator S600
GIK Acoustics Room Treatment
B&K House Curve (Convolution)
Devialet Expert Pro 440
My system does occasionally sound different from day to day. Nothing substantial. Perhaps I could attribute it to firmware changes or perhaps differences in the electrical grid, but I suspect it’s far more likely attributed to what’s going on in the space between my ears on any given night.
4 Likes
So what you guys are saying is that speakers like Devialet (and probably many more) depend a lot on DSP for how things sound. I think that when you look at the design that makes a lot of sense. Had that same thing with Ki3 speaker, totally different after an update. IMHO we’re not talking about firmware here in the strict sense, we’re mostly talking DSP re-prgramming and that is 100% guaranteed to make a difference (it is intended to) in sound.Just my 2 cents, just my opinion
Naim only adjust their DSP to try and ensure what changes they make to the software firmware side does not change the signature sound as there code is so finely tuned any changes seem to effect sq. Just sometimes they don’t always seem to succeed.
Voted NO despite the latest firmware for a plain Phantom (DOS 2.x is it?, and the new app, which replaces Spark), earlier this year, claimed some decibels and sound pressure level changes, but I can’t tell the difference, and perhaps I am not even meant to if they just embiggened the headroom.