I seem to remember Simon in Suffolk posting a few years ago that Naim ADD noise to the streaming board to adjust the sound signature.
Maybe they remove a bit of noise from here and move it there. Or simply removed the noise they previously added.
Weāll never know.
Itās interesting, (well it is to me, as I own a PrimareNP5), that people who added the NP5 to legacy streamers reported a more detailed and refined sound.
People are also indicating the new firmware provides a more detailed and refined sound.
Presumably Naim, (and any other HiFi manufacturers) are free to assess the performance of any number of streamers with their own equipment, access the firmware, see how itās achieved and replicate it in their own streamers.
After some extended listening Iām very pleased with the update. Radio Paradise and JB Radio are my primary stations and they sound noticeably improved. I didnāt expect to notice such an improvement from a fw update.
Right now, Iām listening to a YT video of Brad Mehldau jamming with the very mellow funky young double bassist Jorge Rossy & the amazing slow but expressive drummer Felix Moseholm.
This is somehow a brilliant improvised performance of Jimi Hendrixās hey Joe.
The sound quality of the video is intrinsically good, but listening to it now itās by far the Best Iāve ever heard it, An absolute delight. And thatās definitely down to The firmware update.
I still think it is potentially very dependent on the music played as well as the hardware itself.
For me all the above apply apart from āmore forward and pushyā with vocal actually being much more natural, not forced and in some cases a bit too polite.
Overall for me this is much more than a black box upgrade for free. Iād be reluctant to change the firmware again.
It does seem to be an inherent challenge with streamers, that firmware can impact on sound quality and system balance and there could be advantages and disadvantages - all very system dependent and oneās personal preferences.
Once set up to oneās liking, CDs and record players donāt have this challenge.
Iām actually slowly coming around to the new sound, I think when you make the switch initially all you hear is the difference but as a few days pass your brain forgets the old sound and accepts the new as normal. It reminds me of years ago my preferred setting on an old Trio amp I had as a teenager was Loudness button on for more oomph, dial back the bass slightly to about 11 oāclock to compensate and then turn the treble up to about 2 oāclock - the latest firmware sort of replicates this to my ears.
The very interesting thing for us is that we use the NDX2 as transport only (digital out) and hear a SQ change. A transport is just 1s/0sā¦.
So itās FW DSP change for sure?
Weāve just listened (again) to Classic FM A Film Music spectacular via our Sky Q box. Definitely more clarity than last time we listened. SWMBO impressed - especially with piano solos. Much singing/humming along.
However itās not all great news on the TV front. Was watching āBlack Snowā off Sky Qā¦ there is an electronic āsplashā of cymbals on episode 1 introduction. Hard on the ears. Iād watched that episode before (didnāt get further into it last time) and donāt recall being the ears being assaulted in same wayā¦ very sharp. So some āmanufacturedā sounds not going so well. Have also noticed same on lower bitrate internet radio - harsh.
Over last week listening to Tidal no such complaints since FW upgrade, Have tried most genre now from some āunpleasantā metal, mainstream stuff, vocals etc. plus HQ internet radio. General uplift in SQ.
I can understand some people might be unhappy with the change. Itās a bigger HF change than introducing SuperLumina speaker cables to our naim setup for instance (which we always thought brought more HF sparkle ).
But with our current speakers, and my 50 year old ears, itās currently a thumbs up.
I was wondering about this as well. I donāt have enough experience with the NC but for me whatever they did it sounds very good to me(my system, ears, room etc).
After reading some of the comments here, I decided to update the firmware of my NDX 2 after a long time. Generally speaking I agree with some of what has been said previously, indeed I feel a more detailed / open sound with a cleaner bass. So far so good (luckily for me), but one question naturally comes to my mindā¦
Why does the Naim support say the sound signature of Naim products does not change with a firmware upgrade?
Iād say itās not a fully correct statement. Of course the general signature does not change but some (minor?) aspects have been clearly tweaked and they can have a less than subtle impact on a Hi-Fi system.
I am very pleased with the firmware update on my NSS 333. After listening for a few days I find that it enables you somehow to become more emotionally connected with the music. It just sounds so much more engaging, allowing me to appreciate more of what the musicians are playing. I wasnāt expecting that and I donāt think it is related to any confirmation bias. There are cosmetic changes to the audio presentation of the audio too. The update on my Muso 2nd generation was also fuss free.
