Happy with the new Naim update

Thanks Stephen, that is in the Naim app . Not tidal connect correct?

Regarding communications, Naim wrote this in an official response back in July 2024: ā€œWe apologise for any inconvenience caused - as soon as we have a clear date of release for Tidal Max, we will send a formal communication to our retailers and customers.ā€

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I agree with others there is an improvement to the sound. Though some have mentioned previous firmware updates that were not to their liking, I am pleased to discover Naim continues firmware updates. I thought the previous firmware version, which has not changed for a couple years, was the final one ( I am somewhat new to Naim, but very impressed with their products). With regard to the firmware changes, I have read a couple of their white papers. I believe they have tweaked the SHARC DSP parameters/coding. Wonderful to discover they continue to pursue sound quality improvements of existing products. Their attention to detail and overall construction is highly impressive.

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One of these days, Android users might get a sliding tab for easier list navigation and an in-app volume control that works but Iā€™m not holding my breath.

Have you done the update and local streaming sounds better now?
Oops - should I do it?

New firmware = better sound on nd555. Can someone confirm please
Where are all the other nd555 pilots :blush:
@Geko @Dan_M @davidf

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Funny you should say that, I phoned my mate yesterday to talk him through how to update his ND555 - heā€™s not great at that sort of thing. I mentioned to him that I thought my ND was sounding particularly awesome after the update but I put it down to my imagination.

I was listening to Jesse Cookā€™s ā€˜Vertigoā€™ album (Rattle and Burn) and the wife came over and sat down. At the end of the track she said that was the best recording sheā€™d ever heard, so it may not be my imagination after all!

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Doing the update right now and I have vertigo on my server :blush: with ā€žrattle and burnā€œ being one of my favorites

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The firmware would be better implemented and sound better if you used Ansuz ethernet cable for the update.

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Went through - with some statement (?) pics on the display.
Sounds fine - maybe better. Rattle and burn playing

Again, not sure if itā€™s my imagination but after the update everything seems a bit more ā€˜airy and preciseā€™ with better bass weight. Trouble is, with all the rain weā€™ve had, itā€™s watered my grounding rods and the system always sounds good when that happens but itā€™s totally addictive at the moment. The instant I play one track I have to listen to the whole album. Iā€™m still constantly being blown away by what the Sigma brings. Just loving that natural liveness and analogue sound!

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Yes from Naim App. This is Tidal Connect & Tidal App

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:heart_eyes::heart_eyes::heart_eyes:

Now Peter Gabriel track I/O from new album. Yes there is more air - I think ā€¦ would like to think. :blush:

Try this, sounded blinding earlierā€¦

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Playing right now ā€¦ superbā€¦ love it

Nd5xs2 also updated - both went through smooth

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Thanks Stephenā€¦ I rest the app and it workedā€¦ I didnā€™t know if I had to look for the hi res version or not .

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You could try to do so ā€¦ oops you have an NDS :rofl::joy::smiling_face::wink:

Yes and yes. Pretty much as Geko says.

I thought the improvement might be more noticeable on Qobuz than local streaming from the Core. Anyway, itā€™s all sounding rather lovely.

Update: local streaming also better, quite impressed really. Easier and cheaper than a cable update or other fiddling :flushed::roll_eyes:

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Great album
I use Babylon Sisters as my test track whenever I make any upgrade in my system
If u want to impress someone with your Hifi this track is fab
David

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+1

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I did the update a few days ago and it was quite different sonically from the earlier version.
ND555 Active system - needed a while to ā€˜settleā€™ for me to be sure I overall like it, but I think it is a good update and improvement in terms of SQ apart from the new features, which are nice to have.

On Tidal it is better than I had before - cleaner and crisper. Local streaming is still better and lifted that rendition too.

Overall the articulation of each note at whatever frequency is more precise with less temporal-smearing is how I hear it - a very ā€˜Naimā€™ direction of improvement.
So top-end is more open and revealing as there is more energy into the actual notes (instruments and vocals) than smeared-out temporally, so it sounds ā€˜louderā€™ with more space in the gaps in-between the structure of the notes is how I hear it.

Also at the low-end bass notes the same thing - a cleaner harmonic structure with more power in the deeper fundamental note and less smearing into sideband harmonic distortion, so lower percieved coloraration and cleaner-sounding.

Overall a more ā€˜liveā€™ fresh-sounding presentation which Iā€™m adjusting myself too and think I like! :bear:
I donā€™t tend to like big changes and my system tends to amplify such things leading me to carefully ensure a balanced presentation, so I did have a lot of ā€˜bassā€™ for a bit until I fixed that locally for my system.

As to high-bitrate/def stuff - nice to have it but Iā€™m still finding the Mastering sets the level of quality I get here independent of if it CD rate-rips or HD. I tend to use Tidal to explore for versions of music masters I like then if I can get the CD (it is usually still the earlier CD version that is the better Mastering) then when ripped that is better than the same Tidal version. Tidal SQ had been lifted by this update so that means it is only real favorites I still seek-out for my local streamed collection.

DB.

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