ND555 firmware update to 3.4.0, sound quality

Yep… the filter code was originally defined with the NDAC, the low pass IIR filter is a relatively simple SHARC routine… I seem to remember about 12 lines long… but can’t find my info on that…
Sometimes some other code such as network code has been tidied allowing it to work more efficiently adjusting the noise profile… this happened quite a lot on the legacy streamers in the process of trying to reduce Tidal dropouts.
The only warning if you are sensitive to these firmware changes is that the sound can vary slightly with each new firmware.

I then wonder why those adjustments haven’t been done before… In fact, I quite don’t understand it. It makes such a difference.

See my post above, these adjustments occur each time a new production firmware is compiled…, they are optimised against an SQ evaluation. Some may be more noticeable than others. Trevor told me it was quite a pain/frustration sometimes, because the coding timing optimisation / SQ mapping is not a precisely deterministic process.

With my first gen streamer I used to sometimes stay on older firmwares because I preferred the sound… but others preferred different newer firmware. For your system and ears you might have found a sweet spot.

I quite understood that. But I keep being astound by the gain in sound quality between the previous and the actual firmware.

I can very much understand that it isn’t simple to predict a result in terms of sound when toying with code (and therefore shaping noise). Well, this time they did a pretty nice job. The result is stunning !

It would be interesting to be able to swap between firmwares just to note the differences.

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I’m starting to re-listen to my favorite tracks/albums again!

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Life is too short, you will have forgotten the investment soon and enjoy the music. I recently also got the chord Music and the Ansuz Switch, not fitting so well in my financial plan. And soon forgotten, when the yearly bonus arrives.

And yes I might get the 500DR, while not sure it will happen soon. Would like to get it a bit closer to the recap.

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reminds me of my experience with 4.4 v 4.6 on the NDS. fortunately, I was able to go back to 4.4 and I’ve been very happy with this decision ever since. this is a key issue that prevented me from upgrading to ND555. But of course, this is my system, my ears, my listening room, blah blah blah…

enjoy/ken

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We have one advantage vs the new streamers: we can go back to the last updates.
That update was globally very successful for the Nd555, apart maybe one user.
But who knows if next upgrade will please everyone? And it will not be possible to go back.

Better wait and be careful for the next updates…

I guess so, hoping the next move will be in a similar direction.

Did you update your own streamer? If so, was the change satisfying as well?

I had a few “stopped in my tracks” moments with my lowly NDX2/XPS DR too.

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Thomas, I use a NDX2 feeding an off board DAC… I can’t say I have heard a huge improvement this time… though the changes can vary from product firmware to product firmware and how you are using the product… and I am on the beta programme so might have heard gradual changes anyway,
glad you like you latest production firmware on your ND555… one thought… on the newer streamers I am not sure how you roll back production firmware as it is more automated… on the legacy streamers it was easy… and I kept all firmware to roll back if I wanted to for SQ reasons.

Did the upgrade to 3.4.0.4492 this morning … I know, its only rock 'n roll, but I like it! :+1:

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You may remember from my previous posts - I very much appear to be in the minority in not getting on with the update! That’s probably down to the updated firmware sound performance in the context the rest of my non-naim system - I specifically matched it around the previous firmware version nd555 to give me a rich and detailed presentation. There’s not much ‘new’ I hear in the update - it’s just now it’s ‘too much’ - the leading edge of a piano note is so dramatic it feels like every key is being ‘struck’ hard when before they were being ‘stroked’!(when they should be!)
Anyway - Naim have come back regarding reverting to the previous firmware and it’s an absolute ‘no’ - Customer Support were very helpful but, in a nutshell, it was suggested I ‘change my streamer or go to my dealer to change other elements of the system’ - ‘you should be able to trade-in the elements that need changing’! Although not helpful after the time, money and effort getting to where I was very happy - that’s probably now my only option…

Ouch!

An “absolute no” about reverting a firmware upgrade that has changed the sound quality of a £20K device in a way you dislike? I admire your composure, I would probably go postal. I frankly think that “the elements that need changing” are in Naim’s software development department, not in your system!

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I disagree. It would be impossible for Naim to support an a-la-carte menu of firmware into the future. Once it has established through its beta testing that a change is to be offered, our choice is to change or stick with what we have. It is not realistic to expect to be able to reverse it if we don’t like it. The cost to support that would make the ND555 even more inaccessible on price grounds than it is now.
In short, I trust Naim.

What would it cost them … nothing. As long as you are prepared to accept the limitations of the old firmware, whats the problem.
In the process of being so inflexible theres every chance they have lost a customer, in fact, many potential customers.
Anyone coming onto the Naim forum and reading this will end up running as fast as they can in the opposite direction.

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Your assumption that it would be impossible for Naim to support reverting to a previous firmware is obviously wrong: beta testers do that routinely. I do not see any obvious reason why one should not be able to use whatever firmware one wishes to use, as long as one does not pretend support for outdated firmware versions.

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The trouble is, assuming that it is ‘easy’ to revert back to a previous software version, once you agree to this for one customer, it opens the floodgates to others who would like to pick and choose which firmware version they would like to be on. Going forward, I am sure there will be several upgrades to FW software, so the volume of Naim streamer owners on different FW versions could accelerate.

I would imagine that this would be a nightmare for Naim to support, as each FW version would have its own unique set of issues to resolve, although I would accept some issues would be common.

I am not a software guy and am happy to be corrected. I am sure that Naim have very good reasons to take such an apparent hard line on this, and they have explained some of the obstacles to a ‘pick ‘n’ mix’ approach to FW roll-out and adoption.

It would however be good for customer relations in general for a full explanation by Naim as to why FW ‘selection’ by the customer cannot be entertained.

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