New Firmware update v. 3.6.0

So after a bit more of listening, I can confirm that I like the new firmware from a sound-perspective more than what we had.
What I hear:

  • More 3D sound with more depth
  • Better articulated bass
  • More clean / lean sound
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I spent another couple of hours listening to my favorite tracks and enjoying the changes the 3.6 brought.

God, that low end! :partying_face:
What a change!

But, how to describe that? While going deep and being powerful, everything seems to be a tab tighter. Not more detailed, I’d say more separated and therefore intelligible. I perceive more information, or intelligibility, in low mids and below.

More specifically, there is a better separation in bass drum kicks and between instruments. As a result, the powerful end, of the first movement, of Beethoven’s 5th piano concerto became more interesting, same thing for Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto in D minor.

While the mid to low-end has been improved, I have mixed feelings regarding the upper mids and highs.

Highs seem to have been brought to the front while mids, and upper mids, are a little restrained, less present. I felt like an imbalance. The Violin and the pianoforte sound a little thinner and brighter (not in a bad way, just different).

That shift in the upper mids and highs allows for a deeper sound stage, more 3D, which is rather enjoyable.

Is that really an “imbalance” I’m perceiving, or me being used to some noise/graininess? I don’t know. It wouldn’t be the first time…

When the noise floor is lowered and sound cleaned from some graininess, my first impression is always: “it sounds thinner”.

After some time, the brain adjusts, and there is only music. I got that impression when listening to some extremely revealing systems.

How did Naim achieve those changes, I have no idea.

I wonder what’s really included in the package they call “the firmware” :thinking:

My reference albums, for today :

Capture2 Capture

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I updated last night using my iPhone and had no issues what so ever, the NDX2 did its thing and after probably 6-7 minutes was back to normal. When it came back online, the app on my iPhone discovered the device without any issues.

I too am noticing better low end. Overall pleased.

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Update

Left my system running all day, music was still playing when I got in from work…phew! Now listening to “Return to Ommadawn”. Where did that bass come from. Naim, I’m not giving it back!

Gold * guys. Great work.

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I reported a few days back that I could hear no discernible changes to the sound on my ND 555.

Well, I’ve been out most of today, but, just for fun, powered it down this morning for 30 mins or so.

Bloody Nora!

What’s going on?

Deeper, yet more controlled bass, drums sound, well, like drums, more 3D detail, more separation between instruments … Naim … don’t know how you’ve done this, but you ain’t getting it back! :+1:

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Agree the bass is in a better control and drums also three dimensions …but lack for me sharpness I had before

This is what I initially thought and, if it were true, it would indeed allow addressing functionality issues and sound quality improvements in different firmware releases.

According to previous discussions in this forum, this is not the case and bug fix releases and releases that aim at improving functionalities almost always have some implications on the sound quality.

Then, of course, even if most users find such implications positive, there is a minority that finds them negative.

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I understand your scepticism Mark84.

This explanation is quite detailed, but even seemingly minor code changes can alter things unintentionally it seems:

There are too many things which just don’t seem logical with hi-fi especially digital audio, but do seem to affect things.

How on earth do different ethernet cables sound different passing the same data for example?

They don’t…

:innocent:

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The cable itself presumably doesn’t but may affect noise getting into a streamer 's sensitive circuitry from the network.

I tried 4 or 5 ethernet cables a few years ago. They did indeed sound different, the most expensive was actually quite a good improvement but I went for one of the cheapest which simply gave ‘bang for buck’ plus has retaining clips I was unlikely to break as I so often did with cheap computer ethernet cables.

I’m probably missing out not tweaking my router/switch/PSUs for various little boxes but I don’t really have the patience to test when there are more logical options to change which ought to have an effect.

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Can we please keep this thread on topic so it’s just for members to report their update experience, particularly if there are issues. If members wish to discuss other aspects then by all means please start a separate thread. Thanks.

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Not sure if that’s a general comment Richard, is it fair to say that it’s accepted that changes to firmware could potentially affect the sound? It seems to have been my experience over the years whatever the reason.

I’m more pragmatic about such things these days, and just tend to roll with the firmware releases.

Zero issues updating here on a Nova or with post-update recognition of the device by the app (latest iOS too).

I’ll leave it to the techs, but suspect this and many other vagaries are down to differences in home networking environments which have always been variable when it comes to using any kind of streaming device, audio or otherwise.

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Yes, AC, see my earlier post as well as some of the others (like Simon’s very detailed technical explanation) above.

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Just about to hit the upgrade button on my ND5XS2, back in five

Well 7min, all done, very smooth.

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Because it is nothing or very little to do with the encoded data, but can include the coupling interaction loading of the cables associated with the high frequency analogue serial line switching voltages being conducted through the twisted pairs… which because the Ethernet cable is not a perfect transmission can cause a reactive load. This in itself can couple into chassis and ground planes. This will typically vary from cable type to cable type.

I have posted a few times an engineering design white paper from Texas Instruments on how to mitigate the effects of such issues when designing sensitive Ethernet devices.

3.6.0 updated perfectly on my NDX2… Ethernet connected.

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Thanks for the repeat explanation which I vaguely recall (especially the TI link) - just saying that so many things ‘on the face of it, surely shouldn’t affect SQ’ but they do!

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So when u do the firmware update (ndx2/555ps) no need to power anything off? Leave all up and running when u update?
David

You click the update button in the app, drink a cup of tea and wait. It will download the update, then the NDX2 will restart, maybe more than once. The screen will change a few times and after a few minutes it will eventually be back at the home screen. Have patience and let it finish what it does. Leave the 555 alone.

At the end may need to restart the app so that it rediscovers the NDX2. See posts above.

(If nothing happens after 15 minutes or longer, eventually you will want to power cycle the 555, but it will most likely not come to that)

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