Hi, thanks for this tip. Updating IOS in iphone to 14.4.1 did not solve my issue finding my Atom. Checked permissions which were ‘alow when using app’. In the app when it was searching a saw a short flash of the Atom with the actual song it was playing but then concluded that no devices could be found??
Reinstalling the NAIM app solved it. all working fine now.
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Welcome.
You found out technology 101 really helps.
Turn off (really off, plug out, no electricity) - cup of tea - turn on. Result!
Helped a friend with Sonos issues last weekend by telling him to take the plug out. Stand by is not the same as off.
Hopefully some of them are mélomanes passionate about classical music.
Not so sure… As I said previously, I have some mixed feelings about the changes the 3.6 brings.
While I love the spaciousness and deeper stereo image it brings, I can’t get used to what they have done to the overall balance.
It’s like pressing the “loudness button”. But, unfortunately, it is constantly on.
More impact, more details in the low end (a lot more), trebles are heightened, but I think I lost some finesse in the midrange (or its balance within the rest of the spectrum).
It might be fun and enjoyable with rock , pop or even jazz music…
…but for classical music I believe I prefer the delicately balanced presentation of the 3.5.2 version.
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Hi Nigel,
Does that team listen to Beta-testers’ opinion regarding changes in sound?
Or do beta testers only test software fictionalises/features?
Not in the months that I have been in the beta, and the beta versions are no optimized. Some beta users do report perceived changes in each version. (I remain skeptical for a variety or reasons, but whatever). However, there was at least one occasion before my time (with the complications also eloquently laid out by HH):
That does beg the question: what musical style is the sound optimised for?
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The only real way to see if there’s a difference or not, is to have two identical players, one with the old firmware, the other with the new. Play the same track and have each into a different input on the pre and switch between them as they are playing.
As if not then you cant really say as its just a thought, rather than an exact, as changing something you are already experiencing a difference, or your brain is, that doesn’t mean there is one.
But saying it needs time to burn in, come on guys really, that means that for the first few days its not working correctly, it would be like switching your pc on 3 days before you wanted to use it, rubbish.
Also after 3 minutes you can’t 100% remember exactly what it was like before, let alone 3 days, so much can change in that time.
The main thing is, has it fixed all the problems it set out to fix? If so great, carry on enjoying your music
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That’s very much understandable. It is the exact same streamer/DAC, the exact same reconstruction filters, the exact same everything except for the firmware.
So it should not sound different, right?
Well, not so sure. We have no idea what that firmware is, and how it impacts the digital part of the streamer.
In the context of my system, room and speakers the difference is simply obvious.
No, the firmware doesn’t transform the ND555. No, it’s not a new DAC, etc…
But yes, very much yes, it sounds different.
Whether that “different” is better or not is, of course, completely subjective.
I don’t think it is optimised for a particular genre. At least, not intentionally.
I’d say the difference is more within the listener than within the genre.
We don’t pay attention to, or value, the same things when listening to a rock band or a piano concerto.
It is interesting to note that within the Uniti range the difference is audible.
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Yes, but what I meant was if it’s ‘tuned’ to Roy’s ears, what is he listening to? And what is he listening for? If one minute he’s listening to rock, then jazz, then chamber, then orchestral etc. there must be compromise somewhere.
Well he is a fan of YES and Rick Wakeman…
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There are a few “ears” in R&D. However AFAIK it is still Roy who gives final sign off.
And a fan of Radiohead.
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Not so sure.
I very much believe they know what they’re doing.
Remember, it is business. Naim makes money with audio. I hardly believe they are only lead by their own tastes in music.
I very much believe they do things with a certain technical rigour.
But more seriously, judgement is made on a variety of music, but genre in itself should have no real bearing on judging performance, the fundamentals of good sound are the same whatever the music.
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The streamers are small linux computers, similar to a Raspberry Pi, and they run an OS with software. The firmware is a snapshot of that software, similar to the way you can install a new Raspbian version on a RPI.
When the software ‘does’ more it can make the streamer more electrically active, just like a computer will use electricity differently when it does certain tasks. This electricity can to a degree influence the background noise in the device, which can theoretically propagate through the DAC or influence clock timings and things like that.
In the DAC itself Naim apparently has some influence to counter those electrical changes in the background noise. As far as i know, when they do any tweaking in this area it is generally not with the intention to actively alter the sound, but mainly to make the device operate as electrically optimally as possible with as little interference propagating through the DAC as possible.
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That’s reassuring!
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A very good analogy, come to think of it on my amps years ago my preference was usually to have the loudness on and treble at about 2 o’clock so this is probably not far off the mark, all system and speaker dependant of course.
Agree the genre should be irrelevant, but that said there is a broad correlation between genre and quality of recording, lack of compression, etc. To the extent genre can serve as a proxy for recording quality, either to maximize benefits of a high quality recording or to make lesser recordings more palatable, or ideally both if that’s possible, then it would seem useful to at least partially choose on that basis.