USB no different for me, Melco is my server.
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I usually keep my screen off during playback, and thought I would turn it on to see if I noticed a difference in sound…now it won’t turn off again 
That’s so sad how can people get such opposing opinions! The jump is huge in my system but it is very revealing, but I suppose it’s better than the negative which I would be mortified.
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Reverting to factory settings doesn’t go back to an old firmware version. It stays with the firmware version you have currently installed.
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I figured the standard reset did that, I wondered if there was a button press/hold sequence that went a step further. Seems not.
I just had to run another factory reset to get the screen to switch off during playback. The screen is now off again but it hasn’t helped the newly fatiguing treble unfortunately.
So did I, I’m back to everything off. It definitely closes down the sound but it’s just too fatiguing to be enjoyable otherwise.
I have the exactly same results with ND5XS2/nDAC/282/HCDR/250DR into Sonus Faber Sonetto V.
Before the firmware there was an edge, that has now disappeared. Bass is now tighter + more PRaT.
The sound is involving, exciting without any harshness. I can listen for hours.
Very pleased with the new presentation.
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After a few hours of listening after applying the new firmware release the ND5XS2 feeding an external DAC (Chord DAVE) is spot on, please don’t change this Naim 
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I would not stress it if I were naim looking at the statistics.
I’m sure they are looking into it for a second opinion but not so sure they think anything is wrong. Which is what the great majority thinks. For those having issues I would look at surrounding equipments, cables. Many of you share same brands for the signal all the way to the naim box.
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Has anyone (who is not happy with the sound after the firmware update) achieved an improvement after multiple factory resets?
For the purposes of establishing a baseline, what are we calling ‘loud’ or ‘realistic’ volumes?
@Geko mentioned a track above; St. James Infirmary by Baba Blues, so I had a listen, Firstly I have to say this is new to me and f*king excellent, the sax really is in the room, and some of the vocal peaks are spine tingling, so thanks for the intro @geko!
I ran this track with a sound meter app and it told me it ranged from 36db to 90db which equates to about 9 o’clock on my 252. That is a heck of a dynamic range for 1 track.
Is the range a factor? Is that what we agree is loud or realistic?
EDIT for anyone trying to compare. That is using the ‘Sound Meter’ app on android phone.
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Not very helpful and I think not true. Naim will look into it - they have to. There are no similar non naim setups. There are similar naim setups - nearly all with 500 and 2xps have the same problem.
And all of them had a wonderful sounding system before - all of a sudden it’s the cables fault ?
So naim can decide to ignore, but I really think the will do.
I will wait some time and decide by end of the year what to do.
My nd555 has lost all its magic and when it is not back soon, I will sell him. Simple as that.
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I feel you, buddy.
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Let’s say this was a car. The manufacturer by purpose change the acceleration curve since they believe they can make it even better. Like with all software controlled products this is a benefit. 94% think it became better or the same. Some cannot feel it because they don’t care or have their thoughts on it. 6% turns out to like the earlier acceleration setting better. There is no way this company would make it worse again to satisfy those 6. All im saying is it might be that Naim don’t agree with the 6% here and that you will have to wait for something that will not happen. Let’s see. I’m 94% sure there won’t be any changes if any on this side of the year atleast.
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It’s a great track for testing a lot of things about a hifi system. Prior to the FW update it had everything, intimacy, feeling, timing, dynamic range, depth, realism and above all it sounded really natural. Like you’d just walked off the street into a club venue and sat in a seat. Post FW update it’s lost many of these aspects. It still sounds good but now in a sort of hifi way. Boomy bass, plus a bit flat and two dimensional and very edgy on a lot of high notes - a sort of rattly coarseness when things get loud. In fact using the word ‘loud’ is not a word I’ve used before to describe a Naim system, it’s usually more ‘real’! This is another area I can’t understand. Why does it seem like the volume level has gone up for the same setting. What’s caused this?
With regard to a volume level baseline that’s a difficult one. It will be dependent on speaker efficiency but for me I quite like to sit in the second or third row, so what ever volume that is?
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In what use to be my world of manufacturing (now retired) ‘variability’ is actually a swear word and 7% would in fact stop the process. You also have to look at what the variability rate was prior to the update and I don’t think there was any of significance.
I like your hypothesis of the car accelerator but let me change that to the components that go into an aircraft engine. Would you be happy flying on a plane that had components with a 7% variability rate? I’m not sure you would?
It would also seem that the problem is more pronounced with the big system owners, so if Naim feel they want to alienate or ignore a large section of their income that would be very foolish of them.
In reality this is already damaging sales as my friend with the 500/800 Ovator systems has been contemplating a change to the S1 Statement but the problem he now has with his ND has stopped him in his tracks and until that is resolved the S1 is on hold.
This is why I think Naim will have to find a solution to please everyone!
Real or realistic is something I can only dream of. Going to jazz concerts every Thursday I’m always kind of disappointed at my stereo afterwards. And I have in fact only heard one system playing at realistic amplified distortion free levels once in my entire life. If you can achieve that with just a 500 I’m impressed to say the least. Could not imagine it having that kind of power but maybe I’m misreading your real or realistic?
Yesterday I sat 4 m from the drum kit listening to Paal-Nilssen-Love circus. He is an extraordinary drummer and the music is so intense, suggestive and dynamic, my system pales and becomes a tooth pick in comparison. Wishing I could get this at home (without being evicted)
In the car analogy my car is now accelerating a good amount slower than before. With other cars (with same engine, gearbox but different technical specs in accessories) that is not the case.
Only cars similar to mine are now slower. Slower than during my long term test drive and slower than weeks a go.
For cars it is easier to prove as you can measure it - therefore the metaphor is a bit tricky.
But in the end both the car and the ND are out of specification.
And if a car manufacturer would ignore that as the "many outweighs the few 
" I would leave the shop and won’t come back…
No system will ever give the unrestrained dynamics of a drum kit heard live and up close, and there is just no point in hoping it will, or you’ll be forever disappointed. I’ve been to loads of jazz concerts and my system is perfectly capable of portraying the sound of a live concert. Sounding real is one of the things that makes Naim stand out. Maybe your Goldnote stuff just isn’t very good at that aspect of sound, maybe it just sounds too nice. You shouldn’t need to turn it up to concert levels in order to get that realism you seek.