Seems very unlikely given you’re on a Naim forum together with a lot of guys that exclusively use Naim kit and are often big fans of the brand and yet there is a decent number that are less than impressed with the current release.
As a measure of R&D’s professionalism, it would be very interesting to read about their test procedure and environment; surely something they should be proud of?
Naim’s reluctance to provide a simple, rapid solution isn’t helping either.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, I accept yours. However, I note there are 722 replies to this thread, of which multiple are by the same person. I very much doubt Naim has less than 722 customers. I am not trying to create an argument. Just stating what facts I am observing 
Absolutely, at best it would be indicative, possibly. As I said……
ATB, J
Of course, the sample can only represent those that voted in the poll. Based on the poll and its thread, I would agree the negative feedback is more vociferous than neutral or positive. Regardless, the results of this poll (which is all we have to go on) are what they are.
It would be impossible to accurately extrapolate global sentiment from this poll, but on the other hand, the forum (and therefore likely the poll participants) probably represents a concentration of brand enthusiasts, who would generally be more inclined to praise than complain.
Regardless of the poll results or interpretation, anecdotally this specific update appears to have generated far more discontent and mixed views than any that have gone before.
What is the number of people who voted? What is the number of members on the forum? I am asking because I couldn’t find the poll, so I couldn’t vote. Imagine there are 500 people who had negative opinions. Of course, Naim should inquire what’s going on for them, but that’s not a poll of any value IF you are interested in how good/bad/the same people who upgraded found the upgrade. So, it depends if you are interested in raw number of complaints or want to extrapolate to how widespread the issue is. The poll speaks to the first question, not the second.
Poll - New firmware: sound upgrade or downgrade? Here is the poll for anyone who can’t find it.
After a week without the Adot and better cables I decided to put it all back. The noise levels are audibly lower and sonically better. I have found that because of this I can play music at much lower levels with the same quality as I had when I had to raise the volume. So I can see why some find this new fw too much if you like playing loud as this set up negates the need for it. Now I have seen it from both sides I will give in to playing at lower levels or until naim change it And understand the frustration for people who prefer higher sound levels.
I found that with my media converters, the initial volume was a lot lower and had to increase the volume slightly That though appeared to allow a lot more detail to come through rather than making louder, if that makes sense.
DG…
“For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.”
If you look at the figures you’ll see that 12% of 264 voters consider the firmware has made things deteriorate. That’s 30 people. Hardly statistically significant.
In my experience, the biggest variable in how my system sounds is me.
What is my state of mind?
How busy was my day?
How good is this wine?!
Considering how as a collective we insist on A-B comparisons of systems when we purchase, there seems to be a considerable number of folks on here who have evolved an incredible “SQ memory” of a firmware version that has not been on their system for several weeks now.
Or is it me?
Whilst a few have issues with the firmware changes, the testing, however extensive, will only encompass Naim kit. With Naim accessories including PL, various i/cs and speaker cable all available, with one time Naim speakers and now speakers from within the group, testing will be conducted using these combinations.
While enthusiasts will change or add, other aspects of their system, the testing will never reach those “tweaks”. As many of us have discovered, such moves can tailor an individual streaming system towards or away from what we would like to enjoy.
So exactly how are those who don’t exclusively use Naim standard kit - since beyond the accessories described, earlier in the post, all the extra “paraphernalia” is not Naim specific? Indeed your own profile lists kit which I imagine, you consider enhances, or used to, your streaming experience.
Realistically, Naim cannot in anyway take this into account.
So there is a dilemma. Those of us with Naim kit, without thrills are largely satisfied and those with additions it seems not.
Bluntly those with Naim kit without addition, may find their firmware in the future, compromised by those with “bells and whistles”, who are most vocal, that the firmware has - as some have described - “broken their system”!
AI may have an answer; better to ask a Meerkat - not so “simples”!
The problem is I don’t play loud I hope this is a weird interaction or something wrong with my streamer. My usable volume is tiny and I’m choosing between inaudible and too much. Also all parts of the music are equally loud which is weird so I hope it’s something that can be fixed especially as none of it happens using AirPlay as an input.
Can you take your streamer to your dealer and try and replicate the problem there?
DG…
Maybe, I haven’t contacted them directly about this yet as I’m waiting to see what happens with future updates. But it’s probably a good idea if I contact them so they know it’s an issue. I’ll just stick to airplay for a bit if necessary.
That doesn’t sound right at all. Nothing like my experience.
I agree with everyone else that’s nothing like what I have heard from others. Mine is normal volume but I don’t need to turn it up really loud to get it to perform at its best. Sounds like a fault or connection problem somewhere! Good luck
That’s good to know I’ll definitely talk to my dealer. I’ve definitely had enough of tech today 
changed my router this afternoon virgin hub 3 to hub 5. Naim app and streamer are fine but way too many other products need me to do complicated reset or relink procedures to find my new WiFi. Sonos took several go’s to first find my soundbar and then to find the new network.
Not sure there is anything fundamental other than noise shaping. I understand Naim did listen to the firmware before release on Naim products, but crucially with Naim only wiring.
I have in the past from a super reliable engineering design source in Naim that up to the 2nd gen streamer products, low level machine code execution timing manipulation, such as the timing of data load reads, on certain modules could reasonably deterministically act as a kind of parametric eq on the resultant analogue audio. The later products appeared after this individual left the company, so I can only assume the same principles apply.