I was and I still am happy with 3.10.1, because it is much better than 3.10.0 (on my ND5 XS 2). I normally listen mostly to Jazz, Soul and Folk music (from Qobus mostly). The sound of 3.10.1 was more detailed and engaging.
The last couple of days I have listened a lot to other categories (like Indie, Rock etc.). Now I also noticed a ‘hardness’ and ‘brightness’ to a point that it was even annoying. The source was a 320k internet radio stream, so very different from a HiRes Qobuz stream. I will later try some Indie and Rock from Qobuz to see if that has the same bright and hard sound.
Oh dear - and this was with full knowledge that this can happen. Think of us others thinking nothing bad and updating beginning of and September / Beginning October.
In another thread I was asked if I think naim owes me. I think they should owes us (and will) to look into it (as mentioned before)
I’m also in agreement. There are some great elements with the new firmware but on many tracks I find it’s just too bright and glassy. Some plucked guitars could strip wall paper! I have gone back to using my old Node again as it it just seems to take the edge of everything but, of course, I lose some detail. Please give me that old analogue sound back again!
Sadly - seems as we are bringing the band back together here… @Geko You mentioned in the other thread some time back that your dealer (or a dealer ) has also some issues with his nd555 in the showroom.
Have you spoken to him again?
@stavrose
You have been (except me ) the most unhappy one. Hope your silence is because of happiness
Well I wanted to do the back to back experience in a room I use much less. It’s not my main system. It also tested whether it was only more sensitive systems.
I travel home today and will test the problematic tracks on 3.10.1 on my main 500 series system.
Keep us posted - but sadly it is not only the problematic tracks.
New FW works fine with pure Electro - it can go full Techno! But when it comes to acoustic music it is really bad and missing very much of this special magic I bought the ND555 for.
Thanks for asking Drago. I stayed away from the forum to try to forget about the fw issues and just try to enjoy music.
Now that I’ve had plenty of listening time with the latest fw, my verdict is that its a bit better than the previous version (piano sounds more real for sure) but generally the fw can still sound a bit ‘shrill’ with certain music. It sounds like the HF is still exaggerated and the midband seems a little recessed. I’m surprised because I believe that naim were made aware of the HF issue as one of the most common complaints. I really want/need this issue to be fixed.
To report back: I have been listening to tracks from the internet radio stream that I mentioned (320k) and than listen to the same track from Qobuz.
Wow…That makes a huge difference. The tracks from Qobuz (also including Indie, Rock, Metal) sound so much better. The extreme brightness and harshness that I experienced from the internet radio stream is gone when using Qobuz.
Huh… I listened to the track from Qobuz (Hi Res) and from Tidal (CD). That does sound weird indeed. I can’t even tell if these are really cymbals. The tracks itself sounds nice, but these cymbals do not sound natural at all.
I just listened to the same track from Qobuz using my Hifiman Arya connected to a Burson Conductor 3X Performance (streaming form a MacBook Air). Well, no doubt these are cymbals.
Difficult…Headphones will sound different anyway. But the cymbals do sound a bit weird when played on my Naim system (ND5 XS 2 connected to Nait 5si and Tannoy Revolution XT 8F).
Internet Radio is terrible on my 500 system. Paradise Radio was excellent prior to 3.10. Now thin and tinny with a very artificial top end. Qobuz is not much better. The only option for a decent sound signature at the moment is to stream directly from the Core.
That ‘artifical top-end’ is what I experienced when listening to the NPO Radio 2 stream. Very bright top-end and a thin sound stage. It is very clear when compared to the same track on Qobuz.
I just listened to Radio Paradise (Main Mix) and that sounded pretty good on my system. But I would have to listen for a longer period of time to say anything about it.
I also think that your 500 system is incomparable to my ND5 XS 2 / Nait 5si
With recent FW these track had perfect micro detailed cymbals at this track. I was stunned, because I had the same impression before - where I questioned if these are really cymbals playing there. With upgrade to 500 Dr suddenly cymbals appeared
stable (SQ doesn’t seem to be fluctuating day to day)
listening at low volume was definitely better in the previous new fw.
Overall I prefer this latest firmware to the one released 3 months ago. My only complaint is that the high frequencies can be ‘shrill’ on certain instruments and recordings. An issue that should have been addressed in the latest release.
Currently not having the funds to change, had an exceptionally expensive year with several things breaking down. So wait or if not fixed by bonus time change. I am done with waiting to be honest.
This whole situation very much reflects on how I see the music industry evolving. And I am not alone looking at what Mark Levison said in an interview….
“ Today, what I feel is that the high-end audio world has become a racket, a mafia that tries to take as much money as possible from music lovers. It has nothing to do with the original spirit of the whole thing, which was to use engineering and craftsmanship in the service of music and reproducing recordings,’’ Levinson asserts.
One of Levinson’s main criticisms is about the industry’s focus on profit over product integrity. He points out that industry magazines tend to feature products from advertisers, not necessarily those with the best value or performance.”
I think that Mark Levinson’s remark about high-end audio also fits the photography: extremely high prices for gear and a lot of advertorials in the magazines. There’s one in the Netherlands that contains hardly editorial articles.
I / we have been Naim users fro 40 years, but getting a bit disenchanted over the app and FW. I wont make any updates until release notes are posted with explanations of the changes, I have no doubt that Naim are having issues, its obvious they are out of their depth IMO. Obviously strictly IMO, I have no knowledge of the internal working at the HQ
Martin
It’s a challenge to stay with your principles when food on the table is at stake. VerVent Group owns Naim and Focal, but they are in the hands of private equity. And that means return on investment is the primary goal.
It is no rocket science to come to the conclusion that customers and quality don’t come first anymore.
That doesn’t mean it is totally out of the window, but the priority is to make profit, and concessions are bound to be made then.
No judgement here, we all have to eat, but when private equity comes around it usually is a risky path for the company. What would you do when the only other option is quitting?
) the most unhappy one. Hope your silence is because of happiness
