New beta firmware 7.1.3 released

[Hifi_swlon]

Had a listen tonight with a couple of albums I know well. To my ears, the softening I was hearing with SAM enabled seems to be much reduced.  I hadn't got used to the D200's sound enough to say more generally about the change in sound, but the softening was something that bothered me and was very apparent, so I'd be very surprised if the new firmware didn't at least have a SAM update. Well, now I can brace myself for the big reveal too....... 

[thumb5]

Just occurred to me: is everyone who hears an improvement in sound quality running with SAM enabled?

[Divasson]

Just occurred to me: is everyone who hears an improvement in sound quality running with SAM enabled?

Not me! Running Gallo Stradas 2 w/o SAM and the musicality increase is clear.

[thumb5]

Great! Hopefully something for everyone, then...

[Rufus McDufus]

Ah, that's interesting. So it may not be SAM mk 2 then.

I have to admit I turn off a bit when people say one firmware sounds better than another because of the years with Linn DS players where people could hear minute changes in firmwares (and some did indeed sound different) that just differed in minor ways, and not in ways that had deliberate sound quality changes. It seemed as if it was down to the compilation of the firmware binaries, and Linn couldn't possibly control how it sounded merely from the way it was built. I had a feeling this would be more of the same, but it isn't. There are definite sound quality changes in this firmware.

(I've since realised that any change, even one not containing sound quality changes, could actually change the way things sound, but I can't necessarily hear it!)

[Confused]

Just occurred to me: is everyone who hears an improvement in sound quality running with SAM enabled?

A good point, I was thinking about this earlier and I'm please you've posted the question.  However, I believe the SAM peramiters as loaded by the Configurator card are LF only.  So SAM 2, if such a thing ever emerges, will surely require a Configurator card update?

[Rufus McDufus]

Correct, unless the full frequency range parameters/data are already in the config file?

[Antoine]

Reading all this and remembering the hint someone wrote that Devialet was working on equal loudness correction, and the fact that the DSP part of the firmware has changed makes me wonder if they've implemented this already in this beta firmware.

Haven't tried it myself yet so can't form my own opinion. Measuring output before and after the update especially at a lower volume could "prove" it being the case. I might do this next week, can't right now, no time and my house is a mess now as I'm renovating parts of it.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contour

[Rufus McDufus]

That's a possibility. I do feel like there's a boost at certain frequencies. Pianos are particularly prominent for me and there's an added punch at certain frequencies. There is an improved coherence though which I first felt was like a jitter reduction but that impression may not be correct.
I'm actually enjoying this update more than when I got SAM for my speakers. Partly because my speakers aren't optimally positioned (due to small room) so SAM tipped the bass slightly into the excessive territory!

[Dr Tone]

If there is anything that I feel is different with 7.1.3 it is related to the sound stage, the center image seems more forward to me. It's the one thing I feel I can truelly remember as I spend so much time concentrating on it. I listen to music with vocals 95% of the time.

I don't trust my ears and brain to tell me if it's slightly brighter, warmer, more musical etc etc. Human hearing can change day to day with diet and stress. I need to be able to switch back and forth within 30 seconds to get picky on these things. That just isn't possible with a 10 minute firmware upgrade for me anyway.

How that center image moved forward might be related to mids as others have mentioned.


Now I've stuck my neck out there.