Beta-version-of-Devialet-AIR

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I sent a query to Devialet asking if the beta versions have any impact on sound quality, their response as follows:

'The engineers only touch the part to improve stability of network, it won't affect the sound quality, don't worry."

That seems perfectly reasonable - and indeed expected - from an engineering point of view, if you subscribe to the "bits are bits" way of thinking (as I tend toward myself).

Devialet have engineered AIR to deliver a bit-perfect copy of its input to the amplifier.  Provided the changes they make don't interfere with that, I can't see how they could change the sound quality.  Timing should not be an issue because of the large buffer on the amplifier - at least, not up to the point where a drop-out occurs and the defect is obviously audible.

One thing that interests me is that there are no firmware updates to accompany the new beta version of AIR.  That suggests to me that they have not changed the protocol AIR uses to talk to the amplifier.  So it's interesting that they're talking about network stability.  My money would rather be on sorting out bugs/peculiarities specific to the Windows environment that might result in AIR transmitting obviously incorrect data to the amplifier.

Anyway, I suppose it's all a bit academic until there's some evidence that the dreaded white noise has been banished. I wish you luck trying it - fingers crossed!