4.6 update and upgrade sound quality ?

 Bobbyrab1 - good suggestion.  Thought of that too, and tried it a few times on my 272.  No joy for me unfortunately.  Glad it worked for you!  Cheers

Huge posted:

Finkfan posted:

Ok. Thanks Huge. I’ll try installing the Driver again

Go to Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Programs and Features
Have a look for "Windows Driver Package - Silicon Laboratories Inc. (silabser) Ports (9/27/2017 6.7.5.1893)
If you don't have that, the right driver isn't installed

Thanks [@mention:36201736971392588]. I now have that driver installed and  I’ll try the updater again once the new USB cable arrives. 

I have my fingers crossed for you Finkfan!

best

David

Thanks David. I’m very hopeful

Two points:
1. I want to inform some MacBook users regarding how I successfully updated my NDS:
I couldn't see the COM3 port in the combobox of naim's software via the OSX operating system, so I ran Parallels with Windows 10 and I finished the job in 10 minutes. You can also use VMware Workstation in order to set a windows virtual machine.
* Make sure you configure the VM to see all USB ports of your physical computer.

2.  After a few days my impressions are still good, BUT speakers re-positioning is a must.
I had to get my 707's out of the wall (was: 35cm, currently: 75cm), now I get a better 3D imaging and focus, very impressive, bass is not boomy at all.
The NDS still doesn't have the weight and punch of the CD Player, but it's getting close to it with 4.6

BP.

I’m interested to hear how the 4.6 version of my 272 compares to my CDX2. If it’s close, it may be time to move to a core 

This morning I have updated my 272 to version 4.6, which went very smoothly.

I then unpacked my recently purchased ex-dem Core added an SSD and started ripping discs, which I'm pleased to say is also working smoothly.

Now listening to First Aid Kit - Ruins and to my cloth ears it's sounding great.

Unfortunately, I have no experience of Naim CD players so cannot comment on a comparison.

My UniQute is a 24/96 2B instead of 3D so no upgrade for me, wondering whether I’m experiencing discrimination or dodging a bullet reading this thread!

it is however good to see Naim upgrading non-current products but of course if it took 3 years maybe this isn’t as altruistic as it first seems. 

.sjb

John I think it was waiting for the new Unitis design to stabilise that slowed it down because they needed to get multiroom to work across all of the range.

To me the UQ2 sounds better with the new firmware, but this may be unconscious bias of course.

best

David

WOW, I got it working finally, it was the USB driver installing issue like I said earlier. I tooked original laptop & tried to install without cable connected & somehow it went as it supposed to go. Notised also that when installing the USB drivers you need to do full extracting first, not just download & open the zip file & run exe.

As a self confessed luddite, this is a bit of a faff, rather than an OTA update, that said, it went smoother than the OTA for my QB, with the excellent advice given here.

UQ2Uwas done in 5mins this morning, before the kids got up and started to use band width, over my normally stable WiFi rather than wired network.

I used windows 10 and com4 with the driver from 4.4 update link. If this helps other members here.

WBR

Guy

Hmm... Has anyone else noticed the presentation of bass to be quite different under 4.6? I took my NDX to 4.6 but listening to A Tribe Called Quest "Steve Biko (Stir It Up)" and "Award Tour" the bass lines seemed rather oddly bloated and slow. Took it back down to 4.4 and actually I think I find this preferable. 

Gandalf_fi posted:

WOW, I got it working finally, it was the USB driver installing issue like I said earlier. I tooked original laptop & tried to install without cable connected & somehow it went as it supposed to go. Notised also that when installing the USB drivers you need to do full extracting first, not just download & open the zip file & run exe.

Yes that's normally required for installations.  The install instructions in the zip file say to extract form the zip and install the driver before connecting the cable to the device.

Yes, wanted to remind. Was not the case in my setup.

BUNNY COLVIN,

I think so too(also NDX). The lowest of tones isn't quite as it was and sounds a bit muddled and bloated at higher volumes. Just spent half hour pulling speakers forwards, backwards, slightly more together, further apart, angled, straight on etc.

Perhaps the change will grow on us or even change in time...who knows?

kevin J Carden posted:

Jonn posted:

The so called upgrade has made my NDS sound worse. Yes a bit more detail but it also sounds brighter/harsher than before. The overall balance sound wrong too with bass emphasis and the sound stage is odd. The left/right speaker balance is too pronounced whereas before the speakers seem to disappear when listening.

I'll do a factory reset and give it another couple of days but at the moment I'm more inclined to sacrifice the extra detail and bass for the smoother and more balanced sound of the previous version. Is it possible to go back?

I’m with you on this Jonn. I’ve no idea what the issue is, but I’m sitting here watching cr*p TV and looking at the forum instead of listening to music because my system won’t play me any. It’s sounding Muddy, flat, airless, one note. I’m reserving judgement on 4.6 firmware being the cause as it sounds so bad that I suspect something else must have sprung a leak somewhere else in the system. This is not Preferring A over B, this is just not engaging music.

So, Fastest way to find out will be reinstall 4.4 tomorrow and see if the problem persists.

Quick Update on my woes. First up, sorry to unnecessarily cast aspersions on 4.6 or to worry anyone thinking of updating their NDS. False alarm. As I suspected, it transpires that my system has indeed sprung a leak elsewhere. Or perhaps more pertinently, leaked a spring. My wonderful dealer this afternoon lent me his demo NDS which still has 4.4 fw installed so that I could relatively quickly A/B the 2 firmwares. That was my objective. First thing I noticed when swapping the head units was when lifting my head unit out of the rack that there was a horrible ‘thunk’ and rattle as I lifted it carefully off the shelf. I’m guessing that somehow the sprung board inside must have come off its mountings and I have absolutely no idea how that could have happened, but clearly, there’s the issue. Surgery needed 

Hope it bounces back soon.

Should spring back to life after it’s sorted.  Please post your impressions here, post surgery.

Cheers,

Evan

Amazon basics mini USB cable arrived yesterday and I’ve just had time to get to the office to try it out. Plugged it in, ran the updater and.......

works perfectly!! 

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. 

You do need to download and extract the driver to your computer. Check that you have version 9/27/2017 6.7.5.1893 installed. I restarted my laptop. Started the updater and then plug in the USB to my laptop. It then came up with the message that it was installing the driver. Once that had completed, back to the updater. COM4 was now available in the drop down menu. Click next and it’s away. 

272 is just restarting so I’m off to have a listen. 

Thanks again gents! 

I really like 4.6 SQ.

NDS + 2x555PS sounds even more analog than earlier. Almost like someone putted handbrake on a bit. Rythm is not slover but it feels like it. Some really excellent recordings with a bit bright sound are much more balanced now. There is more separation & dynamic, expecially vocals are sounding even more real. But then, when listening Fink live recording somehow the magic was lost, where is the attack of Instruments? Aha, need to put a bit more volume than usually and it started to be fine again. Still there is a difference, time will tell the truth.

All of this makes me seriously think do I really need ND555? NDS sounds so damn good now, many thanks Naim !

I’ve just been enjoying a few tracks whilst doing paperwork. The 272 sounds a little more relaxed too I feel. The highs sound a little smoother. Bass a little more refined and agile. Early days yet, but I’m really enjoying it. Thanks to Naim and the Beta team for all their hard work. 

Finkfan posted:

Amazon basics mini USB cable arrived yesterday and I’ve just had time to get to the office to try it out. Plugged it in, ran the updater and.......

works perfectly!! 

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. 

You do need to download and extract the driver to your computer. Check that you have version 9/27/2017 6.7.5.1893 installed. I restarted my laptop. Started the updater and then plug in the USB to my laptop. It then came up with the message that it was installing the driver. Once that had completed, back to the updater. COM4 was now available in the drop down menu. Click next and it’s away. 

272 is just restarting so I’m off to have a listen. 

Thanks again gents! 

Excellent! I'm glad the cable suggestion worked out.

best

David

Thanks David 

It was a combination of an unsuitable mini USB cable and the wrong driver installed initially. 

I did my 4.6 update last Friday and as I reported then, this was quite straight fwd but I didn't have much time to listen properly then.

I managed to do this last night,

I am afraid for me it is definitely not good news. Yes, I can hear more -- but music lines just sound 'louder' to me -- the whole mix lacks subtlety and sounds somewhat 'un-balanced'. It all sounds somewhat more 'animated' and to me, the music seems to have been robbed of its emotion and warmth. Music which prior to the update would relax me now makes me anxious and the whole thing has completely lost 'that which makes me want to play it'. Yes, I can definitely hear more bass -- but it sounds completely wrong and it sounds somewhat out of time and out of tune to me -- in fact I sense 'timing' is now somewhat compromised.

This is all very surprising to me as I have never experienced what to me is a very in-naim like sound in an upgrade. And I find it very hard to believe Naim would release such an 'upgrade'.

Since some people with NDS like the upgrade -- then 2 possibilities -- (a) this is a new direction for naim streamers which I just happen not to like -- tough cheese I guess  (b) there is something wrong with my streamer (I would say this is unlikely as it sounded absolutely sublime before the upgrade)

Now a question for you learned forum members -- is it possible to roll-back this upgrade back to 4.4 and leave absolutely no trace of what to me has been a disastrous 4.6 upgrade? I hope and pray this is possible so I can have my music back... This is all very distressing to me...

many thanks

enjoy...

ken