DAC-V1 after firmware update, what is happening?

SongStream posted:

analogmusic posted:

I did a back and forth of new vs old firmware, and the old one is significantly more musical to my ears, (this into a 202/200/NAPSC). I do hear the newer firmware is more more smooth and pleasant on the ears to listen to though.

Not sure what is going on here, I am very sure Naim would never release a firmware that is less musical than the older one.

Two months since the update and you're still going back and fourth?  Why?  As I recall, you are of the view that the DAC-V1 is surpassed in every regard (old and new firmware alike) by the Chord Hugo, which you also own.  Why on earth are you still worrying about it?

Yes, opinion is divided, this comes as no surprise to me at all.  I said before that the effect will be different depending on how the DAC-V1 is used, and of course the partnering equipment.  Furthermore, I suspect the difference is also perceived differently depending on what you typically listen to.  As an example, say that Metallica, Slip Knot, and Royal Blood sound better with the old firmware, and perhaps the Hugo too, well, this is of little concern to me personally.  Although I sometimes do listen to said bands, except for Slip Knot...and Metallica.  Now, say for example that the new firmware sounds better with Anne Bisson, Seasick Steve, and London Grammar, while being maybe less engaging with Royal Blood.  That's an easy choice for me.  Not that I particularly feel that exact scenario is the case, but where it excels is with the type of music I typically listen to on a daily basis.  And that very thing will vary enormously between users of all kit.

I still use my DAC V1 while watching TV shows and movies. I still like what it does with the older firmware.

Anyway I removed the Powerline and of course it sounds less good than with the powerline, so I will try the new firmware now without the powerline... 

I'm using DAC-V1 with SN2 and am very happy with the new firmware. To my ears I have less speakers and more music. My source is iMac with Audirvana connected to V1 by USB.

Of course these things are matters of taste, but in my humble system things are quite good with the 1.16.

I think it's also great to have the option to listen DSDs.

Cheers

Today I stumbled over an album I don't recall listening to since owning either the DAC-V1, or the SN2, and it was Appetite for Destruction by Guns n Roses.  Now, in my teen years, I became very familiar with this, and over the years since the mood for a bit of GNR comes along sometimes.  Not being of the mood to listen to the whole album today, I played the hit track Paradise City.  This album is not a mega loud and compressed affair, but nonetheless, on previous systems, the madness which is the last minute or so of the song, does tend to become almost a loud and slightly crashy overall noise, with an obscured rhythmic thump behind it.  I got the gist of what was going on, but really not much more.  After listening today, if I could have counted fast enough, I would be able to list about 500, probably many more, beats and notes that were clearly defined and I have never heard before.  I have never heard that track, particularly the tail end, presented in anything like the manner it was this morning.  

Now, one thing that also struck me was that the track seemed less loud than I remember, and I think part of that is due to the improved separation you get with a DAC-V1 on 1.16, there's less noise, more stops and starts, and more information.  If anything, this was a distraction from getting lost in the track and nostalgia, because I kept hearing the band members doing their thing; I was thinking about the band all the way through.  I knew where each member was standing, I knew how they were working together, and for that reason, I felt much more like I was listening to a live band play, rather than a studio recording.  It was good fun.

Thinking back to my early teen years when GNR received more frequent attention, two things were true then, and are still true today, I loved music, and I was obsessed with sound quality.  However, at that time, way before I had a proper hifi, sound quality and music delivery were not directly linked in my head, crazy as that might seem.  I never thought of sound quality in terms of how it would deliver music, it was more the overall noise I would focus on, and think, too bright, too harsh, too muffled etc.  It wasn't until I owned a decent entry level system in my late teens, that I realised what I really wanted from a stereo, that being musical engagement and insight, rather than a soft tip-toe-like easy on the ear sound containing some musical information.  For sure, I have that musical engagement better now than ever before.

When I started typing three paragraphs ago, I was heading to a point, but I've now waffled on for so long now I've forgotten what it was.  Oh well, I've written it, so I am posting it.

thijazi posted:

I had some issues with my DAC-V1 and USB (random distortions in the sound) in Windows running Roon or JRiver, tried a MAC and had the same issue, invested in USB re-clockers, USB power conditioners, etc. and nothing helped, then read somewhere about the fact that the DAC-V1 doesn't need the 5V power wire in the USB cable as it handles these matters itself, bought a simple 10 Euro device (VBus Isolator) that effectively shields the power line in the USB cable (cuts if off basically) and all problems gone, my system sounds even better with this simple, cheap fix...

The little gadget is here: https://www.sbooster.com/sboos...ooster-vbus-isolator

Cheers....

I took your tip and installed said vbus isolator myself 5 minutes ago, thought it would be worth a shot and order one.

All I can say is THANKS. With all pc tweaks this was by far the cheapest and most impressibe one. I use a dedicated pc tweaked to quite high levels on both hardware and software.

Isolating the current from entering the Dac through my Chord USB cable made wonders by "cleaning everything up"

Glad it helped, I had weird distortions (buzzing, scratching, hissing sound) that would randomly creep in and the only way out for me was to restart the system.. Ever since I installed this little isolator device I never had the problem again...... Last I checked online they where out of stock....

thijazi posted:

Glad it helped, I had weird distortions (buzzing, scratching, hissing sound) that would randomly creep in and the only way out for me was to restart the system.. Ever since I installed this little isolator device I never had the problem again...... Last I checked online they where out of stock....

They should offer a naim usb cable without that voltage strand inside directly though - Id buy it!

I asked NAIM what they use in house but got no reply! DAC-V1 is sensitive to what you plug into it. I am currently experimenting with its USB, feeding off a Paul Pang V2  'audio grade' PCIe USB card fed with a clean supply from a spare Power One 5VDC/3A unit I had. I am getting good  results -  a 'quieter background' revealing excellent clarity/definition especially noticeable in choral recordings!

Brilliant posted:

I asked NAIM what they use in house but got no reply! DAC-V1 is sensitive to what you plug into it. I am currently experimenting with its USB, feeding off a Paul Pang V2  'audio grade' PCIe USB card fed with a clean supply from a spare Power One 5VDC/3A unit I had. I am getting good  results -  a 'quieter background' revealing excellent clarity/definition especially noticeable in choral recordings!

Yeah I've been using similar solutions and know that everything you do with the PC counts, alot. Although if you have'nt already tried do the voltage isolator.

For me the small ground-loop hum I didn't know I had went away almost completely. Drums got crystal clear. Music is more dynamic and punchy. Effortless

Henkerino posted:

Brilliant posted:

I asked NAIM what they use in house but got no reply! DAC-V1 is sensitive to what you plug into it. I am currently experimenting with its USB, feeding off a Paul Pang V2  'audio grade' PCIe USB card fed with a clean supply from a spare Power One 5VDC/3A unit I had. I am getting good  results -  a 'quieter background' revealing excellent clarity/definition especially noticeable in choral recordings!

Yeah I've been using similar solutions and know that everything you do with the PC counts, alot. Although if you have'nt already tried do the voltage isolator.

For me the small ground-loop hum I didn't know I had went away almost completely. Drums got crystal clear. Music is more dynamic and punchy. Effortless

 

Does the unit internally have decoupling circuitry like  ICs or is it just lifting the Vbus pins?

^I found some discussion of this unit on the CA forum - apparently someone asked Sbooster about this and it has only the +5V pin (1) lifted. Gnd pin (4) is passed through as some DACs need it for hand shake. 

Henkerino posted:

thijazi posted:

Glad it helped, I had weird distortions (buzzing, scratching, hissing sound) that would randomly creep in and the only way out for me was to restart the system.. Ever since I installed this little isolator device I never had the problem again...... Last I checked online they where out of stock....

They should offer a naim usb cable without that voltage strand inside directly though - Id buy it!

Have you seen this? http://www.elijahaudio.com/

this is an older thread, but for a few weeks now have been using the newer firmware, and now to my ears, there is now no loss of PRAT or musicality with the new firmware and the DAC V1 sounds excellent to me with movies and music.

Maybe it is a different presentation but it is better (more refined) than the older one. it does take some time to forget the old one though.