Denafrips FPGA Firmware Update

Found it - my stupid brain. 

Installed the Pontus II 12th Anniversary FUT. I downloaded to my Mac Pro (Mojave), the directions were clear and went quite smoothly. Less than 1 minute once I dropped the file into the Terminal window. I didn't expect to be blown over by the results of the firmware, and, I wasn't. However, there is some pixie dust happening here; A good thing. I played one of my favorite Latin Jazz - 'Montuno' -from Lalo Schifrin. its 7:34 of pure energy—and there was a bit more bass & brass, a bit more air around instruments, and a bit more sound stage height than what I'm use to. Its a small bump. I'll know better in a week.

I should add to the above; I was streaming from my iPad, usb to Pontus, to P3 pre, to EX-M7, to Revel M106 pair. I have yet to try the other ports and I believe Alvin noted those ports would receive the benefit of the firmware, too.

Updated the firmware on my Ares 2 and Pontus 2 today.  Both updates were pretty easy.  The actual firmware update took less than a minute on my MacBook Pro.  Overall the sound quality on both was better, maybe more so for the Ares 2.  Hearing a little more detail in the music and imaging is better and soundstage is a little wider.  Very happy with the firmware update.

I'm part of a Denafrips group on FB and the Pontus updates seem to be getting a much higher percentage of mixed reviews after the firmware update than the Ares II.

I'm now really curious to see how things play out as the upgrade is released to each successively better DAC.

I'm wondering if the Ares II is at a perfect level where the differences are heard almost entirely as an improvement, but the more resolving the DAC (and likely overall system) is the more the differences will less obvious and rely more on listener preference.  It's possible that the differences become more significant and as a result sound more like a new product than an upgrade to the current one.