Denafrips FPGA Firmware Update

I did a little listening today comparing the various modes on my Ares II and I think I still prefer the OS Slow filter.  The OS Fast filter felt like something had been lost and the NOS seemed to have a bit more bloom which sounds good but I missed the slight loss in detail.  Quite a few people that previously preferred the OS Slow now seem to prefer the NOS, so I thought I'd give it a go.

I would also remind to avoid double upsampling in your digital chain and be aware of what’s happening. In other words, if the source is upsampling already for example then NOS mode is likely more appropriate for the DAC. And vice versa.

Also, to avoid the restart in test mode hoop jumping with windows you might instead try, via a CMD window in Admin mode: bcdedit /set testsigning OFF. This should allow the driver install process to complete. Once you have updated you can then CMD: bcdedit /set testsigning ON.

Otherwise, if that doesn’t work for some reason just restart in test mode as instructed ;)

I also have found the sound is generally improved by the update. Also yes, please be aware of the filter settings and such before and after.

TK TEKAudioSpecialties.com

@mceljo I have no idea why break-in would improve the sound and I was skeptical at first. My break-in process has consisted of streaming to the Pontus round the clock with my amp turned off when I’m not listening. I have been able to critically listen only a few hours a day and I have definitely noticed that the haziness that was present initially after the upgrade is now gone. The overall sound also seems smoother since I began this streaming process several days ago. I posed some questions to the FPGA development team at Vinshine regarding break-in and this was their response: "The FPGA firmware update essentially ’rewired’ the logic gates in the FPGA chip. (Ref: link here). Please allow some time for the FPGA to burn in for optimum sound reproduction. Up to 300 hours will be good."

Thanks to Todd, and glad I have a Mac. 8?)

I have owned the Pontus ll 12th for 2 weeks which was an upgrade from the Aries ll. I really like the increased detail that I was getting from the Pontus but I really missed the analogue sound of the Aries so I rolled back the software to 1.0 today. I'm the type of listener that likes an analogue sound, if I had to choose between SS and analogue, I would choose analogue. To me the 1.3 version has more of a SS sound. I really love the 1.0 version. It has plenty of detail for me without sounding rolled off. It has everything I look for in sound. I think the sound you get or will want is entirely dependent on your system set up and what you are looking for. I see a version for everyone. Alvin is the perfect example of what good customer service should look like. It's all too lacking these days.