DirectStream - do I dare suggest a FW revision?

Audio Components DACs
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Gordon, this raises an interesting topic that has been discussed (I think) in one way or the other since the start of reproduced sound. One of my audio friends and I went to visit another. This fellow spent the last couple of years making significant changes to his system and he wanted us to come over and listen. I don’t want to get into the details of the system, mostly because it shouldn’t really matter. What we heard was detailed, clear, precise, non-aggressive, extended top to bottom, but ultimately did not grab our attention. I don’t want to say it was boring, but it didn’t draw us in. It did everything “right”, from the sound of it. One might even say it sounded like music. But neither one of us left feeling like this is what a music system should sound like. How is it that a system can seem to do everything right but not “be” right?

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Elk said

I do not hear any congestion (at least I do not believe I do), but your description of lack of timbre fits. Additionally, a deficit of timbrel detail could make it more difficult to parse the underlying music, resulting in a sense of congestion.

My spidey sense suspects we are describing the same thing in different ways.

Tony?

I'm... not sure. Based on Gordon's added message it's not clear to me that it's the same thing. Like you, Elk, I don't hear what might generally be considered congestion in this area. Is it possible that the hardness could be masking the resolution in that range? If so it might be equivalent to congestion.
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Frode said I really hope any remedy will be software related (firmware upgrade).
You are not the only one :)
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tony22 said I'm... not sure. Based on Gordon's added message it's not clear to me that it's the same thing. Like you, Elk, I don't hear what might generally be considered congestion in this area. Is it possible that the hardness could be masking the resolution in that range? If so it might be equivalent to congestion.
With Gordon's further explanation I think I am hearing something different than he does.

Given it is in the same frequency range my guess is they are related.