Snowmass DirectStream Sr. upgrade - Available in the Downloads Section

Excellent news, @Paul! :smiley:

Time to go to audioasylum and let the rest know about this word of mouth business. Jay has all ready started a thread. :slight_smile:

I haven’t updated BII in a year or so as I don’t use roon or tidal. Should I update the bridge or just keep the version I have since it works well.

Are there release notes somewhere as to what has changed?

Reading all positives the beta-testers (thank you!) noticed over the weekend i was very eager to experience Snowmass myself.

Install went flawlessly, rebooted once afterwards without sd-card just to be sure.

Started listening thinking my expectations maybe were a bit too high but OMG…no use to describe all positives as everything (?) already has been said. Straight out of the box it’s a revelation!

Thank you Ted, Paul and all other involved folks for the great pleasure finding myself pulled into the music more than ever before.

Hats off !!!

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Thanks for that @Paul. Looking forward to upgrade DSj with Snowmass.

Will you run a beta testers pool as for the DS, or straight “go live” for DSj after your team tests?

Thanks Paul,
Like nimitz said, if you need some end beta testers, I’m in :grin:

…end of this week…soooooo long :sob:

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We are achieving Critcal Snowmass here👍🏻

“It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Snowmass, Everywhere I go…”

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The new firmware is giving me goosebumps over the past couple of hours!

It feels as if I got a new pair of speakers - the increase in resolution, better separation, dynamics, and overall smoothness, all just tremendous.

Big thanks to Paul, Ted and the team! :kissing_heart:

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New speakers?! I would put it in the realm of a new girlfriend :wink:

Edit: I read your note as ‘new pair of SNEAKERS’ not speakers, lol.

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LOL no worries!
But a pair of sneakers would also work as a metaphor - better grip, lateral support and cushioning. :slight_smile:

Folks:

I installed SM last night at about 11:30 and I listened until 3:00 AM EST. My equipment includes all PSA electronics including BHK 300’s and Preamp. My speakers are Golden Ear Reference (Very resolving) Cables and interconnects are Audioquest and Curious USB. Power cables are PSA and Audioquest. Power conditioning is Audioquest Niagara 7000.

This is a major upgrade! There is no need to AB because the improvement is obvious.

I eased in by first listening to Tidal Masters and I knew instantly that SM is a jewel. Listening to, for example, Diane Krall Operator (Jim Croce redo), I noticed a natural and dynamic quality to her voice. The clarity was fantastic. The entire spectrum improved-mids, highs and lows. As someone else mentioned I was relaxed and was hard pressed to evaluate and I had to force myself to do so.
I then moved on to my iTunes files, using Bitperfect software as Paul recommends. Nat King Cole’s Christmas Song and Stardust, for example, took on a life as though he was in my listening room. These are old recordings folks! The Beatles When I’m sixty four (Remix) revealed clarity of voice and powerful mid-bass. I was able to follow individual instruments.
Holly Cole’s Train Song has deep bass with very soft nuances- amazing. Everything was there.

I then moved on to the DSMP, which has the 3.10 upgrade. CD David Roth Pear Diver all tracks revealed incredible voice clarity with dynamics. Vincent was magical. Peter, Paul and Mary In Concert, which is SACD/DSD. is a live recording which shows hall ambiance. This was excellent with Redcloud. Now it is even better. The applause was much less harsh. At this point I was getting sleepy and decided to play ordinary CD’s such as Randy Travis I Told you so; John Denver’s greatest hits. Everything showed improvement especially voice. I suspect I will be up late again tonight. Overall this is a wonderful upgrade. Harshness is almost completely gone. Bass is powerful, yet defined. Mids and highs are dynamic and clean.

Ted and Paul, thank you.

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I’m probably missing something but the only question I haven’t seen answered already this morning is about the force loading of this release.

I’ll probably misstate things since I didn’t write the code and don’t have any documentation on it but here goes:

There are various flags in the LOADER.CFG file that control what happens when the system is powered up: one of them is just bash the system with the new files (even if the files might be from another product) - this is VERY BAD, don’t just start trying things in the LOADER.CFG - you could regret it.

There’s another flag that says to skip the upgrade if the version numbers match - that’s the way things are normally released.

Then there’s “the things have to be for the correct product but always load”… This is the way that the current Snowmass download is set (and the last Redcoud DS Jr download was set.)

All in all don’t mix up releases for different products (you can check to see if the set of file names are similar except for trailing numbers.) And if you system keeps doing the upgrade use a different SD card or erase the SD card.

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Ted
Just a few minutes into Snowmass and I must say that the improvement is startling!
Right now I’m listening to Pat Metheny, Charlie Hayden and Antonio Sanchez and what jumped out immediately was how absolutely real Antonio’s drums sound. The never before crispness of the leading edge of stick strikes on the drum skins and cymbals is amazing. And overall there is such a striking difference between the blackness and the impressive weight of the musical presentation. As I’m writing this, Charlie Hayden is playing a bass solo and the improvement in timbre and weight of his bass is massive.
This is simply brilliant. You must get such satisfaction from creating something that brings such pleasure to those who care.
Thank you Ted
Ron

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I’ve been reading this thread with all the effusive feedback over the weekend with both a level of excitement and admittedly a bit of scepticism that I might not experience the same level of improvement. Updated to the Snowmass last night at midnight and let it play overnight. Turned up the volume this morning and could immediately tell the piano sounded different. immediately sat down (without coffee) and listened to the entire The Seasons by Tchaikovsky. The piano sounded much more palpable as if to be able to see the whole keyboard laid out in front of my eyes. Each note had a bit more space around it. A similar experience with Clark Terry’s CD One On One, on the track Misty. The separation between Billy Taylor’s piano and Terry’s trumpet was distinct and I could sense the air around each of their instruments. I could make out Terry shifting and moving in his chair, and puckering his lips just before playing. Quite the experience! To switch it up a little, I played Shostakovich’s Eighth Symphony next. The ominous and almost brutal opening hits you in the chest. Recordings in the Concertgebouw are already atmospheric, and with Redcloud I’d been impressed, but with Snowmass the cello and the bass had taken on a more primal timbre. The third movement was downright savage and pulse-pounding like I hadn’t heard before. Once again, the sense of space around each instrument was very prominent.

This is a quantum leap from Redcloud. No other way to say it. This is why I bought the DS DAC six months ago to be where I am now. I don’t mean this in a pejorative way, this doesn’t sound like my vinyl rig (which I love and cost me more); this exists on its own merit. I will be listening to more and more of my digital rig now. Thank you Paul, Ted and the PSAudio team. A small regret remains however, I should have bought the silver one instead of the black. C’est la vie! Life is good!

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DS Jr Snowmass - next week :roll_eyes:
Well worth the wait it seems, Thanks guys

Just wanted to add to the positive experience. Installed the firmware effortlessly. System booted up immediately. The sound is excellent. This DAC just keeps on evolving . . . and giving! Thanks!! Cheers!!!

I’ll keep it at end of the week :wink: (Snowmass for the DSJ). Glass half full :grin:

@Paul, if you need some beta testers for Jr i’m in.

Paul will let us know if he needs Beta testers for junior and how to participate. Please do not clog the thread with offers to help.

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