XLO cd 
Ted, first of all many thanks to you and the PSA team. Great work. As a result of the work you folks have done and the XS4400 mod, the DS has leapt to a new level of performance. Iâm very pleased.
Does the DS achieve its highest S/N ratio at a volume setting of 92?
Are there a number of reasons for recommending a volume setting of 92 instead of 100?
I apologize if youâve discussed this before and I missed it. Thanks again.
Possible that with your equipment, room, music, etc. that an earlier release will sound better. I had that experience last time around. On the other hand, itâs good to let things settle in a while first before passing judgment. After about 8 hours, Iâm liking what I hear this time. And Tedâs guidance about volume levels may have helped as well.
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In general the best analog S/N is when the volume is at 100. The 92 comes from adding code to get lower level detail in quieter music. It doesnât work as well with louder music. If you only listen to quiet music (or very dynamic music thatâs mostly quiet then 100 is fine. When the musicâs average level and the current volume setting gets above a cutoff the FPGA disables the low level detail heuristic.
Many use 100 all of the time and are happy. Some whoâs favorites include compressed or bombastic music might like lowering the volume to 92 so the low level detail code is always working. This will bring the noise floor of the whole system up a little, but thatâs not a problem for most people who have a preamp.
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Hm, I (still) hear those crickets. WeirdâŚ
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The crickets are actually at the beginning and all through he song. At the beginning on some systems you can also hear a bird.
If sd card is purchased from psaudio, a ginning bug comes out of the package 
I agree that things can change after more hours of playing, even though I cannot rationalize why that would be. I donât see how speaker toe-in could bring back the deeper bass. I recently spent a day tweaking the locations and toe-ins of my speakers using PSAudioâs Disk to optimize holographic focus, room bass uniformity, soundstage width and depth, etc. I think the issue is with the frequency distribution of the software upgrade. Since Paul and his son picked the winner out of several version contenders, it could be that their ears preferred an emphasis in higher frequencies. I wish these software upgrades were available with different equalizations. Instead of tipped to the top end I would like to see an alternative version tipped to the bottom end. I would hate to have to add subwoofers to my very capable full range speakers that are tuned to reach down to 16Hz.
The thing is, when I raise the volume to enhance the deep bass, the treble becomes overwhelming.
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This thing about volume at 92. I went back and forth try 92 and 100 and definitely cleaner sound at 92. The highs rings out cleaner with more air and overall music a little clearer. Maybe you can try 92 can tell us if you hear the same thing in your system?
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Where can I get previous firmwares ? I liked much better the one before the windom.
I just went back to Windom after listening all day to Sunlight.
Sunlight is definitely more revealing in my system. But certain instruments like saxophones or Milt Jacksonâs vibes can feel a bit strident.
Windom feels warmer and a bit more lush, probably hiding some detail that maybe I donât want.
Itâs a process. A fun one, however. The playing around continuesâŚ
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I am very impressed with Sunlight. Noticeable leap in bass and resolution on my system. Soundstage seems a bit wider too, it is definitely deeper.
Great job Ted and team!
For me, Sunlight is an easy listen and a significant improvement. Best of the mountain tops in bettering the previous version. No straining or comparing of differences, just let the music wash over you. The analogy I would make is that it is like a good component or cable change. The longer I can sit in my chair and not want to leave is my standard.
I too, like Mr. Burger, tried to update my DAC via a USB in the PST. Pretty stupid. My only defense (other than age) is that I have done a lot of updates to PSA gear recently and forgot the SD card input.
I will have to temper my excitement next time and maybe start taking some memory enhancement drugs.
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Tho it may be hard to believe, the frequency response of all of the releases are identical and flat (within less than a few one hundredths of a dB.) It is also the case that a small group of people need to reintegrate their subs and/or adjust their speaker positioning or toe in with each software release (not neccesarily the same group from release to release.) I.e. you should treat each software release like adding a new component into your system. There are always some reports of more bass as well as some reports of less bass from release to release and similarly for the highs.
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Another commentâŚwas listening just now to Private Investigations on the MFSL SACD. This track is brilliant for highlighting the improvements offered up by Sunlight. The guitar solo has s much presence and life to it. The transients are breathtaking. But the best part is the bass drum which has loads of impact and definition.
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8 posts were merged into an existing topic: Sunlight: Installation
On Day 2.Overall very pleased. Yes, might be a hair strident, but moving the Volume down from 95 to 92 as suggested has smoothed that out.
Definitely more resolution, presence, depth of soundstage, and realism. Listening to more (ripped) regular CDs and 192 hi rez, whereas I was mostly DSD64 and DSD128 before.
The noisefloor is clearly lower which makes everything clearer, especially drum kits and especially cymbals on acoustic jazz recordings.Really like that.
Not sure about the bass. Cleaner and seems about the same as far as weight.
I have a pair of ACI Jaguars with the two Dual Low Frequency Bass modules (like a WIlson Watt Puppy 6 setup). Picture in post a few down.
What does toe in amount do to bass??
IME - Distance to attack wall (behind speaker) will have most influence on bass. Toe would have more influence on image and higher frequencies.
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