One of the things I did to get better sound disabled the ramp up after an automatic mute when sample rates change, DSD/PCM changes, preemphasis changes, etc. So instead of ramping up over 10 or so milliseconds it’s silent for that time and then the new material starts. In my (apparently too limited) testing I didn’t notice significantly worse clicks and pops.
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I hoped maybe Sunlight fixes the not working gapless DSD and 24/192 play with Jriver, which was introduced by the last 2 Bridge firmware updates and never fixed again. But I know this must be a Bridge firmware issue. Would it have occurred with Roon, it probably would have been fixed I guess.
So—I’m curious how this actually happened, but I have mentioned more than once that I found certain tones to be distorted and harsh; piano, vibes, sax on certain cd’s with Sunlight.
I went back and forth, Windom to Sunlight many times until I decided to just let Sunlight play for days.
And the harshness, which others in my home have commented on, is gone. And I’m left with sound that seems an improvement across all frequencies; sweet, detailed and high fidelity.
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Bad loads…?
Don’t think so. Final load, distorted as described, is what eventually smoothed out. Every load was consistent.
Go figure.
As mentioned, a certain amount of “burn-in” is to be expected in the FPGA. Some of the new software is using previously unused parts of the FPGA. It depends on how many other releases you’ve had and how long they were used as to what the exact set of previously unused parts of the FPGA are. I’m guessing something like a 24 to 200 hours of playing (you don’t need the outputs connected or equivalently you don’t need your preamp on.
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Thanks Ted. Time made a big improvement.
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Interesting 
.
In previous releases the number of people that reported it was small enough that skeptics could blow it off. This time many more are experiencing it. It is the case that there are new clocks being used that weren’t used before so some PLL parts and clock distribution networks that were never used before are now as well as the expected flip-flops and interconnection networks.
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My impressions so far. Like many, I hear generally greater clarity across the board. Most noticeable to me was a more precise location of individual voices (human and instrumental) in the soundstage. One thing that’s stuck out is that I more frequently hear poorly recorded solo piano. Some louder mid-frequency notes seem to glare. Of course, this may be the speakers and/or the room. At any rate, minor issue. 
Well done Ted, Darren, Paul and the rest of the team. 
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I installed Sunlight today. My observation after several hours is that it has significantly more detail clarity than Windom or any previous software version. However, high treble frequencies on many voices like females and some instruments are often too shrill and harsh for my tastes on my stereo system (McIntosh amp/preamp, GoldenEar Triton One loudspeakers). It will take a while for my tinnitus to calm down. Mids and highs are a bit more forward overall. Bass notes are not quite as deep as on Windom but it is well controlled. The overall soundstage might be a bit wider.
Detail clarity is a good thing but not necessarily always. I recall an interview a few years ago with Paul McCartney where he talked about the remastered Beatles catalog. He said the sound quality was now so clear and detailed that unintended flaws could be detected and the instruments could be so isolated from each other that the cohesiveness of the various instruments could get lost. I personally love the sound quality of the remastered Beatles albums.
I’ll try out Sunlight out for a few days and hope the high frequencies calm down after more hours of use so I don’t want to revert back to Windom which I loved right out of the gate.
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You can control forward mids by putting more distance between the speakers and shrill highs by toeing out more from where they are now.
This may also has the effect of opening up the soundstage further.
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I’ll give it more “burn-in” time as Ted mentioned before I make any changes.
@ears Are you referring to the 1987 George Martin Remasters or the horrendous 2009 Remasters on CD ? The Giles Martin remasters are excellent.
Took away your parking spot? That’s a bit harsh – I watch Paul’s videos, seems he pretty much invented willy-nilly mode 
Funny, I barely got through the first song of the Norah Jones album streaming via my MacBook Pro before I had to take it off. I’ll give it one more try with the DSD Sr., but it would be a shame that Blue Note botches something like that up with all the good live material they must have in the archives for her.
While purist will balk, I think the Giles Martin mixes are best overall for Sgt. Pepper, White Album, and Abbey Road. The mono remasters are excellent. I really don’t have such the beef that many seem to have on the 2009 stereo remasters as I think they are still better than the 80s early digital versions (if my memory serves me right). Maybe I need to pull them out for another listen!
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I got Sunlight in the mail last night, three days early. I installed the SD card with no problem, rebooted and listened a bit. Definitely a significant change–albeit not as severe as Snowmass to Windom. I’ve let it burn in overnight with a favorite cd and will sit down and listen soon–as soon as I can get my wife out of the house! She is leaving late today due to a doctor’s appointment near the house.
I don’t anticipate the ordeal I had with Snowmass making the system sound excellent–that ordeal mostly because I didn’t seem to get consistent loads for a while. I will probaby toe-out my speakers a bit and I already rolled a tube in my ZROCK2 EQ unit that helped “enrich” the sound and also take advantage of the more “focused” sound I noticed immediately. I expect after a little burn-in and tweaking this will be a nice improvement.
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thanks. the live norah is still not great sounding when compared to her studio recordings. i think part of the issue is that it was recorded in a lot of different venues and so the SQ is variable. it does sound much better after Sunlight but the engineer/producer must be partly deaf. i also agree with your comment about the Giles Martin remix on Abbey Road. i played it for a friend of mine and he was flabbergasted that it was a Beatles album as the sound was so excellent.
I think the 2009 Beatles remasters are quite good and were a big improvement. I have both the stereo and mono box sets (CD and vinyl); I prefer the mono mixes, especially on their earlier albums and Sgt Peppers. The Giles Martin remixes/remasters are even better IMO as he elevated Paul’s bass guitar and Ringo’s drums. As Ringo said, you can finally hear his drums.
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