I have been through every upgrade since the beginning using a Mac Mini as my streaming source and never once experienced an issue requiring a second or third attempt at installing …until now! Fortunately the firmware “took.” That said I have never had to reboot a firmware installation due to “sonic” performance or issue. I don’t doubt others have experienced that issue. I have not on my Mac platform. So far so good and once I’ve listened a bit more I’ll post my “deep dive” thoughts about Windom.
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I did a flip flop reinstalled snowmass then back to Windom. Used Tin Pan Alley as the source. And yes - the low bass is better on Windom. I still like snowmass 3.0 but Windom does trump it in the bass region which I was surprised. I find musical passages w Windom just emanating out of nowhere. Nothing sounds like a tape overdub to me - but just something coming out of a quiet background. It’s the subtle difference in the upper mids and high end that does this I think. Zero grain. Snowmass has more bite but I like Windom better for reasons above. I think the lower bottom end just make for a better foundation for the rest
Are you a Mac or a Windows user? On rare occasion I’ve experienced this same issue, using an “audiophile” Kimber cable. Typically I’ve resolved the issue bu simply removing the cable from one of the ports on my Mac Mini and placing into another port. Typically a re-start is in order. In any case this process typically provides a fix.
I’ve read with interest the posts by some that the bass is somehow muted and not as pronounced as experienced in Snowmass. I have not found this to be the case.
With Windom I find better, cleaner articulation in the mid range frequencies accompanied by superb vocalist presentation - specifically including the Leonard Cohen Paul likes so much as a reference song off of the Ten New Songs album, Alexandra Leaving. I’m actually even more familiar with one of his more obscure (but wonderful) works, Dear Heather. Listening to this album in high res (48/24) reveals a superb presence of “voice in the room.” Wondrous actually. The quiet between passages is hard to ignore. In a word, I find the presentation of most all recordings to be a tad more musical. Certainly, from my perspective, the music is more “in your face,” almost as though the curtain has been pulled back exposing the bold attack of the instruments. And yes, to my delight, the musicality introduces a suspension of notes that seem to linger just a wee bit longer in the air. Syrupy? Nope, but rather somehow just about right.
At the end of the day I do believe it is much about splitting hairs and can imagine why many have disparate views as I think much of what we experience depends on the gear we have.
The jury for me is still out with respect to the sound staging. I have had to adjust my REL sub bass nominally and expect other tweaking over the weekend. I THINK it is about the same.
My gear: Mac Mini, Krell Foundation, Krell Duo 300 XD, Dynaudio C2’s, REL SHO/5 (front row) JL Audio Fathom F112 v2 in the rear (w/ volume largely defeated for 2.0 stereo). Also love my P10 and my favorite piece is actually the DMP player! Most all cabling is Nordost Neimdell 2.
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Thanks, tapatrick, for sharing your Windom success story. I did what you did, going back to Yale then throwing Windom at my DS Jr and it worked, quickly and flawlessly. This after two days of frustration. Perhaps there’s a bit of code in Snowmass that throws the USB upgrade route for DSJs off the scent somehow.
Now I am enjoying the increased “air” and detail, also an overall more dynamic and expressive sound. So far so great!
Cool, glad to hear you are enjoying the same Lawrence… It’s amazing to get such a great upgrade AND free.
I would agree that it depends on the gear we have. I’m not sure I can believe that software burns in (maybe adjustment in brain/subjectivity?) but over the past 24 hours the improvement is growing - clarity, smoothness, detail, deeper into the music and definitely a cleaner and stronger bass. Love it!
My gear: Antipodes DXe server>NUC audiolinux endpoint>Sonore Ultradigital>I2S>DS Junior>Decware monoblocks>Omega Super Alnicos
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Nice thoughts Brother.
So normally we have discussion on either the Sr or Jr - but this is mixed. I am wondering if there as a bigger move sound wise on the Jr platform?
I agree. I think the bass is better, more natural. For those not used to real world bass and are used to the fatter bass from Snowmass (One of my problems with it) they will see a loss of bass. Maybe just give it a month, and you may adjust.
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I’m using an Audioquest Carbon 1 meter cable on an i7 NuC running the most current verision of Windows 10. I would really think that the AQ wire has +5V . But I have swapped it out for a stock USB cable for a little while to see what happens.
When I swapped in a generic cable and changed the USB port that I was using as well. Since the Windom upgrade, it wouldn’t play more than an hour without dropping out. If this configuration works longer than an hour, I will swap the AQ cable back on the same USB port that seems to be working successfully.
While composing this message (Within 15 minutes) the playback cut out again.
All of this has been through the most current non-beta version of JRiver. I think my next step, to rule out a JRiver software/Windom incompatibility, will be to start over with Roon to see if that makes any difference.
Wish me luck.
Those are crazy poll numbers. I like Windom and voted for it but find snowmass a very close second.
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For sure. I agree. Even since my post I’ve tinkered further with my two subs and am enjoying Windom even more. Somehow I’m finding it to be a bit more dynamic than Snowmass in that (for me) it seems to output more gain. This is particularly more apparent when playing my DMP. I say this as with a Snowmass I could go back and forth between Mac Mini and the actual CD ( via DMP) to compare the two sources. The DMP player ALWAYS sounds better. But now with Windom I need to defeat the volume on my Krell a little as it’s simply TOO LOUD! Iguess that’s a good problem to have 
So I would do a couple of things :
- Get the usb driver from the ps audio site
- Try Roon
You would be surprised regarding the 5v line in the usb cable. I was using a $1300 audience frontrow and had the same issue.
Did you say u had a drop out with the standard cable as well ?
Regards
E
I have the USB driver from PS Audio. All of this was working flawlessly prior to Windom. Yes i did have the dropout with a generic cable although the generic cable seems to be more stable than the AQ cable.
Using Roon with the AQ cable it dropped out within 10 seconds. Try number 2 with Roon and Generic cable has lasted for 3 tracks now.
I switched back to Windom via Yale for a few tracks, again. I’m just not feeling it. It’s not the bass, it’s the mids and lower treble region are too forward in my system and the treble has a bit of glare that SM 3.0.0. doesn’t have and yet sounds rounded off at the same time. Too polite with glare. 
I also stepped through SM 3.0.6 because I never tried it and it’s got a similar glare I don’t care for.
Windom makes my tinnitus worse…I’ll have to try it again in a few weeks as now I’m too busy enjoying the music again running SM 3.0.0.
I have a DS Senior (in fact I have three DSSs because it’s a DEQX digital active system - I don’t have bridges nor do I have three preamps!). I was running Snowmass 3.05 and thought it astonishing (I’ve been through Pikes Peak/Yale/Torreys/Huron/Redcloud). When I moved to Windom a couple of days ago I immediately noticed an apparent reduction of upper middle and described the sound as classy/sophisticated and polite. I’ve been battling to get a number of tracks to actually sound as good as with Snowmass. I have EQ capability within my DEQX digital crossover and have tried slightly reducing bass and increasing mid. I wondered whether I was imagining that Snowmass was preferable to me. I spotted that the startup volume of 25 was introduced in 3.06 so loaded that (I once blew a very expensive tweeter due to a startup pop higher up the chain so a low starup setting is something I’d always wanted). I played a few tracks and Snowmass just sounded ‘alive’ whereas whatever I did with EQ and Windom it sounded comparatively lifeless. I understand that there could be phase shifts that cause differences that cannot be changed by EQ alone. I think I’ll be staying with Snowmass 3.06.
I am concerned that many people commenting on improved SQ are probably:
- running a Junior
- running a preamp
- running via a Bridge.
I am also concerned that PSA have moved their offices and are presumably auditioning the compiles with the IRS Vs in a totally different room and might well be using a Bridge (and maybe a preamp). I wonder how different the 20 compiles sound w.r.t. perceived frequency response (and is there any attempt to retain a degree of consistency from release to release).
I’d appreciate Paul commenting on how the listening team have chosen the compile that’s been released with the Seniour Windom - it really sounds very different to Snowmass. If Ted thinks it worth me getting DEQX to recalibrate my system I’ll do that (they need to dial in from Australia, the opposite side of the globe to the UK, and I can’t expect them to do that every six months or so).
Dan.
I’ve been using a generic USB cable for about an hour now and Roon played with no issues. Switching back to JRiver to see if I get any more dropouts.
For me, I had the drop out with both Snowmass and Windom using usb. Prior to Windom I was using Snowmass with the Bridge.
I have an innuos zenith - usb - dsd.
The generic usb cable for me has had no dropouts.
I spoke to Mark from PS and he said that audience frontrow did not have the 5v line.
Some usb cables specify the 5v line.
What is surprising though is your setup worked with Snowmass.
So there has to be something with either jriver or windom.
Happy to help out - keep in touch.
Cheers,
E
When USB cables don’t match the specs they can work one day and not the next (literally true.) Any change of software or hardware on either end can cause a problem, as can adding or removing any other USB device in your system. The “5V” line isn’t just a possible source of 5V, it also signals new devices or removal of devices and/or hubs. Without that signaling the USB system can be flaky. There are also “audiophile” cables that violate the standards in other ways, e.g. too much capacitance, etc. causing signals to take too long going down the cable: if that causes a timeout the USB system will be flaky… If a standard cable works don’t blame anything in the system except the nonstandard cable.
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