I made mention of this earlier saying that if you were using filters etc on the signal prior to the dac - you weren’t giving windom a fair shake. You are modding the sound based on earlier firmware. The only real way to compare is to go bit perfect in on old software and new to hear what the changes really are doing
Good advice, I’ll spin a few prayer wheels too. 
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I’ve tried it both ways, with and without Mac based DSP filtering via HQPlayer. For me, HQPlayer improves the sound. I really think this comes down to personal taste, there is no concrete standard for what sounds good, just as there’s no absolute standard for what constitutes good music, or art - its very subjective. And there’s a lot to like about Windom for sure. Snowmass simply suits my disposition better 
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I would say a mix of synergy and noise finding its way on my old Wireworld XLR cables down to my integrated amplifier and then my speakers.
Cables can be seen as antennas capturing HF noise (or all kind of electro-magnetic noise).
I suspect the shielding on my Wireworld XLR cables was inadequate, and the problem was remedied by the Audience XLR cables.
But even after replacing the cables, I still felt uncomfortable with Snowmass, and Windom fixed it.
As for synergy, it is possible that my Spendor D7 speakers have good extended treble which could become an issue if the high frequencies are being corrupted with digital noise artifact.
As for my integrated amplifier, it is an Accuphase E-370 which I have found to be very detailed and neutral.
So yes, synergy was probably an issue if noise could creep into the high frequencies in a system that can accurately reproduce those frequencies.
But now, the sound is just amazing.
In case this is indirectly to me in any way, I do not use any processing before the DS. Always prefer hardware over software in that regard. The thing is, though I may not be jumping on the bandwagon at the moment, I doubt very much if anyone listening to the sound I have going with Snowmass would find it lacking in any way. That is supposed to be the advantage of the DS’s - you don’t have to change if you don’t find the next mountaintop higher in some way than the last.
Great work, man!
EDIT: See top of thread
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I am not buying into this idea. Not one bit.
If I am using a high quality product like HQPlayer to upsample PCM or DSD, and I used the same exact settings as I used with Snowmass, how is that unfair to Windom?
Snowmass and Windom are being fed the same exact PCM 352.8 and DSD128. How is that an issue? The DirectStream has no idea how the sources got to these resolutions. You might as well tell me it is not reasonable to play some 24/176.4 source material through both Snowmass and Windom. It makes no sense at all.
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No, It was just a pattern I’d noticed. I didn’t mean to imply at all that most (or even many) who preferred Snowmass were “mangling” the data. Just that some may not have thought to try skipping processing just long enough for a quick listen.
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In the older thread I reported that to my ears Windom offered some added clarity and stability but lacked some of the air and weight of Snowmass. I even loaded Windom twice to be sure it wasn’t a load problem, and I rebooted between listening session warm-ups. I was just not happy with the Windom sound, compared to what I fondly remembered from Snowmass. Well, good news: after a few days of listening and wondering “What’s the matter with Windom and my system?” and almost reverting to Snowmass, I finally tried a few things that collectively brought back what I missed from Snowmass. I raised the volume setting on the DS DAC from 80 to 100 and lowered the BHK Pre volume. I removed the tungsten ball footings I had previously placed under the BHK to reduce treble distortion with Snowmass. I added a LessLoss Firewall noise-reduction module to the power cable feeding the BHK. And (what I consider most important) I changed the interconnects between the DAC and the BHK and between the BHK and my amplifiers. I moved the neutral-sounding interconnect I had been using between the BHK and the amps to between the DAC and the BHK, and on a whim I dug out of my closet a pair of Stealth Metacarbons to try between the BHK and the amps instead of the (more expensive) cable that worked well before with Snowmass. Even without much component warm up, the tweaks (whichever ones) returned my system to the grandeur I remember from Snowmass. The midrange warmth and strength (weight) of low bass is back. It seems in my case small tweaks in the volume settings, cables, and supports made a noticeable difference in the sound of my system. With the tweaks, I like the balance and tonality of the sound the way it is right now. I was totally happy with Snowmass and now (finally) I am totally happy with Windom. How many others found that system tweaking was helpful in adjusting to the software upgrade?
The point is this speedracer. The external settings were set based on prior firmware. If firmware moves - it seems like you need to go back to the drawing board on external settings since these were set based on how it sounded with old firmware.
I look at it like this. Let’s suppose I had a bass control on my pre and had it bumped up for snowmass. Along cones windom and I say ‘windom has too much bass , I’m rolling back’. Isn’t it pretty much the same thing? So my thought would be you go naked with external controls and hear the differences - and go from there. My 2 cents and you don’t have to agree. 
An edit: and I was referring to filters upstream. Not necessarily upsampling which you mentioned above
Both of you are right. speedracer knows that he’s processing in a compatible way with the DS and knows how his setup compares to the DS. On the other hand, as you say, some may have been using processing to correct for other things in their systems, possibly Snowmass (and they may not have known they were doing so.) Just as in previous DS releases it’s best to think of each release as a new piece of hardware, and do the same system tweaks as you might then.
I find I’m still dropping my subs’ crossover frequency. I keep moving them a click down.
Dirk, thanks for the tip on Takin’ Off. Qobuz has it in 192/24. Awesome album! Thanks again.
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Thanks for this song. It’s quite nice.
“North Dakota”…?
YW.
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Its coincidental because it’s “North Dakota” and “Walk Through The Bottomland” that first caught my attention regarding Windom’s limiting differences vs Snowmass. Prior I had been listening to A+ DSD recordings that sounded remarkable on Windom.
Here’s how bored I was this afternoon: On the Japanese version of We Want Miles, which is a really dynamic recording, Windom sounds a smidgen better than Snowmass. Or maybe, a sukoshi. To me.
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I almost feel bad saying this but on my system I prefer Snowmass. I just keep thinking that the sound with Windom is a bit forced and not as dynamic and open - mainly in the vocals/midrange.
I know this is probably a personal preference thing and system dependant. Windom has a bit more detail and instruments better defined but imo just a bit too much (if that makes sense).
Sitting hear listening with Snowmass reinstalled it just sounds a bit more natural and lifelike and less fatiguing.
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What you just described sounds very much like my initial load of Windom which ended-up being a bad load.
After re-laoding RC +Windom + re-boot, the sound was anything but fatiguing.
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I have done several loads of Windom (from Redcloud) and the last one was much better than the first. Plus I have played it since release but after going back to Snowmass I just find I enjoyed the music a lot more.
Like I said, each to his (or her) own as we all have different ears/likes/systems. Having a choice of firmware is what makes the DS such good value imo.
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Dirk, yes i also find Windom to be a far better OS than Snowmass, witch was already extraordinarily good.
Thank you very much for the information regarding the burn-in cycle !
In addition to what you wrote, i found Windom to be a great reducer of ‘digital noise’.
I still have some cd’s that were always sounding noisy, with Windom all that noise is gone.
Always thought that noise was part of the recording / mastering, but aparently it isn’t.
The same goes for ‘digital brittleness’, with Windom it’s gone, so that recordings sound much more fluent now.
Also the phase of different frequencies is much better aligned, so that the placement and differentiation of instruments and the articulation of voices and instruments became much better.
As a last note i want to express my feeling that Windom makes recordings sound like real music and that i listen to whole albums that sound amazingly musical to me.
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