Hey Beef - Isn’t it about time for us to be thinking about what the next update should be called? (you still sticking with “Sneffels”?) 
I like it because it’ll never happen. Its an underdog mountain. Logo could be The Sneffelupagus.
36 hours into Windom and the sound quality is very good. I think Windom has the same sound characteristics as Snowmass; I can’t put my finger (ears) on any significant differences. I still want to get to 300 hrs before making a final judgement. Conclusion, if you like Snowmass in ‘your system’, use it.
I am running a BHK pre, M700 monos, DACsr, PWT transport, UlraRendu with Sonic Orbiter server, and a P20 and LSA 20 Statement speakers.
Chas
Chas, while I think that is probably good advice for most people, I would respectfully disagree. I don’t think it works for everybody or in everyone’s system who likes Snowmass. Snowmass ain’t broke. To me (oversimplifying here), it is like adding EQ to Snowmass. Not needed IMS.
I certainly felt that way at first. Then I spent a long time letting Windom burn in and working with the system and fell in love. I think there are fundamental differences that are improvements. I’ve gone back to Snowmass a few times but can’t take more than a day, it feels like a step backward that I don’t want to take. What had seemed a nice bit of warmth that bound me to Snowmass now seems a silken veil that is better removed. Windom is “home” for me.
Badbeef, I agree with you. What I meant is Snowmass is good, very good; I want to praise it. Snowmass is definitely not broke! I would hardily recommend it to anyone without caveats.
Chas
That, to me is the bit I’m not interested in at this point. I’ve done a lot to my system lately, and so am not interested in adapting it to suit the software. I did that with Huron and regretted it. I’ll never say Never, but I’d rather see what comes next. Or, if Ted stopped doing updates, I’d be fine.
The other bit about having done changes to the system to suit the update is that without taking note of them and then undoing them, you can’t really compare to how it was with the prior SW. All you can say for sure is that you now like the new SW with the new setup. Nothing wrong with that.
Suit yourself, but I feel it’s possible you are denying yourself this next plateau and will in all likelihood react to the next firmware in the same way.
I did futz with my system but my system is so flexible that I am always futzing with it and finding myself a new way to inch closer to a sound that is satisfying and nourishing. I honestly think that one of two things were more importantly happening: the firmware was settling in and becoming itself slower than I could anticipate, or I myself was acclimating to the new paradigm of the source it presented me and that now ruled the sound of the system. Most likely a bit of both occurred.
My system is singularly transformable by “riding the gain” between the DAC and two preamps and an eq component and the input gain on my Monoblock amps. Adjusting these gains with some judicious tube rolling and an improved speaker positioning certainly helped Windom come together and show it’s improvements over Snowmass, but I think it was the firmware itself and/or my mental adjustment (coming out of a tunnel of familiarity and to an extent a pinch of denial) that gave the ultimate top to bottom acceptance and integration of Windom, and I’m so glad I’ve had the bump in sonic quality that has brought for months now. I’m not exactly eager for the next mountain, but I now know that it can be scaled and a methodology to do so.
Hope you’re able to again jump on the train later!
What about the changes to your phono setup (new phono pre etc.)…no similar big changes aside improvement here?
Right - that’s great. I know from having made Huron work that it is possible, and I think that was a greater difference between the prior and subsequent updates. Though as soon as the next one came out, it was, “Oh - there ya go”, and I undid a number of the things I’d done, like toe-in, to make Huron “work”.
But - simply not interested at the moment. I’m not in tweak phase. System is dialed in well. no one should feel concerned that I’m missing out. Ted is still God 
That’s really interesting and comprehensible…but doesn’t dynamic behavior also change with those varying gain settings? I guess there must be one at least theoretically “best and tonality-correct” gain setting for each of those cutting points.
Usually when gain is too high it overloads…when gain is too low, tonality is softer and dynamic damped.
I didn’t have to make any changes in the system’s physical setup that I can recall. Of course that doesn’t involve the DAC.
The interesting thing is I have two systems, one with Jr. and one Sr., and I didn’t prefer Windom in either. Both have Harbeth speakers, is about the only commonality at this point. it is possible it excites something in them that isn’t right to my ears.
Yes, must be something with Windom that doesn’t fit, if you even have no big tonality changes with a different new phono amp.
Not really sure what you mean by that. You mean changes requiring modification of the system setup? I recently got a new TT, cart and phono pre. The differences were huge, but didn’t require me changing anything else about the system, as Huron did, and as others have suggested Windom does.
Yes, but there really is a WORLD in between those points. And on top of that there’s all the adjustments the modes and settings of the P12 accomplish. In my system dynamics, micro or macro, are always just fine.
I finally just upgraded to Windom last week. So far cant really tell difference between it and SM.
My time these days only allows me to listen sparingly (and sometimes not at the proper volume it needs to be due to neighbors) tho so I guess I have a long way to go before it burns in?
Yes that’s exactly what I mean…changing a whole phono chain doesn’t make a change but a DAC firmware does…strange
I look at it like getting a DAC you don’t like the sound of, or that doesn’t fit in the rest of your system. Fortunately this one is free and optional. No anxiety over return shipping and so on.
Always great to have chances to tweak the setup‘s tonality!