[noplsestar]

Much of the room-feel comes from the ambient informtion/cues in the bass and sub-bass region. That's why good subwoofers properly positioned make staging and ambient info better
Perhaps dynamic drivers and their platonic motion is more likely to trigger the correct sensory response of depth and space.

Or maybe it's just space booms (with all due respect to Vonnegut)

I can second that. When boosting the subbass frequencies for about 2db (Stellia via VorzAMP Duo II), the room-feel gets audibly better.

I no longer own Utopias, so I can't say for sure, but even though Utopia's drivers are pretty light, they're way larger than a tiny balanced armature driver. I suspect their rise/fall/settle on impulse would still be larger than that of a BA IEM. (Distortion is a separation issue.) @fzman might be on target with his comments about the lower frequencies. I've talked to Rob Watts about his listening tests for depth and he uses one particular track, Gnomus, (and one specific recording, arr. J.V.A. Guillou) from Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition that has a low-frequency pipe organ. Maybe dynamic drivers are still fast enough to pick up the necessary timing differences

Thanks for that track. maybe you are right about BAs being faster than the Utopia driver. I have listened though for over a year exclusively with a very neutral sounding full BA IEM that is very praised by some mastering engineers as well (ProPhile8) and now listening with my Stellias (via Arctic silver Upocc cable), I can claim for sure that the Focals are audibly faster than the ProPhile8. Don’t know if that says anything. Probably not
I guess it needs to be measured to be sure. But that belongs into another thread.

 

[S Crowther]

Unfortunately no update at the moment.

Can you share what the problem is with roon?

 

[shadale]

Hello everybody!
After updating the SP2000 SS firmware to v1.18, I noticed a change in sound and I don't like it. How can I return to v1.16 or even later firmware?

 

[shadale]

I will pass this onto our team to look into.

I also observe this problem and it disturbs me.

 

[wulkan]

Hello everybody!
After updating the SP2000 SS firmware to v1.18, I noticed a change in sound and I don't like it. How can I return to v1.16 or even later firmware?

Exactly!
The sound of the SP2000SS now is too much like the SP1000 Copper.

 

[Omashhour]

Hello, I'm from Poland and it's my first post here
In my opinion the sound (SP2000SS + Layla II) is worst in version 1.18 compared to 1.16 version. The stage is more stifling and less expansive (a little like my previous DAP SONY NW-WM1Z). Do you have similarly impressions?

Hello, I'm from Poland and it's my first post here
In my opinion the sound (SP2000SS + Layla II) is worst in version 1.18 compared to 1.16 version. The stage is more stifling and less expansive (a little like my previous DAP SONY NW-WM1Z). Do you have similarly impressions?

Hi, I haven’t updated yet.

 

[Alson Chua]

So many issues for a DAP so expansive, I almost jump into the wagon I think I better hold the horses first.

 

[siruspan]

Hi there, I discovered a strange sonic issue in the SP2000 which affects all devices. @JasonNYC you'd be interested in.

Some time ago I asked if someone had had experience with parasite clicks or so on in soft piano passages. Initially, I thought it was connected with MQA codec, but I've downloaded the same albums in FLAC and the result was the same. After a week spent with this issue, I realized that this bug is in all music with piano insertion (the most noticeable) stored in my collection. After all, I went to a retail store with confidence in changing my SP2000 Copper and for more sureness had tried SP2000 SS demo unit... the result was the same! I asked for an SP1000 and goddamn clean sound with a black background. I tried with my Hugo2 connected to SP2000 via USB — no issues! The Cayin N8 — no issues. I tried the third one SP2000 SS of my friend — exactly the same result as with mine or demo unit in the retail store.

IEM: Sony IER-Z1R with Brise Audio Yatono cable, also this problem appeared on Dita XLS with its stock (Oslo) cable. That is strange cause IER-Z1R never minded like sensitive phones.
Tried balanced and unbalanced outputs. The unbalanced is better in terms of this issue: clicks are less tangible. After this point, I took QDC Anole VX (stock cable with 3.5mm jack) and also no success fighting this bug.

BT, Wi-Fi are in OFF. Smartphones were switched off during tests to eliminate field shielding issues.

4 people tried different recordings and have confirmed these sonic problems. Same pattern in all cases: parasitic clics, soft muffled crackling sound addition to the music played.

Hi-Res albums have a more prominent issue compared with Redbook analogs. But also still noticeable.

Tried with 1.16 and 1.18 (the latest) firmware.

Tidal users could try Shai Maestro — The Dream Thief or Lang Lang — Liszt - My Piano Hero for instance. Or any other. I have tons of examples.

I've borrowed SP2000 just 2 days ago to make a review and I've noticed this too. For example on Blade Runner 2049 soundtrack, track number 08 called Mesa.

clicking noises are audible in:

00:07 seconds
00:15 seconds
00:30 seconds
00:37 and so on.

Both balanced and unbalanced, on my private FLAC and also on Tidal.

It's audible on: Shozy&Neo BG, Sony EX800ST, Ibasso IT01s and AM05, Oriolus Percivali

It's NOT audible on: Shure KSE1200 (have their own amplifier) and Etymotic ER4s (are high impedence at 100 ohms)

 

[shadale]

@JasonNYC, how can I return to v1.16 or even later firmware?

 

[Tawek]

.

 

[JasonNYC]

@JasonNYC, how can I return to v1.16 or even later firmware?

It is not possible to roll back firmware updates or install previous versions of firmware.

 

[shadale]

It is not possible to roll back firmware updates or install previous versions of firmware.

And what should I do now, when I bought a player for $ 4 052,4 with a sound that I liked and now it does not sound like it was before !?

 

[jmills8]

And what should I do now, when I bought a player for $ 4 052,4 with a sound that I liked and now it does not sound like it was before !?

Buy Brighter iems ?

 

[JasonNYC]

And what should I do now, when I bought a player for $ 4 052,4 with a sound that I liked and now it does not sound like it was before !?

We do not change the sound profile on our players via firmware update as people purchase our players based on a sound profile. All sound tuning is done on the hardware level. This has always been our policy since we launched our first player 7+ years ago.

 

[shadale]

We do not change the sound profile on our players via firmware update as people purchase our players based on a sound profile. All sound tuning is done on the hardware level. This has always been our policy since we launched our first player 7+ years ago.

I was not the only one who heard the changes after the firmware. How do you explain this?
Now I can’t listen to music the way its sound is now not to my taste.