[PeterCraig]

Yes and in the point i was making is that it is not even a matter of quality but rather a matter of proper matching.

Cables can make a very clear difference when everything downstream is transparent. 26awg vs 24awg do not give the balance. Occ wire on the other hand, for me, is a must.

Sure. I agree, both points.

Looking forward still to the DSP upgrade. Hope I don't have to change any cables

 

[PeterCraig]

Got blasted this morning by Audio-gd.  Thanks for everyone who posted some technical help and links, it really helped. 
 
Post some impressions later.  It's pretty well a whole new da converter.

 

[comzee]

Somebody mentioned they would be extending the upgrade period thru December, but I don't see that info on the Audio-GD website.
Can anybody confirm this?
 
Otherwise I have 2 days left if I want this...

 

[seaice]

  Somebody mentioned they would be extending the upgrade period thru December, but I don't see that info on the Audio-GD website.
Can anybody confirm this?
 
Otherwise I have 2 days left if I want this...

I asked them by mail yesterday and they confirmed they can update my DACs in December.

 

[riffer]

I asked them by mail yesterday and they confirmed they can update my DACs in December.

I hope so. I had to get a blaster from Digikey (The one DACLadder recommended) and have yet to find the time to set everything up.

edit - Got off my ass and set everything up. Update was uneventful, except that I had a Teamviewer12 installed instead of 11 and had to correct that.

Initial impression is an increase in clarity. Bordering on brightness, but I will have to do more listening to make a final determination. Overall, I like it.

 

[BoyNamedSue]

First off, Kingwa is the man!
 
I appreciate Audio-GD being flexible with my schedule as my USB blaster took longer than expected to deliver. Kingwa also mentioned that they are willing to upgrade in December if needed. The DSP upgrade for both my master 7 and reference 7 went smoothly last night, and the improvement in sound is not subtle.
 
Before the upgrade, I'm probably one of the few that preferred the Master 7 over the Yggdrasil (I had both at same time before selling the Yggy), even though the latter is arguably better in a technical sense. The Yggdrasil resolved more detail, had better separation and layering of sounds than the pre-upgrade M7, but I found the Yggy to be dry and not as engaging/musical.
 
However, after the upgrade, I am hearing resolution on par with the Yggy while retaining its lushness and musicality. Furthermore, I am noticing background sounds to be more clearly discernible while retaining great separation and layering. Sounds seem to pop out more, which is more obvious with speakers, in which the stereo image seems to project more forward into my living room, increasing the level of realism. 
 
I am not finding any downside to the DSP upgrade and highly recommend it. Better yet, it was a free upgrade for a significant improvement. The only caveat is that the M7 now sounds more neutral, which may not be preferable for those wanting to retain its warmness. Thank you Kingwa!

 

[ztsen]

I have email from audiogd today said if i upgrade next month will charge USD32


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sahmen]

I have email from audiogd today said if i upgrade next month will charge USD32


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Is "next month" = December 2016 or January 2017, in this case?

 

[comzee]

  Is "next month" = December 2016 or January 2017, in this case?

Well they said until Nov. 31st is free. Since there is no 31st, I think what they were trying to convey is it will be free until December 2nd. 
 
The next week in December they start charging.
 
 
edit: Also IMO $32 is a drop in the bucket if you're already buying $1k+ audio gear.

 

[ztsen]

Is "next month" = December 2016 or January 2017, in this case?

Dec16. I think they should give more time as people need to order usb blaster from online.
Also only who read this thread or their web know about it.
They didnt send an email to inform each of thier customers.

 

[riffer]

Well my Terasic USB Blaster from Digikey cost me $89.54CDN all in and the ebay one never showed, so I think the guys who actually get their $4CDN ebay blaster +32US for the upgrade are ahead of the game.slightly. Assuming the ebay blaster shows up, of course. Either way, a drop in the bucket in this hobby

 

[pervysage]

Well my Terasic USB Blaster from Digikey cost me $89.54CDN all in and the ebay one never showed, so I think the guys who actually get their $4CDN ebay blaster +32US for the upgrade are ahead of the game.slightly. Assuming the ebay blaster shows up, of course. Either way, a drop in the bucket in this hobby

Ebay blaster will show up 100% if you order one located in the U.S. It is the China located ones that don't show up or take a month to do so.

 

[comzee]

I successfully upgraded my (2015) Master 7 today with Audio-GD.
 
I think somebody asked this here, about trying this in a virtual machine.
Well I did it that way, I was forced to. The knock off USB blaster I bought only had XP drivers.
 
I installed an XP VM, installed Quartus 12.1 standalone (somebody linked that here).
Installed TeamViewer, full screened the VM, no problems. 
 
Mini review:
I ended up staying awake listening for 2hr before work. It was 5am upgrade time
 
I can't believe my ears. I recently spent $400 on a Singxer SU-1 to use with the M7.
To me it was a big upgrade, and well worth the $400. Now this update for free, I'm having a hard time deciding if it's a bigger upgrade than the SU-1.
 
I think it might be, it really brought this DAC alive.
I'll have to listen more, but WOW!.
 
I think SU-1 + dsp7 code makes this DAC better than my Yggdrasil too.
I'll have to directly A/B the two sometime to accurately know this tho.

 

[evillamer]

Master 7 with DSP v7 update makes it's performance on par with Yggdrasil and better in certain aspects like soundstage depth.
 
The sound quality can be further improved(the smallest soft sound details is still not as good as ygg) but certainly it's not necessary for simple enjoyment on this DSP update which bring about a major upgrade to "responsiveness" to music.

 

[riffer]

FYI - Audio-gd website says free upgrade dealine extended to Dec 15.