[amalgor]

I've upgrade my Ares and the first thing I noticed is that the vocals were suddenly quieter in relation to the music than they were previously.
I downgraded back to the original firmware a few days ago and for some reason I'm not entirely sure it was fixed...
Anyone encountered something like this?

 

[Chesty]

Pontus 12th, P6F1.3, I2S connection

Are the "L channel and R channel" reversed?

With the Venus II, I found that the I2S pinout configuration lights had reversed after the update, i.e. 0 was now LED on and 1 was LED off. So to set Mode 0, I had to set the LEDs to 1 1 1 as opposed to 0 0 0. It confused me at first, but I eventually worked it out through trial and error. I reported my findings to Vinshine, who replied that they had reported it to Denafrips.

 

[prima186]

With the Venus II, I found that the I2S pinout configuration lights had reversed after the update, i.e. 0 was now LED on and 1 was LED off. So to set Mode 0, I had to set the LEDs to 1 1 1 as opposed to 0 0 0. It confused me at first, but I eventually worked it out through trial and error. I reported my findings to Vinshine, who replied that they had reported it to Denafrips.

Thank you for your reply ！
Pontus 12th may also be 'bug'.

 

[medon]

I've upgrade my Ares and the first thing I noticed is that the vocals were suddenly quieter in relation to the music than they were previously.
I downgraded back to the original firmware a few days ago and for some reason I'm not entirely sure it was fixed...
Anyone encountered something like this?

Don't have my ARES II any more - happy second owner enjoys it now.
I briefly updated it to the new "12th" firmware. With brief listening I couldn't detect any huge changes in sonic presentation.
But - I did not switch back and forth between the original and new firmware, so I cannot entirely rule out a possibility of some change regarding voices.

 

[inzite]

Thought I would share my thoughts here as well.

Context
Pontus ii w/ 22F chip, shipped Apr 2021
Node2i via coax --> Pontus ii via rca --> Luxman sq38u with nos tungsram pre tubes --> Tannoy arden hpd385

After listening to it for about 2 days, the sound characteristic is definitely a bit different than the original firmware.

1. More detail across the map from high to low, more separation and layering of instruments, more obvious imaging, low has tightened up and sounds "faster" with more nuance - it isn't missing as songs with bass still has a similar amount. I feel the difference in the low now is similar to comparing NOS with OS-Slow as it sounds snappier now and less bloom - I played quite a few Daft Punk songs to come to this conclusion.
   
   
2. Center image clarity and focus remains comparable but sound stage is noticeably taller (e.g. vocals was placed around the middle of my TV (just below the middle of the wall) between the speakers, after upgrade, the vocals expand to near the top of the entire wall - it doesn't sound dispersed but rather has solidly increased in size, it's actually quite interesting. Sound stage width and depth is comparable to old firmware.
   
   
3. Did not have any issues removing the top plate and remounting it, it essentially fell right into place after inserting it properly to the front panel- I read quite a few people had trouble getting it back on elsewhere.

IMO the changes could cause it to sound odd/bad depending on the set up (amp and speakers or headphones) - e.g. expanded sound stage and separation may lead to things sounding disjointed (i.e. speakers or drivers not disappearing). I have yet to hear anything detrimental to warrant a down grade back to original firmware and I shall continue to use it for now.

Potential Bug

1. Initially when I ran the setup file which opened up the dos prompt, it stayed at installing for the longest time until I got puzzled and pressed a random key on my keyboard (spacebar) and it immediately showed the next few lines that the upgrade was completed successfully.
   
   
2. The main issue I ran into twice so far is the Pontus ii became unresponsive randomly. Sound output was halted with the two bit rate LED off as if the source was turned off when in fact it wasn't and was running perfectly normal. The first time I tried randomly toggling the buttons on the front panel and after perhaps 20 secs or so it came back to life and music suddenly resumed. The second time I decided to just let it sit and see what would happen, after about an hour or so it resumed back to normal by itself. These two occurrence happened within the same half day and I have not encountered it since. Perhaps it has something to do with the new code and triggering some sort of anomaly that corrected itself after certain # of iterative runs. I've actually found another person posting about this on Facebook too.

 

[needspeed]

Thought I would share my thoughts here as well.

Context
Pontus ii w/ 22F chip, shipped Apr 2021
Node2i via coax --> Pontus ii via rca --> Luxman sq38u with nos tungsram pre tubes --> Tannoy arden hpd385

After listening to it for about 2 days, the sound characteristic is definitely a bit different than the original firmware.

1. More detail across the map from high to low, more separation and layering of instruments, more obvious imaging, low has tightened up and sounds "faster" with more nuance - it isn't missing as songs with bass still has a similar amount. I feel the difference in the low now is similar to comparing NOS with OS-Slow as it sounds snappier now and less bloom - I played quite a few Daft Punk songs to come to this conclusion.
   
   
2. Center image clarity and focus remains comparable but sound stage is noticeably taller (e.g. vocals was placed around the middle of my TV (just below the middle of the wall) between the speakers, after upgrade, the vocals expand to near the top of the entire wall - it doesn't sound dispersed but rather has solidly increased in size, it's actually quite interesting. Sound stage width and depth is comparable to old firmware.
   
   
3. Did not have any issues removing the top plate and remounting it, it essentially fell right into place after inserting it properly to the front panel- I read quite a few people had trouble getting it back on elsewhere.

IMO the changes could cause it to sound odd/bad depending on the set up (amp and speakers or headphones) - e.g. expanded sound stage and separation may lead to things sounding disjointed (i.e. speakers or drivers not disappearing). I have yet to hear anything detrimental to warrant a down grade back to original firmware and I shall continue to use it for now.

Potential Bug

1. Initially when I ran the setup file which opened up the dos prompt, it stayed at installing for the longest time until I got puzzled and pressed a random key on my keyboard (spacebar) and it immediately showed the next few lines that the upgrade was completed successfully.
   
   
2. The main issue I ran into twice so far is the Pontus ii became unresponsive randomly. Sound output was halted with the two bit rate LED off as if the source was turned off when in fact it wasn't and was running perfectly normal. The first time I tried randomly toggling the buttons on the front panel and after perhaps 20 secs or so it came back to life and music suddenly resumed. The second time I decided to just let it sit and see what would happen, after about an hour or so it resumed back to normal by itself. These two occurrence happened within the same half day and I have not encountered it since. Perhaps it has something to do with the new code and triggering some sort of anomaly that corrected itself after certain # of iterative runs. I've actually found another person posting about this on Facebook too.

 

[needspeed]

Thanks for the detailed review. I am finding the same results. I went back to the old one for a few days just to re-acclimate. It always sounded good, but the new firmware just sounds more true to the recording to me. I am sure that our system synergies will have an impact on what we enjoy most. Glad folks are getting a chance to experiment and make a decision that suits them best. I am always trying to get to the truth of the recording even if it hurts as with the best recordings it's worth it. I am finding recordings from nativeDSD to be remarkable to my ears

 

[kengt]

Reporting on burn in.

I updated the new FW (6F chip) on 4/6 and felt it immediately improved the sq like what sat7 had stated. With the advice from Vinshine, I have been patiently and curiously to hear any burn in difference in sq. Up until 4/30, it was still sounding good. During this time, I had 10 days with the LHY SW-8/Lumin 2 mini/Titans Helen/P-II on all day and amp on 5 hours a day. However, everything changed on 5/1. It sounded much much better. At this point, I believed I had put in at least 350 hours in the new FW. Now, the presentation is warmer and fuller or rich sounding. Or, it is more mature.

 

[medon]

Reporting on burn in.

I updated the new FW (6F chip) ... LHY SW-8/Lumin 2 mini/Titans Helen/P-II .... Now, the presentation is warmer and fuller or rich sounding. Or, it is more mature.

Interesting...
... would you mind sharing how the Lumin feeds the Pontus? (USB/ Coax / Toslink/ ...)
Cheers!

 

[kengt]

Lumin => Wireworld Platinum 7 Coaxial => Titans Helen => Wireworld Platinum 7 I2S => P-II

Good listening !

 

[medon]

Lumin => Wireworld Platinum 7 Coaxial => Titans Helen => Wireworld Platinum 7 I2S => P-II

Good listening !

... all right...
I got a feeling that the preferences for new vs. old firmware are influenced by the digital streaming input into our Denafrips DACs.

 

[PoMarantz]

... all right...
I got a feeling that the preferences for new vs. old firmware are influenced by the digital streaming input into our Denafrips DACs.

Ethernet=>Mercury Streamer=>I²S =>P II=>Balanced=> Preamp
New firmware too bright. No change in SQ with over 200 hr. "Burn-in". None. "For me"
Revert to Old Firmware: Sublime Immediately…(NO "Burn-in").
Maybe it’s a headphones/speaker thing?…or just hearing differences in each individual?
…of course system synergy has to be in-play with all of our assessments, too. It’s complicated.
(I have experienced burn-in with physical components caps, speakers etc. When my Pontus was new it was bright…it needed burn-in. It mellowed. Definitely. (I just did not experience any "burn-in" with these firmware back & forths . The sound changes immediately with each install and stays that way. "for me" ).

 

[winnor]

Ethernet=>Mercury Streamer=>I²S =>P II=>Balanced=> Preamp
New firmware too bright. No change in SQ with over 200 hr. "Burn-in". None. "For me"
Revert to Old Firmware: Sublime Immediately…(NO "Burn-in").
Maybe it’s a headphones/speaker thing?…or just hearing differences in each individual?
…of course system synergy has to be in-play with all of our assessments, too. It’s complicated.
(I have experienced burn-in with physical components caps, speakers etc. When my Pontus was new it was bright…it needed burn-in. It mellowed. Definitely. (I just did not experience any "burn-in" with these firmware back & forths . The sound changes immediately with each install and stays that way. "for me" ).

The same experience, although I am Enyo.

 

[inzite]

yeah i think overall system synergy is a key driver of whether you like the new firmware or not. In terms of firmware burn in for sound quality changes, I'm not a believer of it. Letting a firmware run itself over a few days may at most influence efficiency and speed (e.g. putting a new firmware on your phone).

 

[kengt]

The streamer is definitely very important. The Lumin is very relax and musical. It will take advantage of the new FW. I also have Auralic Aries Femto and used to connect it to the Singxer SU-6 and P-II. I have to say I really love the sound. Therefore, I do understand why Pomarantz loves his P-II w/old FW.

Now, it comes to the personal preference. Last year, I came across a european dac that drew me into the music more than the P-II. And it wasn't that expensive. It is in P-II's range. However, with the new FW, the P-II also draw me into the music more than the old FW in addition to the great soundstage.

Cheer!