[nighthink]

Haha, I also posted some of my impressions into Mentor forum here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/flu...mono-headphone-amplifier.970400/post-18125673

Looks like the firmware topic is really dividing people into like/don't like. I'd like to switch more often between the versions but don't want to risk that brick moment, that would be a real pain in the ass.

 

[pofofo]

OH….please… keep us posted! What is your total system for the Pontus 2?
I switched mine on the first iteration of The Firmware. BAD for me! BAD……(did I get my point across)…also.."for me" burn-in was utter nonsense. …I wasted a LOT of time on that …but I understand that the company was TRYING to do something great for us…then I had to wait for the original firmware to be posted and go thru the process again…
I got immediate BLISS …no burn-in. I decided NOT to go thru that process again as I am happy enough with my sound…but…those restless leaves they crackle…LOL!…Tarun (The British Audiophile) who I respect swears by the new version of The Firmware…but YOU are putting my mind at ease.
THANKS for the post!

My stereo system is: Pontus 2 (usb from pc) - Ragnarok 2 - Yamaha NS1000M with some fancy-ish cables in between. My headphone system is: Auralic Aries - Denafrips Iris DDC - Pontus 2 12th (i2s) - Sparkos Aries (Burson V7 classic single and double) - Abyss 1266 PHI TC (also fancy-ish cables).

Maybe I`ll flash back in a couple of weeks to check, but it`s not possible with a direct A/B comparison so I think it`s best to give both firmwares some time.

For my headphone rig, the Pontus 2 12th beat Yggdrasil OG A1 (both through Iris), but haven`t tried the P2 vs P2 12th on either system yet.

 

[PoMarantz]

Yah….THANKS for the info…Context is sooooo important when talking about gear…WOW! look a you with the vintage Yamaha Speakers…(I had to look them up!)
So much affects the sound: the room, your ears, your sound preference…etc…. I have a LOT of stuff in my chain with the pontus…and I think that I may be more sensitive to higher frequencies.. not sure….
I also have a sweet headphone set up…in my office. I have older Violectric 800 DAC and a Violectric 200 Headphone Amp and some Vintage Audeze LCD-2 Headphones. I just bought the carbon fiber headband and new ear pads and it is like I got a new set of headphones…much more comfortable…. I LOVE this stuff!!!! I was using iMac to stream and just this year moved my Mercury Streamer from my speaker set-up into my office. BIG difference in sound quality having a dedicated streamer. I also built a Roon server using an Intel nook and that is the best thing think that I have done in years for playing and discovering music…I have both systems streaming from Roon/Volumio/Qobuz…I love it…but building that server quite the project for me…..LOL!

 

[pofofo]

The Yamahas are great, I inherited them from my late uncle and I`m just done with reveneering them, did my turntable plinth too.

I had some time for listening today so I actually flashed back to 1.0: To my ears and system it`s much better. The 1.4 had a wall of sound in comparison, with 1.0 the soundstage is much more in the room instead of just from the speakers and backward. I think the 1.4 is a bit more neutral and probably more detailed in the high mid/treble area, but the trade off is not worth it. The Yamahas are quite neutral, being studio monitors and all, and I think that the more analog sound from 1.0 is a better match.

 

[PoMarantz]

The Yamahas are great, I inherited them from my late uncle and I`m just done with reveneering them, did my turntable plinth too.

I had some time for listening today so I actually flashed back to 1.0: To my ears and system it`s much better. The 1.4 had a wall of sound in comparison, with 1.0 the soundstage is much more in the room instead of just from the speakers and backward. I think the 1.4 is a bit more neutral and probably more detailed in the high mid/treble area, but the trade off is not worth it. The Yamahas are quite neutral, being studio monitors and all, and I think that the more analog sound from 1.0 is a better match.

Whoa….nice set-up….I looked up your speakers, looked briefly for specs and found none..how big are those woofers….they look impressive! I have a pair of DynAudio Contour 20s and two REL T/5x subs. Interesting that you want the 1.0 Firmware…also..you have that reflective surface of the floor and I bet the 1.0 helps with that, as well….I want to hear it!!!!!!!!!! LOL! soo different than mine…THANKS for sharing!

 

[nighthink]

The Yamahas are great, I inherited them from my late uncle and I`m just done with reveneering them, did my turntable plinth too.

I had some time for listening today so I actually flashed back to 1.0: To my ears and system it`s much better. The 1.4 had a wall of sound in comparison, with 1.0 the soundstage is much more in the room instead of just from the speakers and backward. I think the 1.4 is a bit more neutral and probably more detailed in the high mid/treble area, but the trade off is not worth it. The Yamahas are quite neutral, being studio monitors and all, and I think that the more analog sound from 1.0 is a better match.

Very nice. No reason to upgrade the classic .
You guys make me tempting to go ahead and try out the 1.0 again after a year .. and I was quite sure 1.4 is for my chain the better one. But in the course of the year I did few upgrades so I never experienced the 1.0 in current setup.

Don't you really miss that higher amount of details in your music? There is quite a list of changes between 1.3. and 1.4, it makes me feel like those shall be beneficial:

v1.3 (March 08, 2023)
-----------------------------------------------------
* Improved Adaptive FIFO Buffer & Reclocking Architecture
* Reduced the effect of Buffer overrun/underrun due to the Source's Clock and the DAC's Clock differences
* Eliminate Phase Difference between L/R Channels
* Optimised DSP to improve the sonic performance

-----------------------------------------------------
v1.4 (May 15, 2023)
-----------------------------------------------------
* Fine-tune the sound quality in the mid-range and lower octave of the bass, to achieve a balanced, organic, analog-like sound signature that is characteristic of Denafrips
* Dual-Wired AES/EBU Supports DSD128, PCM384 with DENAFRIPS Hermes, Gaia DDC

 

[pofofo]

From the listening position the carpet actually covers the first reflection point on the floor, the concrete walls are a problem in the bass area though. I also have a pair of Elac Vela BS 403, but I like the NS1000M much better. Your speakers looks pretty darn serious!

A bit off topic, but here`s the specs on the NS1000M:
Type: 3 way, 3 driver loudspeaker system
Frequency Response: 40Hz to 20kHz
Power Handling: 100W
Crossover Frequency: 500, 6000Hz
Impedance: 8Ω
Sensitivity: 90dB
Bass: 1 x 300mm cone
Midrange: 1 x 88mm beryllium dome
Tweeter: 1 x 30mm beryllium dome
Enclosure: infinite baffle
Dimensions: 675 x 375 x 326mm
Weight: 31kg

 

[Riccioli30]

Whoa….nice set-up….I looked up your speakers, looked briefly for specs and found none..how big are those woofers….they look impressive! I have a pair of DynAudio Contour 20s and two REL T/5x subs. Interesting that you want the 1.0 Firmware…also..you have that reflective surface of the floor and I bet the 1.0 helps with that, as well….I want to hear it!!!!!!!!!! LOL! soo different than mine…THANKS for sharing!

The Yamahas are great, I inherited them from my late uncle and I`m just done with reveneering them, did my turntable plinth too.

I had some time for listening today so I actually flashed back to 1.0: To my ears and system it`s much better. The 1.4 had a wall of sound in comparison, with 1.0 the soundstage is much more in the room instead of just from the speakers and backward. I think the 1.4 is a bit more neutral and probably more detailed in the high mid/treble area, but the trade off is not worth it. The Yamahas are quite neutral, being studio monitors and all, and I think that the more analog sound from 1.0 is a better match.

very nice set up. in my studio system, with the big Mirages, the SW 1.3 (P/2-12) works quite well. The P/2/12, on the other hand, is almost unlistenable (Sw1.3)in my high efficiency main system (where an AN DAC reigns). There's something to think about.

 

[PoMarantz]

From the listening position the carpet actually covers the first reflection point on the floor, the concrete walls are a problem in the bass area though. I also have a pair of Elac Vela BS 403, but I like the NS1000M much better. Your speakers looks pretty darn serious!

A bit off topic, but here`s the specs on the NS1000M:
Type: 3 way, 3 driver loudspeaker system
Frequency Response: 40Hz to 20kHz
Power Handling: 100W
Crossover Frequency: 500, 6000Hz
Impedance: 8Ω
Sensitivity: 90dB
Bass: 1 x 300mm cone
Midrange: 1 x 88mm beryllium dome
Tweeter: 1 x 30mm beryllium dome
Enclosure: infinite baffle
Dimensions: 675 x 375 x 326mm
Weight: 31kg

DUUUUUUUUUDE! (I am an old surfer Dude…so please forgive me) ..you are making me work here!!
300mm = nearly 12"!!! Nice…i bet getting them from your Uncle makes the sound even BETTER!
Edit: I added a snapshot.

 

[pofofo]

very nice set up. in my studio system, with the big Mirages, the SW 1.3 (P/2-12) works quite well. The P/2/12, on the other hand, is almost unlistenable (Sw1.3)in my high efficiency main system (where an AN DAC reigns). There's something to think about.

Holy cow what a set up! Love those Technics tape decks.

DUUUUUUUUUDE! (I am an old surfer Dude…so please forgive me) ..you are making me work here!!
300mm = nearly 12"!!! Nice…i bet getting them from your Uncle makes the sound even BETTER!
Edit: I added a snapshot.

Very nice! You’re right, they mos def sounds better knowing they came from him

Do the blanket in from of the tv help much?

 

[Smoothstereo]

Here's my experience with the three different firmwares used on my Pontus 2 using NOS mode. Keep in mind these are relative comparisons between the three firmwares and may not be in an absolute sense.

On v1.4, detail retrieval is better, frequency range is extended from top to bottom. Mids are bit more pronounced/fwd. The separation and layering is great. Still a good balance between musicality and analyticality (if that's a word). Less lenient on bad recordings.

On v1.0, a bit more richer, weightier sound, more sustained decays, images are more palpable, smoother treble, a tad laidback, sitting a few rows back than v1.4. The detail, layering and separation are still great, but just a bit less than v1.4. Sounds more fluid and analog/natural. The v1.0 favors musicality a bit more than analyticality. A tad more lenient with bad recordings, but if its bad you will hear bad. As this dac is not too forgiving in general.

On v1.3, lots of detail, soundstage width seems to be very artificially wide but at the cost of sounding weird where images are placed a bit off (perhaps not good for headphone listening). The tonal balance shifted to sounding thin and bright as if they wanted to make it sound like a run of the mill Delta Sigma dac. Just lost all its musicality, and less engaging. Worst of the three.

Depending on your setup and preferences, either v1.0 or v1.4 will work fine. My setup and preferences steered me to v1.0.

 

[Riccioli30]

Here's my experience with the three different firmwares used on my Pontus 2 using NOS mode. Keep in mind these are relative comparisons between the three firmwares and may not be in an absolute sense.

On v1.4, detail retrieval is better, frequency range is extended from top to bottom. Mids are bit more pronounced/fwd. The separation and layering is great. Still a good balance between musicality and analyticality (if that's a word). Less lenient on bad recordings.

On v1.0, a bit more richer, weightier sound, more sustained decays, images are more palpable, smoother treble, a tad laidback, sitting a few rows back than v1.4. The detail, layering and separation are still great, but just a bit less than v1.4. Sounds more fluid and analog/natural. The v1.0 favors musicality a bit more than analyticality. A tad more lenient with bad recordings, but if its bad you will hear bad. As this dac is not too forgiving in general.

On v1.3, soundstage width seems to be very artificially wide but at the cost of sounding weird where images are placed a bit off (perhaps not good for headphone listening). The tonal balance shifted to sounding thin and bright as if they wanted to make it sound like a run of the mill Delta Sigma dac. Just lost all its musicality, and less engaging. Worst of the three.

Depending on your setup and preferences, either v1.0 or v1.4 will work fine. My setup and preferences steered me to v1.0.

 

[Riccioli30]

I have to try 1.4. on P2/12. I'm curious. But I'm not a guy who wants to play too much with software.

 

[nighthink]

Here's my experience with the three different firmwares used on my Pontus 2 using NOS mode. Keep in mind these are relative comparisons between the three firmwares and may not be in an absolute sense.

On v1.4, detail retrieval is better, frequency range is extended from top to bottom. Mids are bit more pronounced/fwd. The separation and layering is great. Still a good balance between musicality and analyticality (if that's a word). Less lenient on bad recordings.

On v1.0, a bit more richer, weightier sound, more sustained decays, images are more palpable, smoother treble, a tad laidback, sitting a few rows back than v1.4. The detail, layering and separation are still great, but just a bit less than v1.4. Sounds more fluid and analog/natural. The v1.0 favors musicality a bit more than analyticality. A tad more lenient with bad recordings, but if its bad you will hear bad. As this dac is not too forgiving in general.

On v1.3, soundstage width seems to be very artificially wide but at the cost of sounding weird where images are placed a bit off (perhaps not good for headphone listening). The tonal balance shifted to sounding thin and bright as if they wanted to make it sound like a run of the mill Delta Sigma dac. Just lost all its musicality, and less engaging. Worst of the three.

Depending on your setup and preferences, either v1.0 or v1.4 will work fine. My setup and preferences steered me to v1.0.

Thank you, that is quite comprehensive summary.

I guess it is that frenquency range extention that is responsible for the deeper bass perception I have with v1.4. In general this goes in line with what I noticed when switching from 1.0 to 1.4.

But I will need to give one more try to 1.0, just to see if that musicality thing will be better in my upgraded setup as it is now.

 

[PoMarantz]

Holy cow what a set up! Love those Technics tape decks.

Very nice! You’re right, they mos def sounds better knowing they came from him

Do the blanket in from of the tv help much?

It’s a push-button retractable screen that I designed an built. I think it cuts down on some of the secondary reflections….but I built it so that I don’t have that GIANT black hole in my living space, visually.