[Kerouac]

  My scan time improved dramatically.  When I updated to 2.1.8 yesterday, I timed my scan of the sd card at 7 minutes.  Previously, my scans were 40 minutes.

That's great news...with my DX90 a full media scan also took ±40 minutes in the past. 7 minutes is a big improvement over that...will install FW 1.2.8 later on today when I have some time.
Nice to read so many posts (thank you all) considering sound improvement..
 

at least with my Pearl Jam Ten Redux 24/88 from HD Tracks, detailed and just -- really good.

Well there you mention imo one of the best HD remastered albums that I've ever heard...I've also mentioned that specific (Ten Redux) album in a Pono post last week: http://www.head-fi.org/t/629454/pono-neil-youngs-portable-hi-res-music-player/2430#post_11381473
Incredible good sound on that (classic) remastered album!

 

[Djinnenjous]

Well, I think I can definitively say I adore the current SQ and how it synergizes with my rig. Last night I was listening to Vials of Wrath--an atmospheric black metal band with ludicrously good production for the genre--and "In Sackcloth and Ash" started playing. It's a three-minute acoustic interlude that begins with crows cawing in the left channel and spanning far to the right before being responded to by another bird in the distant left. It ends with the sounds of an enormous thunderclap and pouring rain.

Amped through my O2 and played through my Duozas the immense soundstage was so airy and spacious that I truthfully thought the crows were conversing outside of my open windows. This wasn't an out-of-head sensation; I mean, it seriously felt like the birds weren't even in the same room with me. To get this out of IEMs was astonishing. Better yet, the thunder sounded so rich and natural that I couldn't identify smearing or distortion of any kind. It was like being outside in a storm.

Naturally, I have to attribute a lot of this to my Duozas--which deserve center stage in the "mid-tier" universal IEM market--but as I've said before, it's the source that makes or breaks my signal chain. I ********* LOVE my DX90!

 

[ZverMetel]

   
@ZverMetel:  My initial sonic observations are noted above, post #11019 on page 735. I currently like the new sound as it seems a bit richer yet, at least with my Pearl Jam Ten Redux 24/88 from HD Tracks, detailed and just -- really good.  I need to listen some more to comment specifically on "air of the sound."  I have a tough time putting what I hear into words, and will have more to say when I have a more extensive listening session the next time I hit the gym, which is where I pretty much exclusively use my portable source gear.

I can't play to give my mind to yours, but, just a simple...
 
Another repeat, I listen the DX90 witn BD DT 990 Pro/250 (High Gain, and currently - as 235 of loudness). At the moment - the Ulrich Drechsler (flac). And find as I saw... The L2 FW is more more suitable for me than news. My DX90 is a little changed as a stock version (means HW), but my ears - in mine heart

 

[walkman666]

  That's great news...with my DX90 a full media scan also took ±40 minutes in the past. 7 minutes is a big improvement over that...will install FW 1.2.8 later on today when I have some time.
Nice to read so many posts (thank you all) considering sound improvement..
 
Well there you mention imo one of the best HD remastered albums that I've ever heard...I've also mentioned that specific (Ten Redux) album in a Pono post last week: http://www.head-fi.org/t/629454/pono-neil-youngs-portable-hi-res-music-player/2430#post_11381473
Incredible good sound on that (classic) remastered album!

 
Yeah, Pearl Jam Ten is one of my fave albums of all-time, and that Brendan so and so Redux remaster is great, and then the hi-res file thereof makes it even better. Sounds great on my DX90, as does the Nirvana hi-res downloads.
 
Regarding scan speeds.  I timed my sd card scans, too.  40 minutes multiple times pre 2.1.8 fw update, and then, while I only scanned once yesterday post- fw update (all I needed to do), I timed it at 7 minutes.  Huge improvement. I may do another scan just for test-retest reliability purposes.

 

[ZverMetel]

   
Regarding scan speeds.  

And no more about thinkness of sound?

 

[Nqstv]

The new firmware sounded good to me, however, I had to go back to L2.  Every 4th or 5th song caused my player to reboot on the new firmware.  I'll try again after the upcoming (possible) lurker update

 

[speecher]

  I guess the .wav files don't contain tags, therefore they are sorted in alphabetical order. You can check if the title number is in the tags on your computer by right clicking on the file -> properties -> details and scroll down to title number. If the row is empty, the tag for the title number has not been included.
WMP is, by the way, not the best software for converting CDs due to it uses the rather old Frauenhofer codec instead of the better LAME codec when converting the CD to mp3 files.
Instead of converting to .wav you would be better off by converting to FLAC or ALAC (if you want to do it in iTunes which is the easiest way) which is also lossless but needs less storage space and contains all of the needed tag informations, including an album art.
Exact Audio Copy could be a good software for you.
 
But if you want to keep your files like they are, you could simply create a folder structure on your SD card and navigate by my music -> directory.

 
Thanks Chris. It may be as simple as using fewer Wav files and using EAC to transfer CD to Flac, as you recommended.
 
I am still attempting to find quality files to load into the DX90. Cds from the 80s don't sound that great on the DX90 (The Cars, Styx, Journey, etc).
I own hundreds of CDs and hate the idea of repurchasing them in a HD format.
 
For example - on HDtracks, Fleetwood Macs "Rumors" is $20, and Greenday "American Idiot" is $25. That's a lot of money!
 
What do others do? Are you spending hundreds of dollars buying HD albums? or are you just using your old CDs in Flac and living with it?
 
Has anyone A/B tested the same album CD/Flac vs. HDtracks version?

 

[proedros]

   
What do others do? Are you spending hundreds of dollars buying HD albums? or are you just using your old CDs in Flac and living with it?
 
Has anyone A/B tested the same album CD/Flac vs. HDtracks version?

 
vinyl rips , bro - vinyl rips.

HDTRACKS is waste of money, imo - especially when being kinda broke and every dollar counts twice as much.

search for vinyl rips , you will throw away all your cds - i know i did.
 
cheers

 

[walkman666]

  And no more about thinkness of sound?

 
Not sure if this is serious -- "thinkness of sound?"  I think it sounds good.  Other than that, I need to use it again. I am at work, and will have my next DX90 moment tomorrow morning at the gym.  Until then...

 

[walkman666]

   
Thanks Chris. It may be as simple as using fewer Wav files and using EAC to transfer CD to Flac, as you recommended.
 
I am still attempting to find quality files to load into the DX90. Cds from the 80s don't sound that great on the DX90 (The Cars, Styx, Journey, etc).
I own hundreds of CDs and hate the idea of repurchasing them in a HD format.
 
For example - on HDtracks, Fleetwood Macs "Rumors" is $20, and Greenday "American Idiot" is $25. That's a lot of money!
 
What do others do? Are you spending hundreds of dollars buying HD albums? or are you just using your old CDs in Flac and living with it?
 
Has anyone A/B tested the same album CD/Flac vs. HDtracks version?

 
I buy select albums on HDtracks...I have about 24.  I either get near and dear albums that I want for the improved recording, or something new that I never had before that I know I'd like. It is pricey (as is this entire hobby, so I cannot see one spending big bucks on hardware but not on software), so I am selective.

 

[Paul - iBasso]

 

Yes, that was the first thing I checked. In FW 2.15, and every other implementation of gapless I've heard, the ending track and the beginning of the next track are joined together seamlessly. In FW 2.18, the ending track and the beginning of the next track overlap slightly. While technically, there is no gap, the implementation is very crude. It's very easy to discern the transition, which IMO, defeats the point of gapless. I'll happily revert to FW 2.15, which had no major flaws, as long as I don't wind up with a $400 door stop in the process. If Paul can confirm the risk is low, I'll download and reinstall FW 2.15 and wait for the next update. 

There should be no problem with going back to 2.1.5. We have never seen a truly bricked DX90 unless hardware related.
 
 
The comments on this FW are being sent to our SW team. I am now going to look for the person who invented SW bugs.

 
 
I am glad many of you are enjoying the sound.

 

[fonsocm]

   
Thanks Chris. It may be as simple as using fewer Wav files and using EAC to transfer CD to Flac, as you recommended.
 
I am still attempting to find quality files to load into the DX90. Cds from the 80s don't sound that great on the DX90 (The Cars, Styx, Journey, etc).
I own hundreds of CDs and hate the idea of repurchasing them in a HD format.
 
For example - on HDtracks, Fleetwood Macs "Rumors" is $20, and Greenday "American Idiot" is $25. That's a lot of money!
 
What do others do? Are you spending hundreds of dollars buying HD albums? or are you just using your old CDs in Flac and living with it?
 
Has anyone A/B tested the same album CD/Flac vs. HDtracks version?

 
I rip my CDs in FLAC or OGG, I use soundkonverter ( I use Linux).
 
If there is a new album and the HD version is near in price to CD, I bought it, if not CD.  Althought I buy little in HDtracks, I live in Europe and the most of times I obtain the message: "This product is not currently available due to region restrictions", in my opinion is unpleasant the record companies use this kind of tactics to get more money.

 

[Lurker0]

What do others do? Are you spending hundreds of dollars buying HD albums? or are you just using your old CDs in Flac and living with it?

I'm not original here: vinyl rips sound much better than CDs! And I had a chance to compare some vinyl rips with modern transfers to HD or SACDs, and all I can say, that a good vinyl rip sounds better.

 

[speecher]

Sorry for the ignorance - what is a vinyl rip and where do I buy it?

 

[jamato8]

  I'm not original here: vinyl rips sound much better than CDs! And I had a chance to compare some vinyl rips with modern transfers to HD or SACDs, and all I can say, that a good vinyl rip sounds better.

Hard to beat vinyl. Sadly I got rid of my collection but it was just to hard to move around with it and then to keep my turntable truly tuned up and all the other equipment. I do have some rips sent to me from vinyl by friends. A few ticks and pops but so open and different. It is all good though. I am enjoying this new FW. Now for the gapless . . not bad though.