The results of the FPGA update were positive, and if directions are followed fairly easy to do. After sending in the required photo of the chip and filling out the form I received my download link from Vinshine Audio within 24 hours; their support and communication has been amazing. The following are a few noteworthy points that I experienced:
- The flashing process took longer than the "up to 5 minutes" estimate that was mentioned in the instructions. It actually took 7 minutes and the last couple of minutes gave me a couple of gray hairs!
- I experienced a small amount of micro-skipping when streaming via toslink from a Wiim Pro. This problem has since disappeared but will keep an ear to this to see if the problem returns. Vinshine did mention that the FPGA may need to burn in so maybe this was part of the burn in process. I did not experience any micro-skipping with my Jolida CD player via digital coaxial.
- The upgrade without question improved my listening experience; larger soundstage, better instrument separation, improved bass definition, and micro details became clearer. I read on other forums that some people experienced brightness. It is my opinion that the upper end became smoother in my system. The sound improvement gave me a taste of audio nirvana and now makes me wonder what I may be missing from the upper echelon dacs from Denafrips.