Meitner/EMM Labs Firmware Upgrade = Sonic Bliss

There is NO cost for the Firmware Upgrade.

Try your dealer first, then EMM Labs/Meitner websites, or email them. But make sure you email the right person and dept.

It is ready and should be posted any day now.

There are a lucky few of us that got it just before it is about to be posted.

The XDS1 v1 does not get the upgrade. I am a bit cheesed off. This is not a cheap player by any means and it should still be supported by EMM Labs.

Too bad, I have one as well. Still sounds damn good to me, though, so I think we can take some solace in that.

I received instructions to download and upgrade the new firmware and assume it was done correctly as I am hearing music. The upgrade does lower the noise floor, create more air between instruments and increased resolution without sounding analytical. It is amazing so many improvements were made to the presentation and soundstage with just a software upgrade, but Ed Meitner has done it. I tried a DSD file I downloaded and it did not play back. It makes me wonder if I didn't load the new drivers correctly or if there is change on my JRiver settings needed. A final comment; up to this point I much preferred my SPIF connection from my Baetis Music Server as it sounded superior even on DSD files converted back to PCM on the fly through JRiver. This upgrade from EMM Labs has greatly improved the sound via USB I am now preferring it to the SPDIF. I will continue to listen and report back later if this isn't the case and I stick with the SPDIF connection that comes right off the mother board of my Baetis. Until this upgrade, the SPDIF was clearly superior to all who listened to my system.

After much frustration and some help from Hifimaniac I finally got this upgrade loaded and fully functional. Prior to it's installation my dacx2 and the rest of my system sounded great to me. After firmware upgrade it still sounds GREAT. Once upgrade loaded you no longer have the luxury of going back and forth to compare. My memory may not be as good as others. I will say it seems to function more smoothly now. You use to have to wait once it was completely powered down. Now I have total functionality instantly. I wonder what the firmware upgrade was suppose to improve? I would ask emm labs but good luck getting a response. I will continue to listen. Maybe at some point, I will think, wow, didn't sound that way before. Who knows?