Looks like I will be able to update my original Terminator DAC firmware soon

[JonMarsh]

My very early model Denafrips Terminator, purchased in 2018, has been updated once, with a new DSP board in mid 2019.

Denafrips and Vinshine Audio have been running a firmware upgrade program for some of the older models, and now my Terminator appears to be up to bat, IF one purchased the updated DSP board back in 2019 or 2020. Of course, I did, as soon as it was available.

So, they just submitted information about this and posted a YouTube video...

They request your order info and date, but also want a pic of the chip, so it was a reasonable excuse to open it up and take a picture...






I could note that this beastie is the heaviest DAC I've ever been personally involved with, which at 42 lb is nearly as heavy as my Halcro DM10 preamp (51 lb) and is heavier than a Dennafrips power amp I have...

Feedback on firmware updates in this 12th Anniversary program for other models has been quite positive, so I'll be pretty curious to get this and install. Note, it's not a process for the technically faint at heart, but can be done from either PC or Mac.

👍

Let's see if I've got the mojo to manage it... they say they're pretty swamped on inquiries, so it may be a bit before they email this to me.


Then too, there is that cautionary thought we should all keep in mind about our skills...

[theSven]

Emotiva offers deals like this for their gear. However I think the Denafrips has much better stability than all the problems I've had with my Emotiva.

On the other hand after just investing in the Soekris I can live vicariously through your posts on how it goes with upgrading the Denafrips. The next question that comes to my mind is how does the Denafrips compare to the Berkley Alpha DAC? Where is a central location where we can have a meetup and have a DAC-athon to compare the models and listen?

[JonMarsh]

Emotiva offers deals like this for their gear. However I think the Denafrips has much better stability than all the problems I've had with my Emotiva.

Hah! The last time I had a "centralized location" for doing DAC and system evaluations was from 2010 through 2017, with a colleague from APAC at my employer I'd known for about 15 years who relocated to Munich from Singapore and was on the management board... he had good contacts in the Munich retail scene for being able to borrow trade in units and current demos, and the system was fairly stable over the years until he and his wife went back to Singpore, so she could resume her career path as a clinical doctor and researcher. Although we looked extensively, we never found anyone else at work with this level of interest in music and audio systems.

This was his system probably at it's "peak" in Munich, with the Wilson speakers...



(of course, you know how the old spiel goes, I could tell you all about all the secret stuff in the rack to the left, but then I would have to, ummm, prevent you from sharing that knowledge with anyone else... ever.

😧


And this was the last picture he sent me from Singapore (much less space) with his current setup with KEF Q950 speakers.



Space limitations dictated a certain degree of consolidation and downsizing.



In our case, I don't have a current suggestion- I don't even have a Stereo system setup yet, given all the design work and mods going on. The Terminator is designated at this time to go into the living room system, fed through the Mutec MC3+, with the updated Isiris speakers (once that work is finished- in a bit of a holding pattern right now for other higher priority stuff), and a couple of transports and a Denafrips Hestia preamp driving Cambridge Edge W amps. Possibly the green computer and Rendu will be setup with this system.

The Saint-Saëns Planar (aka SMJ-40) will go into the smaller dedicated A/V room with the Halcro preamp and mono blocks and the TotalDAC D1 balanced, with the DAC fed through a Brainstorm DCD8 with an LPFRS Rubidium reference oscillator from the output of the Alpha USB, front end probably the Audirvana setup.

Now, upgrades from Denfrips have been relatively infrequent - the DSP board replacement I got in 2019 promised better sound for standard files, but also delivered 24-bit/1'536kHz PCM and DSD 1'024. Naturally such ultra-rate files—or far more likely, far lower versions upsampled in software—require entry by USB or I2S. All other digital inputs do DSD64 DoP and 24/192 PCM. But the new board enables dual- wire AES/EBU for up to 384kHz PCM or DSD 128; sharp/slow filter options; I2S channel swap for DSD; and I2S pin-out assignment. Not what you'd call a minor update.

For a review site's impression of the original Terminator DSP upgrade board, check out the Sixmoons article here, from July 2019, when I ordered mine.

https://6moons.com/audioreview_articles/denafrips4/

Now, the new overall DSP firmware update program happening for most of the earlier models of Denafrips DACs and now the original Terminator is claimed to address a variety of issues and performance characteristics:

• 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
• Reduced Audio Latency
• Reduced Phase Difference between L/R Channels
• Optimised DSP to improve the sonic performance

In general, the intent is to improve the operational robustness with variation in performance of external equipment, and to further optimize the digital filter performance and the measured characteristics.


Now, an interesting thing, with the lower end models, for the sake of argument, let's just say that some users feel the additional "clarity" is actually a "thinner" sound with less emphasis on the midrange and bass- they prefer the original configuration. For these software upgrade "kits", both the original firmware and the updated firmware, so that if one updates the firmware and finds that it doesn't have the right "system synergy" for the listener, one can go back to the old firmware.

In my own case, BEFORE installing the new firmware, I intend to run some measurements on the Audio Precision analyzer, then update, and run again, to see what I see different, if anything. I'm presuming that if they've tweaked the filters and algorithm to where some listeners are hearing differences in tonal balance, then something OUGHT to be measurable.

The next question that comes to my mind is how does the Denafrips compare to the Berkley Alpha DAC?

My first response to this question, is which version of Terminator and which version of the Alpha DAC? (there are three of both). I sent Steve my original Gen1 Berkeley Alpha DAC- I used to use it with an Antelope Audio Isochrone, which I still have, as that stabilized the AES/EBU enough that it markedly cleaned up and made the top end more natural sounding. The 3rd gen of the Alpha DAC MSRP's for double the 1st gen.

I would suggest checking on line reviews at The Absolute Sound to get some generation to generation comparison of listening qualities of the Alpha DAC.

Darko is a Terminator fan, as are some folks at Sixmoons, so those might be places to do research on.

I'm hardly in a "central" location myself, of course, unless you mean "central Idaho".

🤣


So, no easy answer on that question...

[JonMarsh]

OK, good news, they sent me the links for the firmware downloads, and I've saved that, so I'll be set to go soon-

BUT, I plan to bench the terminator BEFORE the update and afterwards, and what with lawn care season going full swing, more travel to CA planned, and ongoing projects, it may be a while before I can find the time...

But it's in the queue!