I've got 3.10 on my DMP now and it is sounding mighty fine and operationally, much improved.  

Will need more time to draw any significant conclusions, but so far so good!

As of this evening (Sunday), PS Audio released the "Snowmass" firmware for the DirectStream Dac to the masses.  It was being beta tested through a select few for the last few days.  A couple of hours ago, they posted the release version of Snowmass for all too download.  

Just an FYI for anyone with a DirectStream DAC.

I recently acquired a DirectStream dac that had RedCloud on it and was really happy with it. Last night after reading all the reviews and seeing the availability of Snowmass, decided to download and load it up. Wow! What a difference in a sound staging. Everything I've played through it sounds more open and in the sense of space between instruments or musicians in live recordings. Love it! I also really love how updates can make the dac sound like a whole different machine.

Installed the update late last night - I didn't get much time with it, but the micro-detail was noticeable right off the bat! Seems like a great matchup for the 25th Anniversary upgrade to my ZMA! (and didn't cost me $830 to do! LOL)

The DirectStream OS update, ZMA 25th mod, and now experimenting with both input and output tubes - I'm getting a lot of great sound out of my system again. I feel like each year I say "I can't imagine this getting any more detailed..."  and somehow we squeeze more out!

Very Excited to spend more time with this setup next week when I'm off work for a bit.

Spent more time with Snowmass last night - basically instead of turning on the TV I've been turning on the ZMA, letting it warm up while I change out of work clothes, then press play and let it play for hours while I cook dinner and work on stuff around the house.

I've ditched the more experimental tubes and just went for a fresh set of "Reissue" 7581A from (Russian) Tung-Sol that seem well matched, and some what look to be Holland made 6DJ8 that say Sylvania - India. PI tubes are whatever stock type I think.

Sweetspot seems a bit wider to me - like I can be a little bit more off center before the center image pans to one side or another. The micro-detail and "blacker blacks" helps the really high frequency spatial cues stand out more, giving the impression of throwing a wider image further divorced from the speakers.

I loved the sound of Redcloud, but Ted admitted to me there was a math or programming error that "sometimes" caused some distortion. I spotted it right away and have been frustrated with the "sometimes" distortion. I'm glad that's gone now.

Only gripe I have right now is Ted put a full 1 second volume ramp up when the DAC switches from playing one format to another to hide the clicks and pops that are typically hidden by players. It's fine if it all stays one format, but starting the DAC, and switching resolutions causes it to ramp up into the first second of the music.

Beyond that, I love the sound! Much more to my liking. Further proof that jitter is the devil!

I got both the new DMP and the Snowmass OS cards in and installed both.

Quite a change. Going to have to let it settle in over the weekend. Not CRAZY about it at the moment but know I probably will be. Some more detail, probably less or no distortion, the noise floor is definitely lower. How strange to get a new DAC every now and then.

SnowMass threw my system for  loop. That and the new OS for the DirectStream Memory Player being released and loaded at the same time put the system into a shifting shape. At first I had a bad load or two and had to relaunch, reboot, listen, wait, rinse and repeat. Then  I got to evaluating and assessing. With the tube complement and room I have something seemed off. I ended up dong a lot of tube-rolling and the Sophia Electric Aqua 274B are back in the amps and an old RCA 5V4G is in the CSP3-25. That has helped. I can't sing the praises of the OS the way many have been, it certainly has some improved areas and yet for my system and my room there's a light-weight slight brightness that I don't welcome. I'm going to keep tweaking and see what I can coax towards the right direction.

I have a difficult room Eric, it swallows low frequency energy, and the excellent low end of the HR-1, the HR-1's omni-directional qualities, and the ZROCK2 save me. I have the system situated in only one half of the largest area I've ever had as a living space, and on top of that there are two different ceiling heights (the part of the room the system is in slopes from 9' to 16' over a width of 16'--the other half of the room has a 9' ceiling). I had worked up a very good tuning and tailoring for the system that gave me amazing sound, and something (I think the phase-correction nature) of Snowmass has upset that apple cart. I know if I had a dedicated room and could add treatments this would be much less of an issue. But I don't want to be in a  small room listening near field ever again (that became torment over the years) and I prefer having a loving wife than a treated room, so alas, that's not an option for me. I have other tricks to employ though, and have been employing them.

I'm not really able to work on that this long weekend because I don't get much time with the speakers on the weekends, and this one has more family elements injected into it than others. I had it almost restored Wednesday, and I'll get it better next week I'm sure. One last resort is to restore the ZTPRE into the system, that offers me another gain stage and with those torroidal transformers and solid state rectification a different voice to meld into the mix. . . . But I was hoping to not have to add that back in as with it removed I have room for the ZLC in the racks. . . .

So we'll see. It's a testament to how profoundly the OS changed that I'm having difficulty getting my high frequency/low frequency natural balance restored. Far less easily accomplished than other firmware changes.

That's odd. I haven't found any real volume differences in OS changes. I know this is silly to say but be sure you haven't activated the 20db cut off switch. . .  ("Filter" on the black remote).

Weird, something is amiss. . . I have plenty of headroom really with 3 watt monoblocks.

Anyway I've decided my problem was not with SnowMass so much as 3.10 on the DMP. I went back to 3.09 briefly and got the frequency balance back for the most part. Then went back to 3.10 and rolled more rectifiers. Now with 'forties RCA 5V4G in both the Monoblocks and the CSP3-245 I'm getting great sound. Seems strange replacing 150 dollar Sophia Electric Aqua 274Bs with 15 dollar tubes, but there you go. . . . I'll use the Sophias upstairs.

Glad you got it Lon. Those big square 5R4s are a voice from the past. I haven't tried them in years but used them a lot for a while and have a few pair around. You are talking about the "potato masher" Chatham 5R4WGYs, right? The reverb thing with different VRs is weird alright.

I have been using the multiwave 2 setting too since I updated the P5 firmware a while back. This is the first time I have enjoyed it, and still am not sure if it was the most recent firmware or amp mods, or both, but I keep coming back to multiwave 2 when I check it. Before whenever I tried, I ended using sinewave.

Isn't that OC2 in the amp a hard wired tube?  I know the tube inside my Anniversary modified CSP3 is.

Got it.  Does make rolling that tube a challenge!

I am on Snowmass V2 with no issues, and I use the Bridge II. Thanks

There's new firmware--3.14--for the DirectStream Memory Player, and it's the best one yet. Immediately noticeable sound quality improvement.

A new firmware for the DSD Mk II was released last week. My files arrived and were easily installed. Sound is interestingly improved with a bit more body to the imaging and a bit more perceived bass. Which is welcome. I know there will be a few changes in the next few days. . . looking forward to the listening. I love how these DACs keep improving.

Yes, I started on with PS Audio with their first regenerator (pre-ordered the P300 to use with my Rev. A Zen amp) and have been with them ever since. I've tried a few other DACs but their DACs work best for me--Ted is indeed an interesting designer, and their platform now based on programmable operating systems with their commitment to bringing improved OS to customers has really suited me well. This latest MKII and Massive OS has realistic sound that I keep building upon with enjoyment.

Decware and PS Audio are two cornerstones of my audio systems and I'm so grateful to both companies.

Twice as much time on this firmware now and . . . this is the first time that I loved a firmware change right off the bat, and it is still sounding even better each time I listen.

The changes are both subtle . . . and not. There is a tighter focus on the instrumental or voice image, without any etch or harshness.  The overall presentation is a bit more dynamic and natural sounding. I didn't think I'd ever have this sort of sound in my home. The source is so important. Of course if you have an SEWE300B and HR-1s that source will shine brightly.

I'm pretty used to crazy talk, both in audio and other matters--it's all over these days. Yes, firmware changes are real--and having a component that can be upgraded so easily is really cool!

PS AUDIO just released a new firmware for the DSD Mk II DAC. . ."Blue Sky" . . . .

So far a noticeable positive improvement! I love how this DAC keeps getting better and better. . . and for free.