Just to try to clarify the firmware update process as there is obviously a lot of discussion elsewhere…
The firmware update is intended to be as simple as Mosaic tells you there’s an update, you hit the “Apply Update” button, Mosaic kicks off the update and between the app and the display on the unit it tells you if any user intervention is required (such as a power off restart / reboot) - this is what happens with 99+% of updates worldwide.
We obviously see the numbers for unique downloads of each update from the update server so we know how many unique dCS devices have requested the update file and we obviously get support queries from any users with issues coming through the usual channels and we assist with those so they are easily quantified too.
Individual queries on here are somewhat harder to identify and quantify as they can be lost in the middle of other threads and it is often difficult to piece together from a forum thread whether someone is sorted, whether someone has a problem still, whether someone’s is just adding an amusing anecdote / saying they haven’t had an issue / saying they have had an issue and resolved it by x / saying that they had an issue a previous time but haven’t this time / saying that vinyl doesn’t need updates or whatever but again we will always try to assist and again we also try to keep a tab on the number of issues and what the problems were so that we can see what the real world issues are globally and work out whether there is anything that can actually be done to improve the process or whether those issues are things that we simply can’t practically foresee and code for…
IF you have an issue updating then please contact us at [email protected] - this is NOT so that we can hide something or subdue discussion on the forums - it is so we have a useable record of as many issues as we can get (and have a full history of the resolution) so that they can then be properly post-mortem’d afterwards to see if we can find any commonalities that can then be used to improve the resilience of the update process.
I hope that this both explains the update process somewhat and how we would like to assist anyone that is having issues in a way that helps everyone moving forward…
It managed to do the Network board but is just hanging on Front Panel/Control Board. Just says “FPGA update started”. Been stuck there for hours. I emailed support but no answer yet.
Switch the unit off. It keeps a copy of the earlier firmware so that if the update fails it will still operate.
When you switch off do not just do this from the front panel. The unit needs to be switched fully off from the rear panel switch. Wait for a minute or so then switch back on and return to Mosaic and request the update again. The procedure of switching off from the rear panel should precede any update.
Other external matters can affect the update like excessive traffic on your local internet connection or an antivirus application. I would also suggest switching off any relevant antivirus software for the duration of the update.
Crossfeed was not there at all, I don’t think, before this update. In any case, it is a happy coincidence I had set up a headphone rig by my main system right before the Expanse update. I have to say Expanse is fantastic, certainly much better than the standard crossfeed algorithm.
I am a headphones-only guy, currently trying the various crossfeed options on a Rossini Apex + Clock (coming from Chord DAVE + M-Scaler) and I agree that the “standard” crossfeed is not a great option with the Rossini, it blurs / softens the transients too much. Furthermore, it sounds relatively congested.
The Expanse, is much more transparent and dynamic. As the name says, it expands the soundstage in all directions which is good and bad at the same time for my tastes / what I am used to. I seem to suffer highly lateralized sound directivity and standard CF would suit me better in that regard.
I am trying to get used to Expanse, still early time, but so far it’s a mixed bag.
