I use a laptop running a very "stripped" down bare bones windows 10 as my streaming source. The laptop is a year old and is used exclusively for running ROON (TIDAL/QOBUZ) BIOS version 1.02 latest version 1.08 So I flashed the upgraded BIOS with some trepidation as I have removed /disabled hundreds of background services/apps etc. Update successful and laptop rebooted . Eagerly I opened ROON and yes it opened flawlessly . Pink Floyd 's -Shine on you crazy diamond 24bit/96Khz Qobuz stream First impression significant clarity in sound stage . Ryzen CPU 's have a reputation for improvement in frame rate increase in games after BIOS update, but I'm surprised that SQ can be improved so markedly as well.
The BIOS update was conducted after weeks of system clean up-So I am confident that the SQ improvement can only be attributed to the BIOS , as strange as it sounds. I would rank the change equivalent to an upgraded power supply to a DAC.
Not sure if it was the BIOS or cleaning up the OS. Windows isn't a naturally real time system, so those add ons, etc can really add a lot of lag to the CPU.
You must have a verified phone number and physical address in order to post in the Audiogon Forums. Please return to Audiogon.com and complete this step. If you have any questions please contact Support.