To SAM or not to SAM and DRC

[Antoine]

'Confused' already responded and did the test which he described here: http://devialetchat.com/showthread.php?t...5#pid53035

This is what he wrote:

OK - I have just been trying the 'Gui' test. (Per #53 above)

Very interesting!  I used the Devialet remote pseudo blind test, that is you repeatedly press the SAM on / off button to the point that you do not know if it is on or off, sat in the listening position I cannot see the display on the Devialet.  I did manage to find a number of recordings with more or less zero bass as suggested, all 24 bit and decent recordings.  Toggling SAM on and off I, I could tell a difference between each one.  In terms of details, I could notice a very slight improvement / reduction in the fine details.  The first couple of time I checked, the slightly better details were obtained with SAM off.  I was able to repeat this a number of times, there was one occasion where I preferred the SAM on version, but other than that, each time SAM off prevailed.  I recall YabaVR (Gui) posting that SAM 'looses all the fine details'.  I would not put it as starkly as this, for me it was a very small reduction in fine details, very small but clearly discernible.  As for soundstage, this was a bit hit and miss for me, so I reckon this aspect may be more system / listener specific.  Sometime I preferred the soundstage with SAM on, but I think a fairly consistent result was a narrowing of the soundstage, which in same cases I think I may have preferred as it came across as a more accurate sound stage, possible because it was actually less accurate!  So yes, definitely a ***** (replace ***** with insignificant, small, major / unacceptable, depending on your perspective) loss of details. I think the sound stage effect could be system dependant, but in my case it was a narrower sound stage that perhaps seamed more precise and more detached from the speakers, which could mean more mono!

Well done to Gui for spotting this and posting such a clear method of trying it for yourself.

Being slightly less serious (although there may be a serious point lurking here), I can now propose the Confused SAM test.  This is for the very brave only.  Play the first 30 seconds of Dizzee Rascal's 'Dirtee Disco' on a reasonable volume. Please note that it is neither safe nor sensible to play more than 30 seconds of this track.  I suspect that Confused SAM test may also be very system dependant.