New Pro - SQ for classical music

[yabaVR]

What I don't quite understand is why SAM (seems to have) made such a difference in sound quality, making it more analog, less digital. Signal crosstalk that amplified the digital artefacts?

Most speakers have wildly turning phaseshifts in their low frequencies. Phaseshift, in short, means that these low frequencies (who once were time aligned to a tone that carries many frequencies) now seperate from this original tone in time. These low frequencies run beforehand or behind the original tone they belonged to (on the timeline).
This seperation causes fatigue/disruption because your brain while listening trys to assemble these frequencies to the original tone all the time. That's why when there is no (or less) phaseshifts in the music you can say at once "Hey, this sounds very natural". It's an ease for the brain. It notices right away the less (or not appearing) phaseshifts and does'nt have to work (thus calms done).
Got it? Difficult for me as english is not my native language.

For your brain fixing things on the timeline is much more difficult than e.g. fixing different volumes in the frequency responce of a speaker.
Therefor Jitter (digital Phaseshifts) bothers us so much. That is the 'digital sound' we all complain about. The brain has to work in large amounts on these digital phaseshifts.
Now with SAM it's a mixture of both analogue and digital phaseshift. Very complex.

Devialet with SAM measures these (analogue) phaseshifts for each speaker model and 'bend' them digitally (process them on the timeline/volume) to the position THEY think it would be optimal. But it's a 2D(imensional) approach of them on a 3D job. You loose Bit-Perfection of the recording with the first touch on a bit with this.

For many here SAM works and they are happy. For me and some other D owners I know it only works at the expense of loosing ALL the fine details (especially room mapping of recording and transients).
Maybe because of loosing these details you also loose the phaseshifts of these details thus your brain has to work less and you're experiencing the result as sounding more analogue?
It would be better though to work on the problem an other way and maintain the details of music.

To experience for yourself what I'm hearing listen to a recording with no bass but high frequencies (single instrument, woman's voice) and many of room information (best is live recordings). Listen - switch off SAM on RC - listen again. Then you know what SAM also does to your music.

gui

edit:

To be more clear. If SAM helps you to get a more analogue sound, perfect. But have in mind the losses or better try the above test (SAM on/off) if there are any for you.
I think if any Devialet (expert/Pro) sound harsh, edged...digital, it is not caused by the Devialet in origin but due to the spoiled power it gets, due to the jitter of the source it is connected to, due to materials it stands on (glass) that colours the sound, etc. There are so many things that could possible alter the sound. It may be just one thing or all of the before but look at the Devialet being your magnifying glass on this.
From my point of view the Devialet is a 'Diva' and if there is something obnoxious in the signal it just gets mad on it and you will hear this. As I don't work for Devialet the before said is only meant to help if you are unlucky with your D's sound. And for sure it is not THE perfect amp but I know it can sound soo good and I would like others to have the same experience.