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B&W 802 Diamond with SAM ?
#1
Has anyone experienced the 802 Diamond with SAM.
The specs on the devialet site look really impressive. I Thinking of buying the
802Diamonds to use with my Dev 400 and hoping that with SAM I won't need a sub
For orchestral music ?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Theaudioguru
Devialet 400 ,Magico S3, Aurender N100, Mac Mini + Amarra + Geekperfect, Vpi Avenger with 3D Arm, ortofon cadenza bronze, Ortofon Royal Spu Nude,
Sonos.
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#2
If you need a sub with those babies, you must be planning some serious mischief!

Sonos Connect (W4S) > DSpeaker Antimode 2.0 > Sanders Magtech > Martin Logan Montis
Sonos Connect (W4S) > Devialet 200 > Vivid V1.5
Silver Phantoms (just the two)
London
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#3
(13-Nov-2014, 01:26)theaudioguru Wrote: Has anyone experienced the 802 Diamond with SAM.
The specs on the devialet site look really impressive. I Thinking of buying the
802Diamonds to use with my Dev 400 and hoping that with SAM I won't need a sub
For orchestral music ?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Theaudioguru

Looking at the data on the Devialet site the 802 is the most accurate speaker they have yet measured in the bass, before SAM, so of all the speakers it is the one which needs SAM least. Nevertheless it is changed a bit but I would think the gain due to SAM will be not noticed on many discs, unlike the smaller speakers.
Devialet Original d'Atelier 44 Core, Job Pre/225, Goldmund PH2, Goldmund Reference/T3f /Ortofon A90, Goldmund Mimesis 36+ & Chord Blu, iMac/Air, Lynx Theta, Tune Audio Anima, Goldmund Epilog 1&2, REL Studio. Dialog, Silver Phantoms, Branch stands, copper cables (mainly).
Oxfordshire

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#4
I Heard 802 with devialet 800. SAM was not bieg change in sound quality. In fact I preferred sound without SAM. Anyway I did not liked sound of setup. I think that are better and cheaper loudspeakers for Devialet than 802D. for me timbres are important and musicality. Devialet with 802 gives You big sound but little emotions IMHO.
SAM was a real improvement with 805D.
In my experience SAM helped more small speakers than a big ones.
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#5
Hello.

In fact I am experimenting with a pair of B&W 802 Diamonds and Devialet amps for more than six month now. I have started with a borrowed 250 and meanwhile I have switched to a 400.

In my setup the 802 Diamonds make a perfect couple with the 400 plus SAM. But To tell you the whole truth you must know that the rest of the stuff I am using has been carefully choosen too.

I am a strong believer in power source and power cabelling. So I am using PS Audio P10 and really high quality cables all equipped with Furutechs FI-50-connectors.

The next thing is the source. As many of us, I have started with a notebook first. After that I have switched to an optimized Win 2012 server with Jplay. Finally I found a real high-end SSD-based musicserver which shows the best latency results I have ever measured. And I am using wav. -files only!

Everything has been nicely placed in a matching dedicated high-class rack and here we go. The result is mind blowing and is in fact much better than many much more expensive setups I have owned before. So I have sold all my LINNs, AVMS, KRELLS and Jeff Rowlands. Now I have only three small boxes (plus the mighty P10) and many of my friends really wonder what is wrong with their classical high-end setups...

From my point of view the 802 Diamond plus SAM is a really marvelous team!

In Dubio Pro Audio

Jan
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#6
(13-Nov-2014, 17:45)Gentleman Wrote: Hello.

In fact I am experimenting with a pair of B&W 802 Diamonds and Devialet amps for more than six month now. I have started with a borrowed 250 and meanwhile I have switched to a 400.

In my setup the 802 Diamonds make a perfect couple with the 400 plus SAM. But To tell you the whole truth you must know that the rest of the stuff I am using has been carefully choosen too.

I am a strong believer in power source and power cabelling. So I am using PS Audio P10 and really high quality cables all equipped with Furutechs FI-50-connectors.

The next thing is the source. As many of us, I have started with a notebook first. After that I have switched to an optimized Win 2012 server with Jplay. Finally I found a real high-end SSD-based musicserver which shows the best latency results I have ever measured. And I am using wav. -files only!

Everything has been nicely placed in a matching dedicated high-class rack and here we go. The result is mind blowing and is in fact much better than many much more expensive setups I have owned before. So I have sold all my LINNs, AVMS, KRELLS and Jeff Rowlands. Now I have only three small boxes (plus the mighty P10) and many of my friends really wonder what is wrong with their classical high-end setups...

From my point of view the 802 Diamond plus SAM is a really marvelous team!

In Dubio Pro Audio

Jan

Hi Jan,

Sounds like you are approaching audio Nirvana! Just curious about the SSD MusicServer you are using?

David
1. NUC6i5SYH running ROON ROCK > ROON/AIR > Ethernet > Devialet 1000pro Core Infinity> Wilson-Benesch ACT Speakers,
or, as alternative, 
2. Wyred4Sound MS-2 Server, Devialet 1000pro Core Infinity, Theta Jade CD Transport, Pure 702ES Tuner, Wilson-Benesch ACT Speakers, misc cables

                                       UK
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#7
(13-Nov-2014, 17:45)Gentleman Wrote: Hello.

In fact I am experimenting with a pair of B&W 802 Diamonds and Devialet amps for more than six month now. I have started with a borrowed 250 and meanwhile I have switched to a 400.

In my setup the 802 Diamonds make a perfect couple with the 400 plus SAM. But To tell you the whole truth you must know that the rest of the stuff I am using has been carefully choosen too.

I am a strong believer in power source and power cabelling. So I am using PS Audio P10 and really high quality cables all equipped with Furutechs FI-50-connectors.

The next thing is the source. As many of us, I have started with a notebook first. After that I have switched to an optimized Win 2012 server with Jplay. Finally I found a real high-end SSD-based musicserver which shows the best latency results I have ever measured. And I am using wav. -files only!

Everything has been nicely placed in a matching dedicated high-class rack and here we go. The result is mind blowing and is in fact much better than many much more expensive setups I have owned before. So I have sold all my LINNs, AVMS, KRELLS and Jeff Rowlands. Now I have only three small boxes (plus the mighty P10) and many of my friends really wonder what is wrong with their classical high-end setups...

From my point of view the 802 Diamond plus SAM is a really marvelous team!

In Dubio Pro Audio

Jan

Hi Jan, what a brilliant coincidence! Smile Two days ago I quoted some posts you wrote on the Jplay.eu forum about your JPlay dual PC comparison with the Aurender W20, here: http://devialetchat.com/Thread-Jplay?pid=5283#pid5283

Welcome to this forum!

(sorry @ theaudioguru for this offtopic post)
PS Audio P3, Shunyata ΞTRON Alpha Digital and HC/Furutech power cables, Paul Hynes SR7EHD-MR4, DIY Roon Server & Roon Endpoint running AudioLinux Headless, Phasure Lush^2 USB cable, Audioquest Diamond RJ/E ethernet, Uptone Audio etherREGEN, Mutec MC-3+ USB, Shunyata ΞTRON Anaconda Digital XLR AES/EBU, Devialet Expert 250 Pro CI, Nordost Tyr Reference LS cables, Von Schweikert VR-5 SE Anniversary Edition, Anti-Mode Dual Core 2.0, JL Audio Fathom F112. More detail here.

The Netherlands
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#8
I've been using a D170/D200 to power my 802Ds for over a year now and have experience of the combination before and after the SAM upgrade. All in, they are a great combination. Much better than the far more expensive amps I had before. SAM makes a difference with the B&Ws, but it's far from "night & day". It's worth having as it's free, but I'm not sure I would feel overly compelled were I to have to pay for it. My take on SAM is that the effect is less noticable with well setup larger speakers, but it can be quite impressive with more modest ones. With the 802s the change from D170 to D200 (minus SAM) seemed to make more of a difference.

I've tried a D400 setup too, and that is something that the 802s definitely appreciated. I haven't made the move yet, but I will revisit it in the future. I wouldn't consider a sub with that setup unless you've a massive room or an interest in whalesong.
GorbeSE/SME 309/DV XX-2 & Roon Rock (NUC) > D400 > Wilson Benesch Vectors
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#9
Thanks guys for the insightful answers, I notice a wide variety of experiences which in our hobby is only to be expected.
At the moment I have the baby Mbl 121 . Superb transparency but I'd like some more heft for big symphonic works. Hence my interest in full range speakers. I heard the 802 Diamoonds at a local dealer with Bryson amps and they were very good but I could still detect the source speakers unlike the Mbl which create audio images far beyond the speakers.

I thought the devialet 400 would really help the 802 to shine indeed I was hoping that with SAM the 802 could rival the mighty 800 Smile
I'm using an Auralic Aries which is better than my Mac mini with Amarra for consistent problem free usage and probably sonically also. I also have vinyl which is wonderful.

I wondering @moreno1973, what full range speakers you might recommend with devialet?
I think I'll Ask the dealer if I canbring the Dev 400 to the dealership to try with the 802 Diamonds.
I'm also open to other suggestions re new speakers. I want a rich full sound.
Thanks
Theaudioguru

(13-Nov-2014, 17:45)Gentleman Wrote: From my point of view the 802 Diamond plus SAM is a really marvelous

Jan
Hi Jan, I can't wait to hear the 802 Diamond with SAM. Thanks for the enthusiastic endorsement .
Thanks Stevo, any cable advice?
Theaudioguru
Devialet 400 ,Magico S3, Aurender N100, Mac Mini + Amarra + Geekperfect, Vpi Avenger with 3D Arm, ortofon cadenza bronze, Ortofon Royal Spu Nude,
Sonos.
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#10
Hello everybody.

Thanks for the very warm welcome!

I will try to bring in some more of my experiences in the future.

It is nice to meet some guys from other forums here as well.

Concerning the 802's (and also all the other B&W's): I had a very bad time when these came new out of the boxes. These speakers need some really serious time of burn in. And I am talking about HUNDREDS of hours with raised up volume!!!!!!

Especially the first 100 hours were a real nightmare and I only played them when I was NOT at home. The SQ in the beginning is really bad! So please keep this in mind when you visit a dealer. Very often people do not pay enough attention on this detail.

Moreover I can tell you that I have tested the 800 Diamond already as well (and with SAM, too). My impression was that these seem to need the 800 Devialets what makes this combo much more expensive.

Right now I do a lot of tests and I have already borrowed one B&W DB1 subwoofer which I want to use with the 802's! I have experienced in the past that the addition of a really fine active subwoofer helps even the very best speakers (such as Wilson Sasha) to play more relaxed. It seems to be a phenomena similar to the effect when using SAM....

One last word to the effect of SAM on the 802's: in my setup the use of SAM makes a "night and day" difference!! Without SAM the 802's are just good speakers among others. But with SAM switched on the speakers really shine and outperform all other setups in my "neigbourhood". As I mentioned before some of my buddies spent much more for their setup (i.e. WILSON W/P 8, AVM MA8 and Linn Klimax DS, all cables NBS and Straight Wire Crescendo) and even though we are tweaking these systems for years already the performance / SQ can not keep up with my "inexpensive" chain which I started to bring up only five month ago......

From my experience SAM is a big step and a real game changer.

And now lets go to bed. Have a good night folks!
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