Well it looks like this was not one of my more interesting posts, as it has received a total of zero responses so far! Anyway, for me SAM V2 has been an interesting journey. I'm a bit late to the 8.x.x party, 8.0 didn't work for the SAM bugs, I missed 8.1 completely, and finally on 8.1.2 it turned out that the SAM 2 profile for the LEF Blade was defective, something Devialet fixed in less than 3 days from me reporting it, they deserve a "well done" on this occasion.
Anyway, this weekend has been the first time that I have been able to do any extensive listening. Yesterday, I found that with many tracks SAM 2 with the Blades sounded utterly dreadful. Now having winged that nobody had responded to this thread, I have noted that this forum's very own Rufus and Guillaume have mentioned over on the 8.1.2 thread that SAM 2 appears to be far more subtle than the original SAM. Well this differs massively from my own experience, where I was running "original" SAM at 100% and now with SAM 2 some music sounds terrible. The issue being extremely over prominent very low bass. And I mean the lowest bass, but stacks and stacks of it. Yesterday I experimented a bit with SAM %, but having been used to being happy at SAM 100%, I was finding some music still sounded quite wrong with SAM reduced to 50%. At this point I got a but grumpy, and sent a fairly long, fairly informative feedback wise, but slightly grumpy query to Devialet asking why SAM 2 was so bad vs SAM 1. (although I was in a bit of a bad mood anyway yesterday, for some reason, a little out of character).
Anyway, having slept on it, and thought about things a little, I decided I would have another go today. After much experimenting with various types of music, SAM %, and even a session with REW, I found that the system appears to sound rather good with SAM wound back to 20%. I will stick with this for a while to see how things work out over more listening time.
I am still a little puzzled why SAM & SAM 2 appears so different with the Blades. I am beginning to think that maybe I have a double whammy of SAM 2 boosting the very lowest frequencies more, combined with a room that is maybe responding to these frequencies. For what it's worth, the Blades have a fairly normal low frequency response at say -3dB, but apparently the roll off rate is unusually small. Perhaps SAM 2 is telling me to buy some bass traps! Although if I'm honest, I don't mind a little room interaction boosting the upper bass a touch, this to me is how music sounds it's most natural and realistic, after all, live musicians play in real rooms. I'm not sure if bass traps can kill this lowest frequency stuff without compromising the bass you like. Anyway, that is a digression that probably needs a bit of research and at least a new thread.
The point being, in my specific case, my room and the SAM 2 Blade profile, it is very clear indeed that SAM 2 is making a very big difference, at the lowest extremes of frequency at least. I would be interested if others have noticed anything, so far it looks like it might just be little me all on my own? Which does make me wonder if is still possible that something is slightly amiss with the Blade 2 SAM profile?, that said, at SAM 20% it's sounding pretty good so far.
Any SAM 2 observations out there?
Anyway, this weekend has been the first time that I have been able to do any extensive listening. Yesterday, I found that with many tracks SAM 2 with the Blades sounded utterly dreadful. Now having winged that nobody had responded to this thread, I have noted that this forum's very own Rufus and Guillaume have mentioned over on the 8.1.2 thread that SAM 2 appears to be far more subtle than the original SAM. Well this differs massively from my own experience, where I was running "original" SAM at 100% and now with SAM 2 some music sounds terrible. The issue being extremely over prominent very low bass. And I mean the lowest bass, but stacks and stacks of it. Yesterday I experimented a bit with SAM %, but having been used to being happy at SAM 100%, I was finding some music still sounded quite wrong with SAM reduced to 50%. At this point I got a but grumpy, and sent a fairly long, fairly informative feedback wise, but slightly grumpy query to Devialet asking why SAM 2 was so bad vs SAM 1. (although I was in a bit of a bad mood anyway yesterday, for some reason, a little out of character).
Anyway, having slept on it, and thought about things a little, I decided I would have another go today. After much experimenting with various types of music, SAM %, and even a session with REW, I found that the system appears to sound rather good with SAM wound back to 20%. I will stick with this for a while to see how things work out over more listening time.
I am still a little puzzled why SAM & SAM 2 appears so different with the Blades. I am beginning to think that maybe I have a double whammy of SAM 2 boosting the very lowest frequencies more, combined with a room that is maybe responding to these frequencies. For what it's worth, the Blades have a fairly normal low frequency response at say -3dB, but apparently the roll off rate is unusually small. Perhaps SAM 2 is telling me to buy some bass traps! Although if I'm honest, I don't mind a little room interaction boosting the upper bass a touch, this to me is how music sounds it's most natural and realistic, after all, live musicians play in real rooms. I'm not sure if bass traps can kill this lowest frequency stuff without compromising the bass you like. Anyway, that is a digression that probably needs a bit of research and at least a new thread.
The point being, in my specific case, my room and the SAM 2 Blade profile, it is very clear indeed that SAM 2 is making a very big difference, at the lowest extremes of frequency at least. I would be interested if others have noticed anything, so far it looks like it might just be little me all on my own? Which does make me wonder if is still possible that something is slightly amiss with the Blade 2 SAM profile?, that said, at SAM 20% it's sounding pretty good so far.
Any SAM 2 observations out there?
