Devialet partner with the carmaker Renault

[petrik]

I think this is forgetting SAM, which is a very significant feature in my opinion, that was inherited from the development of the phantom and delivered to the experts for free, even before anyone had heard about the phantoms. 

I sure would all like to our pet peeves to be fulfilled and can always wonder and complain that they are diverting resources from where we would like to, but not sure it would be for the best. 

Once again, beyond ADH, SAM has turned to be for me the most significant feature from a SQ perspective, and if we are honest no one was asking for it nor even thinking of it. 

So I think the reality is a bit more nuanced than as presented above. 

Jean-Marie

Very good point Jean-Marie regarding the SAM. It's a good concept and it does improve SQ. Currently it works below 300 Hz so hopefully someday they will do full bandwidth correction. Until that day comes, I'm happily using convolution that improves SQ even more.

Even if there were a full bandwidth SAM, I don't think it would replace convolution for people who are using it.
From what I understand, SAM concentrates on 'making the speakers ideal' without taking into account the acoustic environment while convolution takes into account the environment. I'm not a specialist, but my understanding of the effect of SAM cannot be achieved by convolution, so for people wanting to correct the acoustic environment, I think the ideal would be SAM + convolution or any other form of correction.

My two cents,
Jean-Marie
PS: By the way, I may be wrong, but I think that the phase correction part of SAM is full bandwidth. Only the acceleration correction of the woofer(s) is bandwidth limited under 300Hz.

Correct, SAM is a group of features but it doesn't do a room correction. SAM includes (according to Devialet):

• Driver protection to prevent issues due to overpowering a speaker
  
• Making bass driver work in their best linear region only and therefore preventing large excursion distorsion and harshness
  
• Bandwidth extension
  
• Time alignment, meaning better improved impulse response
  

Convolution on the other hand can do both, loudspeaker and room correction. I'm using convolution together with SAM and I'm really happy with the SQ.

Actually I took one measurement from my loudspeakers when SAM was disabled and an another measurement when SAM was enabled. I noticed that SAM changed the step response a little bit but it still didn't look optimal. Devialet's R&D took a look at these measurements and they replied that SAM only does correction below 300 Hz and that's why it modifies the step response only slightly.