new to devialet and could do with learning the basics

[ochu2]

Thanks for your response David.

There is no SAM profile for my B&W speakers.  I've been advised not to try to use the SAM until Devialet come up with the right profile. 
In the absence of a SAM for my specific B&W's, I think I'll need to mess around with the configurator to get an improvement, but it feels like shooting in the dark right now.

Do you have any suggestions on the use of the configurator - for example, in which areas would I produce changes in hi / bass frequency responses ?

As @thumb5 said, the Expert amps have tone controls and the tone controls aren't included in the configuration file, they're something you adjust with the remote and they're always available.

You said you had a "straightforward setup" and you do. You're only using one input, ethernet, so basically the only thing you can do is to turn off the unused inputs in the configuration so that only ethernet is active. You can set the IP address in ethernet settings but since your ethernet connection is working fine in the factory setup, that means you're using DHCP addressing which is the default so there's nothing to change in the ethernet settings. Since there's no SAM profile for your speakers there's also nothing to change in the speaker settings.

There are really only 2 things I would consider changing in the factory configuration with a system such as yours. One is the startup volume setting. Currently it will be set to the default of -40 dB. I do most of my listening at around 20 dB plus or minus a couple of dB. I set my startup volume to -20 dB so I don't have to adjust volume by much whenever I start listening. The other setting I would consider changing is the DPM (Dynamic Power Management) setting. The default is on but I think things sound better with it off so I would set that to off. You can turn it off manually if it is on by using the tone control button on your remote. Press the tone control button and keep pressing it so that you cycle through a number of options in the display window on the amp. The initial setting displayed is Balance and after that you will go through Bass then Trebles, and then come to a screen with a list of settings. Every time you press the tone control button on the remote you will move down that list to the next setting. When you come to DPM near the bottom, turn the volume control counter-clockwise to turn DPM off and then do a long press on the tone control button to exit the tone control menus. Try listening to music for a while with DPM off and then try going back to having it on (repeat the process above but rotate the volume control clockwise to turn DPM back on).

With a setup like yours, DPM is probably the only thing which might make a significant difference. I don't know whether using wifi or an actual ethernet connection instead of ethernet over power would make a difference but I would prefer not to use ethernet over power if it were me.

There's a lot of things you can alter in a configuration file but with a single input and speakers that don't have a SAM profile, most of the configuration options aren't relevant to your setup. You can actually make a configuration file without going to the advanced configurator unless you want to change your startup volume setting and/or turn DPM off.

Anything else in your dealer's setup contributing to a different sound would have been related to his setup of the speakers and listening position and to his room and any acoustic treatment and things like cables.

The dealer let me trial the demo unit at my home - the comparison I'm now able to make is based on all components, other than the actual 220 unit, being the same.  I will try out your suggestions - thank you.  It does seem like the config which was used on the demo unit is the probable cause of the difference, but I will try all suggestions in these responses, including the comment on allowing a good burn-in period before making a judgement. I'm trying to get happy with streaming, and understand the options, on the 220 before starting on my turntable. 

I appreciate the advice.