(30-Jul-2014, 14:08)GuillaumeB Wrote: It's almost as though I prefer the delicacy of the tonal texture without SAM.
Guillaume, I could not agree with you more, especially, as far as classical music is concerned. I spent hours testing with my Cremona M speakers, switching SAM on and off, to the point of not remembering the current setting (so, this was pseudo blind testing With SAM off, I consistently observed more transparency or air around the violins and cellos. It's as if SAM infused the music with some additional bass, which while making it a little more full-bodied, caused it to lose transparency and lightness.
(I disabled SAM in the Configurator, but noticing that the config file still retained the SAM settings for Cremonas, I hoped I'd be able to turn SAM on when desired, if I left one of the Remote's buttons to toggle SAM on/off. No such luck: if you disable SAM through the Configurator, you won't be able to turn it on by a button press - the music goes silent.)
BTW, for those who prefer to listen with SAM on, you should upgrade to the new version of Firmware 7.1.1, which allegedly fixes SAM temperature issues. I noticed my 250 was getting very hot to the touch with SAM on.
Finally, let me again mention that (at least, for my speakers, ears, and the type of music I listen to) the differences with SAM on and off are very subtle. That's why I consider Devialet's statement about the "SAM revolution" (on par with their ADH technology) an unfortunate exaggeration: SAM's effects (whether you like them or not) are in no way comparable to the quality of sound provided by Devialet proper.
JRiver MC20 --> Devialet 250 Expert Pro --> KEF Blades II