For me, the newer version, while a tad hot, sound more like standard band saxophones than previous versions. I can fix any personal issues I have with them easily with the faders.
I agree with this wholeheartedly! I know for a fact this is an issue, and an all-too human one. It’s a problem with middle school band directors who don’t regularly listen to great recordings, eventually thinking that what they are hearing from their ensemble is good enough, when that is far from true.
All that being said, have you looked into the “blooming” issue I posted here? This is definitely not a psychological issue, and can be heard in the file I posted. Several others have noticed it as well.