Spatial X2 Speakers
Salomon Thoj
Before we could get to that, however, I was treated to some digital content, starting with a recent Bob Dylan release. It was appallingly reproduced and played at such an outrageous volume that it seemed insane to me that this gentleman was ACTUALLY trying to sell me a pair of speakers. I like to listen to music pretty loud, quite loud in fact, but this was . . . well . . . something else.
I left feeling discouraged. I had driven over an hour to get there and was now heading home without really knowing if I had heard enough to know if the M3 Sapphires were a speaker I should still consider. I could appreciate their ability to convey a sense of space and a wide open soundstage, and they certainly had plenty of bass. But were they musical? Did they flesh out the instruments in a realistic way? Did they have the ability to bring my favorite records to life?
When he returned from his trip he contacted me as promised and arranged to set up the demo. I was excited to get another listen to the Spatials and hopeful that it would lead to more certainty about about the speakers. I was also looking forward to connecting with someone in my area that had a similar passion for audio.
You should easily be able to hear what these speakers can do *even from another room*. I think you should endeavor to properly evaluate them in your own home if you were motivated to drive that far. (Also, I found the NRD sound clips completely useless.)
I listened to a lot of speakers in the run up to buying Spatial Audio (Totem Acoustics, Martin-Logan, Rethm, Zu Audio, DeVORE Fidelity, Tannoy, etc, etc) and aside from the ML, everything just sounded *like speakers* to me.
Perhaps most remarkable of all, my wife, who has zero interest in audio, has remarked several times how much better my system sounds. (In fact, she often *complained* about two older systems. Thought they sounded shrill.) She also said that she felt, not just like tapping her toe, but moving her head and entire body as she sat in the sweet spot.
Although I feel mostly unqualified to write a review of the Merrill Williams 101.2 turntable, I appreciate the idea and the encouragement. I may just go ahead and write a review of my turntable in fact!
Sorry for your experience but you are not alone. I have had to listen to some truly cringe worthy setups over time where fine components were inappropriately mismatched/placed by solitary audiophiles.
Sorry if the review came across as negative with repect the Spatial Audio speakers. That was not my intention really. Hopefully most of the people who are bothering to read the article are seeing through that and coming to their own conclusions as you have.
Therefore those are the records, at least the right versions of them, which should be used for reference, as those are the records that will show us what any piece of equipment can and cannot do well.
Great review Steve! You mention having owned Merlin speakers. I own the TSM-MM monitors. While I enjoy them very much, I was wondering if you had any opinion on how the M5 Sapphires might compare to them given their similarity to the M3 Sapphires? I would also appreciate learning how the M3 Sapphires compare from your perspective. Thank you for your review.
Thanks Steve! Would you expect the M5 Sapphires to outshine the Merlins in the same way? Any idea what differences there may be between the M3s and M5s? I typically listen between 70 and 80 db and sit seven feet away from the front of the speakers. The M3s are more than I would like to spend.
Great review Steve! I own Merlin TSM-MM speakers and am wondering if the M5 Sapphires would be a big improvement over the Merlins? I would also like to know how the M3s compare as well. Thanks for the review.
Very nice review of a great speaker. I spoke with Clayton Shaw a while back about his Sapphire mid/tweeter and I think it is a major reason why the speakers sound so good. And open baffle woofers being free from the resonances of boxes and ports makes for a great sound.
I have Spatial M4Turbo's which are an earlier model and I'm more than happy with them and yes I've heard the PAP Trio's, the Israeli speakers are akin to the Spatials in that they both have a wide enveloping soundstage, and good dynamics. You need space in your listening room for them, they'll need to be at least a metre or better out from any walls and corners. Your amp will up to the job. I match my M4's with a pure classA amp of 45w.
I see you are in Tassie. Do you have any plans to come to Melbourne for the Hifi show or any other reason? I'd be happy to demo mine. I'm using a 40w Class AB Moon Neo ACE to power mine and have no regrets. In fact this combo has lasted longer in my lounge room than any previous gear. Around 4 years now without any gear changes.
Like you, @Islander77, I am smitten by the Spatial Audio speakers (probably the M4 Sapphires in my case) and found out about them in a similar way to you. I am really interested (half decided) to buy these, despite not having heard them up front nor knowing how much in shipping or customs I'd have to pay in getting them over here. Not to mention not having heard OB speakers to know if it's "my sound" to begin with.
You need space in your listening room for them, they'll need to be at least a metre or better out from any walls and corners. Your amp will up to the job. I match my M4's with a pure classA amp of 45w.
I see you are in Tassie. Do you have any plans to come to Melbourne for the Hifi show or any other reason? I'd be happy to demo mine. I'm using a 40w Class AB Moon Neo ACE to power mine and have no regrets
I am smitten by the Spatial Audio speakers (probably the M4 Sapphires in my case) and found out about them in a similar way to you. I am really interested (half decided) to buy these, despite not having heard them up front nor knowing how much in shipping or customs I'd have to pay in getting them over here. Not to mention not having heard OB speakers to know if it's "my sound" to begin with.
Clayton the designer and owner of Spatial is usually only to happy to reply and chat about his speakers to you but wasn't up to the idea of selling directly to me at the time(as of Jan this year he wouldn't sell to Aus as his domestic market is a huge one) and I used a third party site to buy the speakers in the US and have them freighted to here and it basically doubled the price with insurance and fees. He has his own thread on an American audio site and contributes to it, the name of which eludes me at the moment.
X3's at roughly $14k aud and add freight and insurance and gst and duty and your getting up there, heading towards 20k I guess. Contact Clayton and ask, things may of changed. You could also contact Bill McLean and see if he could help you.
I will indeed share any reply from Spatial. I sent my email nearly a week ago; I was expecting a reply by now. Seeing as AXPONA has just happened (and they were demonstrating) I think they have probably been flooded with enquiries and sales. I notice on their website all the M series models are listed as Out of Stock.
Also, when I made a more general enquiry in December last year, their Sales rep seemed open to the idea of shipping here and though the cost would be an additional $1000 USD. But that was before @Luc spoke to Clayton in January.
One item I did like about the PAP loudspeakers is the ability to swap centre driver modules (and appropriate crossover) and also configure the speakers with an electronic crossover (I think it was mini-DSP based) if you prefer.
I asked them about substituting DEQX, they said they knew of a couple of owners that went that route. I think there is good community support for either loudspeaker systems.
Thanks again everyone, I did a bit more research and made a decision to definitely stick to Spatial. PAP is a very good speaker, but it looks to me that Spatial is a more complete and a finer product overall
as of Jan this year he wouldn't sell to Aus as his domestic market is a huge one) and I used a third party site to buy the speakers in the US and have them freighted to here and it basically doubled the price with insurance and fees.
I cottoned on to this a few days ago and followed up directly with Hugo at Indie. I placed my order this morning and my speakers should be part of the first delivery arriving in a couple of weeks! I'm stoked.
The good thing about open baffles is that well-designed ones tend to sound more similar than different. Even when as different as Magnepan panels and Spatial dynamic drivers. The effect of having no box is stronger than the effect of of different drivers, for example.
I personally prefer the Linkwitz-style open baffle which uses smaller baffles, multiple drivers, fully active amps and considerable active EQ. But that kind of thing is considerably more complex than the system you are considering.
Last week I heard 2 different kinds of open baffle/no baffle speakers (including an older model Spatial Audio speaker) and I really liked what I heard. It confirmed that OBs were for me, hence why I went ahead with my order.
By the way, Hugo told me he will be demonstrating the Spatial Audio Lab speakers at the Melbourne Hifi show in June, so anyone can have a listen (as much as listening in shows may or may not tell you about the sound of a piece of gear).
StereoNET (Australia) is part of an international network of publications owned wholly by Sound Media Group (Australia). Our publication is supported by its audience. By clicking links on our site, we may earn affiliate commission, but our editorial remains entirely independent and unbiased.
Tnx for your honesty and views on the speaker. I have my eyes on the x5, but now I might have look at the m4 unless it have the same problem. Any how glad you have given these pointers when auditioning them :).
Carpet is a good starting point but your best speakers in the world need a complete room treatment in place. Since treating my room I have noticed considerable improvement. I think many forget that the room is part of the equation and is often overlooked.
4a15465005