Maybe one of the PS Audio guys can speak to this. I might be over thinking. If my budget allows me to buy a tube amp or an amp like m1200…would I get a better sounding lower power amp for the same or similar price as a higher power amp. In other words, does the price to build a higher powered amp require slightly less quality reproduction to get the power? IDK. Paralysis lol
Analysis paralysis. It gets me all the time. If you want class D amps and could swing a set of 1200’s I’m sure they would last many years without getting itchy for a replacement. My other system has a pair of m700’s, DS Jr, BHK preamp running a set of Tekton Electrons and they sound really good.
Remember you can test the amps out at home for 30 days and only pay shipping back if you dont keep them. PSA also has an awesome trade in program too. Best email one of the sales crew or call them directly. They re always happy to help whether you buy anything or not.
Look forward to hearing your impressions of the X5’s. Clayton put me in touch with someone locally that has a pair of X3’s which I hope to hear next week. If I like them I’ll probably order a a pair of X5’s.
What size room will you be setting them up in?
Its kind of odd sized “open design”. The basic room is very roughly 25’ x 15’ x 11’ ceiling. It is open on one end to the kitchen which is roughly 12’ deep. The speakers are on the 25’ long wall near one end. Not the perfect setup but is acceptable to both parties involved 
Clayton recommended the X5 over the X3 for this room. I was planning on buying the X3 and was pleasantly surprised by the downsell. He seems like a really down to earth craftsman and has a lot of pride in his designs.
Distance from front wall is everything to these speakers- if you don’t have the room, buy a box speaker.
Well that is true not for this speaker but all speakers to bring out the best in them. Spatial is no different.
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Not all. My Von Schweikert VR35’s were designed to be placed close to the front wall. There are others as well, like the Guru stand mounted speakers.
I just received mine and they are superb. Very open fast, and deep clean bottom end, and impactful mid-bass. You have to set them upright and every room is different. In my room starting at 3’ from the front wall did not work well, weak bass sounded like a small 2-way, where bass rolls of quickly.
I finally read the manual! Really, Duh.
One suggestion made was 36" out front from wall to start, which I did. It then stated wait 48 hours and either pull them further out 6" from the front wall or back 6", whichever one gives you the most mid-bass and bass is the distance to keep. Meaning you were in a bass canceling zone, (nordal area in the room. The louder bass area is a better location. This is spot on.
Well in my room and I believe due to not having the wall behind me, going back 6" to 30" from the back wall made a huge difference, now they have bass, full rich and deep, I tried 33" also and that was good also, but the extra 3" back made it even more dynamic and full. Going to do the final measurements then put the spikes back on and see which way I like it the best.
I am so happy to hear the improvement, before sounds like all midrange and highs, like a small 2 way with lightweight mid-bass down. So in some rooms close to the back wall works better than further out. My room of course as bass traps and other diffusion panels.
They image great, very fast, not bloated bass, no one-note bass, just impactful, dynamic clean bass once you find the right spot from the front wall. The bass is better than most box speakers, and the bass like box speakers does not fight midrange and highs. Easy to drive, and set up is a breeze once to hit the distance from the front wall.
I still love my Quad speakers for what they do they do well, and due to a roll-off around 16Khz, what your ear focus on is the midrange with bass down to around 33Hz in my room. So your hearing a lot of body and a very relaxed sound to the ear, which is why once you live with Quads it usually for a long time, and for many it is their last speaker.
Spatial Audio does this open box design well, and the owner and designer Clayton is a great guy to boot. He takes the time to answer your questions and tells you straight information, and in my case what I might lose a little from what the quads do every well. He was right by the way and upfront about it. Quads ESL 57 and 63’s speak with one voice top to bottom, extremely coherent with outstanding focus and detail. The M3’s give the ground a bit on those but makeup in so many ways to where the slight trade-off is well worth it. Well, you can say that about most speakers that go against the Quads. I now own 2 superb speakers that I can interchange when the mood hits me. That is not a bad thing.
Don’t listen to those who say OB speakers cannot do bass well, perhaps that was the case in the past, but trust me that is no longer an issue. The vale by the way is through the roof, I’ve heard 20K speakers that cannot touch my Quads or the Spatial M3’s.
This old cat learned a new trick by being open-minded on OB speakers and I am enjoying every minute with them. Once you hear them set up right you will be hooked. I keep my 2 subs in the system only due to that subs help open up the sound stage even more, not just for low end support.
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It your setup not the Spatial. Try moving them closer to the front wall, of further out 3" at a time. Toe in is important and depending on your sub floor going without the speakers may be better, spikes are not the best in all situations.
You may be right. When I get a few spare hours I will have to try them out again. I would like to have them at their best as would be a shame to sell them having never really got much use out of them.
I heard them sound hollow also, it was where I had the speakers set up in my room they needed to go back 5-6", in general everyone says 3 feet or more some say 5 feet or more. I my room just the opposite, so you cannot follow the crowd. My room is different and they is no wall behind me where I sit in my loft open air till you hit the wall on the family room room below which is 50’ from where the speakers face. All I can say start with 3’ then move them out 6" or back 6" and listen, the one with the best mid-bass and bottom end is the one you keep, the hollow sound is gone. It is a very clean sounding speakers with very low distortion. The sound with the spikes is good, but better without them, you still have the same transparency but they sound takes on more body and weight. Spikes can clean things up, but leave the music to clean sounding, you need over tones, weight and color.
Good luck.
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Take the spikes off, they make the whole midrange recess as well as dynamics, spikes can be a miss and hit, you have a spike on the back where the crossover is, they front is well damped and dead. You may be surprised and happy. Toe in is critical, so play with it, cross the tweeters across the front of you face, then go back 1/2 " at a time when you they lock in you will hear it, then toe them back in 1/4" and listen to the both direction from the tow in you like, if it still sounds better where you had the toe-in your are set. Play a mono recording and move your head side to side a bit the image should stay center if it shifts to the right and left they are not toes in right. Just tilt your head side to side. The better the mono image the better the stereo image will be and placement. Listened to a Jazz trio last night after toe-in, and they sounded like they were in the room, no spikes, spikes back on, everything just recessed, thin out, and lost the magic, was clean sounding though, but not real sounding.
I should have added if you have a tube amp or a McIntosh tube or solid-state amp the 2,4,8-ohm outputs, the 4-ohm outputs make the Sapphire M3’s sing like no other. The 8-ohm tap sounds louder, but it throws off the wonderful balance tone of the speakers. Using the 4 Ohm tape you just have to raise your volume on the preamp a bit more, and you will also find you have more control over the volume level. With 8 ohms the M3’s sound good, with 4 ohms exceptional.
I’ve been meaning to try the 4ohm out with my M5, but I’ve been lazy plus I’m really enjoying how they sound on the 8ohm. But I’ve always been curious. Like phillyb says once you get them dialed in the listening experience is great.
Has anyone here tried the Sapphire m3 with in particular the M1200? Or even the m700? Impressions?
Does OB and M1200 go well?
Did you try the M3’s?
If so with wich amp?
Which version of spatial do you have?
I had the M3 Triode Master. They now have a new home as I just wasn’t using them.
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I’ve had my M’3s for 8 months and they sound night and day different than month 1. World-class, and the best bottom end out of any speaker I’ve heard in 30 years in this hobby. They sound like nothing, meaning only like the recordings your playing and their production quality.
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Did they take long to sell?
What did you replace them with?
To be honest they were hard to sell (in Australia).
I also had Maggies and Quads so didn’t need to replace them with anything else.
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