Spatial Audio open baffle speakers, who has them? Worthwhile change from Maggies?
Hang in there uberwaltz, the wait will be worth it I’m sure! I ordered my Omega speakers and subs in early December and they are finally arriving tomorrow so I feel your pain. Patience isn’t one of my virtues! Like you, I’m quite confident I’ll be well rewarded for my wait. I’m looking forward to your impressions of the Spatial Audio M3’s, it’s a speaker that intrigues me greatly. |
Mac I am very confident they will bowl me over, fortunately I still have the Maggies to keep me happy for now, which they actually do quite well in my room. It will be a most interesting comparo! Not sure as I could handle a wait from December to now...... As some of my posts regarding others may show I have ZERO patience . LOL. |
I have my M3 Turbo S’s on their spikes on a thick rug over a wooden floor on a concrete basement foundation. The important thing is that the compression tweeter is at level for me. I was thinking of resting each speaker on a stone/marble or a hardwood slab, but that would elevate the tweeters. is there a reason the speaker can’t be tilted up ? Shimmed with plank of wood at 90 degree to the legs to start. Once the right angle is found, go source longer spikes from Bolts Plus that will give you the height you need at the front. |
Here is the link for Audio Circle
https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?board=193.0
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@uberwaltz, now that you’re an AudioCircle member, dig into the GR Research Circle. Danny Richie is a very knowledgeable, talented speaker designer, his kits the best values in hi-fi. And his customers the best group of DIY audiophiles I’m aware of, a treasure trove of information and ideas. While you’re at it, watch the GR Research Tech Talk Tuesday videos on You Tube. Believe me, you will be VERY glad you did! |
Sorry Ozzy. Been sitting here and trying to stem the flow of drool....... They arrived about lunch and quickly unpacked and setup in roughly same position as the Maggie's. I turned both subs off before I played any music and that's the way it will stay, they have NO need of any bottom end reinforcement in my room. Now the Maggie's may have just had the edge in very top end sparkle but as far as cohesion and body, the Spatials win hands down. Instruments are very easy to pick out of the mix individually and the soundstage seems to extend way past the speakers. I did tilt them down towards me slightly which got a little more top end sparkle so I need time to play with placement etc. But overall very happy indeed. |
@uberwaltz DON'T shut down the idea on subs just yet! I would wait for break-in to determine if you need a sub or not. Personally, I find the addition of dual subs well integrated with the Triode Masters to be a huge increase in music satisfaction. I listen to a lot of artists like RUSH, YES, KING CRIMSON, THE POLICE, AC/DC etc. |
Just a quick update. Have got maybe 40 hours on them now and things are opening up nicely. i had thought they lacked a bit of sparkle compared to the Maggie’s but that area has certainly improved. Bass is very solid and dynamic with separate bass notes being easily delineated. But what has impressed the most over the last day or so is how they now have mostly disappeared. Extremely difficult to detect music coming from any single speaker, it’s just “ there”. Very happy with my choice at this stage. |
I happen to be fortunate to own the Kyron Gaia system that lalitk had a link to. No Swiss gold was transferred, however the Gaia produce the most exquisite musical reproduction I have experienced. That withstanding, it is all dependent on the analog or digital equipment used. I am putting together some photos of my main system to paste in the virtual rooms. There are some wonderful systems on show there. Wow. Adrian |
For those interested in something different, my extensive review of the Tri-Art Audio 5 Open Speakers, as well as several other pieces of Tri-Art system components, is now published at Dagogo.com While it looks peculiar, this is a SERIOUS open baffle speaker system! Enjoy the read! I vouch for the high performance to value ratio of this speaker. |
This may be of interest, to some:
http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/spatial-audio-lab-x2-loudspeaker/?mc_cid=c84e1696c7&mc_eid=cf518eebf4
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That "older" Spatial X2 design is no where near as good as the latest cheaper ones. That speaker has a passive 15 and a wave guided AMT. The new X3 has a powered 15, a passive custom 12 inch mid and the same AMT tweet as the older one.....and it is more sensitive, way easier to drive and $2500 cheaper. He is still selling the X2 overseas so he has to keep listing it. The latest Spatial speakers are soooo good, along with the open baffle GR Research, the big Tektons and the 98db Lii full range speakers from China (dirt cheap). The Tri-Arts look good but are way weird looking.....of course, the big Tektons (even better when modded)...are just big ape coffins....he he. |
Speaking of open baffle speakers, not only are the Spatials wonderful - heard them @ RMAF 2(?) yrs ago - but I also became interested in Eric Alexander’s Tekton Design Sigma OB (open baffle "hybrid" design). Almost on a whim I ordered a pair of the Sigmas when he offered them at an irresistible price. I had spent the previous 15 yrs with Apogee Duetta Signatures (driven by a dBX BX1 monster amp because those Duettas demanded real power). I loved them dearly but after having the bass panels re-tensioned 3 times in their lives it became too much of a hassle to keep them "tuned". Apogee folded with the death of its founder and I felt it was time to move on. I had come to love dipoles though & I was intrigued by the Sigma’s design. Well, they’re still in my system with Hsu Research subs & I am quite pleased! I think the Spatials might well better them though and they may be next on my list! |
My Spatials have really opened up over last couple days. But yesterday I made a small change in my room that has reaped huge rewards. I bought a new listening chair. It's a reclining glider and it's so comfortable I could sleep in it. However the point is that it has raised me approx 3 inch and what a difference! Soundstage is enormous and deep. Details are everywhere and talk about bass. It felt like cannon shots last night on one particular album I was streaming. Pretty much in heaven right now. |
I just received my X5 speakers this past Friday and have put about ten hours on them so far so I know they will sound even better with breakin. But I have to agree with others that these speakers are really special. They have a very large soundstage which is deep and they are very dynamic, effortless and coherent. They really nail female vocals and the tweeters are very smooth yet detailed. I have them about 8 feet apart toed in so they point about a half foot outside my seating position which is ten feet from the speakers. I'll experiment with a little more toe in to see what sounds best. I've had several green mountain audio speakers in the past fifteen years which were also very transparent and delivered a huge soundstage but these are definitely a level higher and more dynamic and involving even at lower volumes. The Green mountains were one of my favorites up until these surpassed them. I have two rel storm subs which I'm not even using at the moment as I feel I do not need them with the X5s. But after they've broken in a bit I'll turn on the rels and decide. I have the sub level on the X5's at about the 9/10 position and the bass is excellent so not sure what the rels will add but will try them a little later. I'm driving them with a pathos twin towers 30 watts/channel hybrid class A integrated and at a little over half volume on the indicator it is more than loud and dynamic enough. The combo of this amp with these speakers and RCA blackplate input tubes is very addictive. I'm also using audience au 24sx interconnects, ven haus chela speaker cables and a metrum onyx DAC and use a modified wyred for sound sonos connect and play cds as well. Next update is maybe the Innuous mini streamer. |
Well I own the X3s and here is a short list of what I've owned in the past few years Klipschorns GR Research Super V Forte IIIs Wilson Sophias Reference 3a Grand Veena Piega P10 Von Schweikert VR4 Gen III HSE Green Mountain Audio C3 Magnepan 1.6 and 3.5 I would say the Spatials are as good as anything I've owned at most things, and quite a bit better at some. They have the most articulate and pitch correct bass response of any speaker I have owned. They are open and boxless sounding like maggies, but with far superior soundstage depth and dynamics. They most closely resemble the GMA Continuums in tonal balance and transparency. Their dynamics most closely resemble that of the mighty K horns. About 90% of what they do. Hope that helps. Oz |
I haven't owned that many but have owned the below: Green Mountain audio callisto Green Mountain audio continuum 1.5 Green Mountain audio eos/Hx with 2 rel subs - most current setup Merlin VSM Condor Acoustics SC 7 (Older high quality standmount) I belong to an audio club in CT so have listened extensively to many excellent speakers such as Revel Studio, Verity Audio Parsifal, Spendor, Thiel CS 2.7. A friend of mine in the audio club recently purchased the larger Open Baffle Bastani Mondali and that got me hooked on the open baffle sound. I have always been a big fan of the Green Mountain Audio speakers (they were not well known) and like others have mentioned the Spatials do most similarly sound like them but definitely at a higher level especially in regards to bass/midrange coherence, detail, ability to play well at lower volumes and just plainly put out an overall much larger fulfilling soundstage. All of the above are very good speakers but I could not emotionally connect with them to a great extent other than the Green Mountain Audios and I've finally found a speaker that in my opinion surpasses them rather easily. This of course is just my opinion. |
Hard to recall/remember all of the speakers I have owned but many just failed to cut it for me and were always , well these are ok but..... Focal B&W 803 Usher Wilson Kef Monitor Audio Joseph Audio RM33SE Maggies. Memory does not even recall most model number numbers that's how special they were not... lol. However in my room the box speakers were always just that, boxes, never lit my fire in any way. Then the Maggies came along and they were a huge step in the right direction for myself. But the Spatials are the Maggies on steroids and then some. Same type of open non box space but more of everything. Stage is wider and deeper, bass is so tight and deep and extended and very easy to discern notes not just oh well that's bass. But the mids where vocals and acoustic guitar live is to die for. So yes you could say I am pretty happy so far. |
@uberwaltz Focal - B&W 803 - Usher - Wilson - Kef - Monitor Audio - Joseph Audio - Maggies. That is an impressive list of speakers so, you must really be enjoying your Spatial’s if they best (for you) everything on that list. Kudos to you for your appetite for Music (as we all know) plus your tenacity in pursuing the ultimate in sound. |
