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.
What amp to match with Spatial Audio M3 Sapphire open back speakers
Fellow audiogoners,
If all goes well, I will shortly be the proud owner of a lightly used pair of Spatial Audio M3 Sapphire open back speakers.
The trouble is that in making this acquisition, I will have expanded most of my intended "hobbies" budget,yet still need to purchase an amplifier that will make the speakers sing.
The rest of my modest setup consists of: Bluesound Node 2i streamer, SMSL SU-8 V2 DAC, ProJect Debut Carbon Esprit TT.
The listening room is our living/dining room (400 sqft), and our music ranges from classical to world, with a good dose of classic rock and jazz of all types. We also like to turn things up from time to time...to dance!
Sound characteristics I appreciate the most are: musicality, definition but not too clinical, wide and open sound stage, tight impactful bass, and most realistic vocals.
I am thus calling on all Spatial Audio M3 owners and others to request your advice/guidance in helping me select an integrated amplifier at a budget of around $2500.
Thanks very much for your input and experiences, have a nice weekend and please stay safe!jlr261
If all goes well, I will shortly be the proud owner of a lightly used pair of Spatial Audio M3 Sapphire open back speakers.
The trouble is that in making this acquisition, I will have expanded most of my intended "hobbies" budget,yet still need to purchase an amplifier that will make the speakers sing.
The rest of my modest setup consists of: Bluesound Node 2i streamer, SMSL SU-8 V2 DAC, ProJect Debut Carbon Esprit TT.
The listening room is our living/dining room (400 sqft), and our music ranges from classical to world, with a good dose of classic rock and jazz of all types. We also like to turn things up from time to time...to dance!
Sound characteristics I appreciate the most are: musicality, definition but not too clinical, wide and open sound stage, tight impactful bass, and most realistic vocals.
I am thus calling on all Spatial Audio M3 owners and others to request your advice/guidance in helping me select an integrated amplifier at a budget of around $2500.
Thanks very much for your input and experiences, have a nice weekend and please stay safe!jlr261
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- 32 posts total
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.I suspect this is not correct. The reason is we have customers using our S-30 amp on this speaker and the S-30 has a rather high output impedance (and no 4 ohm taps as its an OTL). I've not heard this combo myself but Clayton (the designer) has- contact him to see what he thinks. |
Hello again atmasphere and phillyb, I was surprised to see additional contributions to this thread I created when I almost scored a mint pair of Spatial Audio M3 Sapphires... As I wrote in my very last post, the sale unfortunately fell through as the seller apparently received a better offer for his speakers. Too bad for me! In any case, regardless of whether I own these speakers or not, I'm getting a real education here, and really do appreciate your respective contributions. Obviously, learning is a process, and I sometimes get a little confused when sorting through conflicting information. But hey, no worries, I am well aware and cognizant enough not to take everything I read here as gospel. The proof will always be MY ears... So the search continues, and as we prepare to finally relocate to the US this summer, I am anxious to start all over again from scratch, and will definitely be seeking fellow goners' input as I navigate through the possibilities. Thanks again and please stay safe! |
Well crap. After posting this I see you didn't score them. Not to worry as EPs come up. I saw a pair of 2.7s just the other day for $2000, or EP 3.0s for $1200 First, great choice going Open BAFFLE instead of cabinet compromised monkey coffins. I own Emerald Physics 3.4s OB with single 12" drivers and 1" polyester concentric tweeters Looking at the review (link below) there are several things I did to my 3.4s that I recommend doing with the M3s * get the XOs completely off the bases, and isolate from the floor (I use Machina Dynamica springs- inexpensive and work great * Upgrade the jumpers (I use WireWorld OCC) and if possible the wiring to the drivers also. I am unable to do this, as the 3.4s wire is inside the baffles (Why, I have no clue) As to amplifier: Depends on your room size and musical tastes. Large scale music requires a potent amp. Mine is an EVS 1200 ( Ice Edge heavily moded class D, using 2 AS 1200 modules, which is 600/1200 wpc, which I need as my room is volumetrically quite large. If you’re on a tight budget check out the GaN based Premium amp @ $699 https://premium-audio.com/gan-audio-amplifiers.html OR, Underwood HiFi is said to be introducing their much more sophisticated Voyager GaN amp at $3000 (scroll down near the bottom) https://www.underwoodhifi.com/products/lsa-electronics Spatial Audio Lab M3 Sapphire Loudspeaker | REVIEW | Part-Time Audiophile (parttimeaudiophile.com) hth |
- 32 posts total