@jpm
It seems to me that most amps sound good with the Xs because they are so easy to drive so you can do SS or tube and SETs and easily drive them with low wattage. My experience has pretty much been, whenever I find the new best thing, it makes the speakers sound better. Of course, I hope that’s better and not different. My 2 favorites so far are my LTA Z40+ integrated and now my bestest favorite is Don Sachs’ Valhalla. I've heard that the guys who work on these speakers love Don Sachs' stuff which I guess used to be the Valhalla and may now be some wild 300b mono blocks that sound ungodly expensive.
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I recently acquired a pair of X3's and first and foremost I'd call them revealing with an omnipresent quality. I've tried five amps with them, leading the pack is a Naim Uniti Nova. The combination has quick reflexes and an exquisitely controlled, musical, extended bass. I only have two memories of systems I'll never forget and the X3's belong right there with them.
I know that many of the AC guys love tubes with Spatial speakers but I'm interested to know what else folks have successfully paired with their Spatials. The Nova is my favorite out of Hegel H390, Vinnie Rossi LIO with VR120 or Musical Fidelity 550K Superchargers and my plucky Naim Nait 2.
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I recently heard one of the latest Spatial speakers at an NYC show, and for me they were one of the best sounds in show (shown with LTA electronics if memory serves) albeit at a much lower cost than most of the others. Very impressive. I think it’s awesome that they can use relatively cheap professional drivers in a dipole configuration and cut out a huge amount of cost by not using a heavy and very expensive box cabinet. It’s so contra to the rest of the Uber-expensive speakers yet they still achieve great results, which I love. Definitely now on my radar for an end-game speaker.
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And I own the X5s and they are my endgame speaker. Great transparency plus dynamics. Easy to drive and a great price. You can occasionally find the X5s or X3s on the used markets for great prices. Fantastic speakers, IMHO.
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I own the Sapphire M3s. Coming from many good speakers including Quad ESL's, the M3's sound as good and better than many costing much more. They give you what you feed them and any changes will be easily heard. Room acoustics I had to work with when I got my Quad ESLs. Dye to radiate sound as strongly from the back as the front, panel does the same. So I was set when mine arrived, the sound is very in-room like you hear from a mic feed. They are not bright but every open like a panel speaker or ESL. They image well and go not just low but low with definition with no bloat or forward base as many speakers have on all songs, they can really go low but then on another track bass will be very laid back, so again they give you what is on the recordings. In this day and age when $15,000 speakers are called a bargain, what Spatial charge vs. sound quality are high value, high-quality sound, and a steal. 40 years in this hobby and this is one of the better speakers I've owned or heard regardless of price.
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audioman-
Have you had an opportunity to listen to any other Arion Audio speaker system? If so can you comment on how they compare to the Atlas speakers? |
Arion audio , has possibly the best AMT mid-tweeter currently being made yes even better then the Beyma
their new Atlas speaker brings a lot to the table and is more dynamic. Not as laid back the midBass has better transient attack then the X3. And it’s own powered bass management .
It has many good qualities , I only heard once for an hour or so
but was very impressed .I am debating on buying or waiting ,
most likely wait until after the holidays .$12k is not much to ask for a cutting edge design IMO. |
Got a pair of M5's on order. I had Clayton upgrade the crossover and build a separate crossover externally. The supply chain has the completion of these speakers on hold. Can't wait to hear them. |
I heard the Beveridges in the mid 80s and still think that they did the best job of anything I have ever heard of reproducing a piano in the room. I have been seriously considering a pair of M3s or X5s. How do you think they do in comparison to the Beveridges? |
@lewm, being a Beveridge guy would you care to join in? |
@jan_mc:
I owned the Beveridges from the early '80s until 1994 (when the Northridge earthquake caused them to jump out of their bases and crash onto the floor). So I am going by distant memory, but I recall them sounding on the sweet and slightly rolled off side of lifelike. At the time I absolutely loved that, and they imaged like magic. But I think the X5s are more neutral, and they also image/disappear amazingly, which makes them to me more lifelike. I would not go back, given the opportunity.
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The 12 inch driver isthe midbass , not midrange, how can one statement above
say they owned the. X3 and not know the very good Beyma AMT driver is big
and handles 1khz - past 30 khz which handles the whole midrange,
and high frequencies and the Xover is point is just under 1 khz very clean and nothing in the Xover to the critical midrange , and at 90 hz Cover to the
powered Bass. |
jaybarnett said:
Over the past 40 years I have gone from electrostatics and ribbon speakers, including Beveridge 2SW2, Sanders, and Magnepan.
The Beveridge were one of the most amazing speakers that I have ever heard. How do the X5s compare for lifelike sound that the electrostatics are so good at? Thanks. |
This is why I mentioned their ultimate upgrade which I heard before and after.
stock it has a decent inductor , and clarity Csa capacitors which are better then average . These is only 2 capacitors and 1 inductor
the VH audio Odam capacitors are the top upgrade caps , and matched to within .05% per pair , and awg 16 Jantzen
Copper foil wax inductor , truly raises the bar in detail, image density and sound
staging for only about $600 in parts and will still fit in the stock Xover space. |
The X5s make me happy.
Over the past 40 years I have gone from electrostatics and ribbon speakers, including Beveridge 2SW2, Sanders, and Magnepan (1.6 and 3.6), to open baffle speakers designed by Clayton. Prior to the X5s I had the original Emerald Physics CS2.3s and then the Spatial M1 Turbo S model, which is the predecessor to the M3 Sapphire. With the X5s I feel like I have arrived. To the point of not even being curious about other speakers.
As a point of reference, I exclusively stream Tidal and Qobuz, alternating between a Lyngdorf TDAI-3400 for casual listening, and an MSB Analog DAC -> Whammerdyne DGA-1 (4.2 watt 2A3 SET) amp for real music listening sessions.
I agree with markmuse in that the X5s are an uncanny combination of revealing and relaxed. An open window to whatever is upstream, to my ears. And impressively robust yet tight bass, even only 2' out from the front wall. Perhaps I am sacrificing a bit of soundstage depth by not having them out farther, but they sound so friggin beautiful and uncolored I don't care.
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The most difficult part of a loudspeaker to manufacture is the enclosure. The reason big ESLs are relatively inexpensive is that they do not have one. It is much easier to make a simple plate so Spatial can make a very competitive loudspeaker and probably make more money doing it. I myself have made several open baffle speakers for friends pairing them with sealed subwoofers which brings us to the problem, bass. There is no sub bass. As the wavelengths get longer they simply cancel out. Above that bass performance depends entirely on the room and how sound bounces around. In the right room these speaker can sound very bass heavy. Distance from the wall is also important. Having measured X3's I can tell you there is no way anyone will get remotely flat bass response out of them even with room control. But bass can be very difficult to evaluate. people can "hear" the note even with the fundamental missing.
Our brains fill in the blanks.
The best way to use these speakers is with subwoofers crossing up a bit higher at 100 Hz at least. This will dramatically clean up your midrange and give you controllable bass as low as you care to go. This is not much different than any dipole loudspeaker as they all have the same failing. |
I have a pair of X5's. They are the most revealing speaker I have ever owned, which is a bit surprising given how relaxed they are. Any upstream changes are clearly evident. The tweeter is probably the most natural sounding in my experience. Properly setup there is a fairly narrow sweet spot, enough for two people. The tweeter's vertical dispersion is somewhat limited - you will notice as you sit down in the sweet spot how things come into focus. I am currently trying to get a more layered depth to the image. I am waiting for an Aesthetix Romulus to arrive, replacing my PS Audio Directstream Sr. I did audition a Pass XA25, which did indeed provide the depth I was looking for, but there were other issues with it, so back to my Rowland 535. Like any dipole they need to be out in the room a considerable distance, mine are ~4 ft from the front wall. All in all, they are really satisfying speakers. |
I ran a set of X5's for a year or so and really liked them.
I have since found a set of AZ Crescendo MK2's and have them in the system now.
The Spatials are a very good sounding speaker and actually sound better everywhere in the room and at low listening levels.
The MK2's sound better in the sweet spot but not by much. I did run a pair of SVS 3000's with the X5's and also with the MK2's.
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I owned them from August of 2019 to August of 2020. I thought they were very good and did all the audiophile things well. Very open and the bass was excellent in definition and extension. But ultimately I wasn’t happy with the 12” driver as a midrange. I didn’t hear the texture and nuances in vocals and brass instruments that I wanted. All in all, a quality product that just didn’t move me emotionally.
I moved on to the Klipsch Cornwall IV. I’ve been back and forth with horns for years so I took a chance on them and it paid off. Much more texture and vibrancy in the midrange. Bass isn’t quite as good but I added a pair of 15” subs to carry that.
Oz |
I just ordered the M-3s I’m planning on using them with my Hegel H390. I will definitely leave some feedback after the arrival.. |
Ok not much of a statement OZ, you didnot have the upgraded Xover which is a very good upgrade , what was wrong with the X3 ? when did you own them
if you are going to make a statement at least explain what you didnot like about them ,and what did you buy to replac3 them . |
I owned the X3 for a year. Very good speaker but I moved on.
Oz
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There’s quite a bit of talk about Spatial on their manufacture forum at Audiocircle. Might find some good stuff on the X3/X5 models.
Cheers,
Scott |
