Spatial M3 Triode Master Preamp/amp choices


I acquired some Spatial M3 Triode Master speakers(95db/16 ohm)  a few months ago and would like to upgrade my amp and preamp for the new setup. I am currently utilizing my old  Adcom GFP-555II preamp and NAD 2100 amp.  Listening room is aprx 14 x 16 x 8 ft. I listen mainly to Spotify and Tidal or vinyl. Rest of system:
  • Technics SL 1700 w/ Nagaoka MP110 and Cambidge Audio 640p phono preamp.
  •  Bluesound Node 2i and Schiit Modi mulitbit dac,
  • SVS SB-1000 subwoofer
I have been considering a used Conrad Johnson CAV 50 which is a control amp-so no preamp needed, a new Decware Torii Junior which has 2 inputs-so i wouldn't need a preamp, new Primaluna Evo 200 integrated amp. My budget is up to $3000 for this upgrade.   Of course, if you have better suggestions for this pairing please enlighten me.  
jplunkettj
You'll want a bit of power- 50-60 watts is nice; you'll have trouble clipping an amp with that kind of power. My speakers are 98dB and I find that about half that- 30 watts- is about right in my room of similar size. Owing to the fact that your speakers are 3dB less efficient, you'll need twice as much power to get the same volume levels.


Of course I don't listen at super high levels all the time; most of it is likely less than 1 watt! For this reason I would be careful about the amp you get- you want bandwidth and low distortion, but an important property of the amplifier is also that as you decrease power, the distortion goes down with it to unmeasurable. This is something that SETs do very well, but getting enough power is tricky with SETs (if you run them past about 20% of full power, the distortion that starts to show up causes the amp to sound 'dynamic' because the ear uses the harmonics generated as cues to how loud its playing) since the large the SET, the less bandwidth you get.

So you'll need a push-pull amp. Finding one that has that distortion property I mentioned above is a trick but I can tell you that to do that with push-pull, the amp needs to be fully balanced and differential from input to output. This causes its primary distortion component to the the 3rd harmonic with succeeding harmonics at a much lower level. If the amp does not run feedback then its distortion will be linearly decreasing as the power is decreased. This is desirable because that first watt is so important to getting the system to behave and sound like music.

Other things that will help an amp of this sort- class A operation, and if you can find it, triode output tubes (as they are more linear). If the amp runs pentodes, it will need feedback to sound right, as pentodes are not that linear.
I have owned a pair for over three years and those  specifications are really misleading as to what kind of power that really need for those speakers to shine. Now if you are just looking for background levels then those will be fine. 
i agree w jack

clayton makes lovely speakers but their efficiency ratings belie what is needed to make the speaker perform well... after all do see those two gigantic woofers? these babies need damping factor and control to make the speakers sound right... so flea watt amps need not apply unless you listen real soft...

i would say 30-40 tube watts minimum

i think one of the major improvements to the m3 sapphire which i have from the prior series m3’s spatial made is the improved resolution of the tweeter, so you may want to stick with the less tubey sounding tube amps... i would think audio research linear tube audio air tight top decware or even a tube hybrid amp...


If you are willing to get away from the tube idea a really great integrated amp that is a within your budget and goes well with the Spatial's is the newest version of the Kinki Studio EX-M1 at $2398 shipped. I've tried EL-84, EL-34 and KT-88 tube amps with the M3TM's from 35-60 wpc monos and was never satisfied with the extension on either end.

https://www.kinki-studio.com/ex-m1