Merry Christmas it is !

SnowPuppy77 · « **Reply #1 on:** 20 Dec 2019, 10:17 pm »

That gray finish is stunning. Would have never though about a gray stain but it is really special. Very nice listening room as well. I think the M5s are a good size for that room. I see a Manley amp as well which is super cool. Wish I could join you for some listening.

monte · « **Reply #2 on:** 20 Dec 2019, 10:21 pm »

What a cool present to come home to. They look great . Happy listening.

jazzman463 · « **Reply #3 on:** 21 Dec 2019, 12:07 am »

Thank you guys, and yes I am so happy Clayton worked with me on the gray stain., however the best part is after five minutes, not even enough time for the Manley to warm up, the sound is mesmerizing . These are special speakers. We are all truly blessed to be playing around with such beautiful toys. Thank you Clayton. Marry Christmas to all.
PS ...they even smell good.

Jprod · « **Reply #4 on:** 21 Dec 2019, 12:13 am »

Congrats and welcome to the club! They do look great. Can’t tell very well from the pics but the gray does look very nice. Does it still look like wood with its imperfections or does it have a more painted look?
The one thing I personally prefer in looks over the M3 is the foot that’s inconspicuous in the back. It does make them a little more difficult to move though for precise positioning

yakbob · « **Reply #5 on:** 21 Dec 2019, 02:58 am »

M Clown shoe details please.

jazzman463 · « **Reply #6 on:** 21 Dec 2019, 08:30 am »

2000, 105k miles,S52 motor, daily driver for 10 years, fun fun fun.....keeper.

rollo · « **Reply #7 on:** 21 Dec 2019, 03:35 pm »

Enjoy and Merry Christmas !

charles

Tomy2Tone · « **Reply #8 on:** 21 Dec 2019, 03:50 pm »

These look great! If there was a Spatial speaker I would most likely get it would be these. I never even noticed the single footer which makes them appear to float or stand up independently. Very nice.

Congrats!

jazzman463 · « **Reply #9 on:** 21 Dec 2019, 06:46 pm »

You know what this means.

sockpit · « **Reply #10 on:** 21 Dec 2019, 07:40 pm »

No going back. Remind us what speakers you had. And can you say more about the M5s yet?

And what are your room dimensions?

jazzman463 · « **Reply #11 on:** 21 Dec 2019, 08:57 pm »

Long story....I downsized 3 years ago to a condo. My old music room was a 20 x 17 room that had magnipan MG 2a’s with audio research high power stuff. My room now is 13 x 12 dedicated for music. I have been playing with low power efficient speakers for the last three years. I built around the Manley. ( because I was able to trade some art for it ). I went through many speakers looking for the “ Maggie “ sound. Tekton 4.1, and mini lores. Zu dirty weekends, Cantons, single drivers, several vintage Klipsch , then I got a local pair of Emerald Physics CS 3’s. That got me studying Clayton‘s designs. Hopefully this is my last pair of speakers. After about 12 hours of breaking in using that Ayer CD , Irrational but Efficacious, that someone on this site turned me onto, I listened to some music. Then I broke my boxes down and threw them into the trash, or I should say recycling. Clayton recommends not listening until after 24 hours of break in. After 12 hours... Joco never sounded so good. If you have a small room, good amplifier and thinking about the speaker , buy them. After some critical listening I’ll relay more info. PS they look really beautiful , with that single cool little foot in the back.

sockpit · « **Reply #12 on:** 21 Dec 2019, 09:53 pm »

Happy to hear about your happiness!

Mine ship Monday or Tuesday, and I'm really eager to hear them. My room was not too long ago an 11 by 13 by 8 kid's bedroom. Now it's my dedicated listening room/office. I gave up doing this hobby in the living room. Too much friction with the family. I get it (and I'm happy to have a retreat).

I have Exogal Comet/Ion combination DAC/AMP. Small footprint, great sound, totally digital processing (including amplification) until the output to speakers. 100W. Feed it with a microRendu, Audirvana, Qobuz, etc. My current speakers have been great--Scansonic MB 2.5s--but I'm hoping for more defined bass and something that will handle the depth and richness of classical music better in this small room. The Scansonic have a nice ribbon tweeter and image like their monitor cousins, the MB 1s, which I also owned. Will be curious to see if I miss anything about them.

Clayton has assured me the M5s will be a significant improvement in this small space because of the advantage of his OB designs in the low end. I'm hoping this is my last pair as well!

sockpit · « **Reply #13 on:** 26 Dec 2019, 08:06 pm »

Bass sufficient so far in that space, which is roughly my space? Thx.

Mine arrive in a week according to freight tracker.

jazzman463 · « **Reply #14 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 01:43 pm »

Yes, I have about 50 hours on them now. Bass is well defined , punchy when it needs to be. They hit a note on Touch ( the first cut ) by YELLO that not many speaker can get , it has to be in the 30's. I use that note to demo bass on speakers and the Magnepan .7's it was just gone, no sound. It should be noted I love Magnepans and wanted the .7's to work in my room with the Manley, but no way. I have owned three pairs of maggies over the years but for small rooms nope. I have measured bass with the M5's down into the 40's on my phone ? The CD I am using for break

- in shakes the room. They have beautiful or should say "real" tone, I can hear all of Joco's harmonics and overtones. I have not yet listened to symphonic or organ music . Genesis, The Lamb lies down on Broadway was moving air. They are already doing drums right on. Super holographic and the image is starting to move out in front of the speaker. I can hear the bell shaping the sound on brass instruments , and spit coming out the side of the trombones mouthpiece. The high end is sometimes blurred but not fatiguing, I am hoping that will disappear as time goes on. I did do one listening session in Triode which softened the highs. I have been listening mostly in UL . Vocals are as good as it gets. The speaker size is perfect for our room size. Its big but does not have a big footprint. I have not turned the volume up past 11:00, mostly at 9-10 . They are keepers, and really do look cool. I have had many speakers in various rooms of my homes. My wife has be gracious in letting me run wild over the years. This was the first Speaker she actually said " those are beautiful.

Spatial Audio · « **Reply #15 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 07:00 pm »

Hello Jazzman,

Yes, the M5s do look nice in that room. Glad they are working as expected. Your setup is a good example of how well open-baffle can work in very small rooms. They will continue to open up and sound better and better with more play time. I look forward to hearing your thoughts after a hundred or so hours.

Clayton
www.spatialaudio.us

sockpit · « **Reply #16 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 07:17 pm »

Thanks for the report Jazzman! I can't wait to audition them next week.

I have a technical question someone, Clayton perhaps, may know the answer to: Are there absolute physical limits on how far down a speaker can go in a 12 x 13 x 8 room, simple because there is nowhere for the wave under, say 50, to unfold?

Spatial Audio · « **Reply #17 on:** 27 Dec 2019, 07:56 pm »

Quote from: sockpit on 27 Dec 2019, 07:17 pm

Thanks for the report Jazzman! I can't wait to audition them next week.

I have a technical question someone, Clayton perhaps, may know the answer to: Are there absolute physical limits on how far down a speaker can go in a 12 x 13 x 8 room, simple because there is nowhere for the wave under, say 50, to unfold?

Actually, low frequencies are possible to reproduce in a small room, even though the full wavelength does not fit within the room dimensions (50Hz = 22.6 ft wavelength). The loss of bass in small rooms is due to reflections from the close boundaries that cause cancellation effects. That is why adding bass traps helps to improve bass performance by absorbing some of the bass that would otherwise cause cancellation effects which create dips in the response. Open-baffle bass eliminates most bass in the horizontal plane of the speaker, so less cancellation occurs.

Clayton

sockpit · « **Reply #18 on:** 3 Jan 2020, 05:43 am »

My M5s arrived as scheduled today. Too early to report on sound. Will do that in a due time.

I can say that that they are really beautiful and well built—and heavy.

One question for Clayton that may interest others: given the speaker’s 92 dbl sensitivity, I had assumed I would need to turn the volume on my (100 watt) amp way down in comparison to how I played my old 88 dbl Scansonics. With the latter, I typically listened at 75-80/100. With the M5s, I’m averaging 70-75/100 for the same perceived volume level.

Why such a small difference? This surprised me given what I’ve read about the LTA amp’s ability to play the M series loud without breaking a 12-watt sweat. Don’t tell me the LTA is just that great an amp! (Although I have been coveting it

. My current amp, an Exogal Ion, is no slouch, which is why I’m surprised 75 on the dial isn’t deafening loud. I obviously don’t understand electronics.

Shakeydeal · « **Reply #19 on:** 3 Jan 2020, 09:42 am »

What is the sensitivity of the previous speakers?