This review is really an initial impression as I have only had the M3 Sapphires for about a week. But since I am already so pleased with their break-in progress and the way they sound I felt it a good time to give some early impressions because several of you are wondering how they compare to the M3 Triode Masters (M3TM) which I am upgrading from. Glad to answer any questions you may have.
System:
PS Audio Dectet power conditioner
Pro-ject The Classic turntable with Clear Audio Ebony Performer V2 cartridge and Pangea phono cable
Schiit Mani Phono preamp with Swagman Labs power supply
Cambridge Audio CXC transport with Transparent coax digital cable
Schiit Yggrasil (Analog 2)
Schiit Ragnarok integrated amp
DHLabs Air Matrix balanced interconnects
Kimber 8PR speaker cables
Unboxing and Assembly
Unboxing was a bit easier than it was with the M3TM. The Sapphires come with the stands and cone spiked feet already attached and ready to go. So, the only assembly required is to plug the banana plugs into the back of the mid/tweeter and then plug your speaker cables into the main binding posts.
Describing the Build
The M3 Sapphires have a 3-layer baffle. The rear baffle is comprised of two layers at just over 2 inches thick. It is wrapped in black laminate. It looks clean and nicely done. It is just a neutral black and does not draw attention to itself as being either cheap looking or fancy. The front baffle which is about 6/10th of an inch thick does draw attention to itself and in a good way. The Sapele wood veneer is very nicely finished with a natural matte vs glossy look. I am very pleased that Clayton has decided to go with a choice of wood veneers. While I do think the M3TMs are attractive speakers I would personally have liked them more if they had a wood veneer like the M3s that were sold in Europe. I just love loudspeakers with a nice real wood finish that makes each speaker unique. And the finish on my M3 Sapphires fully satisfies. It is interesting to see how the Sapele reflects light differently throughout the day. I believe these speakers are gorgeous and I am very pleased with the build quality overall.
Sound
I initially set the M3 Sapphires in the exact same spot and toe in as the M3TM before ultimately adjusting for less toe in. Only difference being that the Sapphires are 2 inches wider and thus the centers of each speaker is 4 inches further apart than I had them with the M3TM. Within the first 30 seconds of hearing the M3 Sapphires I could tell that they had better clarity, more extension in the highs, and more bass impact. And the imaging was already detached from the speakers. The M3 Sapphires do impress immediately. However, after further listening with a switch to acoustic music a quote from Superflam came to mind “I'm wanting more presence and weight from the mids.”. Piano and classical guitar where sounding thin lacking desired weight and fullness. One thing the M3TMs do very well is tone and timbre with acoustic instruments. The M3TM may not have the best high frequency resolution but they do no harm and have very good mid-range resolution with fully fleshed out images. I love chamber music on the M3TM. All that said I knew it was too early for critical listening as it was still only a couple hours into day 1. While at work the next day, I played brown noise through them all day.
By day 2 after work I could already tell that the tonal balance was improving with acoustic guitars having more fullness. But still things were sounding a little stiff. Later that night I played The Doors Riders on the Storm at a moderate volume. This track is where I first began to understand just how much more musical insight the M3 Sapphires were bringing to the table vs the M3TM. The cymbal tap was clearer and more prominent, the bass was meatier and more palpable, the bass had more detail with each pluck sounding like a more distinct event, and an image and stage height which is much more enveloping. The keyboards on this song just sounded sublime. Like I was watching as much as listening to them. Jim Morrison’s voice sounded very clear and had the fullness I would expect it to have. However, there was an acoustic space around his voice that I had never noticed before. Not sure if this is the physical space he was in or a special studio effect but the M3 Sapphires were laying it bare. The sense of the acoustic space and/or studio effects are easier to notice on other recordings as well. I then thought of an analogy. Being a Lord of the Rings fan, I could not wait for the initial release of the movie trilogy on Blu-ray. This movie did look good on DVD but as expected the sharpness and detail was much improved on the Blu-ray. A casualty of this increased resolution was some of the special effects now looking fake or less real. But once you have seen it on Blu-ray there is no going back.
On day 3 listening was still limited due to work and other things in the evening. Played some familiar vinyl and noticed that the noise floor, pops, and tape hiss were considerably more prevalent than I am used to. This is not the fault of the speaker but a reality of a less than stellar pressing from an older analog master. The Sapphires were simply revealing more of what is there vs. the M3TM good or bad. The Sapphires are definitely brighter or more illuminated than the M3TM. Brighter but nicely balanced by the full and powerful bass. The Sapphires seem more neutral in the highs. This brings us to another thing that makes the M3 Sapphires so special, you get illuminated high frequency extension but without the listener fatigue that often accompanies it. A good example was Brian Bromberg’s Wood CD. The bass intro was as palpable and detailed as I have ever heard and I have heard this on several systems. More bass detail and authority than the M3TM for sure. Also, the image of someone standing upright and plucking a bass viol was more convincing. When the drums, cymbals, and piano joined I could tell the upper harmonics were more present. Beautifully illuminated and smooth with good timbre. The increased insight had me transfixed eagerly awaiting each millisecond to deliver something new with this familiar recording. At the end of the first track the gentle trills of the piano and cymbals sounded beautiful as they decayed into silence.
By day 4 after work much of the stiffness was going away after another full day of brown noise. I put on a 35 min long psychedelic track by Porcupine Tree call The Sky Moves Sideways (CD2 version). Bass was impactful and full coming from the keyboards followed by tight and punchy bass drum kicks. As the higher frequencies joined in with the cymbals, synths, and guitar a beautiful soundscape created by Steven Wilson was on full display. I was in total bliss through the entire piece on the M3 Sapphires. I was mesmerized. Discovered countless nuance I had never heard before. Have never come close to enjoying this track so much with no fatigue on even the intentionally harsh sections at moderately loud volume.
Day 5 (Weekend has finally arrived)
I finally had several hours of quality time to spend with the M3 Sapphires. That morning started with Govi Seventh Heaven. Bass was full and voluptuous. Bongo drums and tambourines floated in space. Guitars sounded as full and natural as I had ever heard revealing that the midrange was fleshing out. While highs were open and illuminated all was very balanced with the rich and tight bottom end. Just kept listening through the CD when I only planned on hearing a couple of tracks. My mind had kicked out of audition mode and was engaged in discovery and enjoyment.
Switching to the Telarc CD Bach Organ Blasters I discovered a power and definition in the low frequencies that I was not able to achieve with the M3TM. Especially on the Fugue in D Minor. The piece ends with the organ going full throttle. When the deepest pedals came in, I could just feel the power and impact. At the same time lots of details could be heard with the air pulsating through the pipes. This was the type of organ power and detail that my M3TM just could not deliver. Now my Dad’s JL Audio Fathom subwoofer is definitely more powerful and also has good detail. But for a 60 watt amp with passive speakers this is truly remarkable. Bass is the most expensive thing to get right in a box speaker and you get bass like the crazy expensive stuff with the M3 Sapphires for peanuts in comparison. You get this bass power while at the same time stand-up jazz bass sounds beautifully detailed, nuanced, and palpable. I then played Author Willis “The Vikings” Reference Recordings and the organ climax of that piece was again stunning in its deep power and detail with the deep organ pipes for speakers without a subwoofer.
Orchestral music is great on the M3TM. On the Sapphires bass drums do have more detail and impact. The stage on the Sapphires is taller and bigger. I noticed that the dipolar compression driver gives a little more depth to the M3TM sound field on some tracks. That said the Sapphires image better than the M3TM on and off axis.
Back to vocals. I played Mindy Smith Raggedy Ann from One Moment More. Mindy’s voice was projected front and center with excellent detail and beauty. Same with Norah Jones with the track Nightingale. Any concerns about weight or presence with vocals were gone with just about 30 hours of break-in with brown and pink noise.
And finally, I played Rutter’s Requiem. The huge undergirding of the organ pipes, the solo cello, and the ethereal voices began to stir strong emotions. As the choir sang in unison full strength “For they mercy’s sake” they projected in stark relief into the room. At that point I was overwhelmed with emotion as Rutter through the musicians, my components, and the M3 Sapphires did their job of refreshing my spirit.
Downsides?
Of course, there are downsides with every speaker. For starters the M3 Sapphires are substantially bigger and heavier than the M3TM which can make a difference when space is tight. Also, with the M3 Sapphires there is definitely a change in tonally balance vs. the M3TM. I find the tone of the M3TM excellent for older digital chamber music in that it is forgiving while still having satisfying resolution. While most of my chamber music reaches new heights with the M3 Sapphires it makes lesser recordings sound poor by contrast. Also, the M3TM on some tracks has more depth to the sound field. That said I still prefer the sound field of the Sapphires by a wide margin.
Conclusion
Clayton was not exaggerating when he said the M3 Sapphires are a significant upgrade over previous M3 models. For me the there is no going back to the M3TM. The bass improvement of the Sapphires is far from subtle. It is a big improvement that is appreciated every time I play them. The crossover less mid/tweeter offers a substantial increase of insight into recordings without sounding etched or fatiguing. And all is integrated beautifully. Love them.
