[Spatial Audio]

I read through this thread and unless I’m missing something, not a lot of talk about the don sachs 300b monos.  The stereophile blurb that someone posted didn’t give me much insight either other than the room acoustics might have been off.
To anyone who listened to them any thoughts one way of the other?
I don’t get that  oh wow feeling after the few comments I have read.

There is a big thread about the new amp on the Audiogon forum.

Clayton

[Jprod]

There is a big thread about the new amp on the Audiogon forum.

Clayton

Thanks Clayton.  Will look for it there!

[DaveWin88]

Good luck moving forward Clayton. Just having had the opportunity to almost completely update my system (I'm actually getting serious about room treatment also) I'm happy enough with the performance of the speakers, and they have scaled up nicely. Very happy with the M6's and it's a testament to the quality. Many loyal customers on this forum. Thank you

[Mr. Big]

I read through this thread and unless I’m missing something, not a lot of talk about the don sachs 300b monos.  The stereophile blurb that someone posted didn’t give me much insight either other than the room acoustics might have been off.
To anyone who listened to them any thoughts one way of the other?
I don’t get that  oh wow feeling after the few comments I have read.

A blub on stop-by tells you zip and take it with a grain of salt. No matter if they said they saw God it sounded so good, you do not know zip on how it will sound in your system and room. There was Youtube Video by audiophile junky I think where he recorded sound from the room and for what it is worth it sounded good as it did with other Spatial speakers in past videos. Not a big fan of audio magazines anymore, most are boring, and repetitive the newest design blows away the last design and so on, and part of the good old boys club, not to mention a selling arm of manufacturers, one time they wrote as hobbyists, and today all businesses to sway sales to their favorite brands. If you want the best review, go to your local audio store and take the gear home and listen to it in your system, then you will have the best review possible your own using your own gear, room and ears.   

[Jprod]

I read through this thread and unless I’m missing something, not a lot of talk about the don sachs 300b monos.  The stereophile blurb that someone posted didn’t give me much insight either other than the room acoustics might have been off.
To anyone who listened to them any thoughts one way of the other?
I don’t get that  oh wow feeling after the few comments I have read.

A blub on stop-by tells you zip and take it with a grain of salt. No matter if they said they saw God it sounded so good, you do not know zip on how it will sound in your system and room. There was Youtube Video by audiophile junky I think where he recorded sound from the room and for what it is worth it sounded good as it did with other Spatial speakers in past videos. Not a big fan of audio magazines anymore, most are boring, and repetitive the newest design blows away the last design and so on, and part of the good old boys club, not to mention a selling arm of manufacturers, one time they wrote as hobbyists, and today all businesses to sway sales to their favorite brands. If you want the best review, go to your local audio store and take the gear home and listen to it in your system, then you will have the best review possible your own using your own gear, room and ears.   

In an ideal world you are right regarding audition.  Now however auditioning is very difficult unless you live in a large city.  Most brick and mortar stores are gone now.  We all took somewhat of a leap of faith when we bought our spatial speakers.  Fortunately that worked out for most of us.  It’s very tough to audition anymore unfortunately

[Mr. Big]

In an ideal world you are right regarding audition.  Now however auditioning is very difficult unless you live in a large city.  Most brick and mortar stores are gone now.  We all took somewhat of a leap of faith when we bought our spatial speakers.  Fortunately that worked out for most of us.  It’s very tough to audition anymore unfortunately

That is true all you said. The hobby is not what it once was when the audio stores flourished. The '70s and 80's 90's were a golden time, you went to the stores, got to know owners and other audio lovers, and you buy new gear from time to time, but you learned from others, and the owners really knew the gear they sold and only sold what they felt sounded good to them, and they had more experience than most of us.

I have one local store, and I would only buy from them if I had to, they know little, it's about getting a sale, poor demos and speakers setup, and poor customer interaction. I have to drive to the DC, Maryland areas to find audio stores.

With the hobby now focused more on the well-off where the sales are so the focus of $10K, 15K, and 20K gear and up. And some they call a bargain, but that is not in the cards for many of us. So Audiostores could no longer survive without strong middle-class buyers so they shifted to those who have disposable incomes and that is the well-off with prices to match.   

[Early B.]

I read through this thread and unless I’m missing something, not a lot of talk about the don sachs 300b monos.  The stereophile blurb that someone posted didn’t give me much insight either other than the room acoustics might have been off.
To anyone who listened to them any thoughts one way of the other?
I don’t get that  oh wow feeling after the few comments I have read.

Yeah, you'll never know until you hook them up in your room. Nevertheless, you can draw inferences from current and previous owners of Don Sachs gear. I owned the Kootenay amp and it was ridiculously good, especially for the price. Nearly everyone who owns or owned DS gear has raved about it. Fast forward to the 300B monos and you can expect a much higher sonic satisfaction, especially since they use 300Bs, configured as monos, and based on "advanced" technology with high-quality parts. Based on its lineage, there's no question they'll sound great.

Don has jumped into the commercial realm, and that's a whole new ball game. His amps will have to look more appealing, especially since they'll retail for nearly $20K, a big leap from his most expensive component -- the Valhalla at $5K. The prototypes shown at Pacific Audio Fest are likely to get a facelift. The plain wood chassis won't inspire a lot of interest at that price point. Perhaps better badging would help.

Lately, prices for high-end audio have shot through the roof. It now costs twice as much to get the same value than it did pre-COVID. Of course, everything costs more now, but this hobby is moving beyond the grasp of the "average guy" who yearns for the highest levels of fidelity. With Don going commercial (and I applaud him for it...), the very few "affordable" options for us regular guys to touch the hi-fi tube sky have diminished. Soon, they'll be gone for good.         

[Jprod]

Yeah, you'll never know until you hook them up in your room. Nevertheless, you can draw inferences from current and previous owners of Don Sachs gear. I owned the Kootenay amp and it was ridiculously good, especially for the price. Nearly everyone who owns or owned DS gear has raved about it. Fast forward to the 300B monos and you can expect a much higher sonic satisfaction, especially since they use 300Bs, configured as monos, and based on "advanced" technology with high-quality parts. Based on its lineage, there's no question they'll sound great.

Don has jumped into the commercial realm, and that's a whole new ball game. His amps will have to look more appealing, especially since they'll retail for nearly $20K, a big leap from his most expensive component -- the Valhalla at $5K. The prototypes shown at Pacific Audio Fest are likely to get a facelift. The plain wood chassis won't inspire a lot of interest at that price point. Perhaps better badging would help.

Lately, prices for high-end audio have shot through the roof. It now costs twice as much to get the same value than it did pre-COVID. Of course, everything costs more now, but this hobby is moving beyond the grasp of the "average guy" who yearns for the highest levels of fidelity. With Don going commercial (and I applaud him for it...), the very few "affordable" options for us regular guys to touch the hi-fi tube sky have diminished. Soon, they'll be gone for good.         

Agree 100%.  The  inflation on gear has been incredible although I have noticed more “sales” recently so maybe they will flatten now.  I make a very good living but convincing the wife that I need a 20k amp will never happen. Also there are laws of diminishing returns on this hobby.  I’m sure the new 300b sounds amazing but that amount of cash outlay is a hard pill to swallow no matter what your financial situation is.  I wish don and spatial well on their joint venture and hope that they sell well. 

[Daryl Zero]

I posted a while back that the mono blocks are fiercely neutral. You get the full sound of tubes and musicality plus the lack of coloration.

In talking to Don, he told me that he can barely listen to his previous stuff anymore after hearing the mono blocks.

It's a bit above my pay grade in terms of being able to appreciate it but I was able to compare it to the improved Valhalla amp. As I said before, if you want my impressions on the two, message me about this.

[jhr1986]

Can we expect to see a "Q4" (12" driver version) sometime next year?

[TomS]

We had a large staff the PAF show and 2 demo rooms, so it was lot of fun. We met up with a lot of customers, and made new friends, so we really enjoyed it. As you have probably heard - Don Sachs and Lynn Olsen were in attendance to demonstrate their new 300B amplifier technology-simply amazing! The reception to the X4 and new Q6 design confirmed our feeling that both products will be very popular among serious listeners. We will post information about the Q6 soon. It should go into full product later this summer, at a price of $5000 /pr.

Let me clarify the ownership change and current staff:
1) Its true that I thought it best for the company for me to step back and let the young guys continue to build the company. This empowers them and helps them grow as businessmen and engineers. I will continue to handle sales and customer service so just call me if you need anything. I can still participate, but with less workload and stress. I will be 66 over the holiday, so I think it was good decision to step back, particularly in light of recent health issues. I am happy to say that I feel healthy now and grateful to be alive. Thanks for your kind comments.

2) The company retains the excellent staff we have had for years. Our foundational principles of innovation, engineering excellence and customer satisfaction are completely intact. The guys are young and very smart and I am very proud of how they have stepped up to the challenge. They are true audio guys that want to be in this industry.
David Whitt (45) General Manager
Sam Whitt (23) Director of Engineering
Cloud Sessions (27) Electronic Systems Manager and Owner of Sessions Amplified
Ryan Kimbrough (31) Electronic assembly technician
Clayton Shaw (65) Sales, Customer Service

Best regards,
Clayton Shaw
Spatial Audio Lab

Congrats to you and your team Clayton! Wish you all the best

[Daryl Zero]

Yes, I thought the Spatial Audio team did a great job in both rooms with the set ups, sound, willingness to play anything to show off the speakers and to answer any questions. Huzzah!