I recently purchased a pair of Spatial M4 Triode Masters. I have been passionate about music and music reproduction for decades and have owned many speakers during that time. My budget has never allowed a “cost-is-no-object” speaker so I’ve necessarily gravitated to speakers that offer significant value and musicality for under $3000/pr. In that category are the Golden Ear Triton Fives and the KEF LS50, both of which I’ve owned. But I recently purchased a pair of Spatial M4 Triode Masters and they are in a different league altogether.
What makes this speaker a standout and separates it from the pack of speakers in this price range is its effortless dynamics and utterly convincing spatial rendering, localization, and tonal character of instruments, all accomplished with realistic scale. Music is unconstrained – no compression or congestion. Everything takes on a realistic snap and sparkle. For example, the buzz and birr of stringed instruments or how trumpets just rip the air as in live music. All this and more is beautifully conveyed.
Over and over, I marveled at how a speaker could be this explosive in its delivery but, at the same time, intimate, nuanced and intricately detailed. This amazing speaker delivers delicacy without edge, at any volume level. If desired, I can listen at high levels without cringing and fatiguing but the M4 also maintains this coherence even at low volume settings.
One last thing – and this is among the most important of the M4’s strengths. Because of its controlled directionality, it doesn’t interact with the room nearly as much as conventional speakers. This is a huge plus.
The only negative is that the M4, although it is capable exquisitely detailed bass, does not play the lowest octave of bass with authority. For that you’ll need to add a sub but blending is easy. Having said that, drums sound convincingly tympanic like a vibrating piece of skin and are rendered about as lifelike as I’ve ever heard.
Bottom line: a direct path to emotional connection with the music. Bravo, Clayton!