I apologize if this has been covered elsewhere but I couldn’t find an answer to my question:
How loud can the M3 Sapphires play before significant compression kicks in? And is the recommended amp power 100 WPC because that’s the max they can handle at sustained levels?
I would imagine the loudness capability of these speakers is limited by the tweeter since it is crossed over very low with a first-order filter. I am interested in getting a pair but occasionally I like to rock out and hit 100db peaks. Yes, I realize those levels can damage one’s hearing over extended periods, I don’t listen that loud for very long.
Thanks 
How loud is anyone's guess on what we consider loud, but in a good system the highest level any recording should be is when the sound locks in and every given recording have its proper loudness level? After that point, the magic is gone and you hear just a loud presentation.
The M3 play is as loud as I could stand and then more. My speakers are in a loft that overlooks my living room, so the only wall behind where I sit is 50' or more away, and when I sit downstairs the sound is as loud as you would want, and if I sit on my patio I turn the speakers up to where I can listen to the music sitting outside. I could still sit in the loft area and listen even at that level but it would not be enjoyable as the music would be overly loud and the recording would suffer for it. I think the M3s play as loud as anyone would need them to. On my McIntosh amp the highest peg my meters showed was 40 watts being used, so it is good to have a good amp that can put out some real current and I say 100 watts would work well, the amp will easily meet the peaks of dynamics without stress and the distortion that comes with that as well as dynamic clipping.
