[jtwrace]

jtwrace,

Have you received your M3 Turbo S yet? If so, what do you think? Is a sub required? I heard these at Axpona and I was really impressed with their clarity and dynamics.

Thanks in advance,

Tim

Oh yes!  I've had them for a couple of months now I think.  They're incredible regardless of price but to think you get this for $3k is silly...I feel as though I've robbed the audiophile bank.  If you liked what you heard at Axpona chances are you will enjoy them more in your room.  Axpona is far from ideal but it shows what constant directivity coupled with a real waveguide does designed by someone who has vast experience. 


My current room is 16' x 25' and I have them 40" from the front wall and maybe 18" from the side wall.  I sit 9.5' from them. 


I really couldn't be any happier.   

[Wind Chaser]

I may be an outlier on this but my M3 turbo S's are about 6 feet out into the room...

...I pulled mine out another 16" from the wall and my soundstage depth increased by more than double.

Open baffles need lots of breathing room, the more open space there is around them the better. Even though it has been suggested that they will work with as little as one meter between them and the wall behind them, that distance is way too short for these speakers to shine. In my experience a small open baffle needs at least 48". You guys are fortunate to have such spacious rooms. 

[jtwrace]

Open baffles need lots of breathing room, the more open space there is around them the better. Even though it has been suggested that they will work with as little as one meter between them and the wall behind them, that distance is way too short for these speakers to shine. In my experience a small open baffle needs at least 48". You guys are fortunate to have such spacious rooms. 

Not 100% true.  These aren't like most OB speakers...

[Wind Chaser]

Are you suggesting David and J Seymour are wrong?

[erniek]

I just got my M4's turbos this past weekend and after positioning them 36 inches from the rear wall and 24 inches from the side walls in a 17 by 20 room I am quite pleased so far with the sound. I do have a REL T7 in one corner that seems to have integrated very well so far. What really caught my attention was listening to some Patricia Barber at moderate volume and then switching to Pink Floyd's "Lost for Words" at a much higher volume I did not realize how much these could fill my room. So as I am stilling getting off the ground with these I believe I am in for more more pleasant surprises on how good these will sound.
Will have more comments as I get more involved with them and look forward to others describing their experiences with the Spatial"s

[digitalzed]

I received my M4 Turbo S today and have begun burn in. They are a little excited in the treble out of the box, and the bass seems to be wanting to break out more, but I think all of this will settle in once they get some current pushed through them and placement is dialed.

[zybar]

I received my M4 Turbo S today and have begun burn in. They are a little excited in the treble out of the box, and the bass seems to be wanting to break out more, but I think all of this will settle in once they get some current pushed through them and placement is dialed.

How do you like the red finish?

I just ordered a pair of M3 Turbo S and went for the white finish.

George

[digitalzed]

How do you like the red finish?

I just ordered a pair of M3 Turbo S and went for the white finish.

George

I really like the red. It's not too bright, very subdued. It also goes well inside my house (not just this room) as we have a lot of Chinese inspired furnishings with reddish highlights. But even without that they aren't garish or eyeball sucking. Very pleased.

[JackD]

The top will smooth out pretty quickly depending on the amp and source.  The bass on the other hand will take a while.   It will also not sound like bass from a box speaker.

[md92468]

MD:

When I spoke to Clayton about the possibility of moving up from the Turbo to the Turbo S, he joked that, "When you get to be our age [late 50s], you might not hear the difference…"

Right now, I have the [now discontinued] base model, but with the "Turbo" crossover parts – I just don't have the nicer binding posts. Anyway, I'd love to hear what you perceive to be the differences between the base model and the Turbo S, if you don't mind. Thank you!

Hey Rebbi,

Apologies, I didn't see this question until tonight.

As you know, audio memory is somewhat suspect...differences, especially when subtle, are really difficult to detect without A/B-ing. So far - my caveat notwithstanding – I do feel like I'm hearing a slight improvement in openness on the top end. But it's close enough to say that if I'd had the opportunity to hear my base models (I had the same ones you had) then these before buying, I'm not sure I would have picked the Turbo S. There's a difference between the two, but on my budget not necessarily a difference I'd pay $700 to hear. But given the fact that there is no more base model, the point is moot.

My opinion might change as the Turbo S continues to break in (Clayton said it would), but honestly I'm not complaining...like you, I had been looking a long time for speakers I wouldn't care to upgrade, and I found them...

[Manolo]

Have any of you guys tried Spatial's Velocity Bridge -VB-1- across the speaker terminals of the Spatial's.
It lists for $95 ea. on Spatial's site.

[Johnnyangel]

I was unaware of the Velocity Bridge ...

... meantime I acquired a pair of (gorgeous white) M4s toward the end of last month, and want to add to what Clayton and others have said about the serious need for break-in. I think that factor is overrated on a lot of products, but not these, to the point that when the speakers first arrived, I was intrigued but somewhat underwhelmed. I could confirm with test tones that my speaker positioning was adequate and that the frequency response was there, but with music, the bass and scale just weren't what I'd hoped for.

Now, with (I'd guess) still only about 25 hours on my pair, I find things have freed up and just continue to improve.

[mirekti]

I received my M4 Turbo S today and have begun burn in. They are a little excited in the treble out of the box, and...

Could you share your thoughts on M4 after you had them for some time now, please?
Also, could you put few words on how wide the sweet spot is?

[digitalzed]

In a few words, I couldn't be happier. It's taken me longer than many to get to the 100 hours of recommended burn in. Since May I'm guessing I have more than 100 and less than 200 total hours on them due to the responsibilities of life limiting how much time I'd actually like to spend listening. After about 25 hours I felt the treble really smoothed out and the sound developed a deeper and more distinct delivery. And then, oddly enough, after that for maybe another 20 hours or so, I felt the sound lost some of its punch. It wasn't flat but it seemed much more two dimensional. Fortunately that didn't last long and what's followed has been hours of deep, involving sound with plenty of separation, mid range punch, articulated bass which is not chest pounding but very present and never lacking. You can really pick the bass out of any any mix and each note is present and satisfying. Treble is beyond reproach. Smooth, not shrill at all, and hair raising at times.

As far as the sweet spot goes, It's about 8 feet and center the way I have them set up (speakers are a little over 6 feet apart and toed in about 20 degrees). When I sit dead center I remain amazed at the sense of space and placement of all the instruments or vocals. Moving 1-2 feet to a side at the distance I am from the speakers doesn't ruin the sweet spot but does change the way the sounds floats from the speakers. Changing toe in will provide a wider sweet spot. Even off center I don't mind as the sound is simply really satisfying to my ears.

[mirekti]

In a few words...

Thank you very much for the, well, lengthy response. I really appreciate it!!!
 
I would like to ask you one more thing (when and if the time permits). How they sound if they stay 6ft apart, you place yourself in 3-4ft distance and toe them a bit more (so much that they point let's say 2ft behind you)? Or in short, would they work in an extreme near field listening setup?

[digitalzed]

I'd say they would work but I'm thinking these speakers would be overkill for such a small listening area. If you'll always use them in that kind of set up I would suggest a set of good monitors like KEF LS50's or similar.

[mirekti]

I'd say they would work but I'm thinking these speakers would be overkill for such a small listening area.

Well, the listening area wouldn't be small at all. This kind of setup offers some interesting listening experience, but not all speakers can be setup this way.

Anyhow, thanks for the reply.

[digitalzed]

And since mine aren't set up that way, I guess I can't adequately comment on how good that set up would be.

[CSI]

Well, the listening area wouldn't be small at all. This kind of setup offers some interesting listening experience, but not all speakers can be setup this way.

Anyhow, thanks for the reply.

My M4's are stuck in a sonically awkward 10' square room. They are Turbos but not "S". They sound better in this lousy space than any other speaker I've tried (and that's about 6 pair of floor and stand mounts). Not ideal, but most of the Spatial goodness comes through - especially the wide and deep soundstage. So on paper they would seem to be overkill but in practice they are marvelous (when I described my room to Clayton his honest reaction was something like, "Oh, oh", but I bought them anyway knowing I could send them back. I'm not sending them back). In this room, near field is the only option. I sit against the back wall and the speakers are set up about 6.5 feet from my ears. Outer edge 37" from the front wall, inner edge 31". Five feet apart center to center. I gradually removed all of the room treatment except for a small diffuser just behind my head. They sound better this way.

As for break in, it was about 120 hours before I felt that everything relaxed and came together. Since then, they have just gotten better.

My amp is a Vinnie Rossi LIO with built in Mosfet module. Sounds a bit better (more top end) than my high powered RedDragon.

[finsup]

Nice amp choices.  I imagine some Spatial owners would like those options to compare.