[jtwrace]

Rebbi,

I do not have any Spatial.

Maybe you should change that. 

[dspringham]

Tell us more, Don_S! Are you running your M4's with a sub, and if so, I'd love to hear the details. I've been thinking of going that route because the M3, I'm afraid, would overwhelm my little room (visually and sonically).

Thanks in advance!

I'm right there with you Rebbi. That's why I posted the original question about M4/sub versus M3. I suppose it might come down to the quality of the sub and how well it integrates.

[gnostalgick]

  I heard the Spatials at Axpona & they really do seem to be as good as everyone is saying.  The room was consistently busy during our time there, so I was a bit hesitant to make requests (most music in most rooms really wasn't anything we were interested in).  So although we dipped back in several times, I didn't manage to hear anything particularly complex & dynamic like full orchestra or anything really rocking.  Still, they did play everything we did hear exceptionally well.  The only caveat is that they did have a much narrower sweet spot than some other rooms--my girlfriend wasn't impressed at all when sitting next to me, but enjoyed them when we traded seats.

[rebbi]

More M4 impressions just posted on my blog.

Enjoy!   

[digitalzed]

Received my M4 Turbo S today. Commencing burn in now.

[jtwrace]

Sweet!   


Have you listened at all?  You can still get a feel for what they do out of the box.   

[digitalzed]

Sweet!   


Have you listened at all?  You can still get a feel for what they do out of the box.   

I've got them about 31" from the wall (as per Clayton's suggestion) and toed in slightly. Obviously they need more burn in and probably a little placement testing, but out of the box a huge soundstage with some pretty jaw dropping imaging. Treble is bright and bass seems to want to break out but I think the speakers just need time and current running through them.

[HiFiJeff]

Received my M4 Turbo S today. Commencing burn in now.

OMG! Those are beautiful. And I am sure they sound just as good as they look. I see there hasn't been any updates on this topic since 05/10, so I figured to get this going again. I stumbled on to Spatial by accident last night when googling reviews for Red Dragon Audio and am VERY interested. I have gone through Omega 3XRS's and now using Tekton Pendragon's but am moving into a brand new house in 6 months and even though I love the Pendragon's, am looking at downsizing and these M4'S might fit my needs. Plus it gives me an excuse to just buy something new to try. 

[SoundSound]

Dear Audiophiles!
 
I am considering open-baffle speakers for my stereo music-only setup, and would appreciate your comments on the following, please.

Would you agree the imaging provided by both M3 and M4 is not as tight and focused as with box speakers which create a tighter image where it's easier to pin down where the sound is coming from? Is this a misconception?

How good are the M3 and M4 for big orchestral works with wide dynamic swings?

What distance from the side walls do you prefer for your M3 and M4, and what distance from the midpoint between the speakers and the listener? How big is a sweet spot you have been able to enjoy?

Would you consider Pass Labs XA30.5 power amp adequate for M3/M4?

Please chime in!

[mirekti]

These are not open baffle throughout the fq range.
I am not sure you would get what you are after with these.

[rebbi]

Dear Audiophiles!
 
I am considering open-baffle speakers for my stereo music-only setup, and would appreciate your comments on the following, please.

Would you agree the imaging provided by both M3 and M4 is not as tight and focused as with box speakers which create a tighter image where it's easier to pin down where the sound is coming from? Is this a misconception?

How good are the M3 and M4 for big orchestral works with wide dynamic swings?

What distance from the side walls do you prefer for your M3 and M4, and what distance from the midpoint between the speakers and the listener? How big is a sweet spot you have been able to enjoy?

Would you consider Pass Labs XA30.5 power amp adequate for M3/M4?

Please chime in!

Hey, SoundSound,

I'm happy to weigh in on your questions.

First of all, I wrote the first Internet review of the M4's not long after they first came out. You can find that review here along with a follow-up here - lots of good information there. 

As to your specific questions:

I have owned stand-mounted mini monitors, omni's (Ohm's, which are "pseudo-omni") and now the Spatial's. I am a soundstage and imaging freak and very fussy in that regard. And I can tell you that the Spatial's are in many ways the best of all possible worlds: you get a wide, immersive soundstage if the recording warrants it, and yet there's GREAT image specificity within that sound field.

Two examples: On Bobby McFerrin's famous "Don't Worry Be Happy," the vocal overdubs are spread across the width of the stage, and you can pinpoint where each vocal is "located" to a degree that even my Reference 3A De Capo BE's (which were imaging champs) couldn't pull off. Similarly, on Steely Dan's live album "Alive In America," each instrumentalist and singer on the outdoor stage is easy to locate. It's all pretty thrilling.

Orchestral works: awesome! Without the box constraining the drivers, there's a free breathing, wide open quality to the presentation that is perfect for big orchestral music.

Positioning: I have very little flexibility in my listening room as far as placement is concerned. My set up in asymmetrical with respect to the total room dimensions. But I can tell you that my right speaker is barely 2 feet off the side wall and it's just fine. This is where the controlled directivity of the design that minimizes room interactions is really your friend.    My speakers are around 9 feet from my nose. Sweet spot is large!

Power: I'm running mine with an 8.5 Watt SET tube amp and it sounds great, so I don't think your Pass amp will even break a sweat.

Hope this helps!

[rebbi]

These are not open baffle throughout the fq range.
I am not sure you would get what you are after with these.

If you mean that the compression driver is sealed in the back, then yes. The newest model (the M3 Triode Master) however uses a dipole compression driver. But the big drivers are open baffle top to bottom.

[Wind Chaser]

How good are the M3 and M4 for big orchestral works with wide dynamic swings?

With respect to dynamic swings the Spatials are right up there with the best of the best. Most conventional drivers are nowhere near as efficient as the drivers in the Spatials. Not only that, long after most conventional drivers have succumbed to dynamic compression, the Spatials keep generating unrestrained SPLs.

[Wind Chaser]

These are not open baffle throughout the fq range.
I am not sure you would get what you are after with these.

They are OB where OB matters most.

The fact is no single wide band driver is OB through out its range as the back pole does not vent.

[mirekti]

I had a chance to listen Triode Master at Axpona. Probably the best sound of the show, but once I stepped aside the soundstage fell apart. This happens with 99% of speakers, of course.
All I am trying to say these are not designed like Ohm, Larsen, MBL to have omni or omni like response, but omni up to 800Hz (I agree, this is very important range) and controlled directivity above it.

You could always place an order and return them if you disliked the sound which I doubt, they really sound great.

[Russell Dawkins]

I had a chance to listen Triode Master at Axpona. Probably the best sound of the show, but once I stepped aside the soundstage fell apart. This happens with 99% of speakers, of course.
All I am trying to say these are not designed like Ohm, Larsen, MBL to have omni or omni like response, but omni up to 800Hz (I agree, this is very important range) and controlled directivity above it.

You could always place an order and return them if you disliked the sound which I doubt, they really sound great.

I think there is a significant difference between omni and dipolar, especially in the bass range, in the interaction between the room and the speaker. The Triode Masters are dipolar in radiation characteristic through the range below the 700 Hz crossover to the compression driver, not omnidirectional as you state. Directivity below 700 Hz is controlled through this region as well, although the characteristic is not the identical to that above 700 Hz in that it has a wider pattern and symmetrically dipolar, whereas the compression driver, although technically dipolar, has a different rear output characteristic due to the fact that it is not horn loaded, so lower in output and wider in dipersion. I would think the radiation characteristic from 700 Hz up would be cardioid.

[rebbi]

The Triode Master is out of my budget, but I would really love to hear it one day. I've been frustrated that coverage from the Chicago show on that room has been so limited!

[SoundSound]

Happy the 4th of July, dear friends!

Thank you very kindly for your most informative input! 

Could somebody knowledgeable please comment on the crossovers employed in M3/M4? I do not expect them to be the first order, and, therefore, the designs to be time-coherent...