How would the M3 Sapphire fare in a HT setting compared to the M3TM? I'm looking to make a purchase in the near future. Usage would be 70/30 between HT and music. Would appreciate any insight you have on this. Thanks!
I don't own Spatials but I've considered getting a used pair to put in my HT room. I think matching the front stage would be the most important part of a HT setup, but it might not be necessary. In most movies/shows, almost all of the dialogue is coming from the center channel. The L/R channel will play more effects and score. Surrounds are primarily for effects. Of course, there are some exceptions, but primarily this is what I've experienced. I've actually almost never had matching surrounds from the front stage since my space dictates that my surrounds have to be small. So I use Paradigm cinema speakers as my surrounds. The only reason is they're from a 5 channel set that I used in a previous dwelling. My front stage is a completely different speaker. And, it still sounds awesome. I've used mismatched centers as well and while the timbre may be off slightly, when I'm immersed in a show or movie I never really noticed. I have to try and notice. So, what I try and do is match the character of the speakers. Since Spatials are known to be fairly efficient and have really fast bass, I would look for something similar. To get a center channel that is efficient it may have to be larger. A good candidate for a reasonable price for me would be the Emotiva C2. It uses an AMT tweeter, has larger drivers to move more air (to keep up with the larger drivers of the spatials) and is 92 db efficient. I haven't heard this speaker so I'm not sure how good the execution is in real use, but on paper and if it were me that's where I would start. Their surrounds may also be a good deal and decent match. Another good option might be the HSU CCB-8. Again, good sensitivity to match the Spatials, uses a large 8" woofer, and is also a point source similar to the Spatial M3TM. You can also get a set to use as surrounds, and they now have an option for a black cone instead of the yellow.