X3 Owners' thread

morganc · « **Reply #40 on:** 17 Mar 2020, 01:32 am »

Quote from: guf on 16 Mar 2020, 02:06 pm

did you pick up the Sonoma ones?!

Yes, just got them today and just plopping them down and hooking them up with zero adjustments and woahhh. They are super impressive. Immediate and large improvement over the M3TM.

morganc · « **Reply #41 on:** 17 Mar 2020, 01:55 am »

Quote from: Shakeydeal on 16 Mar 2020, 10:58 am

I have found the Carver Crimson 275 a great match with the X3.

Shakey

Thanks Shakey.

mresseguie · « **Reply #42 on:** 21 Mar 2020, 07:58 am »

I've got a couple questions for you X3 owners (or Clayton if he's available).

Can you give me an idea of minimum and maximum room sizes the X3s perform well in? Assume an approximate 8 or 8.5 foot high ceiling.

Do they sound best on the short wall or long wall of a rectangular room?

What's the minimum distance to the front wall?

Thank you in advance.

Be well.

Michael

Shakeydeal · « **Reply #43 on:** 21 Mar 2020, 12:56 pm »

My room is 26 x 15 x 8 and the X3 seems to be perfect for this size room. I have the speakers 52” from the back wall and 28” from the side walls. I have tried them further into the room and as close as 3.5 ft to the wall but this seems to be the location where they just gel with the room IMHO. I can’t say how they would work in smaller rooms, but since they load the room so differently than box speakers, I tend to think they would work in many spaces.

Shakey

mresseguie · « **Reply #44 on:** 26 Mar 2020, 03:50 pm »

Shakey,

Thank you for replying.

My main listening room is similar to yours - 29' x 15' x 8' (15' wide in the front half; 13' wide in the back half behind the listening position). My Apollos are 5' from the front wall and about 8.5' apart.

I think I'll call Clayton to ask about different room sizes and how his speakers behave in each size.

Be well.

Michael

Tyson · « **Reply #45 on:** 26 Mar 2020, 03:58 pm »

OB's are WAY less fussy than box speakers when it comes to room placement. They will sound great just about anywhere, as long as you can get them at least 3 feet from the front wall. More is better. And side walls tend to be much less intrusive than with box speakers.

Hear Clifford Brown · « **Reply #46 on:** 26 Mar 2020, 11:52 pm »

Michael, I have no doubt the X3s will sound great in your main listening room. The max dimensions of my room are 20' x 15' with an 8' ceiling, and they sound amazing to me. The room is far from a regular rectangle, for instance the short wall behind the speakers has a jog in it such that the right side of the room is 20' long while the left side is 19'. Because of this the right speaker is 6' out from the wall behind and the right 5'. Speakers are 29" from the side walls.

I know you sometimes come through my area and you are welcome to hear my X3s when things get back to normal.

Here's a diagram of my room, if they can sound so good in here, they might be ever better in your room. The speakers are in the 15' wide part, chair is in the 13' 9" wide area, and behind the chair it's 10' 11" wide.

Speakers are 7 feet 8 inches apart inside edge to inside edge. Distance from each AMT driver to the sweet spot seat is 11 feet.

mresseguie · « **Reply #47 on:** 27 Mar 2020, 03:33 am »

Thanks for your comments.

I told myself that I would treat myself to another great pair of speakers, DAC, or amp/preamp/integrated amp if I manage to come out of this pandemic unscathed. Fear of my catching it has me triggered in a big way.

The X3's are in the running. Fingers are crossed for good health.

My other room - home office is 11' W x 14.5' L x 8' H. I'm not sure if it's a good fit. Two-way monitors may be a better fit(?).

morganc · « **Reply #48 on:** 27 Mar 2020, 05:29 am »

IMO I believe you would like a min of 3 feet in room placement along with 9-10 feet to the listening position. I have X-5's and at 8 feet or so at the listening position, I wish I was back a few more feet.

sockpit · « **Reply #49 on:** 27 Mar 2020, 05:40 pm »

Quote from: mresseguie on 27 Mar 2020, 03:33 am

Thanks for your comments.

I told myself that I would treat myself to another great pair of speakers, DAC, or amp/preamp/integrated amp if I manage to come out of this pandemic unscathed. Fear of my catching it has me triggered in a big way.

The X3's are in the running. Fingers are crossed for good health.

My other room - home office is 11' W x 14.5' L x 8' H. I'm not sure if it's a good fit. Two-way monitors may be a better fit(?).

MY ROOM (home office) IS EXACTLY THOSE DIMENSIONS. Clayton advised me to get the M5s and thought I might be too close to the AMT of the X models. Am liking the M5s. Do wonder how much better the Xs sound, but didn't want to overpower the room or be too close to the AMT. Always worth a call to him.

sarora9 · « **Reply #50 on:** 13 May 2020, 07:17 pm »

Hi

I wanted to give an update on the issue of speaker feet for X3. My floor is suspended wood with thin carpet layer (with a basement/crawl space underneath.) I tried (a) Isoacoustic Gaia II (b) SVS subwoofer feet (c) Herbie's spike slider https://herbiesaudiolab.com/products/cone-spike-decoupling-glider?_pos=3&_sid=87cd22a38&_ss=r

The Gaia II was the best, but also pricy ($600). As soon as you put them in, instruments are better defined, sweeter/purer. Bass no longer seems to come from the speakers, and is properly located in the soundstage. Clearly the stock spikes were causing resonance in the wood structure of the house (not audible in itself, but audible in the sound change produce in the speakers). Once you hear the difference it is almost impossible to go back to the stock spikes; I find myself wincing.

Herbie's sliders seem 75% as effective as Gaia II, but at 1/4th of the price. I think many people could be quite happy with them. I am switching back and forth for a day or two to see if I will keep them.

The SVS subwoofer feet don't fit this application and left the speaker wobbly. Maybe one could use them by unscrewing part of the spike structure and using suitable washers/screws etc. from the hardware store. I didn't try that.

YMMV depending upon your floor structure.

gme109 · « **Reply #51 on:** 17 May 2020, 02:09 pm »

Can anyone comment on the importants of power cords for the subwoofer amps on the X3 or X5?
I'm quit aware that an upgraded power cord cord can make a huge difference on certain gear, especially source components, but how dramatic of an improvement does it make on subwoofer amps?

I'm contemplating the purchase of the Spatial Audio X5 and one other speaker brand, and calculating the associated costs for each speaker. With the X5 I'll need two additional power cords for the amps, which can get quite costly depending on how crazy you get. The other speaker is completely passive, so no additional power cords needed.

Thanks

morganc · « **Reply #52 on:** 17 May 2020, 05:53 pm »

I'm using generic black cords into my X5's and they sound great to me.

Spatial Audio · « **Reply #53 on:** 17 May 2020, 09:16 pm »

Quote from: gme109 on 17 May 2020, 02:09 pm

Can anyone comment on the importants of power cords for the subwoofer amps on the X3 or X5?
I'm quit aware that an upgraded power cord cord can make a huge difference on certain gear, especially source components, but how dramatic of an improvement does it make on subwoofer amps?

I'm contemplating the purchase of the Spatial Audio X5 and one other speaker brand, and calculating the associated costs for each speaker. With the X5 I'll need two additional power cords for the amps, which can get quite costly depending on how crazy you get. The other speaker is completely passive, so no additional power cords needed.

Thanks

Sumoking reported to me that he tried several power cords on his X3 bass amps and found the Audio Envy power cables noticeably improved the sound. Maybe he can expound on that here.

Clayton

drhoon · « **Reply #54 on:** 6 Jun 2020, 11:38 am »

Just wondering if I were to move the speakers to open floor plan, living room with huge open areas, would the x3 sound bad due to no bass pressurization from smaller rooms?

Spatial Audio · « **Reply #55 on:** 6 Jun 2020, 02:04 pm »

Quote from: drhoon on 6 Jun 2020, 11:38 am

Just wondering if I were to move the speakers to open floor plan, living room with huge open areas, would the x3 sound bad due to no bass pressurization from smaller rooms?

The X3 usually produces very powerful bass in large open rooms.

Clayton

sumoking · « **Reply #56 on:** 6 Jun 2020, 04:30 pm »

Quote from: gme109 on 17 May 2020, 02:09 pm

Can anyone comment on the importants of power cords for the subwoofer amps on the X3 or X5?
I'm quit aware that an upgraded power cord cord can make a huge difference on certain gear, especially source components, but how dramatic of an improvement does it make on subwoofer amps?

I'm contemplating the purchase of the Spatial Audio X5 and one other speaker brand, and calculating the associated costs for each speaker. With the X5 I'll need two additional power cords for the amps, which can get quite costly depending on how crazy you get. The other speaker is completely passive, so no additional power cords needed.

Thanks

I have found that the audio envy power cable is a nice upgrade for low money. Worth it and recommended.
Message me with questions. Thanks.

Desertpilot · « **Reply #57 on:** 23 Apr 2021, 03:37 am »

I purchased my X3s in satin red yesterday. Spoke with Clayton about the purchase. He was very gracious with his time.

The subwoofers are out of stock. He expects delivery next week. The good news is that he has a few Red Satin baffles in stock so they will begin building my speakers right away. Delivery estimate to me is a few weeks. He said he will contact me after delivery to help with set up. He said I should leave the GIK 6A diffusion panels on the front wall as they are well positioned for the mid range driver. Clayton recommends 3 feet out from the front wall. I can go 6 feet if needed and still maintain a 10 foot equilateral triangle.

Speakers will be on carpet which is on laminate flooring and over a concrete slab (typical Las Vegas home). My first upgrade will be the IsoAcoustics Gaia Series II Isolation Feet with spikes. These will mount on to highly polished (slippery) carpet sliders. I'm 70 years old and can't imagine picking up and moving the speakers constantly. Luckily, my hearing is good!

Anxious for delivery now that I made my decision.

Marcus

rfluongo · « **Reply #58 on:** 23 Apr 2021, 11:30 am »

Marcus - I also submitted my order for X3 a few days ago but need to be a little more patient for my build. Looking forward to pics of your red units to keep me going.

Ron

Desertpilot · « **Reply #59 on:** 23 Apr 2021, 12:19 pm »

Congratulations Ron. Aside from the subwoofer delay, Clayton said when they are finished with the build they plug the speakers in and test them for a day or two.

Marcus