[Wester]

I just had the opportunity to audition the Spatial Audio M3 Sapphires at the Spatial Audio production facility in West Valley City, Utah. Owner and designer Clayton Shaw spent a generous two hours with me as we listened to the speakers and talked about all things audio. It was quickly obvious that Clayton is very passionate about his work, and has dedicated over 30 years to perfecting his open baffle speaker designs.
I was a bit reluctant to go there, because I felt I already had my personal end-game speaker with my Harbeth Super HL5 Plus setup. But as I read all the positive reviews on the Sapphires and the descriptions of how they sound, I couldn’t resist (Hey, what audiophile EVER has their end-game setup?). Going in, I felt Harbeths would be pretty tough competition for the Sapphires, and that the Sapphires would be hard pressed to out-perform them. The Harbeths also cost a couple thousand dollars more, so they should sound better, right? So here are my impressions:
The thing that jumped out immediately was the holographic imaging and full, natural tonal qualities of the sound. My top three priorities for hifi are soundstage/imaging, tone/timbre, and detail. The Sapphires delivered these in spades. The imaging actually startled me. It was so palpable and three-dimensional. I can honestly say, it was the most realistic and holographic imaging I have heard.
The same can be said for the tonal qualities. The tone of the instruments and vocals was rich and natural. There was no bloat or coloration. In fact, the M100 midrange/tweeter is as neutral as anything I’ve heard. It is also very quick and resolving. The mids were full-bodied and very natural sounding. The high frequencies were much the same. There was zero hardness or harshness, but all the detail was still there.
The sound of the Sapphires is very different from that of my Harbeths. The HL5s are an exquisite speaker with extraordinary detail, dynamics, and tone. In comparison with the Sapphires, I have to say that the Harbeths sound much leaner and thinner. The Sapphires put much more meat on the bones and sound more realistic and true to life. The highs on the Harbeths are also harder and brighter, which can often leave me with listener fatigue if I’m not careful. I didn’t hear any of that stridence in the Sapphires – even on a particular track that typically grates on my ears with other speakers.
I might also add at this point that my hifi journey has included ownership of Klipschorns, Tektons, and Magnepans (1.7is, which I still have). So I have some fairly robust company to compare them to. I’ve also been to RMAF several times, so I’ve heard a lot of different speakers. Up to this point, the Harbeths have emerged as the best of the bunch for my personal tastes and budget. But that may well be changing.
And that brings me to the bass. The bass from the Sapphires may be their strongest attribute. It is full, rich, detailed, and textured. This open baffle bass is quite unlike any bass I’ve heard – in a very good way. I’ve been using a pair of subs with the Tektons, Magnepans, and the Harbeths. From what I heard from the Sapphires, I’m pretty sure there would be no need for a sub. Subs would likely only distract from the sound quality. 
In trying to summarize my listening experience, the thought that keeps coming to my head is that the Sapphires took things to an entirely new level in terms of sound quality. Everything, from low frequency to high, from tone and timbre to imaging and soundstage, everything about the Sapphires just felt like it was on a higher plane that what I have been used to. Listening to them was a completely immersive and impressive experience. I can now understand why they’re getting such rave reviews.
I mulled things over for one day, then called Clayton and ordered a pair of M3s. It will be interesting to compare the Sapphires and the Harbeths head-to-head in my own listening room, and I plan to report back on how that goes. But I wouldn’t have ordered the Sapphires if I didn’t think they were clearly superior to what I already have. I’ve concluded that the hype and buzz surrounding the Sapphires are very well deserved.

[Tccaux]

Thanks. Hope to hear a pair very soon.

[geerock]

Wester,
What was the associated equipment he used to drive the Sapphires?

[franSSS]

@Wester

  I love write up/reviews like this. Always nice to see how people are taken aback with the experience once they compare it to their own gear they love. By all accounts it seems like a major step up in overall sound quality. Looking forward to your impressions when you get your own Sapphires. Just remember, Ever one talks about some hundreds of hours of burn in before they shine the best. ( hope i can remember this when i get mine )

And welcome to the forum i see you are a newbie

[franSSS]

Wester,
What was the associated equipment he used to drive the Sapphires?

Yep Wester,
I am keen to know too! Spill da beans.

[ric]

Great review/impressions, now if the major publications heard what you did, Spatial might become a household name, at least in audio--circles

[abomwell]

Very nice review indeed!  I'd be interested to know what you may remember about the particulars of the listening room and speaker setup locations within it. For example,  general room size, carpet on floor or not, wall treatments if any, bass traps or not, speaker's distance from front wall etc.   

Thanks!
Al

[sumoking]

The highs on the Harbeths are also harder and brighter, which can often leave me with listener fatigue if I’m not careful.

This is a show stopper in itself, your new speakers will move to play music over and over again.
Enjoy!

[newzooreview]

The highs on the Harbeths are also harder and brighter, which can often leave me with listener fatigue if I’m not careful.

This is a show stopper in itself, your new speakers will move to play music over and over again.
Enjoy!

As another data point, I own Harbeth 30.1 Anniversary speakers and have listened to the M3 Sapphires at LTA. The Harbeths have never sounded bright in my system. I have area rugs, curtains, and a cloth-upholstered couch but no formal sound treatments. Holo May DAC, Holo Serene preamp, and Benchmark AHB2 amp. The Harbeths are 2.5 feet from the front wall and at least 3 feet from side walls.

What I found with the Sapphires compared to the Harbeths was a) I now hear the boxiness of the Harbeths in comparison (it was nothing I would have understood before hearing the Sapphires), b) the Sapphires sound more natural and coherent top to bottom (again, only apparent in comparison), c) the bass on the Sapphires is better and in perfect relation to the rest of the sound (even with a stereo pair or REL subwoofers supporting the Harbeths), and d) the Sapphires are a bit more resolving. Overall the biggest differences were the natural and coherent sound with better bass from the Sapphires, and those combined to leave me very highly impressed with the Sapphires and looking forward to owning them.

[kayakerf]

Did you consider the X3? or compare them?

[Spatial Audio]

Wester,
What was the associated equipment he used to drive the Sapphires?

For the demo, I drove the M3 Sapphires with Don Sach's new Valhalla integrated tube amp. This 30W stereo amp is very musical and world class overall based on our listening tests so far. Delicious is the best term I can think of.

Clayton

[newzooreview]

Did you consider the X3? or compare them?

The X3 wouldn't suite my listening space. The X3 is better suited to a listening position at least 10 feet from the speakers because the AMT mid/tweeter has a narrow angle of dispersion. The X3 mid/tweeter is also open in the back while the mid/tweeter on the M3 Sapphires is closed, so, again, the X3 will want to be out into the room farther than the M3 needs to be.

The AMT mid/tweeter is a very expensive part and the amp on the woofer adds cost as well. The cost buys greater sensitivity and more projection of the sound into a larger room, neither of which I needed. The M3 and X3 are complementary speakers to fit different needs.

I have not listened to the X3 in person, although the binaural recording on the New Record Day Youtube channel gives a useful comparison.

[newzooreview]

Don Sach's new Valhalla integrated tube amp

I got in touch with Dan Sachs about his integrated amp, and he was not interested in building any more of them. He had taken a few orders and said he would work through them at his own pace and was essentially retired at this point. I got the impression that I could try to order one and take my chances on getting it next year. I perfectly understand, but it's shame that he hasn't passed on his designs to someone (much like Linear Tube Audio has partnered with David Berning).

[newzooreview]

Maybe Spatial Audio Labs could work with Dan Sachs to build the Valhalla amps since they work so well with the speakers and Dan is essentially retired.

[franSSS]

Maybe Spatial Audio Labs could work with Dan Sachs to build the Valhalla amps since they work so well with the speakers and Dan is essentially retired.

Great Idea! Complete package in one go. :-)These days i am tending to favor a complete solution instead on endlessly mixing and matching.

[geerock]

Don owns the X5's and says that his Valhalla with those speakers are a crazy good combo.  And the price of his amp makes it a giant killer if there ever was one.  I'm surprised he has said that he's not building any more.  We keep in touch every now and then and he never mentioned that to me.  I do know he's been doing this for a very long time, but he puts every one of his pieces together by hand and by himself so if the man wants to slide into retirement, so be it.  All I know is I'm happy as hell I've got his all in preamp.  It's a stunning piece.

[geerock]

BTW....Don is still building but just not sitting down full time to get them done.  There's a wait list but they can still be had.  Between his Kootenay amps,  his preamp, and now the Valhalla he's always got people in the queue. Makes me want to get one now before he completely shuts down.

[doggie]

OP. I own a pair of X5's that have about 75-100 hours on them. I have not kept a log

My listening room is modest at about 13' x 19'. With my previous single driver crossover-less 97db speakers I had good sound but always longed for better center fill. My first plan was to get a pair of M3's and use them with the excellent Linear Tube Audio Ultralinear Integrated. I then listened to both amps at the LTA factory listening room which is minutes from where I live in DC. In the shop I liked the Z10i/M3 combo. As an aside, I have previously owned both the original LTA Z10 amp and a UL amp for use with the LTA preamp and my single driver speakers.

After a phone conversation with Clayton I realized that I could get the better X5's and pair them with the less expensive LTA Z10 Integrated for about the same money as the M3/ULi combination. So I ordered the X5's and picked up an LTA Z10i. Once I received the X5's I began the, mostly underestimated, task of breaking the speakers in.

Fast forward... My Z10i needed an update for the volume board so that I could drop the gain a bit for use with my new 97db speakers. Consistent with their great customer service LTA offered me a ULi loaner while my Z10i was in the shop. This is a match made in heaven. Better detail, refinement, dynamics. I traded the Z10i back in and kept the ULi.

My X5's are about 39" from the front wall with some GIK panels behind them. They are less than 2" from the side walls. I sit about 8" from them. I now have an excellent center image and an extremely coherent sound stage. It borders on "spooky" with the X5/ULi combo. I attribute this to the lack of room interaction from the OB construction and the increased directivity of the AMT tweeters which bounce less sound off the side walls. I would say that in some situations the X series speakers, or at least the X5's, are actually a better choice for a modest sized room. I would imagine that in a shorter room they might tend to load the room with bass but that has not been true in my own listening space.

Now to my actual point. Take some of the opinions that are expressed here by folks who do not own or have not even heard a pair of Spatial speakers with a grain of salt. Speaking with Clayton should be your "goto" for helpful information with owners opinions in second place. Anyone can parrot wisdom gleaned from YouTube reviews and from reading the posts of others but their opinions should be seen in distant third place.

You will not go wrong with a pair of Spatial speakers. They are a remarkable endgame choice.

[franSSS]

@Doggie,

Loved your input. 

[schw06]

I got in touch with Dan Sachs about his integrated amp, and he was not interested in building any more of them. He had taken a few orders and said he would work through them at his own pace and was essentially retired at this point. I got the impression that I could try to order one and take my chances on getting it next year. I perfectly understand, but it's shame that he hasn't passed on his designs to someone (much like Linear Tube Audio has partnered with David Berning).

That's such a shame. I am fortunate enough to own one of his Valhalla's and it's such a fantastic amplifier. Don is such a generous man I wonder if he'd be willing to share his "secret sauce" with another amp builder. It would be criminal to have this design not be shared with a larger audience.
David