(Continued from here)

Spatial Audio X3 Review Part II – LISTENER FATIGUE

I went around in circles with the Spatial Audio X3 for several weeks, trying to get them to work well in my space. This wasn’t an acquisition intended solely for a review, these were to be my end-game ‘reference’ speakers. Going in, I was so confident that these would suit my needs that my mindset was one of entirely wanting this to be a success. My process during the review wasn’t one of trying to uncover and report on small weaknesses, it was one of trying to get these damn things to work so I could enjoy them. While I’ve listed it elsewhere on this page, I haven’t really talked about the rest of my system. For a digital source, I use a Cambridge Audio 851C as a transport, but primarily I stream files from a Sonic Transporter i5 via Sonore UltraRendu into a Denafrips GAIA DDC and then into an upgraded Denafrips Terminator DAC. (Latest DSP board and firmware). My analog is via a Dr. Feickert Woodpecker, Kuzma Stogi S 12VTA, Benz Micro LPS, and a Manley Steelhead RC phono stage. I used an Emotive Audio Epifania tube preamp, but sold this early in the process and used the line input on the Steelhead for a while. Later, I introduced a Wyred 4 Sound STP SE with Level II upgrade – one of the most transparent and neutral preamps I’ve ever owned. I use a PS Audio P10 regenerator, custom racks, isolation, etc. I tried various cables on the speakers including Cardas GC, Anti-Cables, AudioQuest, etc. On the subs, I tried different PCs but settled on ESP The Essence, not really hearing any difference when using something slightly more exotic. My amps are upgraded Allnic Audio A-6000 300b monoblocks, a quad of 300b’s per side, and good for 50 watts per channel. Some might argue that 50 watts is overkill, that’s fine. These amps have worked beautifully on a number of speakers, including the 100+ dB efficient Klipsch Khorns and the 90dB Dunlavy SC-III. The amps have settings for both 4 and 8 ohms and I slightly preferred the 8-ohm setting. They also have settings whereby some negative feedback is injected, or, via a flick of a switch, is removed altogether. I preferred the no NFB setting. Overall I would describe my system as walking the line between neutrality and just a hint of warmth. I can tip things one way or another by turning on/off the oversampling mode on the DAC and by adjusting sampling and bit rates in Roon/UltraRendu. The system is very revealing of small changes, including changes to cables, changes in the configuration of over/upsampling, and even changes to the type of waveform selected in the PS Audio P10 regenerator. There is nothing hard or harsh sounding about my system when everything is set up optimally, but it can quickly reveal a component that doesn’t want to play ball.

Over a month into the X3s, I felt I was running out of things to try. I seemed to be constantly in full-on ‘review mode’, analyzing the sound, flicking between tracks to get a handle on various aspects of the presentation, moving things around, etc. Normally when I’m undertaking any critical listening, whether it’s for the purpose of an upcoming review or trying to bed in a new component, I usually become distracted from the task quite quickly. That’s generally a good thing insofar as the component under review is concerned. I get caught up in the music and stop thinking about equipment. Many a time I’ve allotted a couple of hours to start writing notes on a piece of gear, to emerge from the listening session many hours later without a single idea committed to paper – the enjoyment of the music completely took over! This just wasn’t happening with the X3s. I just wasn’t connecting with the music, for whatever reason. One night, in particular, comes to mind –  my partner joined me on the couch to listen to some tunes, so I flicked to a couple of tracks that I knew she liked. I rarely ask her for feedback on the sound of the system, as I know she has little interest in it; and rarely does she volunteer an opinion. But after 5 minutes or so she commented to the effect “It sounds flat and cold”. Then, with a twist of the blade: “These don’t sound as good as your other speakers”. I guess she basically summed up in 5 minutes what I’d been suppressing for the past month or more. Of course, as soon as she planted the seed, I was done.

Stepping away from the system I sat and thought about how things really are with the Spatial Audio X3s, I’ll try to summarize with bullet points as follows:

• I want these speakers to work, I need these speakers to work. I’ve no negative bias towards them whatsoever.
• They sound impressive in many respects, I’ve even used the adjective ‘wonderful’ in certain forums and in email communication with the designer, no less, and I don’t back away from it.
• They are transparent and detailed, they almost disappear in the room, and they check more of the usual audiophile boxes than I’ve heard any other speaker do, including the Dunlavy SC-III.
• They’re ruthlessly revealing in a way that isn’t apparent during short listening sessions. It’s almost a case of ‘information overload’ in the way they present music. Everything is stripped bare and presented with warts and all.
• There’s a clinical aspect to their sound, a little dryness, hardness, and sterility; it’s hard to shake it off once you realize what’s afoot.
• There’s something not right when transitioning from the AMT to the 12″ driver – tone/timbre/transparency is off and there’s a flatness to the sound that seems to suck some life and energy from the music below around 1000hz.

At this point, a professional reviewer might have felt obliged to pull out the measuring gear and do some checks on the in-room FR. I could have done that, I have the equipment and the know-how, but I also know my room and the problems encountered with the speaker remained constant in the many, many different locations tried over the course of several weeks. I wasn’t going to fix this with room measurements.

Conclusion

Look, I’ve only ever been seriously critical of one other component I’ve reviewed over the years and I caught some real flack for that review on the manufacturer’s forum. 🙂  Also, I don’t generally delve quite so deep into the minutiae of how a component functions in my system, because I know that generally speaking no other person will encounter the same results given the widely different operating parameters of their own system – I mean, what’s the point of a review anyway? Unless you have the exact same gear and the exact same room as the reviewer, you’re going to hear something very different in your own system, right?

Broadly speaking the Spatial Audio X3 gave the impression of delivering a smooth and fairly accurate frequency response, being extended at both ends and not having any audibly obvious troughs or peaks through the frequency range. They sounded ‘impressive’ in every audiophile sense of the word, and I can imagine many people would enjoy these speakers long-term. But there’s something not quite perfect with the choice of that 12″ driver, and/or the crossover components, or the way the XO is shaped to hand-off from the AMT driver to the 12″ unit. It’s something with the design that for me, ruins what could be an absolutely world-class loudspeaker. Do with that opinion whatever you will.

CAH

Jan 2022

Addendum October 2023

I sold the Spatial Audio X3 to a friend across town who spent time listening to the speakers in my room and was fully appraised of my reservations with the speakers. A few months ago I picked up some equipment from his home and got to spend about 10 minutes or so listening to the X3s in his room. His music room is nice. I believe the length is around 40′ and it’s perhaps 16′ or so wide. He has the speakers a little too close to the front wall for my liking and he also has a large TV/Media cabinet between the speakers. His gear is pretty good, but not really optimized for a high-efficiency speaker like the X3. He used a BAT VK600 power amp when I heard them along with an older CJ preamp, and an ARC DAC. (I don’t recall the source). The point is, the X3s sounded better in his larger room than they did in mine. I felt there were other issues in the way he has/had them set up, but I heard less of the beaminess from the AMT and less of that annoying transition from highs to the mid-range.

SYSTEM USED IN THIS REVIEW:

• Dr. Feickert Analogue Woodpecker / Kuzma Stogi 12VTA / Benz Micro LP-S
• Manley Labs Steelhead RC (also used the line input)
• Denafrips Terminator / Gaia DAC/DDC
• Sonic Transporter i5 / Sonore UltraRendu
• Cambridge Audio Azure 851C (used as a CD transport)
• Allnic Audio A-6000 300b monoblocks
• Cardas cabling and ESP Essence/Reference PCs
• Various spikes, cones, tweaks, acoustic panels etc.

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