Spatial Audio Hologram M4 Turbo S Speakers - A Review


I received these speakers about three weeks ago and with a bit of run-in on them, maybe 75-100 hours, I am prepared to say that they are simply stunning speakers.  I have a bit of a bind in my room in that I only have 2-3' from the rear wall to position them, which is about what Clayton Shaw from SA said would be workable.  I heard his former design, the Audio Physics OB speakers, at an audio show a couple of years ago and was very impressed with them, but was waved off when I learned that the AP speakers needed 4-5' of clearance to perform their best.  Clayton now has his own company and the Holograms incorporate major design improvements from his earlier designs for Audio Physics, not least of which is their performance much nearer the back wall.  

Most notably, these do not sound like any speakers I have ever had and I have had a nearly a dozen over the past decade in my room.  I listened to them with a pedestrian SS amp to break them in (note:  don't form any opinion of them until they have a least 50 hours on them) and then swapped them for an excellent 6L6 tube amp with 6 wpc.  With the tube amp (and my tube preamp), these speakers just simply blossomed with a huge soundstage and a very warm liquid sound.  There is no question that the speakers mate very well with tube amplification.  I then swapped my venerable CJ MF-80 SS amp into the system thinking that they might lose the holographic soundstage and warmth, but as it turns out, the CJ amp provides a bit more control on the LF response and gives up only a bit of the warmth and liquidity that the tube amp provided.  So, my take is that they respond very well to both tube and SS amplification, but with good gear, reveal provide much better performance.  

The M4's have such an effortless, uncongested sound to them that seems very coherent from the LF to the HF.  They are neither forward nor laid back, they just make the music sound tonally correct and realistic.  If I had more room for placement, I might consider the M3's, which go down to 32hz whereas my M4's go pretty flat to 45hz.  No worries with the M4's, I am very happy with the LF response and if I get motivated, I might hook up my REL sub to catch that lower octave.  No doubt due to the open baffle design of the speakers, I sense an openness to the sound that I haven't ever experienced in any speakers I have had.  They are very detailed, with a clarity to the spittle sound of Miles' trumpet and a palpable leading-edge attack to Ron Carter's  double bass that just is simply amazing.   The sound from bottom to top with these speaker continues to astonish me the longer I listen to them.  If think they might tend to a bit warmer presentation, to my ears, but only slightly so.  Overall, they are very balanced.  

Clayton has a generous no-hassle 60-day trial with these speakers because it is a fair bet that few buyers will not be very happy with them.   I am just a guy who has loves jazz and have been in the quest for great sound in my system for the past 45 years so that is my point of view in this review.  I am not going out on a limb in saying that I think Clayton has significantly moved the ball ahead, from technological design and production standpoint, with his Hologram speakers.  I simply marvel at the pure enjoyment I am hearing with these speakers... just such pure enjoyment.    

For $2K for the M4 Turbo S version, I can't fathom a more fulfilling audio product than Clayton's speakers.  I urge my music-loving friends on this forum to think outside the box (speaker) realm and consider what Clayton has created with his well-engineered and beautifully-constructed  line of of Hologram speakers.  At least, seek out his room at the next audio show and give them a listen.  Cheers, Whitestix






whitestix
Oh my, my sage friend Rebbi, I am delighted to hear about your initial impressions of your upgrade to the M3TS speakers.  Clayton waved me off of them due to the smallish size of my room (which I judged to a thoughtful suggestion), and as I have posted, I am over-the-top delighted with them.  No doubt the M3's will go deeper for a modest increase in cost.  

I was unimpressed with the sound of the Holograms for the first several hours, but then they simply bloomed.  One must not judge them until they have had a time to break in.  Great that yours sounded great from the onset. 

For the 100th time, I will say that these speaker eclipse the SQ of any speakers I have had in my lengthly audiophile experience and I have had a lot of them, several costing 4X the price of the Holograms. I personally think that there is an intrinsic design advantage with open baffle speakers, and Clayton is a sheer genius in the OB speakers he produces.   I can't imagine that a box speaker could ever give me the realistic sound reproduction that I experience with my Holograms.   They are easy to drive, very affordable, and quite attractive in their appearance.  

Keep us posted on your comparison between the M4's and your new speakers.   Thanks, Mark






A further thought about that Hologram speakers.  I initially drove them with a Dennis Had SET EL84 SET amp and the sound was luminous with my Don Sachs 6SN7-based preamp.  Later, I swapped in a McCormack DNA .05 Deluxe solid state amp and was blown away with the improvement.  The sound now has much better extension and inner detail to the music.  I have long believed that the magical combination is a tube preamp and solid state amp and it is rewarding with the Holograms.  Other may see it differently, this is just my take.  Please check out the link to Rebbi's blog, it is excellent. 
Mark
Rebbi,
I second Whitestix’ request. As your M3 TS break in, please keep us informed. I am especially interested in hearing your impressions of the treble performance of the S as opposed to that of the M4's you were previously running.

Prior to my M4TS I had (still have, actually) the M2's. They are in fact the M2 Turbos... but no ’’S’’ (no M25 tweeter).

Even though Clayton feels that older ears may not be able to tell the difference due to inability to actually hear the highest frequencies, I still perceive a noticeable difference with respect to smoothness and lack of grain. Also, massed violins, unless the recording is really bad, are a joy to listen to... something which to me is important because I love listening to orchestra music.




I too have M4 turbo S and as I listen today they still excite me as if I am hearing them for the first time. (Purchased at Axpona last year). I have them paired with an Odyssey Khartago/Candela combo and am fully satisfied with this combo. Can't wait to get the recently purchased Oppo Sonica connected to it all. I use a small REL T7 sub with them and it pairs exceptionally well.
Erniek,
Your Odyssey front end ought to be great with the M4ts speakers.  I agree that the REL T7 is a wonderful match with the speakers to round out that lower octave.  Since I swapped out my Mogami 3013 speaker cable for Supra Ply3.4 cable, I haven't felt the need for the sub.  Thanks for sharing your impressions.  Mark