Spatial M3 Triode Master Preamp/amp choices

i agree w jack

clayton makes lovely speakers but their efficiency ratings belie what is needed to make the speaker perform well... after all do see those two gigantic woofers? these babies need damping factor and control to make the speakers sound right... so flea watt amps need not apply unless you listen real soft...

i would say 30-40 tube watts minimum

i think one of the major improvements to the m3 sapphire which i have from the prior series m3’s spatial made is the improved resolution of the tweeter, so you may want to stick with the less tubey sounding tube amps... i would think audio research linear tube audio air tight top decware or even a tube hybrid amp...

If you are willing to get away from the tube idea a really great integrated amp that is a within your budget and goes well with the Spatial's is the newest version of the Kinki Studio EX-M1 at $2398 shipped. I've tried EL-84, EL-34 and KT-88 tube amps with the M3TM's from 35-60 wpc monos and was never satisfied with the extension on either end.

https://www.kinki-studio.com/ex-m1

Thanks @atmasphere , @jackd and @jjss49 for steering me strait.  I can definitely tell that my old NAD 2100 is not up to the task of adequately driving the Spatials it works great until i start increasing the volume over 90 db and just doesnt seem to do much.  I normally do not listen loud but i do not want the speakers restricted by a mismatch of equipment.  I am not wedded to tubes, in fact, i have never had tubes.  The Kinki studio is one i had thought about.  There are also favorable reviews for the Doge PACD MKIII push pull 60w kt88 amp.  There is also an Audio Research VT100MkII available in my area with new tubes in it.  I also wondered if a LTA Microzotl used as a preamp paired with a new Purifi amp might be a good combo for the Spatials?  Are there any l tried and true combos i should consider for the Spatials?

I know our amps work very nicely on that speaker according to Clayton. I would expect the ARC to be a bit dry on that speaker. The Purifi amp with a tube preamp is worth exploration- depending greatly on who did the implementation of the Purify module. You might also look at Berning as he has some very musical amplifiers that should work nicely with the Spatials.

if you want to avoid tubes just get a hegel rost or h160 or h190 be done... absolutely brilliant sounding ss amps that will grip the spatial’s woofers and be transparent and free of any ss harshness

it will not give you tube sweetness but it will provide utter blackness of silence, tremendous bass foundation and control, and a super sophisticated refined midrange and treble... you can then add a tubed dac for some tubey magic

i have no affiliation to hegel (other than having 4 of them hahahaha)