Jean Marie Reynaud

JM REYNAUD

On the one hand I like the English very much, and on the other hand I don’t think that I should ever feel at home in England, as I do for instance in France. Perhaps I admire the English more in some ways but find the French more congenial. I should always, I should think, be aware of a certain sense of confinement in England, and repression. T.S. Eliot

                                                Jean Claude Reynaud and the late Jean Marie Reynaud.

Truth is Beauty

JM Reynaud speakers are the most congenial, least confined, least repressed speakers I know of. They pursue the natural warmth, body, and physical immediacy that give many listeners their chief emotional charge from music. There is also, especially with the latest generation of Reynaud Jubilees, greater transparency and a sense of spatial magic. The new Blisses, Euterpes, Cantabiles, Abscissas and Voce Grandes are especially striking in this regard. Listening to them, I can’t help but feel that many other designers are afraid of the real sounds of instruments! Do not fear the truth!

My zig-zag to Reynaud began with Kefs, proceeded to Meridian M-2 actives, Linn Saras and DMS Isobariks, B&W Matrix speakers, Spendors (BC1’s and 1/2’s), and on to Harbeths. The arrival at Reynaud was both satisfying and definitive. No speaker I have heard does as well at getting the elemental emotional feel of a live musical performance into our living room, which is their designer’s express goal. In contrast to the vivid kind of clarity that distinguishes some of the most popular contemporary ‘for a clear day you can hear forever’ speakers, Reynauds offer a natural but also spirited and energetic version of transparency, resulting in a physical immediacy that can take your breath away. To my ears, had the Spendor BC-1 evolved in a straight line rather than thinning out its heritage into the Classic line, it would have turned into a Reynaud.

JEAN MARIE REYNAUD LOUDSPEAKERS

Again, for more detail and a look at the full JMR line, go to the manufacturer’s website, http://www.jm-reynaud.com. All JMR equipment is available through Amherst Audio.

NEW JUBILEE EDITIONS

 It really is about time to  talk about the transformation moving through the JMR line. Jean Claude’s vision of what musically truthful domestic loudspeakers ought to sound like began appearing in the last edition of the Offrande Supreme V2’s, but with the new Abscissa Jubilee and its siblings, this vision has become more explicit — and impressive.

The new Jubilee models — Blissses, Euterpes, Cantabiles, Abscissas, brand new Voce Grandes, and Orféos  — are both continuous with and a departure from the Reynauds you know. The continuity has to do with expressiveness, emotion, presence: what has always distinguished Reynauds from the English sound in particular, which is where many Reynaud listeners gravitate from.

The Jubilee Reynauds’ departure and difference from the Reynauds most of us are familiar with has to do primarily with greater definition and articulateness. It is significant enough, especially when you get up the line to the Abscissas, which were the first Jubilee Reynauds I heard, to let us hear for the first time that the expressiveness of the speakers most heavily influenced by Jean Marie took a subtly warm and romantic view of reality, something that early Reynaud fan Bruce Kennett characterized as something we could “just fall into.” 

It is the contrast with the new, as it is so often is in audio, that lets us hear the classic Reynaud voice more objectively, to separate the warmth from the expressiveness.  Even the consummate Offrande Supreme V2, meaning the consummation of the ‘old’ sound, confronted with the new Abscissa Jubilee and Voces, for example, seems to change its colors. Its ‘natural warmth’ that had evolved steadily from the original Offrandes of an audio generation ago to something that still turns heads with its eloquence, after a week or so here confronted with Abscissa Jubilees came to sound different, less truthful, incomplete. Once I heard the new Abscissas and then lately the Voces, there was no denying that the sound I’d loved and had come to believe was ‘the truth,’ was not quite that. As I listen now to the new Blisses, Euterpes and Cantabiles and remember the sound of their predecessors, I hear the same thing, if a bit less dramatically. They are truer sounding speakers.

The story goes that Jean Marie set out to reproduce the sound of old, especially stringed instruments performed in his living room, though to be fair toward the end of his life, perhaps partly due to the presence of his son alongside him in the lab, his speakers were doing a good deal more than that. It strikes me that his son, Jean Claude, seeks to reproduce the sound of all instruments exactly as they sound and feel (ah, there’s the father), wherever they are playing. He has the ears, mind, and soul of a music lover (a lover of all kinds of music) who has lived in a recording studio; who has mastered the science & art of capturing the (absolute sound of?) the clarinet, the trumpet, the guitar, the viol, the piano, and even the harpsichord. Their true, natural, native sound. I now believe that Jean Marie’s Reynauds appealed to us with the beauty of their overall presentation — instruments were suspended in an appealing atmosphere; whereas Jean Claude’s appeal to us with the distinct and compelling beauties of individual instruments. Some of the familiar JMR atmosphere has been whisked away. Listening to the new Jubilee Reynauds, we are instead most aware of many voices. Some warm,  some brisk, some brilliant. That is what I have lately been calling clarity, but it’s more than that. But it will have to do for now.

I don’t pretend that lovers of the best exemplars of the old JMR sound will come around quickly. Customers keep asking me, “But how do they compare with Trentes?” Answer: they don’t. Anymore than the Spendor BC1 compares with the SP 1/2, though they both sound like Spendors.  (And the new Reynauds still sound like Reynauds.) The Trentes and BC1’s were lovely sounding creatures which get better the longer it’s been since we last heard them! One of my long-time customers clings to his Offrandes because he wants exactly what they do and do extremely well. They make him comfortable. And another with both Offrandes and Abscissa Jubilees, both of which he likes, can’t bring himself to surrender the Offies. “They are special, he says.” Truth is, the Offrande Supreme V2‘s were a marriage of the father and the son, which theoretically sounds ideal, I agree. But I finally let my Offrandes go because they kept making me crave my new Abscissa Jubilees. I kept not hearing what Jean Claude’s new speakers do: clarify, delineate and complete the picture.

Below are subjective descriptions of my favorite Reynauds. Updates to follow as I spend more time with the new Jubilees.

LUCIA

LUCIA, which means ‘the light’ in Italian, is a compact 2-way bookshelf loudspeaker system with harmonious proportions. Designed with the same rigor as the most advanced models in our range, it concentrates all the know-how of the JMR brand. To remain faithful to our tradition, we wanted to develop a small and extremely musical loudspeaker that is also notably affordable and that offers realistic tonality and a very good spectral balance. We have optimized its performance so that it can be used placed on a shelf or even on a desk… from JMR website

I have yet too hear the Lucias but they look very promising for the kinds of installations often cited but long ignored by most speaker companies…bookshelves!  $950

FOLIA JUBILEES

Well guess who’s back and better than ever? I would not have guessed this from talking with Jean Claude during the early/mid part of 2017, but folks, in the person of the new Folia Jubilee, the Twin and Bliss are back in new clothing (and with an advanced design) and sounding better than ever. The Folias are not quite as open sounding as the Bliss Silver (at twice the price) but they definitely sound like better Blisses…and Twin Signatures. The warmth we remember is there but also, depending on what electronics you use, more clarity in and amongst the warmth. And more excitement. Great energy and a wonderful firm sense of body. It’s not exactly a throw-back to the earlier JMR sound but there’s plenty of that there — along with greater definition. I started them out on my new Blue Circle 002i 80 watt solid state integrated and I heard notably better Blisses. Then I hooked up the BC amp’s optional EPS external power supply and on CD’s that wanted it, these little kids bloomed — from the inside out. A cello took on greater presence and reality. You don’t need an EPS — the 002i and Folias already sing the same song. But it does show you what they are capable of.

So we have a stand-mount entry level speaker back in the JMR line.  $1750 in black or white. Magic Stands, $700, $500 if purchased with speakers. 

                      Bliss Jubilees in satin black, anthracite grey, pearly white, and stained cherry

BLISS JUBILEES

And now we have the return of a champion as well. I am not one of those audiophiles who believes less is ever more. But if the less is a measured less than a superb more,  it can be very damn good — and satisfying. Listeners who are new to these Bliss Jubilees often say, “Wow…$2500 for that?!! Yes, wow. If are looking for an entry level stand-mount, these should be your target. Every so slightly Reynaud warm, full of the instrumental definition we all crave along with the toe-tapping expressiveness of the Trentes of a generation ago that blew Harbeths out of here a decade ago, they are a clear step up from the Bliss Silvers, as good as they were. I didn’t think Jean Claude intended to bring back the Bliss…until he heard what his latest ideas were achieving in the other Jubilee speakers. But here they are, accompanied by Euterpe Jubilees, and we should all be exceeding glad. It’s hard to put your finger on what makes them better, though the gorgeous sounding silk tweeter borrowed from the Cantabiles is surely part of it. The high end of the new Blisses is a thing of beauty.

Sitting on Magic Stands and driven by 20-25 watts of push-pull tube watts or 60-75 watts from a really good solid state amp, they are entry level speakers that could keep you in the entry for along time. They make you think about music and nothing else.

Bliss Jubilee price is $3000 — $200 less than the Bliss Silvers! Highly recommended Magic Stands add $850,  $500 if purchased with speakers.

Nice review of the Bliss Jubilees: https://wallofsound.ca/audioreviews/speakers/review-jean-marie-reynaud-bliss-jubile-speakers/

EUTERPE JUBILEE

Euterpe Jubilees, with the same drivers as the Bliss Jubilees and a larger enclosure, have more bass energy and weight than their little brothers but a bit less immediacy. They have a slightly warmer overall sound. With these observations understood, everything I say about the Blisses applies to the Euterpes. You can’t go wrong either way.

Listening to the wonderful recording of Ligeti’s and Brahms’ violin concertos by Augustin Hadlich, I found myself riveted to the performance. Quite frankly I had expected to damn these speakers with faint praise, but I can’t. They’re way too good for that.

Price, $4250 .…and single wired!

CANTABILE JUBILEE

For those of you who can’t escape your memories of the warmth and ease of Trentes or early models of the Offrandes, the Cantabiles are probably your speakers. Paired with the new Blue Circle O02i solid state integrated amplifier, with the EPS or not, and sitting on their own spikes, the new Cantabile Jubilees have a great deal of the Olde JMR magic. Compared with their immediate predecessor Cantabiles, these new Cantabile Jubilees despite an added sense of weight, are more agile, articulate, and ever so slightly sweet. They have an utterly natural clarity throughout their range (they go to 35 Hertz) that the Cantabile Supremes couldn’t really approach. They are still absolutely Cantabiles — they still sing. But where the earlier speakers blended things a bit for effect, the Jubilees have no need for that. Their beauty strikes me as totally unaffected. These Cantabiles now have a distinct identity of their own that some listeners may find is exactly what they’re looking for in a speaker for a modest sized room, something larger speakers for all of their other qualities may not have. That is exactly what I’d hoped for. To me, they are the darlings of the JMR line. Abscissas do more but also need more power. If you’re a little short on power (or love tube amps), give these a listen.

Contrasted with the Euterpe Jubilees, the Cantabiles take an orchestra apart more — the top-mounted tweeter obviously contributes to this effect, as do the dual woofers, especially when the speakers are bi-wired. We are more aware of the individual instruments spread out before us. The Euterpes sound more focused because their presentation is less airy, less spread. In comparing the two speakers, we find ourselves torn between focus and spread, less awareness of detail vs. more. The tweeter that the two speakers share guarantee that both the Euterpes and Cantabiles sill give us a smooth and appealing high end.

The tension-rod technology, which now exists throughout the speaker line, enables these speakers to image like stand-mounts, even more impressively than the Supremes which also had that innovation. Bass is better here than in the Cantabile Supreme. Not dramatically deep — their size would seem to preclude that; but solid and clear. Its notable clarity compensates considerably for absolute depth. Once I adjusted to their presentation, I didn’t find myself missing that.

I am coming to love these little (and they are little — just 40 inches high) floor-standers. In a modest sized room (though mine is 5000 cubic feet!), they may well be all some customers ever need. They do not quite rock out: they can do rock fine, but they won’t slam you in the solar plexus with enriched upper bass punch. They sing like birds — when called for, substantial birds. I’m sitting a room away as I type this and they still sound beautiful playing Jordi Savall’s Saint Colombe on bass viol. The late Jean Marie would be weeping. There is a lot of him in these speakers, though the clarity is all Jean Claude…Easy to drive at 91 dB, now $6000 in stained cherry, in black, pearly white, or anthracite grey.

ABSCISSA Jubilee

The Abscissa Jubilees, teach (remind?) us that what we love is the true sound of voices and instruments faithfully rendered from bottom to top. They introduced me to the genuinely attractive virtues of objectivity and revealed to me for the first time that my long loved Offrandes were not as faithful in rendering the truth as I had come to believe. Truthfulness is underestimated in audio. I have underestimated it for years, probably because I hadn’t heard it, until the Abscissas arrived. 

When the Abscissa Jubilees arrived they immediately became the most truthful speakers I’ve ever heard. They made even mostly faithful speakers sound like compromises, as if they are holding something essential back. Jean Marie’s speakers made it clear to me that other speakers, especially Harbeths at the time, were withholding the essential emotional component of musical performance. Jean Claude’s new Abscissas take the next step. The emotional component is still there but, again, we feel it is coming from the voices and instruments — and the spaces between them. We sometimes prefer our home music systems because they produce a simpler experience, a more comforting one. The Abscissa Jubilees offer us  a more complex one, one full of individual voices to attend to. There is more emotional pleasure in detail than we remember. And with the Abscissas, there is an overall ease and natural weight to the proceedings that we recognize from hearing live music. It doesn’t hurt that they are two and one half way speakers.

The Abscissa Jubilee is the second edition of the first JMR speaker from Jean Claude Reynaud’s hands alone. It was designed to bring some of the fullness and low end authority of the Orféos into smaller rooms but it has gone far beyond those modest aims. There is a new Heill transformer AST tweeter, the same used in the Aldara, a limited production Reynaud, which has a silicon diaphragm covered with extremely light aluminum. The new tweeter is naturally clear sounding and audibly faster and more dynamic, though less sweet than the ribbon used in the Offrandes, pre-Jubilee Orféos, and pre-Jubilee Abscissas. The Aldara (which I have not heard) is an active speaker — and to my ears the new Abscissas sound a lot like active speakers: fast, clear, and immediate with great definition of both voices and space. Those who regularly attend ‘live’ performances will recognize it soon enough. It is a ‘live’ sound for a domestic venue.

For those keeping score, what we gain moving from the Euterpes and Cantabiles to the Abscissas, besides a predictable increase in scale and bandwidth, which is no small thing, is increased clarity from bottom to top, notably greater refinement and greater overall ease and confidence. While there is definitely an audible sense of continuation moving up the line of the new Jubilees, each maintaining and improving on its little brother, I’ll have to say that the jump from Cantabiles to Abscissas is a giant step.

$9000 in black, grey, or white. Jean Claude likes these “modern” finishes, so there we are…

Voce Grande