There is a R909 review in which several other open-baffle designs are considered at:
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/jamo/909.html
Of those discussed I've heard Linkwitz Orion and Legacy Whisper sound good at shows. In addition to these, the Lowther America field-coil dipole is quite special. At a lower price point there is Emerald Physics, which employs digital for crossover and room EQ and IMO sounds like it. |
Dgarretson
Thanks much.
I think I read thru that one, but overlooked the mention of those other units.
The Stereophile review of the JAMO R-907 ADDRESSED THE SETUP NEEDS OF THE jamo LOTS BETTER AND i THINK YIELDED BETTER RESULTS THAN THE SIX MOONS editorial on the R-909.... including stepping up the power being fed to them.
The Six Moons article left me feeling lukewarm about them and from my own contact with the R909, I felt the writer of that article missed something somewhere in either setup or placement... or that room or gear were simply not liking those speakers. IMO.
I've looked at the Legacy Whispers for years now, with thier overall size the main objection and never even considered them as dipoles. Duh.
Are all dipoles usually so pricey?
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You will not be disappointed with the Linkwitz Orion. I would have them if I needed more bass and loudness, but apartment living makes that impossible so I have Quad 2805.
Prices very depending on whether you can do any work yourself, but even the $8k fully built includes the power amps. |
Hey Blindjim,
A couple of other open baffle speaker designs probably worth checking out are:
-Emerald Physics various (TAS Golden Ear Award, etc) -an Underwood Wally fave.
-Tekton Design OB's (also makes the Lore).
Interesting topic! |
Thanks much.
Audio is one of those things which can be talked about till you are blue in the face... uh... bluer... and until you hear what a thing can do in a at least a reasonably well put together setup, your ability to speculate, and imagine, won't usually do it/them, justice. Hearing is the only honest way.
Hearing, even if things aren’t optimized can whet the sonic appetite. Enabling one to more closely speculate… or narrow the path a bit more.
I think I’m torn at least, if not a lot more folks too, between reproducing natural lifelike depiction of the captured musical venue, and creating a reproduction which meets my preffs as well, in the doing. Albeit this last ‘preff’ faction can detract from the musical facsimile somewhat by adding a bit more romance, warmth, euphony, resolution, revelatory or stark presentation… depending on where those preffs come into play.
In any case, the look and sound of the JAMO design sure affected me. It also reinforced the notion that money often determines the level of the sound quality one might achieve when it comes to speakers in general.
In other words… I’ve yet to hear a loudspeaker system… regardless the design, that once it gets to the $7 - $10K range that you are getting very good reproducers…. Once you hit the $10K & above MSRP… you’re getting speaker systems that are still more capable of presenting the audio in an outstanding manner… naturally there are other considerations, but thus far every 10-12K and above speaker I’ve heard sounded exceptionally good, unless the setup just flat out sucked… and a couple did, although it was pretty easy to determine why… anemic power, bad room, poor recordings… etc.
From the McIntosh XR &* 360L series, Magnapan 20’s, BW 801s (less than an optimum setup), SF Cremona (bad room inappropriately powered), Focus 20/20 (powered by a Denon 75wpc Receiver), BW 800s, Avalons, AZ Adagios, Focals, Revel Studio & Salons, Wilson Sophia, Alon/Nola’s, etc, in each case, one could pretty well see despite the poor setup the speakers had promise or not. Could work in my room or not. With my kind of electronics or likely not.
These JAMO speakers were no different. Prodigious bass output in a large open space with not tons of power on tap, and a clearly defined sound field or stage set well and very tuneful. Not optimized at all, but showing much promise. There was IMHO, no need at all for a sub if music only was the consideration… it’s not though… he wants them for an HT affair.
I’ll look into the Lindquist thingys… and closer at the Emerald Physics.
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You should also look at some of the Gradient models. |
Thanks.. I'm open to looking at or considering any brands/models which emulate the design & tech of the JAMO Ref line.
They look great and so far sound great, IMHO! Just a mite pricey for me at the moment.
I'll look into Gradient too. Appreciate it a lot. |
I have the heard a friend’s Jamo R909 many times. They are one of the most impressive speakers I have ever heard. Their most significant strength compared to most planar and box loudspeakers is a very articulate and fast bass – in side by side comparisons most typical box loudspeaker bass is indistinct. The R909 also has a neutral tonal balance with tremendous detail. An additional strength compared to typical box loudspeakers is soundstage depth in addition to good lateral imaging. The only relative minor weakness is the occasional edge in upper midrange – I think due to an artifact of the midrange driver.
Also I was fortunate to briefly compare the R907 to R909 – the R907 gives up surprisingly minimal bass depth compared to R909, midrange is similar, but the R909 is a bit fuller in bass and cleaner in treble – I think it is worth the additional cost.
While I like the striking design of the R909 loudspeaker, I do vastly prefer the look of my B&W 803D. However, if I had a dedicated listening room where I had flexibility to position speakers where I like - my top current favourite speakers are the R909 and B&W800D. |
Mark_nz
Very nice contribution... thanks much.
I would tend to agree with your assessment of the bass response of the JAMO R909 speakers in comparison to other designs. The bottom end certainly was striking, and prominent, until more distance between them and the front wall was had. Still, the lower end was quick and added a better blend to the music. In all, I can see how as the Stereophile Review on the ‘07s pointed out, an abundance instead of just ample supplies of power would show the more positive results.
I’ve often found any edgyness in the upper midrange of loudspeakers a problem outside of them… usually. Definitely on the level of performance the upper end JAMO units have so far demonstrated to me. I could be wrong but past exp has shown me quite often, that harshness, or bite there comes from power issues elsewhere… ground loops… source… conditioning problems, perhaps even a throttling down of power, or some lack of power at that freq range… maybe even a impedance issue/mismatch upstream.
Maybe such an instance occurs only when pushing them hard, but I heard nothing errant during my listening… I’m sure I’ll hear them again, and be more careful during that occasion.
My only concern is how much immediacy … presence… or “They are here” can the JAMOs exhibit? That would be the sailient point for me. I do so dig thinking about reaching for my virtual autograph pad while I’m listening to good recordings..
Thanks much for all of those highlights and especially those comparing the 907 & 909. Sadly, unless some great fortune smiles on me, the 09s are "...the stuff that dreams are made of" rather than "the stuff that sits in my listening room". The 907s? Well, .... maybe.
I have a dedicated room, but it is at best medium size, being roughly 14 x 20 x 8.25. the speakers sit on the short wall. The R-909s sure look great too in that glossy black. Well, from the front… their backsides are a bit weird though. This design allows for closer placement to the side walls as well, and in my case that would be a plus.
Did you note as did the reviewer, keeping the grills on lent itself to a better listening event? Such is not often the case but I have heard of some units which actually sound better with the grills on. I did not recall much of a diff one way or the other, although my session was not an extended one, but I did use very familiar tunes.
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consider 'ohm'....different approach, viseral, and balanced as all get out...more affordable. a history. |
Jaybo
thanks much... I was wondering if anyone would post them into this thread as a likewise speaker choice to the dipole design.
BTW... folks... DIY speakers probably are not going to be my particular spread.... well, not any more.
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blindjim
Did you buy R907/909 in the end? What do you think of them today? In 2019.
Am I correct in thinking that these Jamo's have and explosive sound with amazing bass authority?
I am looking for something like that - I am not an audiophile and don't listen to jazz or classical but electronic music and want wow factor and dropping jaws every time I or my guests are listening to them.
I am currently on Mirage M3si but looking to upgrade even further (as they are really great).
mark_nz
What do you think about these Jamo's now, from time perspective (as you commented about them in 2011 as the most impressive speakers you have ever heard).
thanks |
Jaybo,
I just started a post a few weeks ago about speakers for a pool table room. Normally I would feel kinda bad about hijacking a thread but considering this is 8 years old ....
You mention the Ohms are visceral? Can you explain that more? They are interesting to me and honestly I didnt even think of that kind of speaker before I read your post. It was between small standmounts on a bookshelf and in ceiling which would be a total pita since I dont have an attic above the room. I like acoustic, vocal and all that other audiophile stuff but in the end I am a rock metal guy so need to do that very well. Again sorry to break up the thread but the word visceral got my attention. Any feedback would be great. Ohm is order direct right? |
"I am looking for something like that - I am not an audiophile and don't listen to jazz or classical but electronic music and want wow factor and dropping jaws every time I or my guests are listening to them."
Old thread I know, but the R909s are extremely good at electronic music. Not only is the soundstage like a concert but kick drums and electronic bass sound huge and tight.
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Always wanted to try the R909, althouhg my room is probably better suited for the 907. Jamo has been making a lot of very inexpensive home theater type speakers lately which seems to diminish the brand name. I never care about prestige though, would still love to find a set of 907s some day to try them out.
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907s would be cool to check out, but I'm not sure how comparable they are to the R909s because they use different woofers and tweeter. The magnesium midrange driver although from the same manufacturer supposedly is different too. The 907 is only a few mm shorter and 2 inches less in width, so it seems like it would be worth it to find 909s unless you're seriously space constrained.
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