Reynaud Bliss Jubile vs Cantabile Jubile

I have them broken in, they’re wonderful...Livlier than the Bliss for sure, and the mid range is still to die for similar to the bliss but more real-life. The one thing I would like to have more of is bass. It tends to be overall a tigher, cleaner bass presentation with the Cantabile so it can make the mind think there is a lack of bass. It’s there on some recordings, to the extent I can feel it in my chest, but on others I wish I had a looser bass response. Chubbier bass. This speaker doesn’t really reproduce chubby bass very well, but it’s not a deal breaker. I think it’s a result of the slimmer design and smaller drivers.

Overall it’s a spectacular speaker, definitely more resolving than the bliss, better imaging, lush mid range, spooky dynamics, and sparkling, non-fatiguing, highs. Wonderful speaker that dances. I think if you want deeper bass (Im referring to it as chubbier, looser bass) you go to the Orfeo.

Based on my experiences with six pairs of Reynaud speakers, currently Bliss Jubilee and Abscisse Jubilee, Reynaud's don't do "chubbier" bass at any level. They will do more with the Abscisse, Voce Grande and the two Orfeo versions but it it still won't be "chubbier."  Those models will certainly go deeper than your Cantabile but the "character" of the bass won't be different.  What you will lose though as you go up the line from your speaker is the character from the silk dome tweeter as it's replaced by the AMT of the higher models.  From my experience those models require a bit more careful planning in terms of what's in front of them.  And though still front ported they require a bit more breathing room.

@jackd

Thank you for your reply I was actually going to reach out from a post of yours in another thread. My room has me sitting about 8-9 feet from the speakers just to give you an idea of that aspect of the system. Picture a rectangle and the system sits on one of the long walls and the listening position on the other...I am curious on the tweeter on the Abscisse as some have characterized it as bright, which is why I went with the Cantabile in the first place, but I am questioning whether I could have got a little more bass out of a higher model. I have a chance to sell my Cantabile to a friend who loves them as much as I do but want to make sure it’s not a lateral move.

I assume you’ve owned the silk dome in the past so can speak to the differences of the two in terms of the planning you mentioned.

@jc51373

I wouldn't characterize the AMT tweeters in the models above the Cantabile as bright per se like I would the Be tweeters.  They are very extended but without the hint of natural warmth the silk domes impart. This just requires careful matching with the front end gear and careful placement in the room with particular attention paid to rake angle and distance from seating position to speaker.  If you can get them at least a couple of feet off of the wall behind them(more is better) and around 8' apart center to center then that is a good starting point  I think they work best without a doubt with tubes in the amplification chain somewhere and Bob generally ran all of his various models with the hybrid Blue Circle gear or on occasion with Audio Note tube gear.  When in the main system I had the best luck with a Supratek preamp and the Kinki Studio EX-B7 or Odyssey Kismet Reference amps.  Some times during the Winter months I would swap the SS amps for an EL-34 based tube amps which would warm them up a bit more.  As my main system was always in a dedicated room I was able to play around with both the speaker and seating position until I found the sweet spot but if you situation is different and your seating position is locked in the you will have to play with the speaker positioning to lock them in.  A big part of this with the AMT tweeter more so than with the silk dome even is getting the rake angle right based on your seating height.  As a long time Vandersteen owner over the years this was a critical part of their set up procedure so not something novel to me in setting up the Abscisse's. In the end if you pay attention to the gear, speaker positioning and seating placement you can make them sound spectacular and they will have plenty of bass compared to the Cantabile.  They will not however even at their best have that same "soul factor" as either the Cantabile or the Bliss as the Abscisse is the sole creation of Jean Claude Reynaud while the other two were Jean Marie's original creations. While Jean Claude's designs have in some ways started to lean more towards the voicings of his fathers designs you still have the differences that exist between the ear of a trained pianist versus the ear of a recording engineer.  If you are happy with the overall "feel" of the Cantabile have you given any thought to maybe just adding a pair of small sealed subs or will that not work in your setting? Feel free to reach out if I can help you any further.

@jackd

To give you an idea of my system. I have a Sugden FBA800 Pure Class A amplifier,  (neutral to warm, fast, and juicy sound), Audio Research LS28SE Preamp, Totaldac  Triunity DAC, and Innuos Pulsar Streamer. The system overall tends to lean a little warmer, the Audio Research does add a nice splash of transparency to the system overall though. If changes are made, I can most certainly hear it, even if small.

My fear would be am I going to add more transparency to the system, which may not be bad thing, but I'd have to experience it to know for sure, and of course that requires buying the speakers. JMR is not a speaker you can go and listen to since they're in such short supply here in the US.  

As far as room set up, yes I am locked into my seating poistion, but I can get the speakers 8 feet apart, thats about what I have my Cantabile at now. Off the back wall I can get about 20 inches or so, maybe a few more if needed but anymore than that I will be closing in on my seating area since I am only about 8-9 feet from the speakers themselves where I sit.

I've had Subs in the past, on the Bliss and also on a set of Wilson Tune Tots I had..I find them to be a pain in the arse to dial in but it's something I could do for infill if all else fails.