Reynaud Bliss Jubile vs Cantabile Jubile

Unfortunately Bob knows more about Reynaud speakers than anyone in North America and other than he and maybe a couple of dealers it is unlikely that anyone has listened to both speakers side by side. I have owned Reynaud speakers since 2002 and am currently on my fifth and six pair which are Bliss Jubilee’s and Abscisse Jubilee’s. The Bliss Jubilee is a great speaker and my favorite all time small monitor and I have owned a bunch of them including two previous Reynaud’s from the same family tree as the Bliss Jubilee. There is obviously no doubt just from looking at the two of them that the Cantabile is the superior speaker on several fronts. The larger cabinet and extra driver will give close to another octave of bass information just like my Abscisse’s do over the Bliss. Also the separated tweeter module is an improvement over the baffle mounted one and may in fact may be an upgraded driver. While Bob may in fact may be a dealer I have always found him to be honest and not try to upsell over what is appropriate with your system and room. I had a friend talk to him several months ago and he in fact attempted to talk him down a model due to his room, gear and stated preferences. Give him a call and see what he has to say. You can’t go wrong with either model but if you want or need the extra bass information you may find you need a pair of subs with the Bliss Jubilee though they need not be big expensive ones. I found a great pairing with the Bliss Jubilee’s and a pair of RSL Speedwoofers.

Thank you, @jackd for your response.

I noticed that the Bliss Jubile has a ~6.75" woofer while the Cantabile has two 5.25" woofers. The cabinet on the BJ is a hair wider. 

The thing is I could get an opportunity to demo the Bliss Jubile but not the Cantabile Jubile, however there's an opportunity to get an essentially new Cantabile from a dealer at a great price (I'd get it without hearing it, and no return option), $700 more than the new BJ w/Magic Stand. From what I read, I'd probably love them both, but the CJ would oder better detail and more quickness, in addition to depth (the latter may be good or not, given my small 12'x12' room).

"offer" better, not oder.

I've had a couple of people say to gamble and go for the CJ, including a different dealer. While another couple of people I know say they never buy without hearing first. I would normally side with the latter, but from what I read, this speaker brand is made for me. 

@jackd, what's the sonic difference between the two you own, aside from one going deeper. 

Other than the obvious difference in bass from the multiple drivers and longer transmission line the AMT tweeter in the Abscisse is definitely more detailed and extended but whether or not that is a good thing is personal.  In my experience and to my preference amps for the Abscisse need to be on the warm side of neutral.  The Bliss on the other hand is a more "forgiving" speaker that just gets out of the way and makes music so that you forget about the gear.  I owned four earlier Reynaud's designed by the current owners father and they were a different voicing than the son, who is a recording engineer, tends to use.  According to Bob and what I hear in the Bliss it and the Cantabile beckon back to the earlier days of Jean Marie Reynaud.  If you told me I could only keep one it would surprisingly to most people be the Bliss Jubilee.  If the Cantabile is more of the same you can't go wrong either way and the Cantabile appears that it would actually take up less room than the Bliss' and the Magic stands.   In a room that size the Bliss Jubilee might be the appropriate starting point but this is where a phone conversation with Bob could come in handy.