Reynaud Bliss Jubile vs Cantabile Jubile

Well, either the speakers are settling in a bit or I am. I have noticed that certain frequencies can sound a bit harsh to my ears outside of listening to the speakers. My previous speakers didn't seem to exacerbate any hearing issues so it might be that these are more revealing? I don't know. The top end can still sound a bit pronounced and dry compared to the rest of the frequency spectrum. It's not as bad as it was, though, overall.

The speaker come with metal spike places upon which to rest the spikes if you're placing them on a wood floor. They're on a carpet, but it allowed me to angle the speakers back just a bit more and that seems to be better.

Listening to music that doesn't have a ton of massed top end sounds great on these. Listening, for example, to the AP UHQR 45rpm pressing of Kind Of Blue is a revelation on these. And I hear more of a qualitative difference between my CD path and my analog path. The Castle had a romanticism that these don't have nearly as much. The Castles tended to make more things sound lusher, whereas the Cantabile Jubilee might be a bit more honest. But when the sound quality is there, it's even greater than before. And top to bottom (particularly from the midrange on down), there's such an openess and coherence to the sound, and the soundstage is wider and taller. It reminds me a bit of the Magnepan SMGc speakers I had. One of the great qualities of Maggies is their top to bottom coherence. 

I just took delivery of the JMR Jubilee Bliss (with magic stands) a few days ago, maybe 20 hours on them thus far. Initial impressions were they were nice right out the box, but were stiff. All the things you mentioned about the tweeter and shoutiness I am experiencing myself. I messed with positioning and find they are better spaced further apart, like 7-8 apart, with only a slight toe inward. For now I am attributing all of this to break in and hoping it improves. If not, I move them along. 

The real issue for me is I can't accelerate break in time since I don't have any digital source, I am 100% analog. So if I am not spinning a record I am not breaking them in. 

How are yours sounding now that you've had time with them? 

Reporting back that after some time breaking these speakers in all that shoutiness went away and they sound simply wonderful. Break in is real, and with these speakers it's real LONG. Once they are burned in though they are simply the best monitors I have heard to date. 

There you go!

I received my JMR CJs in Sept of 2022 retiring a circa 2001 pair of Cantabile Mk1s (single bass driver...) I think they are capable of magic when the recording is just right. Luckily I listen to a lot of string quartets, solo piano, singer songwriter.

I use a Jadis integrated - Orchestra Black with a tube cd player - a Lector and and LP12 w EAR 834 P phono stage.

For a while I used a Blue Circle integrated which have recommended with JMRs. Did things well but prefer how tubes sound. The sound is lit from within.

Rock sounds better on vinyl than on CD.

I don’t listen loudly and I live in a small apartment so the speakers are 9" from the rear wall and 7.5 feet apart from each other. 9 foot ceilings. Speakers fire straight ahead and the wall w couch is only 12’ from the speakers. So not a lot of room to blend the sound. I’m sitting too close and that’s not good for the clarity of those speakers. JMRs dont really have the mini monitor mid bass bump so nothing really hits you in the tummy. they can go really low but this is not a speaker for hip hop. But the last 3 Lana Del Rey cds sound magical. They are delicate and very clear. Not analytical at all. I think they have a sweet spot where they sound their best.

Trust me there are times where I crave some mini monitors like QLNs w warmer overall sound. they would not scale the heights of the JMRs but they wouldn't be so recording dependent. Either that or an amp w loudness contour.

Oh I use Auditorium 23 cables and interconnects with them.  Those were an amazing difference maker w the new tube amp etc.  Added so much more life to the music but no added brightness.  Highly recommend them.  I hear much more space and life and bass.  They are not analytical at all. Perfect w tubes.  

I’ve ordered a DECWARE Z ROCK 2 tube bass restoring device - https://www.decwareproducts.com/zrock2 - which seems to be made for many of the issues I have: a lean sounding speaker and a bright room.

Thoughts comments ?