Massive Jamo C / E / S series speaker informal review

[BLASTO]

C-607 bass is lean compared to the best in the price range. Midrange is where it scores.

 

[corElement]

C-607 bass is lean compared to the best in the price range. Midrange is where it scores.

Yep, the midrange is where the 607/875 scores.

Though in recent days with so many other brands in india, it's probably better to look at monitor audio or dali for comparable detail in midrange

 

[goget]

I got a ported polk audio dsw pro 500 for 22k, has a high excursion 10" aluminium cone with 200w cont and 400w dynamic power @ a minimum of 23hz which I have crossed over at 50-60hz

Hi Plz advise what model of Polk Subwoofer would fit my room 14x13 ft which has JAMO S426 speakers, Marantz CD 5004 player, Amp PRE AMP ENBEE ZX1 &ZX80 (80RMS).
And what to buy cheapest to play Radio and Pen Drive music as Budget overshot!
Many thanks
Goget

 

[goget]

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WILL ADD PICS LATER WHEN CAM IS BACK.

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Introduction/ story ( you can skip this bit if you want)

Hello,

I originally started this off as a review for the E875 pre klipsch towers but decided to expand upon it with information others may find useful.
As some of the members of this forum are aware and others who might have found this via search engine may not know, earlier this march I sold off my Jamo s718 towers. I took this decision as I found certain vocal characteristics being lost from its midrange.

My entire Setup consisted of the following:
- S718 fronts
- E7cen Center
- E700 Bookshelf rears
- Jamo AVR-693 6.1ch x 125w AVR

Like many, I realised I had an affinity for floorstanders vs bookshelves as they are a rare item in common households. My first system was a creative inspire 7.1 set. Earlier in 2009 something clicked in my head and I couldnt tolerate hearing the inspire any further, it was like grazing sandpaper to my ears. I suppose the novelty of surround sound had worn off.

In december when my family was getting ready to move into a new apartment I took the call and decided to make placement for my speakers in the 12x14 bedroom and have pvc pipes running through the walls with wires etc. However I had not decided to upgrade my speakers. Later in jan I stepped into a cinebels showroom in MGF metropolitan mall Gurgaon and out of curiosity asked what budget floorstanders they had. They pointed me to the s606 followed by the s718. One thing led to another I fell in love with the s718s warm rich sound and it ended up in my bedroom ( no pun intended ) running off a very rare AVR I managed to acquire off another jamo showroom that was closing down in gurgaon the Jamo AVR-693 6.1 125w x all channels that originally used to retail for 45k at 25k. Many of the members in this forum helped me learn a lot of things at this stage and assisted in my decisions.

S718 Review

From left to right, the x870-s708-s718

The jamo s718 is the 2nd adaptation of the preklipsch jamo x870 the x series were designed for loud play with miminal degradation ( at questionable quality ), the first one being the studio 708. The x870 & s708 both had round dust caps vs a cone on the s718 and an inverted 10 sidefiring woofer on the s708 vs a round dustcapped one on the x870 and s718. I doubt the difference is anything apart from asthetics.

About a month passed and I hoped that the s718s would have broken in by now which they did, but I started to feel awkward, a lot of the prominent mids I used to hear in my inspire 7.1 was present but fairly weak.
I tried to learn more about the issue and came to the conclusion the s718s simply put - was incapable of doing what my mind wanted to hear. My benchmark for this was my center channel and rear bookshelves. These 3 units were delivering far better clarity and control than the much larger and brand new s718s. I did some research and came to the conclusion the pairs build was nowhere near as specialized as the effort put into the e7xx series ( the s718s are preklipsch models which are made in china while the e7 series was made in denmark before klipsch takeover). The drivers were also of inferior quality compared to the e7 series metal mesh and paper ones. Their diameter was also too large at 6.5 inches for a midrange to be able to deliver the tonality I seek at their pricepoint. Theyre pretty much low end midbass drivers lacking the basic qualities of a mid range driver. The side firing 10 woofer was decent however. The horn loaded dome tweeter was decent even at high volumes.

I realised, regardless of what crossover or setting I do, or setting, the s718s are ideally meant to be a pair of budget stereo towers for parties and events which require a wall of sound thats of a certain superior grade than the mass market speakers such as sony ddw5xxx series at half the price. Make no mistake these are far superior in SQ than the entire setup of the sony ddw5xxx series offerrings at 45k.

If you can haggle the price down to 23.5 then this pair is very difficult to beat for VFM otherwise if jamo is what you must have youre better off with haggling down a pair of c405s from 35 to 31. True they wont pack the kind of punch and bass the s718s can but lets face it, the boom youll be reducing and clarity youll gain from the 405 will itself make it worth spending the extra cash.

Jamo E7xx series

*pic soon*

the Jamo e series is sort of a mixed breed from pre klipsch jamo, theres a lot of old models in this series, some having properties from the D and C series, post klipsch takeover the E series was removed.

I saw the e7cen, e750 and e770 floorstanders at the same showroom as the AVR 693 and found the e7 floorstanders to be damaged thus couldnt hear them properly . However the e7cen instantly caught my attention with its tight transparent sound. It was much smaller than the centers I heard from polk and kef but the transparency was dramatically noticible. My research pointed me towards it 1st generation DTT or decoupled tweeter technology to be the possibly the reason behind it. Jamo apparantly put a lot of research behind the e7 series models for their DTT design to eliminate vibration from the rest of the cabinet to affect the tweeters ( Later applied to all their concert models after klipsch bought jamo over ).

The finish of the e7 baffle in brushed aluminium is something one has to see and touch to believe. They did not cut corners with the e7 and the desire for innovation in the design is upfront and personal. The main difference I found in this tweeter and all the other tweeters I heard was the lack of any harshness even at high volumes. This is something I quite liked. I was sold on it so went ahead and bought it for a 45% discount at 11k ( original mrp was 19k I think ). That night itself I was surprised to find a pair of e700 bookshelves on the US ebay for just 80$.

This was a steal compared to the 16k price demanded by the stores in india. I felt it was fate so bought them ( they were new kept away by the seller never used still in original brand new packagaing same colour as my center ) & had them shipped to my sister who was flying in from the US 1 month later.
Later on when I recieved the e700 bookshelves they did not dissapoint me. Both had the exact same tightness and clear highs. However what really surprised me was these bookshelves were able to produce a strong LF keeping the mids intact. For their diminituative small size, I was certainly taken aback, even more so considering these were not bi wirable. The front baffle was the same 0.5mm thick brushed aluminium with beautifully cut edges and molded metal, same fiber and metal meshed driver with rubber excursion. For 4k, these were literally a steal.

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Continuation of story

By now some new stores opened up where I lived so decided to re audition for new floorstanders. My budget was tight, but since I could acquire the center rears and the avr for literally half their original prices, I knew fate wouldnt let me down, even more so with my newly acquired knowledge of drivers and crossovers from all the research trying to understand the s718s weakness.
Went and heard out Polk audio, KEF, wharfedale,yamaha, onkyo, klipsch, bose, boston acoustics, then went back to the jamo store and heard their stuff all over again. It was quite apparant my ears seemed to prefer jamos signature sound over any of the other brands I auditioned for at even higher price points. These were my newly revised impressions of the same speakers I heard earlier while buying the s718s without the knowledge I had now.


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Studio series

Jamo s406 hcs 3 5.0 set 11-13k

The first of the studio line, s406 hcs 3 set comes with 2 floorstanders 2 bookshelves and 1 center. At first this may seem like excellent value for someone on a tight budget - but then comes the cost of adding a sub and an avr. 5.0 set 13k, sub-13k, avr-13k, 1k interconnects and youre at 40k to set this up. In my opinion this is bad value for money. Youre better off getting an onkyo 3100 for under 20k than this set compete at 40k. The floorstanders desperately lacke detail and the bookshelves are nothing to write home about. Youll probably get a cheap amp to drive them aswell if budget it tight, take my advice. Just go and hear a s3100 set from onkyo and properly calibrate/set the avr to achieve the desired result and correction of booming.

Jamo s606 floorstanders

For 25k, these speakers certainly dont look anywhere near it. Very posh and nice looking with glossy black plastic and mdf + vineer. Sadly thats all this towers got going for itself, the sound left much to be desired for people who like to decipher detail in sound and not just simply recieve a wall of sound. The mid range plays midrange but does not offer the transparency one can get from lower priced bookshelves of other brands. The tweeter is the worst part. It is a farse, a tiny piece of plastic with a nice looking silk dome tweeter which on it ( which is also known to blow ) We have a user on this forum itself who opened it up after it blew and found the tweeter to be worse than found in cheap car speaker. The 8 sidefiring woofer has a high excursion driver but lacks the tightness or spl one expects from a good 8 woofer. However given its looks, many will buy this without actually botherring to look up other speakers ( yes its pretty good looking ) even more so because it does produce a significant amount of bass which the common man will get taken in with very easily allowing this model to sell like hotcakes

If I had to decide between this pair at 25 and 4 cambridge audio s30s and a sirocco center at a total of 25, Id probably pick the latter anyday. Thats just me though,


Concert Series

Jamo c4xx series

The jamo d450 and the new c405

The first of the new post klipsch era jamo concert series. The c405 ( Rs 35,000 ) and c407 ( Rs. 46,000 ) upon first inspection reminded me of the d450 ( Rs. 1.1 Lakh ) series lauched by jamo in early 2000s. All of the c (concert )series have inherited their Decoupled tweeters from the EISA 2005 award winning e7s from the pre klipsch timeline. This series demonstrates a certain degree of clarity combined with a well crossed over LF . Certain percussion sequence instrumentations were weak but I feel this was due to a shady setup and connection to marantz 6xxx amp. vocals were clear and nowhere near as weak as the s718, The s718s were somewhat laid back and relaxing to listen to. The c4xx series however demands attention with its striking looks combined with powerful sound and clarity. One can say these have directly inherited the d400 series design ques

Jamo c6xx series

From 1st to 3rd
The first E870 tower, the updated e875, the post klipsch c607

Now I compared it with the c605 and 607 I immediately noticed the c6 series literally had no bass, yet it was priced almost 20k above. Why?
After a good 20 minutes of auditioning off another marantz amp I realised my initial conclusion was wrong, the bass was there but highly controlled. Until and unless the track had dedicated frequencies for mid bass and lows they would not kick in. I found this very unique as I could hear a lot of things in tracks which I could never hear before, like a distant gentle sound of the sitar or the breath of the singer or a pulling of the LF. The absense of redundant midbass allowed these to surface through the midrange driver. At this point I understood why people say its important having a good crossover at the heart of a speaker. I could close my eyes and visualize the environment and the instruments being played or the singer singing. I indeed felt these towers were a different grade compared to the other models but far beyond my budget. The c605 was Rs. 45,000, the c607 was Rs. 60,000. My budget? As close to 26 as possible - Yes, 26

Jamo c8xx series

the e875-d590 and present c8xx series

The c8xx series from jamo appears to be a combination of the famed preklipsch models d590 and the e875 speakers before jamos factory was moved to china ( the c8xx series is made in china ). The D590s were famous for its rounded body and deep bass, the e875 - the c607s older brother, if the 607s were any indication... the c6xx series combined the transparency of the e8xx series with the virtues of the d590 series. The combination results in a very rich and deep reaching transparent speake.
However, if I am to critize, I would say it does not sound its price. If I were to spend 1.5 lakhs Im sure there are other brands which can offer a completely different level of quality at 1.5 lakhs but I havnt gone into much research of this price point so I cant say properly.

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Continuation of story

Now... here I was.. I heard all of them, all beyond my budget except the s606 and s718 but both were out of the picture, ears had outgrown them. The only other tower which I liked was wharfedale 10.5 with dedicated midrange dome driver crossed ove at 500hz priced ar 34-35k I was pretty mentally defeated! My mind was filled with the sound from the c6xx series so I did some research on its older brother the e875, the e8 series was originally launched in late 90s, updated in early 2000s with major internal changes. These were the aluminium center plugs insteads of dustcaps which allowed the driver to be lighter and let it be more sensitive to changes in sound/air pressure while at the same time acting as a heatsink for the voicecoils to allow long duration play, their cabinets famous for extremely thick wood at almost 1.3inch thickness and a tall thin baffle step design.

What I found of slightly more interest were the e875s 5.5 inch drivers and not 6 inch like the c607s, somehow I felt this in the same cabinet would possibly make the speaker more accurate than the c607 but possibly 25% further less bass ( possibly by they gave the c607 6 bass drivers). I called up the guy who supplied me the e7cen and avr asking if he could get me any discounts on a c607 nope! Then I thought.. might as well ask. Got an e875? Reply: Hmm, Ill have to check, I have a damaged e850 but there might just be an e875, ill get back to you. 2 days later eureka. Calls back saying he had an old e875 that was pushed back into secluded warehouse spot for many years ago without original packaging in blister wrap. Any damage? Will have to check by opening blister- go ahead open it and get back to me, called up later saying theyre in perfect working condition and.. *insert fate here* Its the exact same vineer as the e7cen and e700s with minor scratches textured black, but no feet, No issues, price? Original value was close to 60k but since its old stock, no feet and minor scratches, best price 47.5% off 28k. Jackpot!

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Jamo e875

Upon finally getting the e875s I didnt make any initial judgements, they needed to be broken in, so entire march I had it running and its somewhat broken in now. Suffice to say my assumptions were almost accurate, almost because the midrange actually sounds better than the c607 but midbass/lF woofers require a certain amount of high volume to, generate SPL ( anything below 50hz needs high volume for it to push)this was nothing I was upset about though. From what Ive learnt from others on this forum, esp cranky, 50hz is the perfect spot to let sub take over for overall better LF reproduction. The midrange and highs on the e875 simply amazes me more everyday, every single track im playing I can hear stuff I could never hear before Though I feel the e7's tweeters are slightly more musical.) The polk audio dsw pro 500 sub goes perfectly with this pair as its crossover is at 60hz and the combination compliments each other very well.
I have them running bi wired through jamo Audio grade cables of 1.5mm2 99% ofc, perfectly matches the e7 center and rear timbre.

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So now my setup consists of

- E875 front towers
- E7cen Center
- E700 Bookshelf rears
- Jamo AVR-693 6.1ch x 125w AVR
- Polk Audio DSw pro 500 Sub

Damn, this is one huge post, hopefully it should help many people over time.

- I'll be fixing this for edits and stuff to improve it over time. Just the 1st cut.\

Hi
Many thanks after reading your post I bought Jamo S426 Floor standing speakers some time ago for Rs25K.
Now have buy a SUB may go for SVS, Polk or Klispch.
Any models and prices for SUBs recomended by experts are welcome.

 

[erchni]

Quite interesting what you did there several years ago. I myself have some D 590s and a E 8CEN.2 center and came upon a C 60CEN used. Was wondering if it sounds better or worse than the one I have now. Then I found your comparison that does not really help that much but found it quite interesting. I had a pair of E 850's before my D 590's. And with the D 590's I saw improvements in details. It did not sound more clear the sound, but the separation of instruments was better.

 

[Subbu68]

Quite interesting what you did there several years ago. I myself have some D 590s and a E 8CEN.2 center and came upon a C 60CEN used. Was wondering if it sounds better or worse than the one I have now. Then I found your comparison that does not really help that much but found it quite interesting. I had a pair of E 850's before my D 590's. And with the D 590's I saw improvements in details. It did not sound more clear the sound, but the separation of instruments was better.

D590s were my dream (in 2005) but purse did not allow and got a pair or E855. They proved to be a good match for my Yamaha AX496 amp. enjoyed them for 11 years before DIY tube and a pair of Klipsch Heresy IIIs replaced the set.

 

[Peyo]

Dear CorElement
Thank you very much for this clear summary, I was quite lost in the hundreds of types Jamo has introduced over the last 25 years.
I have some extra ´grey zones’ that I would like to clarify. Thank you in advance if you could bring your exhaustive knowledge to me ( and I guess it will benefit to many people on this forum.

We can still find some D450 on the 2nd hand market, as well as E855. Would you consider them in the same ´range’ of quality, or there is a significant gap?
Also, there are the ´Studio 160/180/190´ (Explicitly written on the back side labels). Should we consider them as the S4xx/6xx/7xx ancestors, or they are of a better quality?
Thank you in advance for your feedback.