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Speaker Asylum: REVIEW: Jean-Marie Reynaud Offrande Speakers by mtconcape@aol.com General speaker questions for audio and home theater. |
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152.163.253.34
Model: Offrande Category: Speakers Suggested Retail Price: $4195 Description: Two driver, three element speakers with dedicated stands Manufacturer URL: Jean-Marie Reynaud Manufacturer URL: Jean-Marie Reynaud
Review by mtconcape@aol.com ( A ) on May 09, 2004 at 08:48:45
IP Address: 152.163.253.34Add Your Review
for the Offrande
This is a follow-up to my earlier review of three years ago.
Back then I reviewed the Offrande loudspeakers most favorably noting only that the last half octave of base was missing. Since that review I have listened to these speakers for many hundreds of hours and have not heard any speakers at anything under four or five times the price which I consider to be discernibly superior or even as good. Since my first review I had to have the speakers re-coned because a defective amp blew one of the tweeters. First I re-coned them myself and that worked well. But then I decided to send them back to France because Victor Goldstein at Fanfare International told me Jean-Marie had made some internal cabinet changes. It was worth it.
For the last year and a half I have listened to these latest Offrandes and find they are more satisfying ever. I have auditioned other speakers in the JMR line as well some new Thiels, B&Ws and so on. I've heard different but not better. In fact now I am careful when I have to choose seats other than my regular seats at Boston's Symphony Hall because there are places in that hall that sound distinctly worse than what I can get at home.
Now, some system things associated with the the Offrandes. I have added a Jean-Marie Reynaud Poseidon 250 powered sub (review forthcoming) and that, judiciously used, gives that last bit of bass. Also, I've substituted Mapleshade Bedrock 2 stands and that maintains if not improves the sound, bringing it close to what I’ve heard in the JMR Concordes. And SAF has gone up dramatically with these stands. Finally, as to amplification, I have the good fortune to live hear Bob Neill and he is responsible for two Blue Circle mono-block amps in my system. Retrieval of detail is now added to the other virtues and the result is deeply satisfying
Product Weakness: Only the loudest Bruckner, Mahler and Shotakovich tells me I'm listening to speakers Product Strengths: Too many to detail
Associated Equipment for this Review: Amplifier: Two Blue Circle BC24/28 monoblocks Preamplifier (or None if Integrated): Blue Circle BC3 Despina Sources (CDP/Turntable): Metronome Technologie CD2V Speakers: Offrandes, Poseidon 250 sub Cables/Interconnects: Kimber tiemr interconnects, Signal Cable speaker cable Music Used (Genre/Selections): Classcial, symphonic and chamber, acoustic jazz Room Size (LxWxH): 20 x 16 x 8-12 Room Comments/Treatments: soem tapesties Time Period/Length of Audition: 2 + years Other (Power Conditioner etc.): Panasonic 5510 AC regenerator Type of Audition/Review: Home Audition Your System (if other than home audition): N/A
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Topic - REVIEW: Jean-Marie Reynaud Offrande Speakers - mtconcape@aol.com 08:48:45 05/9/04 ( 0)