wjm@lcuxc.UUCP (B. Mitchell) (04/19/85)
The JSE-1 is a three-way floor-standing speaker system.
Dimensions are (approximately) 14" square at the base (it sits on 4 casters)
and about 34" high - the front slopes back, so the speaker is only about 4"
deep and 14" wide at the top.
Each speaker weighs about 50 pounds.
The system has an 8" woofer, 6.5" midrange and a 1" tweeter - the woofer and
midrange are mounted on the center axis, while the tweeter is mounted to the
one side - the speakers are sold in Left/Right pairs.
There are several finishes available - wood veeners (mine are a special order
dark oak stain, but walnut, teak, and (I think) rosewood are also available)
and black or white polished and lacquered wood. The basic price ($925/pair)
applies to walnut or oak finishes, the others are a bit more expensive.
Most of the sloped front is covered by a black grill cloth (at least on the
wood veneer and black wood models, I haven't seen a white one).
It is an 8 ohm system, which is moderately efficient - my Hafler 220 (115w/ch
RMS into an 8 ohm load with 3dB dynamic headroom) can drive them hard enough
to get one evicted.
JSE recommends a minimum of 50 w/ch to drive the 1s, and they claim they can
handle 300 (I think, but verify this with JSE or a JSE dealer!!!!) w/ch.
They do not recommend speaker fuses.
Terminals are a pair of binding posts, spaced to accomodate a dual banana plug.
The JSE-2 is similar in shape to the JSE-1 but a bit larger (about 48" high).
It has a dual 12" woofer, a 6.5" midrange, a 1" tweeter (I believe these same
drivers are used in the 1), and a .75" super-tweeter. The same finish options
are available.
It weighs about 125 pounds per speaker (if I remember correctly) and is also
an 8 ohm system.
The JSE-.06 is a bookshelf system which is about 24"x15"x12". The .06s I saw
were finished in walnut, but the other options may be available as well.
I believe it is also an 8 ohm speaker system.
However, one cannot appreciate the clarity, imaging, and definition of the
JSE speakers without auditioning them. Harvey Sound in NYC has all 3 JSE models
on display, and can demonstrate them for you (yes this is a plug for Harveys -
I've been quite pleased with them over the years and feel that good dealers
should be rewarded). One thing about Harveys - they not only have "high end"
but also have budget and mid-priced systems as well - something unusual in the
hi-fi game.
Regards,
Bill Mitchell ({ihnp4!}lcuxc!wjm)kimr@tektronix.UUCP (Kim Rochat) (04/22/85)
> The JSE-2 is similar in shape to the JSE-1 but a bit larger (about 48" high). > It has a dual 12" woofer, a 6.5" midrange, a 1" tweeter (I believe these same > drivers are used in the 1), and a .75" super-tweeter. Actually, the Model 2's have 12 inch and 10 inch woofers, crossing over at 180 Hz to the 6.5" midrange. There is a 2" dome midrange, and a .75" tweeter. The only driver in common with the Model 1 is the 6.5". The tweeter in the Model 1's is the same tweeter found in the $1900 Thiel CS-3! I would like to put in my 2 cents worth on the Model 2's. When I was shopping, I wanted a full-range speaker in a single box. As you have probably seen, add-on stereo subwoofers often cost $1000 or more, so the Model 1's with subwoofers would cost as much as Model 2's. I disagree with Bill's comments about "the Model 2's have a little more bass". The Model 2 has a LOT more bass. I had to replace my Thorens 125 turntable because of acoustic feedback at the tonearm/cartridge resonant frequency flinging the cartridge out of the groove - at 10 Hz! The JSE's image differently than most other speakers. They image like dynamite between the speakers, but there is very little imaging outside and above the speakers, so you tend to place them near the side walls. Part of the reason for this is that the grill assemblies were designed with no regard for diffraction effects. The Model 2's are designed for flat frequency response with the grills, and are too bright without them, so I added felt baffles to the inside of the grill assembly which produced a dramatic improvement in the size of the soundstage. The Model 2's will reproduce orchestras at about 1/2 actual size. In small groups, standing performers appear to be about 5' tall (the speakers are really 42" tall), so there is a slight reduction of the actual size. Anyway, I recently had an opportunity to listen to the Model 1's with similar associated equipment. I could recognize the similarity in the midrange clarity, but was completely turned off by the miniature sound stage (36" performers) and the lack of bottom end. (This was with the grills off, as JSE now recommends for the Model 1's). My first reaction was that they needed to be placed on stands. They are both good values for the money, but for me the increased image size, bass response, and dynamic ease are well worth the additional bucks. Kim Rochat tektronix!kimr