Floorstanding loudspeakers — JM Reynaud EUTERPE JUBILE

The Euterpe Jubilé is a two-way tower made by Jean-Marie Reynaud, a family loudspeaker maker based in Barbezieux in the Charente region of France. It is a complete redesign of the earlier Euterpe. JMR kept only the cabinet volume and its folded acoustic transmission line loading, replaced both drivers and the whole crossover, and gave the speaker the styling of the Jubilé range.

Key specs that matter

An 18 cm bass-midrange driver loaded by the transmission line works with a 28 mm impregnated silk dome tweeter, the same unit as in the Cantabile Jubilé. The two-way crossover uses 12 dB per octave slopes at 2800 Hz. The frequency response is 38 Hz to 25 kHz, sensitivity is 89 dB at 2.83 V and nominal impedance is 4 ohms, with a minimum of 4.3 ohms. JMR recommends 80 to 120 W of amplifier power, with 160 W repetitive peak. Distortion stays below 0.5% at 84 dB. The cabinet stands 92 cm tall, 20 cm wide and 33 cm deep, and weighs 21 kg.

Engineering and use context

The folded line has a triangular section, and its internal walls are not parallel, which stops standing waves from building up along its length. The line uses the rear output of the driver to reinforce the bass through a long path, so a slim cabinet reaches deep. The bass-midrange driver is screwed to the baffle and also held by an axial rod that presses its magnet against the rear wall. This moves the mechanical reference of the moving parts to the back of the enclosure, which JMR states improves impulse response. The tweeter has its own dedicated volume and low directivity. The crossover components are linked directly by JMR's silver-plated cable, and the whole network sits on an anti-vibration support. The impedance changes little across the band, so the speaker is an easy load despite its nominal rating. Connection is single-wire. The Jubilé styling brings a wide fillet on the rear horizontal edge and rounded front edges that reduce diffraction. The standard finish is stained aniegre veneer, and satin black, pearl anthracite grey and pearl white lacquers are available to order.

Pairing

The even impedance curve suits integrated amplifiers within the recommended power range, valve designs of that output included. The slim cabinet fits rooms of 15 to 30 m2.

Alternatives

The Jean-Marie Reynaud Abscisse Jubilé is the larger 2.5-way floorstander of the Jubilé range, with bi-wiring terminals.