Jamo Classic 8 with Lenco L78?

[Dimi]

Hi,

I'm looking for a 'new' set of speakers for my Lenco L78. I've run into Jamo Classic 8 pari that would be available as used. The question is that if the frequence range starts from 35Hz do I miss something? The amp is Harman/Kardon 330B which I think goes lower on frequency. Also the speaker model is not that known and very difficult to find any information about it. Here are the specs I found.

Number of Speakers : 4
Impedance : 4
Power admitted (W) : 150
Audio Performances
Bandwith : 35 ; 20000
Sensibility (dB/W/m) : 90.0
Miscellaneous
Dimensions : 22.5 mm×90 mmx 29 mm
Weight : 16.0 kg

Anything I should note in there? I don't know if the impedance is good or bad when it's four Harman/Kardon 330B gives out 18W per channel. I'm trying to find out if these speakers would be good or not. I would be listening all kinds of music from classic to heavy. There's no subwoofer but the amp is not supporting that either so I hope the speakers have enough bass.

Dimi

[timelog]

There is usually recommended impedance warning behind amp near output posts and looks that with HK330 depending model version impedance is 4/8/16 ohm. Check recommeded value of your amp version. If loudspeaker impedance goes down to low values it can be break older amplifier that has no protetive circuits.

[Dimi]

Yes, the manual of 330B says any speaker with impedance 4, 8 or 16 Ohms will perform ok

Dimi

[timelog]

If you like like run same time two pairs of speakers their impedance must be two times minimum impedance 1/R = 1/(R1) + 1/(R2) because many old poweramps see those as parallel connected pairs.   

[haydn]

Dimi,
These speakers were first manufactured around 1998. I have a pair of Dali 4's (not to be confused with Dali IV's) of a slightly earlier vintage and those units were manufactured by Dali themselves and so, being pre-Klipsch ownership (2005), I'm going to stick my neck out and say I reckon the speakers in them were manufactured by Jamo itself -  though the only other possibility is they were manufactured for Jamo by Peerless. Jamo had its own loudspeaker manufacturing plant in Denmark but I believe this was closed when Klipsch took them over. Perhaps one of our Danish forum members can chime in with more accurate info.

I was told years ago that the sensitivity rating is inaccurate but the quality was very good. They have had many favourable reviews over the years. 

Can you audition them prior to purchase?   

[Dimi]

Hi Haydn,

I took a risk and bought a pair of Jamo Classic 8 for 120e Guy whom I bought them from said he bought them almost 20 years ago. So that might be one of reasons I don't find anything, I mean really anything about it on internet - no reviews, test results etc. I bought also 2,5m2 speaker cable to make sure it's not too thin effecting on the sound due to the resistance on some frequencies and just hooked it up. Now it's playing radio while I'm still waiting for the Lenco L78 to arrive. I would say the sound is ok - meaning much better than many of the smaller speakers. I found out also that the 'countour' setting in Harman/Kardon which is some kind of bass boost works on pop and rock music but with classic music it's better to take it off and turn on more 'ordinary' bass. But I think that's obvious that different style of music will require different settings. It's always difficult to compare different kind of speakers against each other unless you have them both in the same room and you can switch fast between them on a same audio source. Also until I get to play my records the music which I know, then I can better judge how the music sounds. Radios use compression and all kind of stuff when they transmit and that's whay it's not the best way to evaluate it  listening to radio.



The speakers are quite tall and fairly narrow and there aren't any really large elements so I was quite positively surprised that the bass is still ok and with the 'countour' setting they are even more kicking. There's actually a reflector on the back of the speaker which helps on that. Overall I would say that for 120e they are really a good purchase. Colour is a bit ugly compared to the light brown walnut colour of the 330B amp's box. Jamo is darker and little bit shading even to purple. I guess I'll buy some DC-Fix and re-cover it (kind of plastic sticker for surfaces like kitchen tables etc. They have it wood and rock lookalike and different colours - I've seen them and they are pretty cool) I will try to find out some information how to build some kind of frequency separator where I could take some of the - let's say only below 200Hz - frequencies to a separate subwoofer. Harman/Kardon 300B which I have doesn't natively support that as it was built before their time but I guess you could build some kind of outside box after the output of the amp and build input and needed electronics for the subwoofer into that box. That would make the sound probably even better on music - I mean the earth shaking bass if that's what one would like.

Dimi

[haydn]

Hi Dimi
Just found a review of Jamo Classic 10's and tweeters in that are made for Jamo by Phillips.  Could be the same for your Classic 8's.

[Dimi]

I don't know what are the differencies between 8 and 10 so I don't know how much you can lean on the reviews anout 10.

Dimi

[haydn]

Classic 10 has bigger cabinet with an extra 6" speaker. Have a look at

.

[projektori]

Nice to see that you've got the amp set up.

The contour feature is meant to be used when listening with low volume... I find it intolerable with louder volumes, far too much bass boost. But then again, different speakers, different listener 

Byt the way, I wouldn't place the amp on the piano. I mean if you play the piano sometimes at least. I'd figure that the trebling over prolonged time can damage the amp.

[Dimi]

Oh, good point, didn't think it that way. Thank you! I'll find another place for the amp.

Dimi

[ZM1080]

I think Jamo had fingers in many pies, meaning they made drive units and 'speakers for many different applications. One was hifi, another was for the automobile industry. Another was for 'average listening'.

I think I remember HiFi World seemed to like Jamo hifi 'speakers a lot. I don't know about their ICE stuff, but it should not be looked down on, I bought a couple of tweeters from a Jag XK8 and they sound very near to typical 'hifi' tweeters of a similar design, at a tenth the price!

I recommended a pair of Jamo 'speakers to my nephew, which he bought. These were not top of the range hifi units, and sounded it. My nephew said there was something wrong with the sound from them, and when I opened them up, found both crossovers wired incorrectly. I hope yours are better.  

Frequency response is useless unless other parameters are given. Your speakers will never reach down to 35Hz, which is below the frequency of every instrument except the organ (with one or two weird exceptions). Good quality bass is more important than very deep bass! You will miss nothing.

[bluetomgold]

Your speakers will never reach down to 35Hz, which is below the frequency of every instrument except the organ (with one or two weird exceptions). Good quality bass is more important than very deep bass! You will miss nothing.

Agreed re quality vs extension. That said, owning speakers which do produce bass below 35Hz... it is something I would miss if I changed my speakers. OTOH, a stock Lenco will sound pretty murky if asked to produce anything that low in the bass... but even cheap digital does it just fine.

"Weird exceptions" would include lots of electronica, hip hop, and some well produced rock music. If you watch movies through your hifi there's often stuff going on in that range. It's not hard to imagine frequencies that low coming from, say, a piano, either... Bass that deep is perhaps more hi-fi than music though.

Besides... most speakers do not produce bass that low... and many that do will upset a normal room... and pretty much all will be fairly expensive...

[timelog]

When speakers have multiple elements crossover complexity grows and impedance load can be more demanding for amp. Speakers for 'average listening' can sound much beter if it feeded well designed apmlifier with high power reserves. Needed power W = U*I = R*I² and with example running 4 ohms speakers with peak 36 W power peak current must be 3 A . Many amplifiers output powers are "soft" watts, because without proper current delivery capacity they can not respond current need of speakers. High max power consumpton and big power section capacitors of amp can give some idea about real power delivery capacity. Normal music listening levels do not need much power but when amp has good powersection loudspeakers can produce also solid and tight bass sound.