Chris Tsutsui
Screenwriter
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2002
- Messages
- 1,865
I was able to audition a pair of full range Jordans this week in a large temporary dipole box. I thought I'd comment on the drivers since I've never seen somebody post about the Jordans before. [I actually convinced a friend to get them so I can build and hear them.] 
They were ordered from CreativeSound.ca in Canada since they are the only N. American reseller. I got them for $115ea but they recently raised the price to $125ea.
Link to JX92S at CS.
The first time the Jordans were shipped it was done by the cheapest Canadapost method which resulted in a 5 week waiting period and no Jordans. (Canadapost says sometimes it takes 4 weeks for shipping) I will never go with this shipping method again. However, Bob at CS was ever so kind as to ship it again via air postal which took 2-3 days to get from Canada to California. I call that good customer service.
I mounted them in a large dipole baffle the size about 2 feet wide and 3 feet high with no crossover. There is a very nice maple box with an aluminum front plate that was finished yesterday so I can post pictures of it once it gets a finishing coat. The box is 12.5”H x 7.5”W x 8”D with a single port designed to produce an F3 of 55hz. There is a 3db BSC circuit involving a 4ohm mills and 1.5mh Janzten foil inductor. The design is the same Jim Griffith used and is a recommended application per E.J.Jordan's website. I will post another review when they are put in the box, they should have the recommended 70 hours of break in by then.
Anyways when I first played them (fresh out of box) I noticed they had a crisp and revealing brightness to them that slowly faded as my ears got settled in. The soundstage and imaging was excellent, but the vocals appeared to have an upper mid/high coloration than I wasn't used to. They do sound like a miniature representation of whatever music you're listening to, and they seem to lack a full size feel. The detail however is amazing which could have been due to the lack of crossover. There is also no integration of a woofer and tweeter in a full range so the sound was well blended. I would definitely describe them as being slightly foward from neutral, but that could be from the lack of bass in the dipole box. The highs arn't that fatiguing but imediatly become fatiguing along with a harshness in the mids when the volume is raised high (I'd say be very careful when you reach 85-90db). The amp used was a 100wpc Rotel 870bx which is on the warm side so I fear they may actually be on the bright side once they are used with a 50wpc Gainclone amplifier. (That's the DIY amp built for these)
Bass is lacking, but I didn't expect much from a 5" full range driver. It definitly sounded better in a near field presentation of about 3ft as opposed to 6-8ft. In nearfield, the volume can be reduced and there seemed to be better balance and imaging. I guess I could describe the sound in near field as listening to a large pair of headphones. It's like a tiny rock band playing and being accurately represented.
I wasn't too much of a fan of the vocal reproduction again, because they sounded like the voices were slightly shrunk. Instruments such as guitars had excellent clarity and were very enjoyable. I didn't think that these would give me goosebumps but I confess they did several times during instrumental tracks where I heard details being played in a way I havn't heard before. (think accurate and open)
It is safe to say I could hearing more detail in the tracks than other DIY speakers I've heard such as the popular GR AVs and Adire Kit series. Because of how open and revealing they are, I believe they require good amplification and processing to sound good. One speaker I've heard before is the Usher 2-ways by Dennis Murphy. If you have heard scan speaks or Ushers, I'd describe the sound as having similar highs, a lot less bass, with a slightly miniaturized midrange. The highs did not sound exactly like a soft dome tweeter but had more of a crisp "Metal dome" type of sound. I hope that made somewhat sense... (Probably more like a Vifa metal dome)
To be honest, I don't know if I'd ever get myself a pair as my primary listening speakers beacuse I'm into the life like reproduction heard in full range speakers. But as a desktop PC speaker (shielded is a plus), or as an office or bedroom pair, I think these will excel. Excellent clarity and imaging, even sounded good playing 2.1 LOTR TT at a relatively high volume. I'd definitely consider them on the high end side of Audio as there was no detectable signs of grain or muddyness. The only noticeable quirk was the signs of harshness as the driver tried to play loud. These will blow the Dayton BR-1s out of the water in sound quality, but not in bass, and I'll soon AB compare them to a pair of GR-Research AV-1s with sonicaps.
I think they are perfect for a DIY beginner. A project like this is not only simple due to the lack of complex crossover, but the size is small. So if you were thinking of trying out the Tag Band 3" full rangers, I'd also consider the JX92S as they are high end, that is if you can afford the hefty price jump.
I also want ppl to know that I don't mean to bag on the Jordans, I just try to be as open and honest about how they sound so buyers can get an idea of what to expect.
I actually should have reviewed them in the box, but I guess I can add it later.
They were ordered from CreativeSound.ca in Canada since they are the only N. American reseller. I got them for $115ea but they recently raised the price to $125ea.
Link to JX92S at CS.
The first time the Jordans were shipped it was done by the cheapest Canadapost method which resulted in a 5 week waiting period and no Jordans. (Canadapost says sometimes it takes 4 weeks for shipping) I will never go with this shipping method again. However, Bob at CS was ever so kind as to ship it again via air postal which took 2-3 days to get from Canada to California. I call that good customer service.
I mounted them in a large dipole baffle the size about 2 feet wide and 3 feet high with no crossover. There is a very nice maple box with an aluminum front plate that was finished yesterday so I can post pictures of it once it gets a finishing coat. The box is 12.5”H x 7.5”W x 8”D with a single port designed to produce an F3 of 55hz. There is a 3db BSC circuit involving a 4ohm mills and 1.5mh Janzten foil inductor. The design is the same Jim Griffith used and is a recommended application per E.J.Jordan's website. I will post another review when they are put in the box, they should have the recommended 70 hours of break in by then.
Anyways when I first played them (fresh out of box) I noticed they had a crisp and revealing brightness to them that slowly faded as my ears got settled in. The soundstage and imaging was excellent, but the vocals appeared to have an upper mid/high coloration than I wasn't used to. They do sound like a miniature representation of whatever music you're listening to, and they seem to lack a full size feel. The detail however is amazing which could have been due to the lack of crossover. There is also no integration of a woofer and tweeter in a full range so the sound was well blended. I would definitely describe them as being slightly foward from neutral, but that could be from the lack of bass in the dipole box. The highs arn't that fatiguing but imediatly become fatiguing along with a harshness in the mids when the volume is raised high (I'd say be very careful when you reach 85-90db). The amp used was a 100wpc Rotel 870bx which is on the warm side so I fear they may actually be on the bright side once they are used with a 50wpc Gainclone amplifier. (That's the DIY amp built for these)
Bass is lacking, but I didn't expect much from a 5" full range driver. It definitly sounded better in a near field presentation of about 3ft as opposed to 6-8ft. In nearfield, the volume can be reduced and there seemed to be better balance and imaging. I guess I could describe the sound in near field as listening to a large pair of headphones. It's like a tiny rock band playing and being accurately represented.
I wasn't too much of a fan of the vocal reproduction again, because they sounded like the voices were slightly shrunk. Instruments such as guitars had excellent clarity and were very enjoyable. I didn't think that these would give me goosebumps but I confess they did several times during instrumental tracks where I heard details being played in a way I havn't heard before. (think accurate and open)
It is safe to say I could hearing more detail in the tracks than other DIY speakers I've heard such as the popular GR AVs and Adire Kit series. Because of how open and revealing they are, I believe they require good amplification and processing to sound good. One speaker I've heard before is the Usher 2-ways by Dennis Murphy. If you have heard scan speaks or Ushers, I'd describe the sound as having similar highs, a lot less bass, with a slightly miniaturized midrange. The highs did not sound exactly like a soft dome tweeter but had more of a crisp "Metal dome" type of sound. I hope that made somewhat sense... (Probably more like a Vifa metal dome)
To be honest, I don't know if I'd ever get myself a pair as my primary listening speakers beacuse I'm into the life like reproduction heard in full range speakers. But as a desktop PC speaker (shielded is a plus), or as an office or bedroom pair, I think these will excel. Excellent clarity and imaging, even sounded good playing 2.1 LOTR TT at a relatively high volume. I'd definitely consider them on the high end side of Audio as there was no detectable signs of grain or muddyness. The only noticeable quirk was the signs of harshness as the driver tried to play loud. These will blow the Dayton BR-1s out of the water in sound quality, but not in bass, and I'll soon AB compare them to a pair of GR-Research AV-1s with sonicaps.
I think they are perfect for a DIY beginner. A project like this is not only simple due to the lack of complex crossover, but the size is small. So if you were thinking of trying out the Tag Band 3" full rangers, I'd also consider the JX92S as they are high end, that is if you can afford the hefty price jump.
I also want ppl to know that I don't mean to bag on the Jordans, I just try to be as open and honest about how they sound so buyers can get an idea of what to expect.
I actually should have reviewed them in the box, but I guess I can add it later.
