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Review 2 of 2
Price Paid:
$650.00
from Commercial Electroni Summary:
BACKGROUND
I needed a pair of slim floorstanding speakers for my dedicated stereo music system, powered by a Cayin TA-30 integrated tube amplifier. Over the past year I looked at a number of speaker brands and models and in the process had the good fortune to listen to a pair of JMLab Chorus 710 speakers belonging to a friend. I loved their transparency, mid range punch and tight bass and decided that this line of speakers would suit my taste and needs just fine.
I was actually looking to by the JMLab Chorus 715, when I discovered that JMLab had upgraded its Chorus line in 2003 with the new Chorus "S" line. The key difference in the new line is the TNC tweeter assembly, which replaces the TPC assembly of its predecessor.
So the Chorus "S" line of speakers are now capable of 28 kHz, versus 22 kHz of their predecessors.
The Chorus 714 S has a 5 1/2" mid-bass driver and a 5 1/2" woofer. I compared them with the Chorus 706 S bookshelf speakers and Chorus 716 S floor-standers, both which have 6 1/2" mid-bass drivers. The main difference in sound was in the upper mid-range. Female voice tracks sounded slightly more wholesome in the 706 S and 716 S. But the bass extension on the Chorus 714 S was better than the Chorus 706 S (which has no separate woofer). And I felt the bass on the 716 S was more than what I needed.
I live in a condo which has space and noise limitations so in the end I went with the Chorus 714 S - although the larger Chorus 716 S would have worked perfectly had I the room to work with.
I got the "Calvados" (Cherry like) wood trim, which actually has a real wood veneer on the enclosure. The workmanship and build quality are top notch and these speakers blend in well with classical furniture.
SOUND
JMLab speakers are notorious for sounding bright out of the box and do need 50 to 100 hours of break in. The Chorus "S" line of speakers are no exception.
After six weeks or so of break in, the mid range and bottom end opened up beautifully. The integration of the three drive units became extremely smooth and seemless. The use of the provided spikes removed any semblance of low-end boominess. The bass is tight and fast and the bass extension is deep and controlled.
The soundstage is quite impressive. The manual recommends a toe-in because the sweetspot is slightly narrow. The imaging about as precise as it gets.
The speakers are really transparent and bring out fine detail in any music I throw at them. And I tried a variety of music ranging from classical, to jazz, rock and blues. So much tonal nuance is brought out that I could tell the differences between different cymbals being struck and the timbre of the drums.
CONCLUSION
The combination of build quality, sonic neutrality, midrange punch and deep but controlled bass make these speakers, in my opinion, excellent all rounders. Strengths:
Superb, well integrated, speakers with smooth highs, wide midrange and tight bass. Fine resolution. Agile and very natural sound. Weaknesses:
They require a good 75 to 100 hours of break in. A tad polite on the upper midrange. Not intended for big bass lovers.
If you like more bass, I strongly recommend the Chorus 716 S Similar Products Used:
Kef Q4
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5 of 5
