Dave918
11-10-2003, 07:50 AM
Advertised as the 3-way loudspeaker system using 2 drivers, the Reynaud Twin MKIII’s have become the speaker of choice in my home. I recently purchased a pair of these from BrianB of Venus Hi-Fi for use in a new tube system that he helped me put together.
I had the opportunity to try these speakers on several new and vintage solid-state systems while waiting on the new ASL tube amplifier to arrive. The Twins sounded different on each system, but always very musical, warm and detailed. Listening to them on the completed system (Antique Sound Lab AQ1001 DT Integrated Tube Amp and Jolida JD 100A Tube CDP) was a real eye (ear?) opener. Connected to the ASL the Twins really came alive. Very open, warm, detailed – hands down the best mini-monitor that I have ever heard.
Now of course the Twins are not made for a heavy metal, rock the house type of environment. But, for the music that I primarily listen to (roots, folk, blues, jazz), they come closer to bringing the characteristics of live sound into your living room better than any that I’ve heard. They have that rare ability to simply disappear, leaving you and the music all alone in the room. That’s not to say the Twins cannot get down and nasty, because they can certainly do that as well.
Placement of the Reynaud Twin MkIII’s has been very easy; fact is its difficult to find a place where they sound bad. The best positioning so far has been about 2ft. from any side walls, 6 to 9 inches from the rear wall and as Brian suggested, about 28 inches off the floor with a slight toe in. I now have them positioned in this way permanently (had to some serious room rearranging) and the depth and width of the soundstage is immense.
For my serious listening evaluation I picked a number of folk, blues and jazz CD’s that I’m very familiar with. The synergy of the complete system is simply breathtaking. The Twins absolutely shine on acoustic material, have no problem keeping up with a lively jazz session and reproduce a rock-n-roll beat with gusto. Vocals, especially female, leap out into the room with a sense of realism that’s almost spooky. The bottom end is solid and very well defined. Percussion is tight and exciting. Some would probably want to enlist the aid of a good sub to add a bit more low frequency sound. I occasionally power up my Infinity HPS 250 12” down firing sub just to let the neighbors know I’m still here. The high end is simply wonderful; crisp, detailed, airy, and yes – alive!
The Twin MKIII’s are a winner in every category IMO - Design/engineering, build/component quality, finish and sound. You’ll have to look long and hard to find anything better – and spend a lot more money as well.
System:
Antique Sound Lab AQ1001 DT Integrated Tube Amp
Jolida JD 100A Tube CDP
Jean-Marie Reynaud Twin MKIII Loudspeakers
Cables:
Speaker: Monster XP Clear, tinned ends, un-terminated
Interconnects: Dayton Audio Analogue RCA, 1.5m
Power Cables: Stock
Note: Just recently added a Blue Circle BC86 MKIII Powerline Power Filter. Check out my review of this device http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11325
CD’s used for evaluation (all redbook):
Patti Austin “For Ella”
Diana Krall “Live In Paris”
Sara McLachlan “Mirrorball”
John Hiatt “Slow Turning”
Robben Ford “Robben Ford And The Blue Line”
Steely Dan “Aja”
Alison Krauss “Forget About It”
Elvis Costello “My Aim Is True”
Bob Dylan “Blonde on Blonde”
Links to other threads where this system has been discussed:
http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9823&perpage=40&pagenumber=1
http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10875
Specifications:
WOOFER: Diameter 6.7", double magnet, double moving coil, flat, ventilated spider. 1.1" moving coil on a high temperature support, positive half-roll peripheral surround in natural rubber, paper cone in filmed short fibers with PVC film. Soft, decompressed central dust-cap.
TWEETER: 1.2" impregnated fabric dome. Central neodymium/boron magnet. Horn front frame and front wave guide for minimum lateral directivity and perfect conservation of energy at a distance of several meters
CROSSOVER: 3-way electric. Slopes 6 and 12 dB/octave, serial configuration for medium/treble. Crossover frequencies at 1400 and 4500 Hz.
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEM: Tuned triangular transmission line with slim anti-noise event port. Machining in 0.75" MEDITE double face beech veneer. Rounded front edges to eliminate edge effects.
POWER HANDLING CAPACITY: 60 watts
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 50 – 20,000 Hz
PEAK POWER: 140w
IMPEDANCE: 4 ohm
SENSITIVITY : 91dB (2.83 volts)
DISTORTION: less than 0.8% (level 84 dB)
Jean Marie Reynaud
web address: http://jm-reynaud.com
Venus Hi-Fi: http://www.venushifi.com/
Watch for individual reviews of the Antique Sound Lab AQ1001 DT Integrated Tube Amp and Jolida JD 100A Tube CDP coming soon.
Check out the “Members Gallery” for additional photos.
I had the opportunity to try these speakers on several new and vintage solid-state systems while waiting on the new ASL tube amplifier to arrive. The Twins sounded different on each system, but always very musical, warm and detailed. Listening to them on the completed system (Antique Sound Lab AQ1001 DT Integrated Tube Amp and Jolida JD 100A Tube CDP) was a real eye (ear?) opener. Connected to the ASL the Twins really came alive. Very open, warm, detailed – hands down the best mini-monitor that I have ever heard.
Now of course the Twins are not made for a heavy metal, rock the house type of environment. But, for the music that I primarily listen to (roots, folk, blues, jazz), they come closer to bringing the characteristics of live sound into your living room better than any that I’ve heard. They have that rare ability to simply disappear, leaving you and the music all alone in the room. That’s not to say the Twins cannot get down and nasty, because they can certainly do that as well.
Placement of the Reynaud Twin MkIII’s has been very easy; fact is its difficult to find a place where they sound bad. The best positioning so far has been about 2ft. from any side walls, 6 to 9 inches from the rear wall and as Brian suggested, about 28 inches off the floor with a slight toe in. I now have them positioned in this way permanently (had to some serious room rearranging) and the depth and width of the soundstage is immense.
For my serious listening evaluation I picked a number of folk, blues and jazz CD’s that I’m very familiar with. The synergy of the complete system is simply breathtaking. The Twins absolutely shine on acoustic material, have no problem keeping up with a lively jazz session and reproduce a rock-n-roll beat with gusto. Vocals, especially female, leap out into the room with a sense of realism that’s almost spooky. The bottom end is solid and very well defined. Percussion is tight and exciting. Some would probably want to enlist the aid of a good sub to add a bit more low frequency sound. I occasionally power up my Infinity HPS 250 12” down firing sub just to let the neighbors know I’m still here. The high end is simply wonderful; crisp, detailed, airy, and yes – alive!
The Twin MKIII’s are a winner in every category IMO - Design/engineering, build/component quality, finish and sound. You’ll have to look long and hard to find anything better – and spend a lot more money as well.
System:
Antique Sound Lab AQ1001 DT Integrated Tube Amp
Jolida JD 100A Tube CDP
Jean-Marie Reynaud Twin MKIII Loudspeakers
Cables:
Speaker: Monster XP Clear, tinned ends, un-terminated
Interconnects: Dayton Audio Analogue RCA, 1.5m
Power Cables: Stock
Note: Just recently added a Blue Circle BC86 MKIII Powerline Power Filter. Check out my review of this device http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11325
CD’s used for evaluation (all redbook):
Patti Austin “For Ella”
Diana Krall “Live In Paris”
Sara McLachlan “Mirrorball”
John Hiatt “Slow Turning”
Robben Ford “Robben Ford And The Blue Line”
Steely Dan “Aja”
Alison Krauss “Forget About It”
Elvis Costello “My Aim Is True”
Bob Dylan “Blonde on Blonde”
Links to other threads where this system has been discussed:
http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9823&perpage=40&pagenumber=1
http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10875
Specifications:
WOOFER: Diameter 6.7", double magnet, double moving coil, flat, ventilated spider. 1.1" moving coil on a high temperature support, positive half-roll peripheral surround in natural rubber, paper cone in filmed short fibers with PVC film. Soft, decompressed central dust-cap.
TWEETER: 1.2" impregnated fabric dome. Central neodymium/boron magnet. Horn front frame and front wave guide for minimum lateral directivity and perfect conservation of energy at a distance of several meters
CROSSOVER: 3-way electric. Slopes 6 and 12 dB/octave, serial configuration for medium/treble. Crossover frequencies at 1400 and 4500 Hz.
LOUDSPEAKER SYSTEM: Tuned triangular transmission line with slim anti-noise event port. Machining in 0.75" MEDITE double face beech veneer. Rounded front edges to eliminate edge effects.
POWER HANDLING CAPACITY: 60 watts
FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 50 – 20,000 Hz
PEAK POWER: 140w
IMPEDANCE: 4 ohm
SENSITIVITY : 91dB (2.83 volts)
DISTORTION: less than 0.8% (level 84 dB)
Jean Marie Reynaud
web address: http://jm-reynaud.com
Venus Hi-Fi: http://www.venushifi.com/
Watch for individual reviews of the Antique Sound Lab AQ1001 DT Integrated Tube Amp and Jolida JD 100A Tube CDP coming soon.
Check out the “Members Gallery” for additional photos.