AXPONA 2026: Jones & Cerreta Speakers

[amirm]

Probably the most anticipated introduction at AXPONA. Andrew Jones' 160 pound speakers with "field coil." He gave me the driver and I just about dropped the darn thing! It is massive and heavy!

Room was tiny:

He had put a mattress behind the system to get bass absorption!

You can see the driver on the right.

As expected, emphasis was on LP and older recordings:

Sounded "OK" in that small room.

Same story here:

Now we are talking: (digital)

Very nice track which sounded superb with great imaging.

Vocal clarity was amazing. Superb.

Superb although a bit intimate due to small size of the room.

 

[tw99]

TBH that Cody High track sounded really great even on my tiny desktop Kalis...

 

[MayI]

Am I the only one who thinks it's strange to have giant, probably very heavy "stand mount" speakers that require these short stands, instead of just making the cabinet a few inches taller? Can't imagine that making optimum placement in rooms easier.

 

[Waveform Fidelity]

Wow! These guys really do have sense of humor when it comes to pricing - a Thorens turntable for ~$18k. I tossed mine along with 30 or so LP’s in the 90’s when I realized that vinyl was well and truly dead. Just shows you how wrong one can be.

Now I have 1/2 dozen Teac reel-reel recorders that I am totally restoring!

 

[PjV]

Am I the only one who thinks it's strange to have giant, probably very heavy "stand mount" speakers that require these short stands, instead of just making the cabinet a few inches taller? Can't imagine that making optimum placement in rooms easier.

It allows for upgraded stands (different materials, heights, angles, etc.), starting at 15k EUR/USD

 

[mhardy6647]

Wow! These guys really do have sense of humor when it comes to pricing - a Thorens turntable for ~$18k.

Don't get me wrong, the price is eyewatering, but I hope you do realize that these are rehabbed TD-124 turntables, not just a Thorens, yes?

A very good tt with an interesting drive system is the TD-124. Not the sine qua non, though.
That'd be more along the line of a Fairchild 750-2 or -3 (the three speed variant). Redoubtable piece of hardware, superbly engineered and constructed.

Oh, and on-topic, two things about the titular loudspeakers.

1) The stands are probably meant more for decoupling than for lifting and aiming, don't you (all) think?

2) Everything about this loudspeaker makes sense vis-a-vis the apparent target market... except for the five-ohm nominal impedance. Not that there aren't myriad vacuum tube OPTs with four-ohm taps, and maybe even (???) some decent, purpose built OPTs with four-ohm secondaries (no tap), but the prevailing wisdom from back in the days when such amplifiers (transformer coupled vacuum tube power amplifiers) were the only game in town was that higher impedance loads were better choices whenever available. A sixteen ohm nominal impedance would've fit the Gestalt of the Troubadors just fine, and I'd have thought that at least 8-ohm nominal impedance would've been de rigueur.

 

[TimF]

Amir, please, any comments about Chicago? Is the downtown active?

 

[amirm]

The convention was not in downtown but rather, Schaumburg. Could have as well be anywhere as there is nothing around it.

 

[Waveform Fidelity]

Don't get me wrong, the price is eyewatering, but I hope you do realize that these are rehabbed TD-124 turntables, not just a Thorens, yes?

View attachment 524823A very good tt with an interesting drive system is the TD-124. Not the sine qua non, though.
That'd be more along the line of a Fairchild 750-2 or -3 (the three speed variant). Redoubtable piece of hardware, superbly engineered and constructed.

View attachment 524822


Oh, and on-topic, two things about the titular loudspeakers.

1) The stands are probably meant more for decoupling than for lifting and aiming, don't you (all) think?

2) Everything about this loudspeaker makes sense vis-a-vis the apparent target market... except for the five-ohm nominal impedance. Not that there aren't myriad vacuum tube OPTs with four-ohm taps, and maybe even (???) some decent, purpose built OPTs with four-ohm secondaries (no tap), but the prevailing wisdom from back in the days when such amplifiers (transformer coupled vacuum tube power amplifiers) were the only game in town was that higher impedance loads were better choices whenever available. A sixteen ohm nominal impedance would've fit the Gestalt of the Troubadors just fine, and I'd have thought that at least 8-ohm nominal impedance would've been de rigueur.

Why does 5 ohms really matter anyway? - its not like this mega$$ setup is high performance, nor intended to be - lots of linear and non-linear distortion from the valve amps and from turntable/cartridge/tonearm.

Good luck to Andrew - with, at least a new design. I reckon he's probably put $100K in NRE in to it plus his time, so lets hope he sells at least 3 pairs to break even

 

[SSS]

After viewing the videos with AJ I can understand his ideas regarding field coil magnets. And the development work to get it right. Now knowing that the loudspeaker is very efficient what is a good for instant attack and dynamic which might be similar to horn speakers. Demonstration with LP music might sound good but has inherent flaws of the medium.

 

[Chanur]

Wow! These guys really do have sense of humor when it comes to pricing - a Thorens turntable for ~$18k. I tossed mine along with 30 or so LP’s in the 90’s when I realized that vinyl was well and truly dead. Just shows you how wrong one can be.

Now I have 1/2 dozen Teac reel-reel recorders that I am totally restoring!

If you had held onto it you could have made a small fortune selling that stuff today. Vinyl is resurging.

 

[A Surfer]

Wow! These guys really do have sense of humor when it comes to pricing - a Thorens turntable for ~$18k. I tossed mine along with 30 or so LP’s in the 90’s when I realized that vinyl was well and truly dead. Just shows you how wrong one can be.

Now I have 1/2 dozen Teac reel-reel recorders that I am totally restoring!

Oh it's dead. Not everyone has realized it yet.

 

[Waveform Fidelity]

Oh it's dead. Not everyone has realized it yet.

Indeed… I had a funny thought when watching AJ demo his speakers at the show…. What was missing was the distinguished british listener, sitting in the leather armchair, in his tweed jacket, shirt and tie, puffing a pipe in other hand and drinking a whiskey in the other. Content in knowing that the old things are the best and enjoying every note, happy that some designer has finally got it all right again! The illusion of sophistication would then be complete!

 

[A Surfer]

Indeed… I had a funny thought when watching AJ demo his speakers at the show…. What was missing was the distinguished british listener, sitting in the leather armchair, in his tweed jacket, shirt and tie, puffing a pipe in other hand and drinking a whiskey in the other. Content in knowing that the old things are the best and enjoying every note, happy that some designer has finally got it all right again! The illusion of sophistication would then be complete!

Such a perfect visualization.

 

[RexrothPigeon]

There's a whole guy on youtube who does exactly that, might even be called the british audiophile or something, i can't remember and can't be bothered to search

 

[mhardy6647]

Such a perfect visualization.

Not this guy, I suppose?

maybe this guy, though?

I mean maybe it's the same Brit -- but the chap in the first image looks like he's got some spinal deformity sort of thing going on.

 

[Bwaslo]

Not this guy, I suppose?

View attachment 525770


maybe this guy, though?

View attachment 525769

I mean maybe it's the same Brit -- but the chap in the first image looks like he's got some spinal deformity sort of thing going on.

He probably cant hear a lot sitting that far off axis of a Quad57

 

[JRowland]

He probably cant hear a lot sitting that far off axis of a Quad57

That’s where the kids like Dusan learned and adapted

 

[PristineSound]

As expected, emphasis was on LP and older recordings:
Sounded "OK" in that small room.


Now we are talking: (digital)

Very nice track which sounded superb with great imaging.

Vocal clarity was amazing. Superb.

Superb although a bit intimate due to small size of the room.

Are these comments based on the subjective impression of these speakers based on these tracks or are you commenting on the tracks itself?

 

[amirm]

Former.