Reynaud tend to be over achievers and the above are a fine recommendation. Selecting speakers takes time, patience and a willingness to experiment. Best to work with local audio shops for a proper demo and in home trial. I am fortunate as there are many excellent dealers in my area so auditions are not an issue. At a certain price point I am willing to travel a considerable distance within the continental US for a proper audition. It is part of the game in my world.
As an example, Ascend Acoustics offers tweeter options in a couple of their lines.
Sometimes the deciding factor will be cost. Other times it will be sonic preference.
I have speakers with Peerless dome and RAAL ribbon derivatives. Both are fine but I find the domes (through exhaustive unscientific comparison) to be easier on my ears.
Especially with a more traditional look, than the polarizing Aspen Aesthetic. In a capable designer’s hands any speaker should be marketable. I’d not want to be market pigeonholed by driver type. Very few have done it successfully, Magnepan immediately comes to mind.
My introduction to JMR came through a pair of Twin MKIIIs that I owned in the early 2000s. Their musicality and coherence made a lasting impression, and I’ve remained an admirer of Jean-Marie Reynaud loudspeakers ever since. The Twin MKIII was a relatively compact two-way stand-mount, but it had a wonderfully natural, unforced presentation that made music feel alive. What I remember most was the expansive soundstage, beautiful tonal balance, and the way they simply drew me into the performance. They weren’t about dazzling hi-fi effects; they were about connecting the listener to the music, and they did that exceptionally well. Reading this discussion has reminded me just how special they were—and, if I’m being honest, has me missing them.
Interesting. It’s not occurred to me that the Aspen design can be polarizing. Especially compared to the wild designs that are out there it seems that the Aspen would blend in pretty well. But that is of course my own bias. Now that you mention it I can see that traditional vs modern are polar opposites. I’m not a traditional style kind of guy when it comes to interior living spaces.
David, my introduction to Reynaud started with the Twin MkII shortly after Bob Neill’s review of them in 2002. They were followed later by a pair of Trente’s and Offrande’s. Later I owned a pair of the Twin Signature which was the last of the Twin series. The current Bliss Jubilee, which is the latest incarnation of the design is the best yet as Jean Claude has gone back to the voicing of his father’s speaker designs with it and the floor standing Cantabile after venturing into a more analytical voicing fitting with his career as a recording/mastering engineer.
That’s quite a JMR history. My experience was much more limited—I only owned the Twin MkIII—but it made a big impression on me and I’ve been a fan of the brand ever since.
It’s interesting to hear that Jean Claude has moved back toward the voicing of his father’s designs. What I loved about the Twin wasn’t its ability to dissect a recording, but the way it made music feel natural and engaging. Reading your description of the Bliss Jubilee and Cantabile, it sounds like I’d probably appreciate where the line has gone today.
This discussion has definitely reminded me how much I enjoyed those Twins. In fact, it’s got me missing them a bit and wondering how they’d stack up against my GR Research X-LS Encores.
I only know of the GR Research speakers through AudioCircle so no idea how they would compare. Would be worth finding a used pair of Bliss Jubilee’s to find out.
The GR Research X-LS Encore has a very honest, natural sound that lets you hear deep into a recording without ever feeling clinical or fatiguing. What stands out to me is the clarity of the midrange, the precision of the imaging, and how effortlessly it presents detail. Vocals and acoustic instruments sound especially convincing.
As I recall, the Twin MKIII had a slight warmth and ease that could make vocals, folk, jazz, and singer-songwriter recordings feel effortlessly natural. Think of the difference between enjoying a performance in a cozy jazz club versus hearing it through a very accurate studio monitor.
Sounds like a speaker I would like. It appears to be Danny’s most popular kit ever and there were dozens of speaker build threads going at one time a few years back some of them were quite exotic in appearance.
As Paul mentioned in some recent videos we’re working on some new speakers and are definitely considering veneer finishes and more traditional high end look.
I watched every Star wars and Star trek movies, series, and whatever involves aliens and monsters. My wife said I am not normal. But was that the reason I bought FR30?
My previous speakers have beautiful bird-eye maple finish with soft domes. They were more expensive than FR30, but my wife agreed to trade in because FR30 is smaller. In terms of SQ FR30 is a clear winner not only to me but to the whole family which did not happen often. 
But for the lower line of PSA speakers I think soft dome tweeters are a great idea, their sweet midrange is hard to beat.
A good thing IMO.
Who am I to argue?
I remember standing in line with my wife, brother and sister-in-law 49 years ago to see the initial release. I didn’t know how it’d do critically and was worried it might be panned and a quick exit from the movie theaters. So wanted to make sure we went before maybe it was gone. Little did I know its staying power.
I too saw it on a Saturday afternoon, couldn’t hear much with all the kids around!
I don’t remember an unruly audience but there may have been it was so long ago.
The reason it was top of mind to get to see it sooner rather than later was a bad experience I’d had a handful of years before. A movie entitled Siddhartha based on a novel by one of my favorite authors Hermann Hesse had been released and I wanted to see it but kept putting it off. When I eventually decided to go see it , the movie was already out of the movie theater circuit and it wasn’t until years later that I did get to see it.
EDIT: Sorry to continue derailing this thread – I’ll stop.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…