So, Jern speakers. At first glance, I thought I was looking at a pair of outdated computer speakers. You know the sort. The ones that came out in the early 00’s in your average chain of appliance stores and were completely style over substance. The ones that some of us would purchase only for a couple of years later to think ‘’What on earth was I thinking?’’… Then I remembered, “This is Audio T. We don’t stock that sort of thing” and decided to look a little deeper.

I recently had a customer who was looking to acquire a new set of speakers with a budget around £2000. The brief seemed simple enough. Since he had to get rid of his old floor standing Mission speakers, he wanted something discrete, in the likes of a bookshelf speaker. But suddenly the requirements took a more specific shift. The customer was moving his equipment to a much smaller listening space and needed something that he could place right next to walls. This takes what started out as a very wide selection, down to a handful…

We arranged an appointment for a demonstration, and in the meantime, I would try to find a selection of speakers that would meet his requirements. So, I started my search and came up with the usual offering from the likes of Dali, Bowers & Wilkins, PMC etc. I also decided to give the Jern Model 12WS a go. A speaker, at the time, I had not really given much thought to. In fact, it is worth pointing out that I’d never actually listened to the Jern speakers. So, I wasn’t sure of what the outcome would be. Not to mention, I was slightly hesitant since their size and shape was unconvincing to me.

As I said in my opening statement, I wasn’t overly impressed with their aesthetics. Well, my back wasn’t all to impressed when I tried to lift one to place it in our demo room. Despite their small size, they weigh well over 12kg as they are made out of cast iron. Well, I wish I knew that beforehand!

The setup was extremely straightforward. As best to replicate the customer’s setup, we used a Naim Uniti Star as our main amplifier/streamer combo to power the speakers.

I welcomed the customer in to the shop and ushered him to the all-important listening seat so that we could start our demonstration. Before I could talk through the selection of products on offer, the customer, with a disgruntled look on his face, pointed to the Jern Model 12WS and asked, ‘’What are those?’’.

I explained that these unusually shaped offerings were a relatively new arrival from Denmark, and unlike the majority of speakers available in the Hi-Fi industry, were made from cast iron. I was very forthcoming and clarified I hadn’t listened them to myself and was curious to have a listen and see what they could do and how they would perform.

I handed over the shop’s iPad, preloaded with Tidal via the Naim app, and advised the customer to go crazy and play whatever he may wanted. First up were the Jern 12WS…

The first track he played was Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb”. A rather fitting song title as that’s exactly how I felt while listening to the opening vocal lines from Roger Waters. But the moment I heard ‘’Hello, is there anybody in there’’, I felt as if I was listening to this song for the very first time. Parts of instrumentation that I’d never heard before became apparent. The detail was shocking...the clarity and the soundstage was so immersive that I had to double check if I connected the right speakers or if a subwoofer was accidentally connected to our system. No, nothing was there other than the Uniti Star and the Jern. The room was filled with colour created by the string ensemble and several other instruments I never noticed before. I remember the customer lowered the volume quite a bit to say something and it was then when I realised the most incredible asset of the Jern. Their ability to ‘’sing’’ and perform at low volumes was out of this world. You could hear every single detail coming out of the speakers at such low volume, so close to the wall. I was indeed comfortably numb.

We streamed several other tracks in the likes of Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin and Dire Straits. A music genre I’m well accustomed to, yet on every single track I would discover bits unheard before on any other bookshelf speakers I’ve used in the past. It was extraordinary. A sound so full and balanced that could make me stay in our demo room for hours without wearing out my ears.

On every track’s ending we would exchange a look and I was able to see how impressed he was. I couldn’t blame him as it was mutual. Words can’t describe the Jern speakers’ ability to perform. Goosebumps after goosebumps and track after track, we’ve filled the room with at least 10-12 rock and acoustic tracks. If you could close your eyes on Johnny Cash’s cover ‘’Hurt’’, you’d be under the impression he was there in the room with his acoustic guitar.

The customer was so impressed with the Danish loudspeakers that we almost forgot to try out the rest of the speakers. Once we had gone through and tried the same selection on the other speakers, the verdict was made. Nothing could match the tonality of the Jern for the customer or myself, the musicians and bands we were listening to and their unconventional positioning close to the wall.

And with that, a brand-new pair of white Jern Model 12WS found a new home, accompanied by a set of stands and the Jern mounting rings which make all the difference as you can angle the speakers in a variety of ways due to their rounded bottoms. This opens up the possibilities of moving the sweet spot depending on the room and the listener.

So yes, I appreciate that looks can be deceiving, especially in our Hi-Fi community. However, if you are reading this blog and you’re after some high end, bookshelf speakers, give them a go. Ever since I heard them perform, they’ve had a sudden ‘’glow up’’ in my eyes and aesthetics. I love the way they look now, for they look different, sound different and hit different!

Should you be interested in the Jern origins as well as more technical information, please take a look at this more in depth blog here.

Thanks for reading

Agamemnon - Audio T Online Store

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JERN Loudspeakers can be found at the following Audio T stores