When it comes to floorstanding speakers, many seek the perfect balance between aesthetics and sound. The Jamo S 809 speakers are a prime example of how Scandinavian minimalism meets serious audio ambitions. Their austere yet elegant design fits easily into almost any modern interior without becoming an intrusive center of attention.
But behind their calm exterior lies a very energetic character. These speakers are designed to surprise with their dynamics and detail. Their sound is lively and open, with a tight, focused bass response, which is especially valuable for modern music and movie viewing.
In this review, we will take a detailed look at how the Jamo S 809 performs with different types of music and in a home theater. This will help you understand whether they live up to your expectations and whether they will be the right purchase for your living room.
The Jamo S 809 floorstanding speakers are a successful combination of Scandinavian design and powerful, clear sound. The speakers look stylish and sleek, easily fitting into any interior, while sounding confident: they deliver good bass, clearly reproduce details, and can handle even loud music without distortion. This is a good choice for those who want to enjoy listening and decorate their space beautifully.
Background
As it happened, I didn't have the opportunity to experience the “Scandinavian” sound or even listen to speakers from Scandinavia (perhaps they are one and the same?). However, I often came across the above terms in discussions about acoustics on thematic forums, and I had already formed a certain picture in my mind.
For example, cold, sharp high frequencies; maximally neutral and “soulless” midrange; strict bass that does not allow for any looseness or arbitrariness. That's pretty much how I imagined that “Nordic character.” And it made me think that I would hardly like such a sound. But first things first.
A long time ago, more than forty years ago, there lived in Denmark a carpenter and audiophile named Preben Jacobsen, who couldn't relax in his free time and continued to saw. Because he dreamed of acoustics that would sound good and not be a stumbling block for design solutions. And this is a case where a person succeeded — three years after starting his experiments, Jacobsen and his partner Mortensen opened their first speaker manufacturing factory, and three years later, they had a booth at the Berlin World Electronics Fair!
The hot guys from cold Denmark developed rapidly, aided by Jacobsen's interesting design solutions and Mortensen's sales talent. Incidentally, the company's name was formed from the first letters of their surnames, and in Russian it sounds like “Yamo.”
Now I have one of the results of the company's work in front of me — the Jamo S 809. They are part of the Studio 8 series, which combines ready-made Dolby Atmos Ready home theater speaker sets. The S 809 are the top of the line in this series — front floor-standing speakers.
But the series itself is budget-friendly, one of those options where the cost of a pair of floorstanding speakers does not exceed 50,000 rubles. In the realities of modern Hi-Fi, this is a budget segment where the competition for a place of honor in the home of a music lover/audiophile is no less fierce than in more expensive segments. Even more so, because it is much easier to produce good sound for a lot of money.
Appearance
Design, like sound, is a rather subjective thing. Personally, I have no complaints about the design of the pair of snow-white Jamo S 809s. This is one of those cases where a photo cannot convey the feeling — the conciseness and simplicity are truly delightful. They look quite austere, but the well-chosen secondary colors soften this austerity.
For example, the color of the horn for the inch tweeter. Its black fabric dome sits in a nice-looking saucer, reminiscent of oak wood in color and texture. Below, there are three five-inch drivers made of aluminized polyfiber (a kind of clever three-layer sandwich). They are responsible for low and mid frequencies. The color of the diffuser is apparently dictated by the material it is made of and looks like a “calm gray.”
The driver mounts are traditionally black. There is also a slot-type phase inverter located at the bottom of the front panel. This color scheme is very appropriate — austere, stylish, and concise. If necessary, all this beauty can be covered with a magnetic grille. But in my opinion, the Jamo looks better without it.
On the rear panel, apart from four pairs of terminals for the speaker cable, I couldn't find anything else. But don't rush to warm up your bi-wiring cables, gentlemen. The second pair of terminals is intended for home theater enthusiasts — and only them!
Everything falls into place after looking at the top panel of the speaker: there are two pairs of flush-mounted metal bushings in the corners. These are mounting points for an additional S8 ATM module with another emitter. This is what actually implements Dolby Atmos Ready. The bushings also act as contact pads for transmitting the signal to the height module, and the terminals are located on the back of the floor speakers.
A resourceful carpenter hid all the wiring inside so that hanging wires would not bother perfectionist movie theater enthusiasts. This is an interesting solution in itself. But what if the buyer has no plans to upgrade to a full-fledged home theater? Sitting on the couch, I couldn't see these bushings. But when I was dancing to Madeleine Peyroux, the bushings periodically distracted me and I lost my rhythm. Although, I won't say that they are a white spot on a black canvas — they are small and, in general, can be mistaken for a decorative element.
The speakers are supported by a metal crossbar that fits in with the overall design. But if necessary, it can be removed and replaced with spikes.
Listening
Jamo was accompanied by a Music Hall mmf 3.3 turntable in a bold white color to match the speakers. The vinyl's competitor was a Magnat MCD 1050 player, whose tubes peeked out cutely through the windows. The amplification was handled by a Magnat 780 with equally cute tubes and, as it turned out, a decent built-in phono preamp.
It turns out that only the CD player exceeded the budget—it is significantly more expensive than all the other components in the setup. The rest of the components are comparable in price and could easily be part of someone else's home system with a similar budget.
The first record I had on hand was by Nina Simone, but the original release date was too old for me, and unfortunately, it wasn't possible to use it to evaluate the Jamo. Next up was William Orbit with his release “My Oracle Lives Uptown” — the polar opposite of Nina.
But this is a good test of what the S 809 is capable of in terms of low frequencies: you can hear a well-developed and controlled midbass, which also showed excellent density and attack speed. I didn't get enough depth in the bass line — after about 50 Hz, there's a lack of body and a softening of textures. However, not all speakers, even those twice as expensive as this one, are capable of such things.
As an alternative to vinyl, one of the CDs had a recording of drum improvisation. I liked the bass that the S 809 was able to get out of the digital recording better: the lower hertz flew more actively in my direction, accompanied by a slightly denser attack and slightly better control. The textures of the drums were well conveyed.
Overall, I was left with a positive impression of the bass line — I liked how six fairly small drivers could create a good punch without affecting the midrange. And we seem to have figured out the depth.
For the midrange, I wanted something more complex than William's synthetic sound. And here our eyes met: Madeleine Peyroux was looking right at me from the cover of the album Careless Love. On the very first track, when the vocals started, I couldn't help but smile: Jamo isn't as simple as I thought! The vocals sounded easy and natural, with detailed nuances and overtones, but without imposing these details on the listener. The instruments were pleasantly separated and did not interfere with Madeleine's emotional timbre, but they were not lost either.
I think that Jamo's efforts were complemented by a good recording of the album, and as a result, I got a certain amount of “wow,” I won't hide it. I succumbed to the provocation: the vocals were positioned in front of me and well articulated, and on top of that, there was a slight rustle from the well-worn vinyl — it turned out to be very atmospheric and entertaining. So entertaining that at the end of the test, I listened to several compositions again.
Freddie Mercury competed with her with the song “Another One Bites The Dust” on CD. Freddie, in his own style, with complex vocal passages, made the Jamo S 809 work hard. Here, I found the vocals in the first half of the track to be lacking in clarity — in those moments when Freddie tries to sing below the range where he performs well. However, it is worth remembering the price category of the tested speakers.
In the second part of the same track, Jamo did a perfectly acceptable job with the high vocals: I didn't feel any excessive sharpness. But with other tracks where there are flaws in the recording and/or mixing, don't expect mercy! Both in the high midrange and high frequencies, if there are problems in the track, you will hear them.
When dealing with the high-frequency range, I brought out the heavy artillery — the vinyl release of Rock Candy Funk Party. These are very aggressive funk compositions that often make you tap your feet to the beat. And the high frequencies were really aggressive where they needed to be. At times, I even felt a little uncomfortable. But it wasn't, as they say, “sand” or “broken glass.”
The high frequencies remain at a good level, if this level is present in the recordings. And something told me that “you won't find better numbers” — my hand reached for the disc that had already been tested for bass. That very track with “drum improvisation” saved me, as the cymbals are as well defined as the bass drum. And at the end, I even found a guitar!
I have no complaints here: accurate, detailed, with smooth decay. Although, perhaps, the high frequencies are presented with a slight emphasis. But this is hardly a complaint — just a minor quibble. By the way, I remembered: if for you this is not a minor quibble, but a hint of a complaint — the included grilles will slightly reduce the high frequencies, tested.
And the most high-fidelity component is the construction of an imaginary stage. Overall, I was pleased with the good positioning of the vocals, and in the recording of the drum improvisation, it was clear where each drum was located in space. The positioning is not extremely accurate, but it is quite acceptable.
So, what do we have in the end? The Jamo S 809 is a successful compromise between style, sound, and price. Their appearance is pure Scandinavian aesthetics, which will easily fit into a modern interior without requiring you to sacrifice bulky boxes.
They sound lively and energetic, with a clear bias towards clear highs and a resilient midrange. This is not the relaxed, warm sound for long evenings with jazz, but rather a lively, engaging sound. They are excellent for movie soundtracks, pop music, and rock.
These speakers are for those who are looking for their first serious audio system, don't want to overpay, and appreciate modern design. They don't claim to be the gold standard for audiophiles, but they offer a very convincing and complete package for their price. If your priority is dynamic, modern sound and stylish appearance, the Jamo S 809 is definitely worth considering.
