“Andrew Jones is in town.” That was the call that came in, followed by “…and he’s with Cerreta…and Troubadour.”
The last time I’d spoken to Andrew he was over the Atlantic in LA, and me stuck in Surrey, but that was with his MoFi hat on (to discuss a speaker I ended up buying). This time he’s here to talk about something quite different – the all new Troubadour, which is the debut release from his joint venture with the Cerreta brothers.
Since this speaker was announced earlier this year, it’s been the talk of hifi town. Why? Because this is Jones with the gloves off, free to challenge longstanding perceptions and push the boundaries of loudspeaker design by getting back to its roots. Oh, and it looks absolutely gorgeous.
A Troubadour out in the wild which marries vintage looks with modern tech. Note the all important paper-coned dual concentic field-coil driven unit (top of shot)
At first glance it’s clear that this speaker features all the hallmarks Jones is renowned for, including his combined dual concentric mid and high frequency drive units, which places a tweeter (in this case a 1.25″) at the throat of a (10″) midrange woofer, for a more seamless and natural acoustic overlap and dispersion.
But this is no ordinary point-source drive unit (not that Jones has ever done ordinary), as both are field coil designs, which hark back to the designs of yesteryear before perma magnets became de rigueur, with each powered by the brand’s own dedicated power supply (read more about the tech). Some argue that the industry threw the loudspeaker baby out with the bath water all those years ago when it moved to passive magnets, with many still favouring field coil designs today.
Speaker’s rear panel showing its opposing 12″ bass driver alongside ports (which can be used for tuning), tone switches, speaker cable binding posts and power input
Make mine a large
Held at London’s Spiritland listening bar/cafe/radio studio, the space is very different to your typical hifi show hotel room. Relaxed, informal, huge and just plain cool is its vibe, which suited the speaker and event perfectly.
Andrew Jones – the loudspeaker messiah
Proceedings kicked off with some delightful musical demos by Jones and brothers Jamie and Bill (whose talents as a speaker designer, music producer and electrical engineer all combine into the Troubadour).
Creative Strategy and Co-Founder Jamie Cerreta joins Jones for a deep dive into the thinking behind the brand and its debut speaker
The playlist was eclectic, with some tracks mastered by Jamie himself and far from your usual hifi show repatoire (Pink Floyd and London Gramma were not on the menu).
Instead artists spanned Dan Patlansky, Fiona Apple, Harry Belafonte, Ratchets and Tool, with the Troubadour showing it welcomes all music genres equally and with great delight, while also packing the ability to drive a very large space with consummate ease. Power, grip, delicacy and finesse were all on display in doses as large as those 12″ drive units.
CEO and Co-Founder Bill Cerreta with International Sales & Marketing Director Kat Ourlian behind the wheels of steel
The following Q&A hosted by Organiser In Chief Kat Ourlian was just as insightful, hearing how the trio got together, the ethos that drives them and plans for the future, including an extended line-up with more affordable models.
A monster McIntosh amp being put through its paces
Of course speakers in this class need equally refined hardware to drive them, and McIntosh’s MA 12000 integrated amp was more than up to the task, with 350W of hybrid valve/solid state power on tap.
For vinyl duties things were just as accomplished, with a flagship Kuzma XL DC deck delivering the sounds, operated by none other than Peter Madnick of MoFi (amongst others) fame.
Hey Mr DJ – it’s not every day you get amp guru Peter Madnick along to spin your LPs
Parting thoughts…
This is very special speaker like no other, which is set to win a lot of admirers while challenging many high-end preconceptions. It looks simply stunning, grand yet easy enough on the eye to not be overly imposing. Sonically it can also deliver real authoritative bass that’s also natural and when combined with the beguiling sweetness of that oh-so-important dual concentric driver…you’re taken to another level.
The SourcePoint V10 Master Edition was a game changer for under ten grand from MoFi, and with the Troubadour, Jones and Cerreta are set to do the same a good few rungs up the high end ladder. I cannot wait to test it.
A huge thanks to Kat, Andrew, Bill, Jamie and the Spiritland team for hosting a night to remember 🙏
Jones & Cerreta’s Troubadour – so good even David Bowie looks impressed
