{"id":3670,"date":"2025-05-17T10:20:27","date_gmt":"2025-05-17T08:20:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/?p=3670"},"modified":"2025-04-25T10:25:02","modified_gmt":"2025-04-25T08:25:02","slug":"jern-15","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/tests\/types\/loudspeakers\/jern-15\/","title":{"rendered":"JERN 15"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Housed in a cast-iron mould that is virtually impervious to vibration, Jern’s Danish speakers incorporate two drivers, the quality of which increases as you move up the range. <\/strong>One of the best is the Jern 15, which offers even more finesse and, above all, fullness than its predecessors, with a bass that’s all the more impressive for the fact that this 15.5 kg speaker is only 30 cm high.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded in 1975 in Aars by Holger Dissing, around 100 km from Aarhus and 200 km from Copenhagen, the Danish company Dansk Skalform was subsequently sold to the children, S\u00f8ren and Peter Dissing. While manufacturing complex, extremely rigid cast-iron parts for the automotive and aerospace industries, the first son, S\u00f8ren, also a hi-fi enthusiast, thought one day of using this material for loudspeakers. He developed the idea with Ole Lund Christensen, a graduate of the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) with a master’s degree in chemistry, an engineer who had devoted most of his life to research into improving hi-fi technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus was born the Jern brand (iron in Danish) and the 14 loudspeaker, the first in the range to inaugurate a mould that is still unique at the moment, created using state-of-the-art calculators and machines to enclose two loudspeakers in a cabinet 18 cm deep and 21 cm wide at most, for a height of 30 cm. Today, the range includes 11 models (see box), at the risk of getting lost in them all, but we’ve limited our review to one of the most accomplished: number 15. With an impedance of 4 ohms like all the others except the 14 (at 8 ohms), the 15 incorporates the patented Vibrakill cast iron mould, the brand’s benchmark. Obviously, this mould has to be non-magnetic to avoid interference. The cast iron uses an alloy whose main composition is graphite, while the cabinet contains a honeycomb design to interfere with the waves and limit interference even further. Very attractive, the little final object, whose design is reminiscent of the much classier MiniPod, boasts very high perceived quality and is particularly surprising when lifted, since while the Jern 11 already weighs 12.44 kg, the Jern 15 gains three more on the scales, for a total of 15.5 kg. But it’s when you tap on the speaker that the plumb effect is most impressive, as it’s as if you’re tapping on a rigid pebble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More upmarket than the 11, 12 and the first two 14 models, the Jern 15, like the 11s, returns to a custom-made 22mm Wavecor tweeter, but switches to a long-throw SEAS bass\/midrange driver, with a cone surface area more developed than the lower models, at 104 cm\u00b2. The frequency response then expands downwards to 59 Hz, while models 11 and 12 start at 6 Hz. The treble rises to 2 kHz and benefits from natural felt damping of the tweeter, while the rest of the enclosure includes lambswool, known for its pure and very fine properties. A Mundorf Mcap capacitor is integrated into the system along with a 0.26 ohm crossover coil of the same brand. The internal wiring is all in shielded Teflon, and the pair of connection terminals are gold-plated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The design is very different from that of more conventional compact speaker cabinets, but benefits from a Nordic style to which is added the possibility of choosing four colours: three matt (black, grey and white) and one gloss (red). Priced at \u20ac2,890, the Jern 15 costs twice as much as the entry-level 11, but its sound performance takes it much further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"jern<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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The set up<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Very compact, but also very heavy for their size, the Jern 15s need to be placed on a surface capable of supporting their substantial weight. Their flat base means that they can be placed directly on a piece of furniture or a flat surface, but depending on the size of the surface, it is advisable to purchase the multi-directional rubber buoys (\u20ac120), so that you can then orientate the speakers as required, vertically or horizontally. Wall-mounting brackets (\u20ac120) are also available, or to further enhance their Nordic look, small wooden and cast-iron tripods to place on a piece of furniture (\u20ac360) or on the floor (\u20ac760).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A stand is also available, which is expensive (\u20ac1,160) but has the advantage of being made of cast iron and filled with sand, weighing a total of 23 kg, with a choice of two sizes, 85 and 95 cm, the latter being particularly aesthetic and allowing the sound to be projected over a wider area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of amplification, the Jern woofer has a closed load and needs power to be energised. A minimum power of 20 W in class A or 70 W in class AB is therefore recommended, bearing in mind that before the speakers were collected for in situ testing, they were listened to and compared with the Jern 11, 12WS and 15H at Concert-Home and therefore associated with numerous amplifiers, always used at consequent volume levels, even the very powerful Heed Lagrange and Accuphase E-5000. At prices higher than those of the speakers (four times more expensive for the E-5000), these amplifiers were not really limited by the Jern 15s, so much so that the build quality and natural timbre of the latter were able to blossom without problem, particularly in the bass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The sound of the Jern 15<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A closed load and an ultra-rigid cabinet with damping claimed by the brand to be 100 times better than that of a solid aluminium cabinet – this is the secret of the Danish wizards who have succeeded in creating, from the Jern 11 onwards, a product with very impressive staying power, particularly in the lower end of the spectrum. The Jern 12WS goes even further in terms of treble quality, but it’s really with the 15 that the full splendour of an impressively deep soundstage emerges. In addition to the absence of vibration, which creates a pure, natural sound, the 15 boasts a perfectly balanced mass, as well as a very wide amplitude, even for large symphonic masses. The timbres are very well defined, and if the treble can still gain from the 15H, which is nevertheless much more expensive (\u20ac4,400), the very deep bass without the slightest overhang seems to have no competition of this quality at this price level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dynamics are also very pronounced, taking advantage once again of the resonance-free body and natural damping to allow strong variations without interference, developed over the entire frequency range, shorter than other loudspeakers yet perfectly controlled without the slightest risk of saturation. Detailed planes intermingle without one register taking over another, for example in large opera chorus scenes. R&B (Dr Dre, Tyler, The Creator) benefits fully from dense bass that is never distorted, just as electro music (Einst\u00fcrzende Neubauten, Paul Kalkbrenner) finds a way to express itself without creating the slightest auditory fatigue, but on the contrary with a freedom exalted by the bass. The midrange does not lag behind and also benefits from the definition of the SEAS driver, while the Wavecor tweeter is undoubtedly less precise, but in the end achieves a particularly pleasant balance, for a listening experience that is always flexible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"jern<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Our conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As we’ve said over and over again, the Jerns impress first and foremost with what makes them so special: the cast-iron cabinet, which is extremely rigid and resistant to vibration. So the Jern 15 makes full use of this technology, as well as incorporating some top-quality components, notably its SEAS loudspeaker, which takes the listener even further into a superbly full-bodied closed-load bass. Extremely well-balanced, this design object can be placed anywhere in a room and just needs a substantial power supply to deliver all its qualities, particularly dynamic ones. Still priced at an affordable \u20ac2,890, number 15 seems to be the perfect compromise between musicality and price in a range that is nevertheless already interesting, starting with the 11 and especially the 11S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A bif family in a small mould<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Very expensive to manufacture, the cast-iron mould of Jern loudspeakers is now identical for all models, of which there will be 11 by early 2022, following the recent integration of two products at the top of the range. Here’s a quick overview to help you distinguish between the components of each model:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 11 and 11S<\/strong> : at the entry level of the range, the 11 models already incorporate the Vibrakill cast-iron cabinet, for a total weight of 12.44 kg. The drivers are from Wavecor, and the 11S stands out for its wool and natural felt damping and shielded Teflon cables, while the 11 uses more conventional foam and multi-strand cabling<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 12WP, 12WS and 12XF<\/strong> : The 12 range stands out above all for its higher-quality tweeter, made by SEAS for two of them and Scanspeak for the WS. The Scanspeak tweeter does not rise as high (20 kHz as opposed to 32 kHz), but provides greater finesse and more natural timbres at the top end of the spectrum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 14DS, 14EH and 14ES<\/strong> : Scanspeak or even Hiquphon for the tweeters, but above all Scanspeak for the midrange driver, which has less bass (90 Hz) and requires a separate cabinet, or the brand’s dedicated stand with woofer. This range has gone from 12 to 15 kg and, above all, to an impedance of 8 ohms, whereas the others are all 4 ohms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 15, 15H and 15S<\/strong> : This is a top-of-the-range model, even if the initial 15 costs less than the 14EH and ES. The 15 models use a Wavecor (15) or Hiquphon tweeter with gold (15H and S) and switch to a wider SEAS woofer to get down to 59 Hz and 55 Hz. The two best also use a high-quality Mundorf capacitor and coil, and Nextgen WBT terminals for the 15S. This range is particularly impressive in terms of the breadth of its soundstage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Author<\/strong>: Vincent Guillemin<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technical sheet: Jern 15<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Origin<\/strong>: Denmark<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Price <\/strong>: \u20ac2,890<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Dimensions <\/strong>: 210 x 300 x 180 mm<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Weight <\/strong>: 15.5 kg<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Sensitivity <\/strong>: 85 dB @ 2.83 V<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Impedance<\/strong>: 4 ohms<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Frequency response<\/strong>: 59 Hz-28 kHz<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Housed in a cast-iron mould that is virtually impervious to vibration, Jern’s Danish speakers incorporate two drivers, the quality of which increases as you move up the range. One of the best is the Jern 15, which offers even more finesse and, above all, fullness than its predecessors, with a bass that’s all the more […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3671,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26,38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-loudspeakers","category-types"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3670"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3670\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3671"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vumetre.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}