Although early on Jazzon struck me as yet another well-developed Cube free from major surprises, its performance heard at the Munich 2022 booth remained fresh and telling. It had felt thicker than the two Nenuphar models I'd heard yet didn't forget how to portray vocals as distant or close as a given track has them and always pinpoint accurate, nicely outlined and moisturized. It also knew well in what proportions tonal mass, propulsion and openness should blend to keep up with repertoire demands so was versatile and highly adaptive. It sounded as effortless and insightful as it was mature, tasteful and without flash. It propagated lots of air for exploded dynamic contrasts and kept any hints of compression or effort at bay. That was quite a list of things to enjoy. Then Jazzon's confrontation with my sound|kaos Vox 3afw provided the extra insight needed to fully map its profile.

I locate Martin Gateley's monitors almost in the middle of the room very close to the listening chair so I tap into their fabulous insight and imaging without trading anything in particular. Going back and forth between this small stand mount and far larger Jazzon much closer to my walls drastically changed perspective. Although both were sonorous explicit full-range types free from leanness or spatial confusion, the Vox's outlines were finer, more precise and closer to my ears while all layers behind the primary images increased depth significantly. Jazzon's projections were more distant and uniformly stretched left to right so less surrounding. Its more massive attitude felt calmer than the Vox's lighter noticeably more quicksilvery and radiant footprint. After comparing both it was clear where Jazzon's place was among its kind.

After hearing multiple widebanders at various shows and reflecting on how large and fussy they were, Cube Audio really have worked hard to domesticate this underground type and make it as accessible as it could possibly be. That said, Jazzon struck me as their most relaxed, approachable and easy design I heard to date. Although styled and sized for living rooms where casual listeners should thoroughly enjoy its crowd-pleasing personality, this still is a very serious high-end performer. Infused with all widebander perks minus most the usual downsides, it won't shy away from any music challenges and easily surpasses many traditional competitors on control, quickness, articulation, heft, tone, tactility, immersion and spatial treats. If that weren't enough, Nenuphar which sells for more than twice isn't too far ahead on sonics to make already highly accomplished Jazzon a bargain to boot. Well done!