In this review, we will be comparing two different types of speakers by Jamo. Jamo Concert 9 Series C 97 II is a Floor-standing speaker whereas the C 9 CEN II is a Center Channel speaker.
Let's have a brief look at the main features
of Jamo C 97 II and Jamo C 9 CEN II first before getting into our more
detailed comparison.
| Key Specs | Jamo C 97 II | Jamo C 9 CEN II |
|---|
| Brand | Jamo
Denmark · founded 1966 | Jamo
Denmark · founded 1966 |
|---|
| Design | 3-way | 2-way |
|---|
| Tweeter | 1" | 1" soft dome with an integrated waveguide |
|---|
| Midrange | 6" | — |
|---|
| Woofer | 3 x 6" Composite | 2 x 4" HCCC (Hybrid Composition Conical Cone) |
|---|
| Frequency response | 32-24k Hz | 55-24k Hz |
|---|
| Sensitivity | 89 dB | 88 dB |
|---|
| Impedance | 6 ohms | 6 ohms |
|---|
| Power range | 50-180 watts | 50-140 watts |
|---|
| Weight | 24.55kg / 54lbs | 3.09kg / 6.8lbs |
|---|
| Dimensions (H x W x D) | 42-1/8" x 9-3/4" x 15-13/16"
1070.0 x 248.0 x 402.0mm | 7-3/16" x 18-5/16" x 9-1/16"
183.0 x 466.0 x 231.0mm |
|---|
C 97 II and C 9 CEN II are members of Jamo's Concert 9 series of speakers. Below you can find the loudspeakers from this series.
Jamo Concert 9 Series
History
What size room are the Jamo C 97 II and Jamo C 9 CEN II speakers good for?
The size of the room in which you are planning to use these loudspeakers is an important decision
factor. Here we have compared their suitability to various sizes of environments considering their size
and max power parameters:
| Listening Environment* |
Jamo C 97 II |
Jamo C 9 CEN II |
| Near-field |
Bad |
Poor |
| Small Room |
Poor |
Average |
| Mid-size Room |
Good |
Good |
| Large Room |
Good |
Average |
| Very Large Room |
Poor |
Poor |
(* Approximate Room sizes: Small < 100sq. ft / 9 m2,
Mid-size: 100-220 sq. ft / 9-20 m2, Large 220-400 sq. ft / 20-36 m2, Very Large: >
400 sq. ft / 36 m2.
Average Floor Height: 9" / 2.7m. Typical room sizes differ from country to country, and the actual
listening experience changes depending on floor height, room shape, surface materials, listening
position, speaker locations, etc.)
The sections below take each area in turn: drivers, frequency response, physical size and what you get in the box.
Drivers
One of the fundamental differences between these two speakers is that C 97 II is a 3-way design whereas the C 9 CEN II is a 2-way speaker. 3-way designs utilize a midrange driver in addition to the tweeter and woofer on 2-way designs. Designing a crossover for a 3-way speaker is a complicated process and generally increases the overall cost of the speaker.
Jamo C 97 IIJamo C 9 CEN II
TweeterMidrangeWoofer
Front view, drawn to scale - cabinets and drivers share one scale, so sizes are directly comparable. Hover a driver for its size.
| Driver |
Jamo C 97 II |
Jamo C 9 CEN II |
|
Driver Setup
|
3-way
|
2-way
|
|
Tweeter
|
1-inch
|
1-inch
|
|
Midrange
|
1 x 6-inch |
- |
|
Woofer
|
3 x 6-inch
|
2 x 4-inch
|
C 97 II features a 1" Tweeter, a 6" Midrange and 3 x 6" Composite Woofer. On the other hand, the C 9 CEN II features a 1" soft dome with an integrated waveguide Tweeter and 2 x 4" HCCC (Hybrid Composition Conical Cone) Woofer.
Frequency Response
C 97 II has a frequency range of 32-24k Hz whereas C 9 CEN II has a frequency range of 55-24k Hz. With a minimum frequency of 32Hz, the C 97 II can go significantly deeper on the low side and provide stronger bass compared to the C 9 CEN II's min frequency of 55Hz.
The graph below depicts how these two speakers compare with the max, min and average Low Frequency values of other speakers in the Floor-standing class in our database.
Low Frequency
Floor-standing Speakers
Neither pair reaches down to 20Hz, the usual definition of full-range, which is normal for speakers of this size. If you want the bottom octave for movies or bass-heavy music, add a subwoofer to whichever you choose. Visit our Powered Subwoofers section to find out more about the available options.
Impedance and Sensitivity
C 97 II and C 9 CEN II have the same Impedance of 6 ohms but where they differ is the sensitivity levels. C 97 II sensitivity is rated at 89 dB and the C 9 CEN II's is at 88 dB. This 1 dB difference makes the Jamo C 97 II a more sensitive speaker compared to Jamo C 9 CEN II, hence will play louder with the same amount of watts.
Sensitivity
Floor-standing Speakers
Power Range
Power
range is the range of input power in watts RMS that a loudspeaker is designed to handle. Staying
within that range gives nominal performance; driving the speaker beyond its maximum wattage can damage it.
C 97 II can handle a max power of 180 watts RMS, whereas C 9 CEN II has a max power handling value of 140 watts RMS, 40 watts less than the C 97 II.
Note that higher power handling does not make a speaker louder: that depends mainly on
sensitivity and impedance. The calculator below shows how loud each of these actually plays
on a real amplifier.
Which plays louder on your amplifier?
Starting with a popular amplifier - change it to the one you own, or any you are
considering, and watch both numbers move.
Input Type and Bi-Amping / Bi-Wiring
C 97 II features Posts posts which make bi-amping or bi-wiring possible. C 9 CEN II has a 5-Way post which doesn't feature bi-amping/bi-wiring.
Jamo C 97 II's Posts terminals allows Bi-amping or bi-wiring
Jamo C 9 CEN II's 5-Way post terminals
Cabinet Type and Port Position
Both C 97 II and C 9 CEN II have rear firing ports. Rear ported speakers generally need more room between the backside of the speaker and the wall compared to sealed and front/bottom ported speakers. Placing the speakers too close to the walls may cause the bass to sound boomy.
If you are limited in space and can't get the speakers away from the backwall, check our Speakers with Front Firing Ports page.
Physical Specs
The size of a speaker can sometimes be an important decision factor due to space constraints or in some cases purely for esthetic reasons. In this section, we are going to compare Jamo C 97 II's and Jamo C 9 CEN II's external dimensions. Jamo C 97 II has external dimensions of 1070.0 x 248.0 x 402.0mm (42-1/8 x 9-3/4 x 15-13/16inch) whereas Jamo C 9 CEN II has external dimensions of 183.0 x 466.0 x 231.0mm (7-3/16 x 18-5/16 x 9-1/16inch).
Jamo C 9 CEN II is 887mm shorter and 171mm less deeper than Jamo C 97 II but it is also 218mm wider.
Base Surface Area Comparison
Base surface area of a loudspeaker may become a determining factor when the space in your room or desk is limited.
The base surface area of the Jamo C 97 II is approximately 997.0cm2 / 154.5inch2 and base area of the Jamo C 9 CEN II is approximately 1076.5cm2 / 166.9inch2. The C 97 II requires 7% less surface area than the C 9 CEN II which gives it a small advantage on placement in tight spaces.
What's in the Box of Jamo C 97 II?
Here are the items that are included inside the box of C 97 II:
- Floorstanding loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Outrigger feet
- 4 Spikes (pre-installed on outrigger feet)
- 4 Rubber feet
- 8 Machine screws
- 2 Jumper-straps (pre-installed)
- Hex-key
- User Manual
- Important Safety Instructions
- Warranty Information
What's in the Box of Jamo C 9 CEN II?
Here are the items that come with the C 9 CEN II:
- Center-channel loudspeaker
- Grille
- 4 Rubber feet (pre-installed)
- 2 Self-adhesive rubber bumpers
- User Manual
- Important Safety Instructions
- Warranty Information