Johannus Developments

[nullogik]

Been browsing Johannus' website and discovered that they've introduced a new model - the "Studio 150".

Price is a surprisingly low EUR3995 or roughly USD$6000. It looks like it might be competing in the same market as the Roland C330 as both appear to have fairly similar specs. Although I gather the Roland is more than twice the price of the Johannus. The PDF link is below, but is in Dutch!

http://www.johannus.com/static/uploa...udio150_NL.pdf

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They've also launched an online E-shop where you can browse and view the prices of their organs. It makes a nice change that they are so transparent about their prices unlike most others out there who seem to be a little more guarded when giving out a price list. Again the shop is in Dutch.

http://shop.johannus.com/

Note: 1 EUR = approx USD$1.4

[RayE]

This looks like the model they sell in the US as the Opus 7, but I can't compare them that closely because I don't know Dutch.

[Art75]

COPY the web site address and go to Google / More /Translate and PASTE it in the left side box. Be sure to not allow "autodetect" the language, but select Dutch. Then select the "translated" web address in the right box and Google will attempt to translate the Johannus web page. The organ has the appearance and a number of features of the Roland C-330.
-=art=-

[jdb]

They've also launched an online E-shop where you can browse and view the prices of their organs. ... Again the shop is in Dutch.

At the homepage of their website, one can choose the language of the site in the upper right hand corner. There's Dutch, German, French and English in 4 versions. As far as I can tell, all of these variations have prices in Euros, GBP or USD.

http://johannus.com

[RayE]

It looks similar to the Roland C-330 and is very similar in size, but it isn't listed on any of their English sites yet, it is almost Identical to the Johannus Opus 7 that is listed on the US sites but it has 4 more voices than the OPUS 7. The Roland C-330 has 3 different pallets of 28 voices, + tracker action, and also includes many orchestral voices. I'm sure the Johannus is an impressive instrument, with a great sound, but it's specifications don't match that of the C-330 from what I can see.

[tkosiorek]

They have lowered all their prices due to the worldwide economic troubles,This is what I have been told by a Johannus dealer that I work for,

[jdb]

... it isn't listed on any of their English sites yet, it is almost Identical to the Johannus Opus 7 that is listed on the US sites but it has 4 more voices than the OPUS 7. ...

It is now:

http://www.johannus.com/en-us/collec...oducts/studio/

[jsarnett]

This looks like the model they sell in the US as the Opus 7, but I can't compare them that closely because I don't know Dutch.

My local Johannus dealer told me the new Studio series will be replacing the Opus 7 series.

[nullogik]

They have released a video demonstration of this organ.

Can't say that I was impressed by the sound; the Rodgers C330 sounds better to me, but then it should at more than twice the price!

http://www.johannus.com/en/multimedi...-studio-150-en

[mashaffer]

Interesting organs. I went to youtube and looked up some videos of Johannus studios (150 in this case). Sure wish my old Baldwin HT2 could sound like that, but then the Baldwin was free. :D

mike

[nullogik]

Largest Johannus Monarke Dedication

Messiah United Methodist Church, Springfield, VA will be holding a dedication concert celebrating the installation of their new 4 manual Johannus Organ which is apparently the largest Johannus in the North America. Concert is on 23 Oct at 3pm.

http://www.johannus.com/en/nieuws/jd...north-america/

What is interesting is the Church's website gives us some interesting details about their new install. Looks like it cost US$425,000, has 78 channels through 225 speakers, two 850W subwoofers, positive division in a movable case and 96 ranks. More interestingly it mentions that the "computer memory...is measured in terabytes" - so no short samples here then!

More details and pictures here:

http://www.messiahumc.org/#/worship/organ-campaign

Perhaps if we have any Virgina forum members they could compare this in Springfield, VA with similarly sized and priced*** Allen Elite Opus VII in Roanoake, VA?

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*** Correction - Just noticed that the official quotation for Allen Elite Opus VII was $256,538. Though in Rudy Lucente's report to St Andrews he seems to make out that Allen were keen to get an Elite in the area as "typically an Elite series...would be priced approx $75k higher." Anyway, an interest side note!

[circa1949]

Wowzers! that's really interesting! Sounds like that instrument should definitely be in the same league as the M&O organ(s). I might head down there to hear it...no promises though.

[radagast]

What is interesting is the Church's website gives us some interesting details about their new install. Looks like it cost US$425,000, has 78 channels through 225 speakers, two 850W subwoofers, positive division in a movable case and 96 ranks. More interestingly it mentions that the "computer memory...is measured in terabytes" - so no short samples here then!

Considering that Johannus is known for really inexpensive organs, an organ from them for US$425,000 comes as a surprise. And I wonder if they considered any other brands? That price definitely would have put them in the Marshall & Ogletree range.

[Clarion]

They have released a video demonstration of this organ.

Can't say that I was impressed by the sound; the Rodgers C330 sounds better to me, but then it should at more than twice the price!

http://www.johannus.com/en/multimedi...-studio-150-en

I wasn't impressed with the sound either. Perhaps the demo was merely badly recorded, but if Johannus can't take care of something that simple, then . . . . :-(

The organ seemed to be conspicuously underpowered, and I kept waiting for them to open up, but even with full diapason chourus, it sounded thin, whimpy and anemic. Even as a practice organ, this instrument is bound to leave the victim climbing the wall after about two months; leaving the organist perpetually frustrated, attempting to crank out something this organ is incapable of doing.

I'm not sure which corners Johannus cut in producing this instrument isn't in the same league at the C330. :-(

[circa1949]

I went to the dedication concert.
Oddly enough one approach to this review is just to say "it sounds like a pipe organ" and be done with it. But you know me, I'm happy to elaborate...
Firstly, I make no secret of my frame of reference. I do not regularly attend a church, and when I have in the past 10 years it's been churches with pipe organs. Usually for a concert/recital and not a service. So I can only compare it to what I know, which is the sound of a pipe organ, not whatever I imagine stock organs of other manufacturers sound like. (That being said, I'm spent some time at various Allen & Rodgers dealers, so what their latest offerings sound like is not completely unfamiliar to me.) I would start by theorizing that there are 2 overall criteria for these "prestige" electronic organ installations. Most importantly, are they as musically effective as the best possible pipe organ that could be installed in the same space? Secondly, could they fool a blind-folded panel of the most discriminating listeners and organists into believing that it was a pipe organ?

For the first qualification, the organ is a resounding success. (no pun intended) It was a much smaller sanctuary than I thought it would be, of a sort of hipped A-frame design. But compared to some such churches, the side walls weren't very high at all, and the slope not greater than 45 degrees, maybe even 40, so the volume past 8 feet of height was very constrained. To even have small-medium sized pipe organ of say 2 manuals and 27 ranks would gobble up almost 10% of the floor space. You just couldn't have a very tall case without an enormous footprint. The story that emerged in speaking to various people was that both times an organ had been considered for the space, recently and 20 years ago, the pipe organ companies had told them that to have an instrument of relatively vast tonal resources, their only choice would have been to spend > 300k to completely redesign the building to add a bump-out pipe chamber. 20 years ago they got an Allen Custom Classic, presumably all TT4 based with at least 17 channels. (This raises an interesting aside, that this church had a history of some sophistication in choosing state of the art electronic organs.) So in other words, there's simply no way a pipe organ in this space could have come close to the massive specification of this organ. I will even further goad the pipe purists by saying that, I know of a pipe organ I have heard several times, a large 4 manual in a larger, though still carpeted and padded space, that just sounded muffled and one-dimensional compared to this instrument. Blame the builder/voicer if you wish, but I think some small, almost-dead acoustic spaces are so challenging it's almost impossible to make a pipe organ sound "great" in them. (OTOH, I know of a high ceiling "Gothic" church, stone walls & floor, probably the same # of seats, with a small but very lively sounding pipe organ)

As to the second test, that's a more esoteric point, because of course the goal is to be musically effective, not to fool 10 blindfolded organists. Were there the most miniscule things I think I heard that might have tipped me off to it being an electronic organ if I had been blindfolded? Perhaps. But I'm not sure! On a couple chords, for example, there was what seemed to be a slightly electronic sounding "reverb tail". Of course, this is already biased by my visual assessment of the acoustic space. To really test the organists, you'd have to bring them into the church blindfolded, and earplugged(!) - so they'd have no clue as to the acoustic nature of the space. It's possible some odd sound reflection off one of the rafters just sounded like a synthetic reverb tail. Also there was the very slightest impression the deepest bass gave me of coming from subwoofers, than from 32' long pipes. But again, I've never been in a church so small that has a 32' Bombarde, nor would it even be possible unless 1/3 of the sanctuary were taken over by the organ, so I can't in my mind even begin to imagine what a proper 32' Bombarde would sound like in such a space. It still had that "gut dissolving" quality one gets sitting in the choir of the National Cathedral when the 64 & 32 Bombardes are used (and yes, the lowest notes there are electronic too!) so there's no doubt to the overall authenticity.

All in all by far the most amazing electronic organ I've ever heard. The overall ensemble was just so warm and so gorgeous. The "electronic-ness" that can plague smaller speaker/channel configurations was totally absent, and the individual sounds were striking in their realism. I look forward to visiting one of the Allen Elites, sooner rather than later, to compare while this organ is still fresh in my mind. Or maybe even one of the M&Os...as we've all concluded it's not really rocket science to make an instrument at this level...just use lots of channels and really excellent, long samples. And a lot of money. But clearly a lot of subtleties come into play. And also, the ultimate voicer is the room itself. Considering how limiting this space was, the organ sounded astonishing.

BTW I'm compelled to note that, even counting the kids who were dragged along (one little girl annoyingly insisting on playing with her coloring book during a quiet piece) the average age in attendance was at least 60.