Sonus Faber Stradivari ....

Mikeeo

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Oct 21, 2015
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Hi Mike,

I have searched on Ansuz website but couldn't find the same product as yours(DTC) and the upper part of the spikeshoe that holding the spikes. Any chance to point me a direction where can i get them?

Thanks

Evan
Hi Evan,

Sorry for the confusion as the former top of the line was DTC out of 4 levels. The DTC has now been replaced by another top of the line T2S (I think they have labelled this one wrong in the headline on the homepage) a version that is about double price of DTC but not as good to my ears in direct comparison. Try finding second hand DTC or still existing stock. It is not only me but a lot other people I know that think the DTC is a better version. The former top Darkz had DLC (diamondlike coating) on them and was called the diamond series however Ansuz had major issues with de-lamination of that coating specially on the D1 and D2 series where the base material was aluminium but the DTC base material was tungsten carbide a material with much better sticking to the DLC. I pointed that out to Ansuz many years ago (I have a former professional background in these specific areas). In general my guess is that Ansuz had to rework these coatings with something better sticking materials and now uses several different materials to create good sticking (which is the common methods in hardware industry for drills etc when specific properties are wanted). Anyway, Ansuz will claim this is smarter and better sounding but to my ears they put aside SQ and went for material perfection however that is my opinion and conclusion after listening to the new top of the line Darkz. In general these Darkz do not look like something at all but what they add more make up for the price paid so do not be alarmed by the prices they really add x-times performance hike to the price paid. I have these under all my gear.
Something positive about the new Darkz lineup is that they lowest priced Darkz is really good and much better than previous model. The proof is in the listening and judge for your self. And who knows you may prefer the new lineup in your system.
Finally the former DTC is to my ears better than current top one and at half price.
Transports, preamps, phonoamps, turntable, psu, speakers benefit from this in different levels of SQ hike.

In comparison with Stillpoint, Ansuz is beyond better, but compare, it may be the other way around for you.

Start testing and decide your self. I have 40 DTC's my self so go figure….

As a final note, Ansuz power cables (Mainz) are magic to more or less any other brand I demoed and the go circles around Shunyata as an example as I see many in the US favor that brand and hardly see any using Ansuz. Test and you would perhaps be surprised. The C2 Mainz is a good start to test with.

I have no affiliation with Ansuz just to be clear!

Best/Mike
 
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Mikeeo

VIP/Donor
Oct 21, 2015
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Pan European
Hi Mike,

I have searched on Ansuz website but couldn't find the same product as yours(DTC) and the upper part of the spikeshoe that holding the spikes. Any chance to point me a direction where can i get them?

Thanks

Evan
Evan,

I see I missed answering you full question and kept on rambling about my impressions. The spikeshoe is not from Ansuz but from Solidtech and my add on to focus the energy from the Strad's spikes in to the Darkz. When it comes where to buy Darkz I do not know but in the US my view is that Ansuz presence have been worked against by the homegrown brands… but maybe Ansuz didn't focus their marketing that much over there...

What continent are you in?/Mike (Europe)
 

bk16

Well-Known Member
Jul 16, 2017
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Hi Mike,

Thank you very much for getting back to me so quickly and so comprehensively. I am based in Australia unfortunately we don't have anyone represents the Ansuz products here. I rarely get any chance to test equipments in my own system before buying so have to heavily rely on reviews or from user experience. I have paid a lot of expensive lessons along the years:cool:

I guess my next move will be to search for a preowned DCT sets over the internet (if i can find any)

thanks again.

Evan
 

Mikeeo

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Oct 21, 2015
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Hi Mike,

Thank you very much for getting back to me so quickly and so comprehensively. I am based in Australia unfortunately we don't have anyone represents the Ansuz products here. I rarely get any chance to test equipments in my own system before buying so have to heavily rely on reviews or from user experience. I have paid a lot of expensive lessons along the years:cool:

I guess my next move will be to search for a preowned DCT sets over the internet (if i can find any)

thanks again.

Evan
Hi Evan,

If you can find, start with 3 and test under a pre amp, DAC etc to see how it work before biting further bullets… Under my Strads the gave an effect you can't be without. I also used them under my GH org which really great effect (and yes GH can play base with a little help).

Write to Ansuz at this address fd@ansuz-acoustics.com They are very customer friendly and Frits who's address I gave you will do his best to help you out even if he probably want you to go for the new line of Darkz ;)

Best/Mike
 

bk16

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Jul 16, 2017
18
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108
This is where all the romance stared my journey with SF. The Amati homage. Don’t know I loved it so much until I sold them. The CJ pre&power combo worked better on this setup compared to the Stradivari. BA3F2707-4C0D-456A-ADD2-6B0E050F45E5.jpeg
 

Big Dog RJ

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Feb 2, 2012
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Hey Ev mate,
Good to see you here. This is the highest of highends... place to be I guess. Great insights from very knowledgeable people with varied systems carefully selected and built over the years. Like I've told you before, putting together a high quality system is an "art form," its a real effort. Not simple as making a payment to the dealer for the right price, way more than that as you are probably aware...

BTW, nice one on the SF Strads. They are probably the most beautiful finish money can buy on an item like this that reproduces music. As discussed earlier, since you've sold off the CJ monoblocks, I would highly recommend the Momentum amplifiers. Either the stereo version or the M series monoblocks. On the other hand, since you already have the GATS2, and since I'm very passionate about tubes and auditioned this combination, CJ's top of the line ART300's will be mighty fine! They didn't win the amplifiers of the year award just for nothing.

Either of these would be a far margin greater than those Burmester, EC and others you've tried so far. Like one member has mentioned, CH Precision or Solution amplifiers are also a top tier combination to try on your Strads.

BTW, just wondering what did you do with your CLX's? Sold them off too?

I guess your journey is still in the making... all the best with it and sooner or later you should hopefully get an idea on what you're after in terms of sheer power/performance vs musicality.

Let us know how it all goes. Cheers and have a good one mate,
RJ
 

Big Dog RJ

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Ev mate one more thing, don't forget to connect the GATS2 the right way, remember phase inversion on the Gat, therefore you need to connect the whole system in absolute phase.
Best, RJ
 

microstrip

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May 30, 2010
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This is where all the romance stared my journey with SF. The Amati homage. Don’t know I loved it so much until I sold them. The CJ pre&power combo worked better on this setup compared to the Stradivari. View attachment 68284
If you can find an used cj Premier 350 at a nice price get it immediately - it will be an excellent match with your GAT2 and your current speakers. Enjoy it while looking for another top amplifier - it will be great to have a good reference when listening to candidates. Remember that even an used Premier 350 needs some burning - every time I bring mine in service after a a few months in storage it sounds really terrible.
 

bk16

Well-Known Member
Jul 16, 2017
18
8
108
Hey Ev mate,
Good to see you here. This is the highest of highends... place to be I guess. Great insights from very knowledgeable people with varied systems carefully selected and built over the years. Like I've told you before, putting together a high quality system is an "art form," its a real effort. Not simple as making a payment to the dealer for the right price, way more than that as you are probably aware...

BTW, nice one on the SF Strads. They are probably the most beautiful finish money can buy on an item like this that reproduces music. As discussed earlier, since you've sold off the CJ monoblocks, I would highly recommend the Momentum amplifiers. Either the stereo version or the M series monoblocks. On the other hand, since you already have the GATS2, and since I'm very passionate about tubes and auditioned this combination, CJ's top of the line ART300's will be mighty fine! They didn't win the amplifiers of the year award just for nothing.

Either of these would be a far margin greater than those Burmester, EC and others you've tried so far. Like one member has mentioned, CH Precision or Solution amplifiers are also a top tier combination to try on your Strads.

BTW, just wondering what did you do with your CLX's? Sold them off too?

I guess your journey is still in the making... all the best with it and sooner or later you should hopefully get an idea on what you're after in terms of sheer power/performance vs musicality.

Let us know how it all goes. Cheers and have a good one mate,
RJ

Hey RJ,

Great to see you here mate. Again, thanks for all your efforts and coaching to me on this hobby. I have lent the CLX to a friend who is a diehard fan of Maggies to have a taste of ML and to compare them side by side with his Maggie. And probable list them for sale after the stage4 lockdown(not 100% sure yet).

In regards to the Burmester. I must admit that I really liked their sound reproductions on the mid to top end frequency spectrum. All string instruments were reproduced so nicely and elegantly. I reckon it could confidently compete with any top notch tube power amps. For me, at least this time, my searching criteria no.1 is to make the bass reproduction RIGHT. I sincerely think that a properly controlled bass department is the key foundation to a great music playback system. And it could also broaden up our interest to explore all sorts of different music type/genre(at least to me).

Keeping well mate.

Ev
 

bk16

Well-Known Member
Jul 16, 2017
18
8
108
If you can find an used cj Premier 350 at a nice price get it immediately - it will be an excellent match with your GAT2 and your current speakers. Enjoy it while looking for another top amplifier - it will be great to have a good reference when listening to candidates. Remember that even an used Premier 350 needs some burning - every time I bring mine in service after a a few months in storage it sounds really terrible.

Thanks for the tips microstrip.

Any chance to know if you have any experience with the LP275? We still have a spear pair of them sitting at my friends place for occasional comparison use. Do you think the Premier 350 will have a better match/performance with the gat2 than the LP275?

Many thanks
 

microstrip

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May 30, 2010
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Thanks for the tips microstrip.

Any chance to know if you have any experience with the LP275? We still have a spear pair of them sitting at my friends place for occasional comparison use. Do you think the Premier 350 will have a better match/performance with the gat2 than the LP275?

Many thanks

I still also have both in my room. IMHO the LP275m is in general a better amplifier except for slam and and bass control. I never used it with the SF Stradivari - my experience with tubes wit this speaker was with the old VTL MB750 which Achilles knee was a fat bass with poor articulation.

An owner of the GAT2-ART300 had great success with them using Nordost top cables - their clean and articulated bass was complementary with the cj's. Retrospectively, I think that my best experiences with cj most of the time included at less a Valhala or Odin interconnect. Unfortunately I didn't have the oportunity to try Vallhala 2 with current cj's in my room recently.
 

Big Dog RJ

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Feb 2, 2012
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Good stuff Ev mate,
Keep us posted on your findings and ultimate selection / decision.

There's a variety to choose from, especially when it comes to top level gear. Finding the right one to match is the hardest part. As long as you're getting stable current drive from the main amplifier/s that is the main criteria, not just power output. Class A is the best way to go in my experience but it's only a handful that get this right. That's why I keep going back to Pass Labs and the Momentum amplifiers, plenty of Class A finesse!

Cheers maties, have a good one now.
Best, RJ
 

Paul Wan

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Jun 30, 2021
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Hello, everyone. I'm considering to buy a new pair of speakers and can found used pairs of SF Stradivari, Amati Anniversario and Guarneri Memento available locally which are in excellent to near mint condition. But I'm not sure if they are suitable to my living room which only measures 11 feet x 21 feet. I'm a classical music lover for nearly four decades but know nothing on hi-fi equipment. I'm now using Marantz SA-10, Naim Supernait with Hicap and ATC SCM 7 only. I'm afraid I can only upgrade the speakers at this moment and will upgrade the remaining ones when fund are available. I'll be grateful if any of you can give me some advice. Thank you.
 

Mikeeo

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Oct 21, 2015
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Hi Paul and welcome to the forum!
If possible go Strads as you are a classical music lover but anyway this is the best choice of the ones you mention for any type of music. Be aware of that some later productions of Strads had some changes to the wood type used as can be seen from a more red:ish hue. These versions does not sound as good or different to me at least. Strads need good amplification and despite their high sensitivity they need plenty of juice to get the base right but when this happpens all is magic. Still my fav speaker despite all new high tech this and that speakers that have been introduced to the market since then. I run the 35 anniversary version of Strads. Your room size will not cause a problem for these speakers as they can stand pretty close but you should try for your self and keep some distance to sidewalls and behind. Tell us how things will turn out/Mike
 

StreamFidelity

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Jun 30, 2020
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used pairs of SF Stradivari, Amati Anniversario

I have no experience with SF Stradivari, but I find them beautiful for large rooms. For small rooms, I would tend to the Amati Anniversario. I have the SF Amati Futura and I love it.

SF speakers often have high demands on the current strength amps, because the impedance drops below 3 ohms. With the Amatis this is the case at approx. 60-70Hz.

Another point is the excellent bass. My amatis go down to 18Hz in "my room". Without digital room correction, the modes would be far too high. The thin line shows the frequency response without correction, the thick line with correction.



And who likes pictures. ;)



 

LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
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Hello, everyone. I'm considering to buy a new pair of speakers and can found used pairs of SF Stradivari, Amati Anniversario and Guarneri Memento available locally which are in excellent to near mint condition. But I'm not sure if they are suitable to my living room which only measures 11 feet x 21 feet. I'm a classical music lover for nearly four decades but know nothing on hi-fi equipment. I'm now using Marantz SA-10, Naim Supernait with Hicap and ATC SCM 7 only. I'm afraid I can only upgrade the speakers at this moment and will upgrade the remaining ones when fund are available. I'll be grateful if any of you can give me some advice. Thank you.
Hi Paul,

Very exciting to have 3 such amazing speakers as your options. Over the last 15 years, I have owned the Guarneri original and the SF Strad. Both are fantastic.

The SF Strad really does a remarkable job of giving you the magic of the G (which truly is special in my experience) while providing you with far greater scale, macro dynamic capability and also bass. If you can go for Strads, I would strongly recommend them. If decide to go with Gs, I would say not only ENJOY...but if you ever decide to go bigger, KEEP the Gs. I wanted to when I eventually went larger but I needed to trade the G's back in to pay for the entire upgrade...so no regrets for me.

As far as amplification is concerned, I personally have tended to look at upgrades this way: unless the match is going to be really bad/negative, go for the best single upgrade you can get...and at some point in the future, you can upgrade your next component if you wish to upgrade that next component to a comparable level. It is a long-term approach, but for me, it has provided me with great satisfaction knowing the direction of traveling I was taking was getting to a special pinnacle that I admired. The Strads 'can' run on midpowered tubes very well...but exceedingly high current/high quality amps (Class A SS) does have a tremendous ability to drive the Strads, and the Strads categorically respond well to high quality high current.

However, again, the Strads will still sound sublime if not massively disciplined with medium powered amplification or source equipment. On my end for example, despite wanting to upgrade digital someday, I had the Guarneris with a $60 Daewoo DVD player for YEARS. I did not find the $500-$2500 CD players to massively more compelling for the money. And the next step was the Zanden DAC 2nd hand...but even with the SF Strads at that point, I still used the Daewoo as the transport for probably another 5 years or so. On the amplification side, I was using a CJ 60-watt tube amp with the Strads which sounded great. Eventually moving to the Gryphon Antileon really transformed the bass and dynamic attack/capability, but until that point, I did not feel anything was missing.

Hope that helps. Enjoy.
 

Macattack

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I can’t add much regarding the speaker choices as I have only ever had the Strads.

I would say the Strads will work in your room as long as you have flexibility in placement ad will be able to treat the sidewalls and install bass traps.

To get the low end right, you will need flexibility to pull them out from the back wall. That could be up the to 6 or 7 feet.

As for amplifiers, last year, I moved from McIntosh MC2301s to Bricasti M28s and haven’t looked back. The Bricasti’s give me more extension (details) and a better controlled low end. Good luck in your journey.
 

Mikeeo

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I can’t add much regarding the speaker choices as I have only ever had the Strads.

I would say the Strads will work in your room as long as you have flexibility in placement ad will be able to treat the sidewalls and install bass traps.

To get the low end right, you will need flexibility to pull them out from the back wall. That could be up the to 6 or 7 feet.

As for amplifiers, last year, I moved from McIntosh MC2301s to Bricasti M28s and haven’t looked back. The Bricasti’s give me more extension (details) and a better controlled low end. Good luck in your journey.
Just to add another view on this, my Strads are placed 3 feet out from back wall and 2 feet from side walls in a 13x24 ft room without any specific room treatments and bass is just tight and fine. Though I have all my equipment on Ansuz Acoustics Darkz DTC which is a big reason for the in room results. But, consider amplifiers that can give good support in the 2,5-3 ohm area.

Mike
 

Big Dog RJ

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Feb 2, 2012
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Melbourne
I have no experience with SF Stradivari, but I find them beautiful for large rooms. For small rooms, I would tend to the Amati Anniversario. I have the SF Amati Futura and I love it.

SF speakers often have high demands on the current strength amps, because the impedance drops below 3 ohms. With the Amatis this is the case at approx. 60-70Hz.

Another point is the excellent bass. My amatis go down to 18Hz in "my room". Without digital room correction, the modes would be far too high. The thin line shows the frequency response without correction, the thick line with correction.



And who likes pictures. ;)



G'day mate,
Very nice gear there, especially on the T+A gear and those Solid Steel hyper spike racks. I've got the same, they're incredibly good for the price. Fantastic weight and do a fine job of accommodating even larger components.

Those Amati's must be sounding sweet as! Very nice tube gear, the T+A is awesome stuff!
That deserves a big woof!
oh! And most of all enjoy those fine tunes!
Cheers, RJ
 
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Big Dog RJ

Well-Known Member
Feb 2, 2012
1,242
463
1,155
Melbourne
Hello, everyone. I'm considering to buy a new pair of speakers and can found used pairs of SF Stradivari, Amati Anniversario and Guarneri Memento available locally which are in excellent to near mint condition. But I'm not sure if they are suitable to my living room which only measures 11 feet x 21 feet. I'm a classical music lover for nearly four decades but know nothing on hi-fi equipment. I'm now using Marantz SA-10, Naim Supernait with Hicap and ATC SCM 7 only. I'm afraid I can only upgrade the speakers at this moment and will upgrade the remaining ones when fund are available. I'll be grateful if any of you can give me some advice. Thank you.
G'day Paul,
The Strads would be a very nice upgrade, without a doubt! These were going to be on my short list of speakers many years ago, just after my short and wonderful experience with the Elipsa's. They're like the Strads but a smaller version, and the workmanship is outstanding! Probably one of those speakers with the most exquisite finishes, regardless of price. Just beautiful. Even the wifey commented how gorgeous they were just to look at. Apart from me that is...

However, not too sure if the Naim gear is going to do justice. I used a CJ amplifier at the time, the LP70S, and it drove the Elipsa's with plenty of drive, effortless control and a well balanced presentation. Being a dynamic driver type of speaker, there wasn't too much of anything. The LF wasn't overpowering, the mids weren't recessed, rather quite open and the highs were quite smooth, so overall a very good sense of balance. That's always been a very critical criteria for me, not just bass... the speakers must have a good hold in their balance, be able to deliver dynamics and transients when called for, yet sound smooth and effortless, allowing you to relax and enjoy the music without getting a headache. SF's are that kind of speakers.

The only Naim amplifiers I've really liked are the Statements. These were driving the larger Audio Analysis ribbons, Omega's. They were superb! However, the Statements cost over 200grand in Aus, slightly over my personal budget in just amplification! So I passes but will never forget that audition.

You can always upgrade the amplifiers when finances permit as you mentioned. I've also noticed the larger the room, the Strads tend to open up more. If the room is small to average, I would prefer the Elipsa's in that case. Amati's are pretty big as well and require a good amount of free space to sound their best. This doesn't mean that you can't try them out in smaller rooms, this is only my personal experience with these types of SF's. See how you go, and all the best with it.

Cheers, RJ
 

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