Sonus Faber House Sound

howiebrou

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Jun 29, 2012
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Can anyone tell me how the SF house sound has changed since the Stradivaris. I have heard from many people that the house sound is now very different to what it used to be (i.e. lush, romantic, slightly thick) and it sounds more detailed, digital and Hi Fi-ish. In fact there SF dealers have told me independently that if I liked the old sound I would probably not like the current sound. Surprisingly they were quite negative about the changes saying that not only have the drivers been replaced with cheaper in house versions but that the build quality has suffered too.

This is not a thread extolling the negatives of the current SF. I am considering the Aida but don't have much of a chance to listen to them and have been told not to consider them even by dealers stocking it. I have owned several pairs of SF in the past.

Grateful for any pointers.

Cheers

howie
 

DSkip

Industry Expert
Aug 26, 2013
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I can't speak for their top end products, but I know I prefer the Venere series over many of their older offerings. I found most of the older stuff to leave me unengaged. The Venere is built in China from what I've heard and takes on several of the attributes you speak of. While I do not care for the 1.5 or 2.0, I really enjoy the 2.5 and 3.0 and considered replacing my Ushers with them at one point. I found them very dynamic, quite detailed, and overall a great value for the money.
 

howiebrou

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I can't speak for their top end products, but I know I prefer the Venere series over many of their older offerings. I found most of the older stuff to leave me unengaged. The Venere is built in China from what I've heard and takes on several of the attributes you speak of. While I do not care for the 1.5 or 2.0, I really enjoy the 2.5 and 3.0 and considered replacing my Ushers with them at one point. I found them very dynamic, quite detailed, and overall a great value for the money.

Thanks for the comments. I guess it is more to do with personal taste than anything else. The general trend for most brands is towards a more detailed and quicker sound it would seem.
 

DaveyF

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Jul 31, 2010
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IMHO, SF has been saddled in the past with somewhat of a bad moniker...that of being "warm", "lush" or "romantic". I happen to believe that this is not really correct. The question is what is a "lush" or "romantic" sounding speaker....because in real life many instruments sound "lush" or "romantic" and not "sterile" or in fact the term..."neutral". Does a piano sound "neutral" or "sterile"...I think not. Does a Sax sound "lush"?...in some instances...yes.
So, IF one looks at the various models in a manufacturer's line and lumps them all together under a general description, I think that is doing somewhat of a disservice to the manufacturer. I guess one could ask, can we make the newer SF's sound like the older versions...IME, that is possible, depending on the upstream gear. Can one make the older versions sound like the newer versions...yes, depending on the upstream gear. ( and probably the room as well).
OTOH, IF we are talking about build quality...that is a different discussion.
 
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Frank750

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Jul 8, 2011
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Aida is a beautifully built speaker as well as an outstanding sounding speaker. I've heard it on many occasions. You cannot go wrong if you choose it.

If you haven't seen or heard the Lilium then I would definitely consider this excellent speaker as well. At $66,000, it should be on anyone's list to audition in that price range. Pictures don't do it justice. I think it's stunning looking and if it's "lush or "romantic" then please give me more lush and romantic speakers.
 

es347

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I can't speak for their top end products, but I know I prefer the Venere series over many of their older offerings. I found most of the older stuff to leave me unengaged. The Venere is built in China from what I've heard and takes on several of the attributes you speak of. While I do not care for the 1.5 or 2.0, I really enjoy the 2.5 and 3.0 and considered replacing my Ushers with them at one point. I found them very dynamic, quite detailed, and overall a great value for the money.

We have a pr of Venere 3.0s in a secondary system and IMO sound very good for that price range and the fit and finish seems excellent even though assembled in China..
 

Emre Üçöz

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Aug 1, 2011
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I am an SF user since many years now and currently happily using Stradivari since it was introduced. I was disappointed from SF sound with SF Fenice, SF Aida and SF Lilium. They all sound good can compete with a lot of very good speakers but they are not SF tough they look like it. The only speaker who continues the legacy of Franco under the new ownership which delivers an astounding performance is the Extrema.
 

dafos

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Sep 17, 2010
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Aida is a beautifully built speaker as well as an outstanding sounding speaker. I've heard it on many occasions. You cannot go wrong if you choose it.

If you haven't seen or heard the Lilium then I would definitely consider this excellent speaker as well. At $66,000, it should be on anyone's list to audition in that price range. Pictures don't do it justice. I think it's stunning looking and if it's "lush or "romantic" then please give me more lush and romantic speakers.

I've heard the Lilium and even had a chance to audition them. It is with this speaker that post Serblin designers finally decide to make a clean break from the classic sonus faber sound. It may look like a baby Aida but It surely doesn't sound like a baby Aida or any previous sonus faber model. I may be wrong that's why I'm eagerly awaiting for a review.
 
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JackD201

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What would the Ktema's direct counterpart be in the current SF line?
 

dafos

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The Amati Futura which DOES sound like a classic Sonus Faber, in fact much more so , IMO, than the Ktema which the late Franco Serblin designed to be more neutral than his classic Sonus Faber designs.
 

howiebrou

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I live the Ktema sound. It reminded me of my strads immediately just not quite so romantic.
 

howiebrou

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I love the Ktema sound. It reminded me of my strads immediately just not quite so romantic.
We seem to be getting a variety of conclusions about changes in the house sound which I guess is to be expected.
 

David David

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Aug 9, 2018
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The Amati Futura which DOES sound like a classic Sonus Faber, in fact much more so , IMO, than the Ktema which the late Franco Serblin designed to be more neutral than his classic Sonus Faber designs.

I totally agree with you.
 

DaveyF

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Jul 31, 2010
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What is the 'classic' SF sound...is it warmth, is it resolved, is it dynamic, is it dark, is it sterile, is it ( insert your term here). IME, SF's can be made to sound many different ways...depending on the upstream gear that feeds them. Generalizations about the new SF gear vs the Serblin designed gear also seem to fall into these generalizations. Warmth...could it be the final frontier, LOL. Because, IMO...without warmth you have a reproduction that tends to be anything BUT 'real'. Is my musician friends new Steinway M warm...you better believe it. Is my musician friends Fender Bassman warm..yup...is my Taylor 800 warm...it better be or it's getting new strings and a tune up, LOL.
 
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David David

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Aug 9, 2018
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What is the 'classic' SF sound...is it warmth, is it resolved, is it dynamic, is it dark, is it sterile, is it ( insert your term here). IME, SF's can be made to sound many different ways...depending on the upstream gear that feeds them. Generalizations about the new SF gear vs the Serblin designed gear also seem to fall into these generalizations. Warmth...could it be the final frontier, LOL. Because, IMO...without warmth you have a reproduction that tends to be anything BUT 'real'. Is my musician friends new Steinway M warm...you better believe it. Is my musician friends Fender Bassman warm..yup...is my Taylor 800 warm...it better be or it's getting new strings and a tune up, LOL.

Hello Davey.

I agree that warm is an important ingredient in SF sound.
If I understood you correctly.
And for me, new Tradition series lost warm in the sound. IMHO.
 

DaveyF

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Jul 31, 2010
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Hello Davey.

I agree that warm is an important ingredient in SF sound.
If I understood you correctly.
And for me, new Tradition series lost warm in the sound. IMHO.

Even though I know it is not in vogue to believe this, I happen to think that warm is what should be preferred in our systems...vs. sterile, cold, bright, or even neutral...whatever that means. IME one man’s neutral can many times be another’s sterile or even veiled!

Warmth, at least to me, is what I hear when I hear ‘live’ instruments....and the better the instrument, the warmer it is.
 
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JackD201

WBF Founding Member
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What is the 'classic' SF sound...is it warmth, is it resolved, is it dynamic, is it dark, is it sterile, is it ( insert your term here). IME, SF's can be made to sound many different ways...depending on the upstream gear that feeds them. Generalizations about the new SF gear vs the Serblin designed gear also seem to fall into these generalizations. Warmth...could it be the final frontier, LOL. Because, IMO...without warmth you have a reproduction that tends to be anything BUT 'real'. Is my musician friends new Steinway M warm...you better believe it. Is my musician friends Fender Bassman warm..yup...is my Taylor 800 warm...it better be or it's getting new strings and a tune up, LOL.

My impression has always been extended and sweet on the upper octaves. The early Guarneri speakers I like more than those that followed because to me the new ones lost just a little bit of that magic swoon inducing glow in the upper midrange.
 

DaveyF

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Jul 31, 2010
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La Jolla, Calif USA
My impression has always been extended and sweet on the upper octaves. The early Guarneri speakers I like more than those that followed because to me the new ones lost just a little bit of that magic swoon inducing glow in the upper midrange.

Jack, like I stated above, the G’s can sound very different, depending on what is feeding them upstream. (Probably like most speakers).
What ancillary gear did you hear the GH’s with?BTW, I agree with you, the later models are not as interesting to my ears either.
Have you ever heard the original Extrema’s...if so, thoughts.
 

JackD201

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Jack, like I stated above, the G’s can sound very different, depending on what is feeding them upstream. (Probably like most speakers).
What ancillary gear did you hear the GH’s with?BTW, I agree with you, the later models are not as interesting to my ears either.
Have you ever heard the original Extrema’s...if so, thoughts.

Oh the original Gs I've heard with lots of amps from Levinsons to KSAs to CJs. They carried the swoon factor with all but was swoon-iest with JA30s. I have had less experience with Extremas but what stuck out most is that with a lot of current behind them they could boogie like no other stand mount anywhere near their size or many a midsize floor stander of that era for that matter.
 

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