A very informative post, Bob. Thank you.
I found the review very interesting, although I would like to ask Michael the question: "If you had no loudspeakers now, and if you wanted to buy a pair, and the Alexx and the Aida were the same exact price, which would you select?"
From Michael's review I cannot proffer a guess as to which he would select. What do you think?
PS1: I never heard a Sonus Faber speaker until I heard the Amati Homage at Jason Lord's The Source AV. I thought the Amati Homage sounded warm, smooth, detailed but not etched -- totally beautiful and engaging. I thought it was a wonderful speaker and, to my ears, an easy recommendation in that price range.
PS2: I was not aware that part of the Sonus Faber design is vibration rods and hanging things floating in the cabinet as an alternative to heroically inert cabinet construction. That sounds a little wacky to me. What's that about?