Italian artistry and world class sound...the world of Sonus Faber

DaveyF

Well-Known Member
Jul 31, 2010
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La Jolla, Calif USA
First of all, a quick thank you to Steve for starting the "sub-forum" on this well known and respected brand from the country of Italy.

As many of you know, I am a HUGE fan of the Sonus Faber company and their products.
As an owner of the Sonus Faber Guarneri Hommage, I am of the opinion that this little speaker is one for the ages.

I have also heard many of the companies other offerings, from the highly thought of Extrema's to the current Amati Futura's and the whole Cremona line with the Ellipsa's as the standard bearer there.



So, let's begin....tell us about your experiences with the Sonus Faber speakers that you have heard and liked or disliked...Currently Own,Owned or wished you had owned.:)
 

Andre Marc

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Mar 14, 2012
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Viva Italia!

DaveyF:

Forgive me for temporarily sidetracking..but I feel Italian HiFi is sadly overlooked.

Here are two reviews I did of Unison Research products:

BTW, I agree with Steve that the Aida sounded terrific at CES.

http://www.avrev.com/home-theater-a...unison-research-cdprimo-cd-player-review.html

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue61/unison.htm

First of all, a quick thank you to Steve for starting the "sub-forum" on this well known and respected brand from the country of Italy.

As many of you know, I am a HUGE fan of the Sonus Faber company and their products.
As an owner of the Sonus Faber Guarneri Hommage, I am of the opinion that this little speaker is one for the ages.

I have also heard many of the companies other offerings, from the highly thought of Extrema's to the current Amati Futura's and the whole Cremona line with the Ellipsa's as the standard bearer there.



So, let's begin....tell us about your experiences with the Sonus Faber speakers that you have heard and liked or disliked...Currently Own,Owned or wished you had owned.:)
 

LL21

Well-Known Member
Dec 26, 2010
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I first owned Celestions...20 years ago..i loved the midrange magic...my first speakers (an old demo pair). I then listened to the SF family, incl the Electa Amators and many of the SF's of that generation. i spent a lot of time (almost 10 solid years) with the Guarneris and Strads, and have enjoyed listening to the evolution of the Amatis thru its 3 generations as well as the Guarneri. I still find the original Guarneris to be one of my all time favorites of all the SFs (and probably of all speakers). Included in this list would also have to be the Apogee Stages and the Wilson X1/Grand Slamms. I have not heard the Aidas or the Sonus Faber...but the voice of the SF family is remarkable in its ability to deliver midrange magic with detail, delicacy, natural timbre and clarity with a natural sense of extension. very difficult balance to create consistently over 20+ years of design. In a lot of respects, a more consistent designer than many.
 
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microstrip

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My first Sonus Faber's were the Electa Amator - the first version with the Dynaudio Esotar tweeters - with the wood and stone stands. They are still playing daily in the TV home theater system in the family room, although much later I added a second pair of Electas with the same stands for back channels.

Only much later I owned the Extrema's - the most unfriendly speaker to the neighbors I have ever seen. The Extrema needed a large volume to couple with the room and sounded the best at very loud levels. When everything was alright they filled the room and the neighbors with sound. :) . Very quickly I decided to sell them ...

The Guarneri Homage also sounded interesting but lacked bass. The Stradivari sounded great, but at that time I owned tubes and they needed real power. A brief experiment with the Darzteel NH108 also showed they wanted more power for symphonic music, although the pairing was exceptional for chamber music. They aslo did not stay too long.

While I waited for the Aida's to be delivered I hosted the Amati Futura. An impressive speaker, much better than I could expect considering the price. Using an all Audio Research system with *** REF150 they sounded great. Thee was a cohesion of the musical space and an integration in the system that exceeded my expectations. A few non audiophiles friends considered it as the best they listened in my room. I would not be so excessive in the appreciation, but they were really exceptional. An the graphite / chrome finish looked exquisite.

Currently I am still fighting with the Aida's. Any two two inches small movement changes their sound and they are very heavy. The Teflon feet are not as practical for moving as good caster wheels. Armed with REW I am taking measurements and comparing them wit the CARA simulations. Unhappily all I learned about my room using the SoundLab dipoles does not apply - I am learning the hard way again. Still too soon to know how they will sound - but already easily the best I have owned until now. And Steve and Marty were right - the treble integrates the full spectrum as in a good single panel speaker, with plenty of air and very delicate.
 

jadis

Well-Known Member
Apr 28, 2010
12,347
5,460
2,810
Manila, Philippines
I'm one of those who admire the sound of the Sonus line of speakers. I could say that it's a beautiful line of speakers that I regret not being able to own. Starting from the Electa Amator which I heard in a friend's place in the late 80s, I noticed immediately its alluring sound. The midband, specially female voices was captivating, and when powered by the class A Krell KSA250, I felt it sounded like a 3 way speaker system instead of a 2 way monitor. Somehow I was out of the market for 2 way speakers then which is why I never bought a pair. Later on, I had the opportunity to hear the Extrema, Guarneri, Amati, and Stradivari and they were all fine sounding speakers which were hard to fault. As luck would have it, I was deeply rooted in the Magnepan 'sound'. :D I can relate to Sonus' owners love for this speaker line. Workmanship is always a work of art, and the sound is simply beautiful. On my visit to Hong Kong a couple of weeks ago, I dropped by the Sonus dealer's shop there and saw the Aida on passive display. Just looking at them was a delightful experience. :D
 

DaveyF

Well-Known Member
Jul 31, 2010
6,129
181
458
La Jolla, Calif USA
My first Sonus Faber's were the Electa Amator - the first version with the Dynaudio Esotar tweeters - with the wood and stone stands. They are still playing daily in the TV home theater system in the family room, although much later I added a second pair of Electas with the same stands for back channels.

Only much later I owned the Extrema's - the most unfriendly speaker to the neighbors I have ever seen. The Extrema needed a large volume to couple with the room and sounded the best at very loud levels. When everything was alright they filled the room and the neighbors with sound. :) . Very quickly I decided to sell them ...

The Guarneri Homage also sounded interesting but lacked bass. The Stradivari sounded great, but at that time I owned tubes and they needed real power. A brief experiment with the Darzteel NH108 also showed they wanted more power for symphonic music, although the pairing was exceptional for chamber music. They aslo did not stay too long.

While I waited for the Aida's to be delivered I hosted the Amati Futura. An impressive speaker, much better than I could expect considering the price. Using an all Audio Research system with *** REF150 they sounded great. Thee was a cohesion of the musical space and an integration in the system that exceeded my expectations. A few non audiophiles friends considered it as the best they listened in my room. I would not be so excessive in the appreciation, but they were really exceptional. An the graphite / chrome finish looked exquisite.

Currently I am still fighting with the Aida's. Any two two inches small movement changes their sound and they are very heavy. The Teflon feet are not as practical for moving as good caster wheels. Armed with REW I am taking measurements and comparing them wit the CARA simulations. Unhappily all I learned about my room using the SoundLab dipoles does not apply - I am learning the hard way again. Still too soon to know how they will sound - but already easily the best I have owned until now. And Steve and Marty were right - the treble integrates the full spectrum as in a good single panel speaker, with plenty of air and very delicate.

Microstrip, I think your observations about the various SF's are pretty much in line with mine. However, i will say that I think like many speaker's, the SF's abilities are VERY much dependent on the amplification driving them. I have witnessed many an owner who isn't getting close to the best from their SF's simply because they don't have the right amp combo to go with them. I would say this particularly is true of the Hommage line, The GH's all the way up to the Strads need an amp with some ability to drive a less than efficient speaker. I cannot say how many times I have seen owners try to drive these speakers with SET's and/or low powered amps and come away disappointed with the result. IMO, The Hommage line also seems to come a little more alive with tube amps up stream.
Also, I feel that these speakers, perhaps more than most, require a very precise set-up to give off their best. OTOH, once you get them to sing, I do think that they are capable of a sound that is as good or better than almost all of the competition that they have at the various price levels.

To add a little fire to the conversation ( ok my flame suit is on)...IMHO, my SF GH's are a superior sounding speaker to the highly vaunted Magico Mini's ( original and two's) and I have said this on many occasions. But like Andre alluded to above, for some reason the Italian manufacturer's don't get the exposure or respect that I believe they should. SF being among several great Italian marks to suffer from this issue here in the US.
 
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dafos

Well-Known Member
Sep 17, 2010
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401
Davey, I'm with you in my respect for the GH. I've lived with one for an extended period of time and have subsequently heard later iterations of the GH, the Memento and the Evoluzione, both of which are excellent in their own right. Very recently, a close friend was lucky to have acquired what I would consider a NOS GH which was actually offered to both of us. At a recent extended session at his place, my respect and admiration for this speaker has only grown. Having said that, I'm also the current owner of a Mini 2 which was the reason why I passed on the aforesaid GH. We have not done a one on one shootout between the two speakers but my impression is that the Mini may be the more accurate speaker BUT NOT NECESSARILY the more musical transducer. Whatever, the fact that a 20 year old mini monitor can go head to head with the high tech Mini, a speaker that some quarters have claimed to be the greatest mini monitor at least prior to 2010 shows how truly great a speaker the GH is. I salute Franco Serblin for what I believe may arguably be his greatest achievment, without in any way downplaying the greatness of his other designs like the Strads, the Amati and even SF's current generation of speakers which are no longer Serblin designs. Heck, Im still kicking myself in the foot for having passed on the NOS GH that was offered to me....
 

MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
11,236
81
1,725
New York City
DaveyF:

Forgive me for temporarily sidetracking..but I feel Italian HiFi is sadly overlooked.

Here are two reviews I did of Unison Research products:

BTW, I agree with Steve that the Aida sounded terrific at CES.

http://www.avrev.com/home-theater-a...unison-research-cdprimo-cd-player-review.html

http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue61/unison.htm

Sorry Andre but I don't think Italian Audio underrepresented. First of all, really check the mags. Italian audio is certainly covered in most magazines; certainly I know I did when I had my magazine. Second, while you may think there's a lot of Italian equipment in the US, the reality is that very little is imported and what is, bounces around from distributor to distributor, with the possible of exception of SF who has had a stable distributor in Sumiko since day one. Unison for instance, has been in and out of the US for the better part of the two decades. I know since I reviewed their amps years ago for Audio Adventure.
 

MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
11,236
81
1,725
New York City
And who can forget the number of SF inspired knock offs that followed? Hell, even Dan D'agostino copied their grille cloth in his speaker. So many, it inspired the term, Clonus Faber.
 

microstrip

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May 30, 2010
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Microstrip, I think your observations about the various SF's are pretty much in line with mine. However, i will say that I think like many speaker's, the SF's abilities are VERY much dependent on the amplification driving them. I have witnessed many an owner who isn't getting close to the best from their SF's simply because they don't have the right amp combo to go with them. I would say this particularly is true of the Hommage line, The GH's all the way up to the Strads need an amp with some ability to drive a less than efficient speaker. I cannot say how many times I have seen owners try to drive these speakers with SET's and/or low powered amps and come away disappointed with the result. IMO, The Hommage line also seems to come a little more alive with tube amps up stream.
Also, I feel that these speakers, perhaps more than most, require a very precise set-up to give off their best. OTOH, once you get them to sing, I do think that they are capable of a sound that is as good or better than almost all of the competition that they have at the various price levels. (...)

Daveyf,

Although I would day the same for almost all speakers - the partnering amplifier and system must be adequately chosen to get the best from them - I completely agree with you that the SFs are rather exigent in this field. Used with the wrong system they sound poor and boring. Aidas's inclusive!
 

Andre Marc

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Mar 14, 2012
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Hey Myles:

True, you do see reviews occasionally...especially from Sam Telling. He adores Unison, Opera, and Mastersound. The UK magazines cover way more however.

But as a whole I think compared to German, British, US, and Japanese products, they are not as
prominent. Maybe it stems from the out dated reputation of Italians as great engineers who can't build a reliable product.

To give you an example, Unison had no San Diego dealer for the 8 years I have lived here until mid last year. There has been a Sonus dealer.


Sorry Andre but I don't think Italian Audio underrepresented. First of all, really check the mags. Italian audio is certainly covered in most magazines; certainly I know I did when I had my magazine. Second, while you may think there's a lot of Italian equipment in the US, the reality is that very little is imported and what is, bounces around from distributor to distributor, with the possible of exception of SF who has had a stable distributor in Sumiko since day one. Unison for instance, has been in and out of the US for the better part of the two decades. I know since I reviewed their amps years ago for Audio Adventure.
 

DaveyF

Well-Known Member
Jul 31, 2010
6,129
181
458
La Jolla, Calif USA
Davey, I'm with you in my respect for the GH. I've lived with one for an extended period of time and have subsequently heard later iterations of the GH, the Memento and the Evoluzione, both of which are excellent in their own right. Very recently, a close friend was lucky to have acquired what I would consider a NOS GH which was actually offered to both of us. At a recent extended session at his place, my respect and admiration for this speaker has only grown. Having said that, I'm also the current owner of a Mini 2 which was the reason why I passed on the aforesaid GH. We have not done a one on one shootout between the two speakers but my impression is that the Mini may be the more accurate speaker BUT NOT NECESSARILY the more musical transducer. Whatever, the fact that a 20 year old mini monitor can go head to head with the high tech Mini, a speaker that some quarters have claimed to be the greatest mini monitor at least prior to 2010 shows how truly great a speaker the GH is. I salute Franco Serblin for what I believe may arguably be his greatest achievment, without in any way downplaying the greatness of his other designs like the Strads, the Amati and even SF's current generation of speakers which are no longer Serblin designs. Heck, Im still kicking myself in the foot for having passed on the NOS GH that was offered to me....


Dafos, That's very interesting about your friend. Do you know what year his GH's were built? I was told by my dealer that mine were some of the last pairs imported into the US when I bought mine new in 2006. They were "Annoe'd" in 2004.

Also, you bring up an interesting point, amazing that the GH can go toe to toe with the "high tech" mini. To which I say, it's not always the technology that is important in the 'art' of speaker building. I think Franco's thoughts on this are evident by the way he named these speakers. Even today, there are no massed produced or "high tech" violins that can compete with a real Strad or Guarneri del Gesù :D
 

LL21

Well-Known Member
Dec 26, 2010
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I owned 2001 vintage. Here is a bit of SF Guarneri history for those looking for a second-hand pair. The models built in the very first couple of years of production since 1994 have an extra slat of black wood ebony in the sides...7 slats instead of the more typical 6 (or is it 6 instead of the more typical 5?)...in any event, legend has it that the extra slat of black ebony made a positive difference in the sound. Slightly greater rigidity. One to watch for if you're in the market.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Davey, I plead ignorance on this question but what are the sonic benefits (if any) beyond cosmetic of what I call those "banjo strings" that run vertically in front of the drivers of Sonus speakers. I ask that only because I was told that the piece of thin metal that runs in front of the Aida tweeter does something beneficial for sound dispersion. Do these banjo strings :) have any sonic benefit as well
 

LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
14,411
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I have the July 1994 reviews from Martin Colloms, and believe the impression was that they intruded less, and looked good. Speaking for myself personally, i always left them on because i found the treble dispersion to be quite powerful with the grilles off...too powerful for my liking. I have never said a SF speaker's treble hurt my ears...but that actually was the case with the grilles off in my room. i was personally shocked. But i loved the speakers in my room with the grilles on and left them that way. Was that the metal bar that formed the top of the grille or the 'silk spaghetti'? could not say. All i will say that is that this was definitely NOT the case on the Strads, where i immediately took them off and never put them back on again until the day i traded them in yrs later for my X1/Grand Slamms.
 

microstrip

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May 30, 2010
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Davey, I plead ignorance on this question but what are the sonic benefits (if any) beyond cosmetic of what I call those "banjo strings" that run vertically in front of the drivers of Sonus speakers. I ask that only because I was told that the piece of thin metal that runs in front of the Aida tweeter does something beneficial for sound dispersion. Do these banjo strings :) have any sonic benefit as well

Steve,

Although they look great, there is an almost unanimous opinion that Sonus Faber speakers sounded better without the "banjo strings" - several reviewers have measured its effect in the frequency response and it was not nice.

I owned Krell Lat 1000 that used a similar arrangement to hide the speakers - Dan Agostino liked so much the Guarneri's aspect that he asked for permission to Franco Serblin to use his design of rubber strings as front grills in his LAT series. I have used them with and without "strings" and clearly preferred without the strings.
 

Steve Williams

Site Founder, Site Owner, Administrator
Thanks for the info because that was my feeling. These aren't grill cloths but thick pieces of ? elastic and I worry about an effect on the sound. I didn't know they came off. If that were the case I would have loved to have heard the Aida without.
 

microstrip

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(...) If that were the case I would have loved to have heard the Aida without.

They are still in the boxes. May be sometime later I will try them on just to know - the audiophile world can be full of surprises! :)
 

DaveyF

Well-Known Member
Jul 31, 2010
6,129
181
458
La Jolla, Calif USA
Davey, I plead ignorance on this question but what are the sonic benefits (if any) beyond cosmetic of what I call those "banjo strings" that run vertically in front of the drivers of Sonus speakers. I ask that only because I was told that the piece of thin metal that runs in front of the Aida tweeter does something beneficial for sound dispersion. Do these banjo strings :) have any sonic benefit as well


Steve, it is interesting that you ask this question. Recently when I hosted fellow member Fernando ( Flez007) at my home for a listening session, we listened to my speakers briefly with the string grilles and then 'au naturel'. We both felt that the stringless speakers were a little more open and revealing.
The string grilles should be pretty transparent but do add just a little in the way of congestion. Like all speakers that i have heard, the SF's do seem to benefit from having the speaker grilles removed.

The one thing that I think the "banjo strings" do offer is a modicum of protection for the drivers...and a slightly cleaner look, but that's it. BTW, the strings on the Sonus Faber speakers are made of silk strands and they are IMO, NOT a good idea at all. From an aesthetic point of view they are fine (subject to your particular taste of course) BUT from a practical standpoint they are terrible.
Why, beacuse they are fragile and very difficult to replace ( nevermind being over-the-top pricey) and I suspect will NOT age well.
This is one of my chief bugaboos with speaker manufacturer's; very few seem to plan for the results of aging on the product. I well remember my old Hales speaker grilles, which had foam on the inside, simply turning to a nasty dust after a few years of age. My old Acoustat model 3 speakers had a white cloth covering that turned a disgusting grey/mottle color with stains and color loss after just a few years of standing in my listening room...the speakers themselves attracted dust and other dubious objects to them via their electrostatic attraction....something that many know of but few have ever disclosed.:rolleyes:
 

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