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

Davey I owned every model Acoustat right up to the 6's

DaveyF said:

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

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My friends GH is "Annoe'd" 2004. Well it's not exactly NOS having been previously owned by the previous local SF dealer whom we know barely used it and just kept it in it's crate. The marble base is still pristine white and the speaker came with all original packing, manual and even a set of spare string grilles. Considering the condition of these particular pair of speakers and the cost of new Evoluzione, it really was a damned good bargain. Btw, the current owner previously owned a Guarneri Memento and he swears that while it was an excellent speaker in it's own right, it didn't have the "magic" of the original. While it's not that difficult to source a used GH and they do occasionally show up in audiogon, I doubt if one can find a pair as mint as these particular pair.

Btw, as electronics have improved since 1994, the GH's seem to respond positively. My friend is powering his with a Pass XA 100.5 and it's one of the sweetest sounds I've ever heard.

DaveyF said:

(...) BTW, I agree with you,like your friend, I too was VERY VERY lucky to source a new pair when I did.

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DaveF,

I was even luckier when I could source a mint used, already burn-in, Guarneri Homage pair at a low price from someone who had moved to the Mementos's !

dafos said:

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....

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After yesterdays session with dafos and the owner of the GH, I must say that the system was the best GH sound I've ever heard. In the past, the GH had always struck me as really lacking any sort of bass and sounded even a bit lean but this GH driven by Class A Pass Lab mono blocks is really something else, and erased my previous impressions of the GH. It has the classic sultry and lush mids that Sonus speakers are well-known for, strings are one of the most liquid I have heard, and the musical portrayal is highly emotive and brings out a feeling of wanting to listen on and on and on without fatigue. And the bass, wow, I would have thought that the GH had 8" woofers and is very satisfying on most musical genres save for rock and full range classical music. Simply amazing. And just like one of Dave Grusin's album title on Sheffield, I have 'discovered again' the true beauty of the GH's. It's something I can live with.

dafos said:

Btw, as electronics have improved since 1994, the GH's seem to respond positively. My friend is powering his with a Pass XA 100.5 and it's one of the sweetest sounds I've ever heard.

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Agreed. Now I must say that the Pass XA 100.5 monos are one of the sweetest solid state amps I've ever heard. I have to put them on top of the old Krells and FM Acoustics.

Of all the speakers i have owned or know well, the one pair i would consider buying second hand just to own again...because they make magic...is the SF Guarneri original.

DaveyF said:

Phil, one thing I have to say about GH's is I don't think it is possible to get truly deep bass out of them. Down to maybe 50Hz clean, at best. Not too surprising given the size of the mid/bass driver.
Which is why I now use the very quick and musical sub...the REL T5. The combo in my small room makes great music.
BTW, if you get a chance to hear the GH's again, this time with a great tube amp up front, I think you will hear how amazing these speakers are in their portrayal of not just strings, but human voices as well.

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Oh yes, Davey, the human voice. Indeed the GH render them almost sublime, in artistry, emotion, and feeling. It is just magical. I hope to hear them with something like an ARC 250 Ref one day. It should be very very interesting. It might drive me to hunt for a used one too and commit 'heresy' to my Magnepans.

DaveyF said:

Phil, I can tell you with my ARC D70Mk2 several listeners have described the GH's rendering of human voice as sublime. I have not heard a better speaker in this regard.

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I can imagine, Davey. A dream match would be a Jadis JA 30 on the GH.

Philip, yes there are used GH's to be found but just like your mint hard to find LP's, you'll be REALLY HARD PRESSED to find one in the condition of the one we listened to last night.

dafos said:

Philip, yes there are used GH's to be found but just like your mint hard to find LP's, you'll be REALLY HARD PRESSED to find one in the condition of the one we listened to last night.

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That's true, Gerry. And those 'spaghetti grills' have a tendency to snap in due time so the speakers and the grills, and stand grills, have to be mint. That's a tall order.

Here is the fun bit...try for an older GH which has one extra slot of ebony wood (up until 1999?)...a few people have written that they sound even a bit better than the ones from 2000 onwards (i owned one second hand from 2001). [As legend has it] the added strip of ebony and then the added 'regular' wood strip creates extra stiffness. But it does not bring greater stiffness/linearity in sound...but apparently just makes strings even more beautiful in terms of getting the roisin, etc just right. I have never even seen one...except in the photo from the 1994 Stereophile photo.

Italian craftsmanship
http://www.hifi-notes.com/sonusfaberamatifabrikage-nl.htm

Odyno said:

Italian craftsmanship
http://www.hifi-notes.com/sonusfaberamatifabrikage-nl.htm

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Nice. From the land of Michelangelo, we expect no less in artistry from Italian products.

Many can match Italain technolgy. Thier style and beauty is obtainable by a precious few.

Minima what else

Dear all,

I am new to this forum and amazed about the knowledge you have about Sonus Faber. Here is my SF history. After many happy years with an Apogee Scintilla (the original 1 ohm Version) and a subsequent episode with Burmester 961 MK1s I realised a dream by buying the Amati Homage. Man what a speaker! It gave you everything, at least to me. Why did I have to change, well I moved and found myself with way too much bass energy and no solution. After some desperate considerations I gave up the AH and moved on to a pair of Guarneri Homage speakers. What a relief once the boomy base was gone (just to avoid any confusion, in the right room the bass of the AH is impeccable). However, the soundstaging didn't quite satisfy me and the search continued.

A friend gave me his pair of Extremas for a much too short a while. Maybe the perfect speaker, however, the bass needs control as well and is much softer than more modern designs. However, if I could get a pair I would go for it again.

A few years ago I helped a friend to get a pair of Sonus Faber Electa Amator's I with the Esotar tweeter. If I could get hold of a pair of these I would run too.

So what was my choice than, belief it or not a pair of Sonus Faber Minima FM2s. Also very difficult to find and I got a pair with damaged woofers and ugly tweeters only. The woofers have been replaced, lucky me I found NOS Seas F-GX11s. The tweeters will come anytime soon, mine work fine but have these dents you often see. So what is my view on this:

After all those speakers I have had in all those years these little babies, supported by a Velodyne DD 12+ do provide me with the most astonishing musical satisfaction. Soundstaging is a completely new experience and micro information has a new dimension. The reveal of detail, whow. Voices, man you bet.

I spoke to SF about my experience knowing beforehand that Franco has repeatedly said that his most beloved designs are the Minima and the original Cremona Auditor. They told me that the Minima is so rare in the second hand market for mainly two reasons:

The Minimas are mini (sorry for that bad joke) so no one sells them to gain space but puts them somewhere I use or without.

There are still so many lucky serious music lovers in the world that realise the most ambitious systems around those speakers AND can live with their shortcomings (lack ob bass and limited max. spl).

So, a little long for a first appearance, sorry. If there is anyone who has read till the end I would be most delighted to hear of experiences of others with these speakers. And I felt that they had to be mentioned in this discussion.