Sonus Faber make speakers that sound live, not cold and lifeless like many HighEnd brands that are in the absolute search of audio perfection. If you want audio perfection AND sweet sounding sound, this speakers makes that without any problem. Sonus Faber tune their speakers for human ears, not for graphics, their midrange (the most sensitive frequency range for human ear) is very present but not annoying and the bass is dramatic but tight at the same time. You can tell that the tweeter have a well designed L-Pad attenuation, because from their crossing point to 20k response is progressive, it is very detailed from 8.000 hz to 20k which goes up progressively. This speakers are excellent.
Generous presentation of this marvel of art and technology ! A modern art sculpture capable of producing emotional sound that goes deeply to the heart and soul of enlightened listener !
I've been to SF factory, as a photographer for a magazine. Can personally attest how everything is made by hand by artisans! More women than men as far as I could tell. Lot of leather pulling and stitching goin' on. Their tuning/cross-over engineers are young and full of passion... Their "wall of sound" where they test the speakers is *UNREAL* ! many many different amp brands and types of amplification used (A, AB, valves)
Speakers at this price range sure aren't for everyone, but we're very happy that Sonus faber makes products that are affordable to many folks, as well as creating products that are in the aspirational, "It sure would be great to own those" category
they need to have the drivers at the back of the speaker to create the three-dimensionality because the speaker can't do it with just drivers in the front, unfortunately not like monitor audio platinum.
Thank you for your comments. I am not sure if they "need" to have the rear array. Sonus faber Il Cremonese for example are also on display here, and have no high frequency rear array, but they have a very good three dimensional sound. It is not, however, as good as Aida II - nor as flexible. The best benefit of Aida II's rear array is that you can have them sound so lifelike in almost any room or setting, which is great. Often folks under-estimate how much influence the room can have on the sound we hear
@@GramophoneMD there is something that you should check out that stops all room problems, It's called the Townshend podiums they stop all speaker vibrations down to three Hertz when the bass goes into the floor and the walls and then comes back through the spikes into the speaker it shakes the speaker and muddies the sound when I put these under my speaker it was a revelation a friend of mine was over and we did the before and after and we just looked at each other and said what the fuck just happened it's as if I went to much more expensive electronics also the other benefit is it stops the electronics from shaking from vibration as well they're not cheap but it's the best upgrade you'll ever do.
@@GramophoneMD and don't get me wrong I love the sound of the SF speakers but they're definitely not as three-dimensional airy and spacious and as enveloping a sound stage as the monitor audio platinum, there's not many speakers out there at any price that do it as well as the MA platinum and my system is pretty good It's worth 72,000 and I put it together with my ear not just my pocketbook.
I have the Sonus Faber Aida 2's. Very good speakers. It's all about room setup and what you have powering them. Mcintosh was good back in the day and has gone through many ownership changes so has had some ups and downs. For tube amps they are pretty decent. I do not feel they hold a candle to VAC gear. I have a pair of 452 IQ musicblocks running about 900 watts mono rms to each speaker. Before the Sonus Faber I had the Monitor Audio 500II and I can tell you for the money of about 30k they are really amazing for that price versus 100k a pair and up speakers. The one negative is they cast a massive soundstage but the voice was not as centered and accurate with the layering. With the Sonus Faber it's like they are in the room singing to me and I am in a lounge type vibe a few rows back from the singer. I do not care for Audio research gear their vocal processing has the singer too far back for my taste. If you are buying 1,000 speakers don't expect a dealer to let them test drive in your space as they are only making few hundred bucks for crap ton of set up and work. If you are buying gear tens of thousands per piece or hundreds of thousands then if a store knows you they might lend you gear for 2 to 3 weeks to see how it performs in your room.
452 IQ music blocs? That’s $75k EACH. You don’t need that unless you just want to spend money just for the sake of spending it. Just grab some Accuphase. McIntosh quality has dropped and they’ve lost their ways, but VAC isn’t magical. Also, you probably only ever use 10 watts in a room, if that. Lol. There’s no reason to have 700-1,000 watts of power. What are your speakers placed in, a school gym?
@@omgwtfpwnd Big lakehouse. 20 years commercial real estate. My system is amazing. Would say one of the top in the country. I bought VAC because I loved the tube sound and listened to lots of brands and tested in my room. I could have bought more expensive but it's about quality for what I pay and not bragging rights to spend the most.
@@joelowens5211 But it is about bragging rights, because you just said it’s one of the “best in the country.” What constitutes as best, the price? The Magico M9 speakers cost almost $1M, so according to your logic, those are much better. Sonus Faber voiced their speakers with the human ear, so how can you be sure they’re accurate? How can you listen to amplifiers and compare them? To suggest that amplifier sounds different from the other means that one or the other is coloring the signal (or even both). The guiding principle of these companies had always been firmly grounded in NO coloration. Coloration is measured as DISTORTION. When a amplifier is spec @ x watts 20-20,000 hz with no more than y% THD, it either performs to that spec or it does not. Pure and simple. If one performs and sounds different than another, either it’s out of spec and needs service or the company is LYING about their performance specs! Amplifiers built by Accuphase are made as good and cost FAR less. Where are VAC parts made from? Santa’s magic shop in the North Pole? Are the capacitors made of solid gold? The speakers are and should be the only component that changes the sound. And if you want to change it, buy a preamp with tone controls.
@@joelowens5211 But it is about bragging rights, because you just said it's one of the "best in the country." What constitutes as best, the price? The Magico M9 speakers cost almost $1M, so according to your logic, those are much better. Sonus Faber voiced their speakers with the human ear, so how can you be sure they're accurate? How can you listen to amplifiers and compare them? In a blindfold ABX test you couldn’t tell!
I will be upgrading my Signature’s to Nova’s or to the Homage line in the near future . I kick myself for not buying a new in the crate pair of Cremones that someone passed on before delivery, 24k is steep but a very reasonable price on those .
Thanks DS - our guess is that you will love your new Nova or Homage. Good luck and have fun comparing the models in your price range. We hope it's with us!
I own the mini version :) but the Amati Futura front is exactly the same. Yes ofcourse the Aida 2 has newer drivers and a bigger in build bas speaker extra.
@@GramophoneMDIt is also a question of personal taste, I find the 2 red series wonderful, while the 1 series with the black band in the center I don't like. Aida, who cost double, are certainly excellent speakers, but not judging beautiful.
Hello @@StefanoDallAgata - agreed, personal taste plays a role. Someone loves a $2,000 pair of speakers, speaker A, because the bass is a little richer than a similarly priced speaker, speaker B. The next customer prefers speaker B, preferring the bit of extra mid and high end clarity vs. speaker A. Which customer is right? Personal preference is not only ok, it's good. Restaurants would only offer one entree if everybody liked the same thing
Hello Darth, thank you. As they are adjustable, it actually works well to have rear-firing mid / tweeter modules. You can customize to any room - reflective, absorptive, anything in between. You can see more on p 17 of their owner's manual:a.storyblok.com/f/259299/x/20ac4208e2/web_aida-new_2017_owners_manual.pdf
McIntosh are overrated and overpriced. One of the last brands I would buy. All you get with McIntosh is ok sound. Way better amps out there that will blow McIntosh away. You don’t see many audiophiles running McIntosh.
Respectfully, you may want to revisit the present McIntosh line-up. It's one of our best selling brands, and an aspirational brand for quite a few salespeople
McIntosh doesn't arbitrarily have the reputation they do. Everyone has their own preferences, but McIntosh has some truly astounding equipment out there.
Sonus Faber make speakers that sound live, not cold and lifeless like many HighEnd brands that are in the absolute search of audio perfection. If you want audio perfection AND sweet sounding sound, this speakers makes that without any problem. Sonus Faber tune their speakers for human ears, not for graphics, their midrange (the most sensitive frequency range for human ear) is very present but not annoying and the bass is dramatic but tight at the same time. You can tell that the tweeter have a well designed L-Pad attenuation, because from their crossing point to 20k response is progressive, it is very detailed from 8.000 hz to 20k which goes up progressively. This speakers are excellent.
Agreed. Speakers aren't for laboratories, but rather for you and I to enjoy music in our living rooms. Sonus faber understands this well
One of their best presentations ever. Definitely for this new gentleman, who it seems has taken over Grahmaphone’s TH-cam duties. Well done
Thank you for your kind words!
Love the SF Lilium, the Aida II is even better. Awesome design and sound.
Thanks Marco, the Aida II sounds absolutely remarkable. Those who have not heard them will be amazed
Generous presentation of this marvel of art and technology ! A modern art sculpture capable of producing emotional sound that goes deeply to the heart and soul of enlightened listener !
Thank you kindly!
What an excellent presentation as well as explanation of these amazing speakers.
Thank you much. They are truly amazing speakers
Very nice content absolutely loved it 🥰😍😘
I LOVE my Sonus Faber Sonetto 3’s. My dream speaker is the new Sarafino.
Sonetto 3 is a really nice product - and yes, it's good to plan for even better speakers :-)
These Aidas would definitely be an upgrade from the SF speakers I have. I’ve got to make some time and check these out. 👍
We would love to see you!
Definitely be there 😃😀
I've been to SF factory, as a photographer for a magazine. Can personally attest how everything is made by hand by artisans! More women than men as far as I could tell. Lot of leather pulling and stitching goin' on. Their tuning/cross-over engineers are young and full of passion...
Their "wall of sound" where they test the speakers is *UNREAL* !
many many different amp brands and types of amplification used (A, AB, valves)
Thank you Spaghetti, yes - a really special thing going on at Sonus faber
I’ve just bought a pair or redwood finish Sonus Faber Amati Tradition
Can’t wait to hear them
Hello Smog, we're excited for you - they sound great!
The full range coherence and soundstaging imaging has to be worth 140k
Speakers at this price range sure aren't for everyone, but we're very happy that Sonus faber makes products that are affordable to many folks, as well as creating products that are in the aspirational, "It sure would be great to own those" category
AMAZING!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!
Thank you Pietro - yes, this system is amazing. Hopefully one day you can make it to our showroom to audition them yourself!
they need to have the drivers at the back of the speaker to create the three-dimensionality because the speaker can't do it with just drivers in the front, unfortunately not like monitor audio platinum.
Thank you for your comments. I am not sure if they "need" to have the rear array. Sonus faber Il Cremonese for example are also on display here, and have no high frequency rear array, but they have a very good three dimensional sound. It is not, however, as good as Aida II - nor as flexible. The best benefit of Aida II's rear array is that you can have them sound so lifelike in almost any room or setting, which is great. Often folks under-estimate how much influence the room can have on the sound we hear
@@GramophoneMD there is something that you should check out that stops all room problems, It's called the Townshend podiums they stop all speaker vibrations down to three Hertz when the bass goes into the floor and the walls and then comes back through the spikes into the speaker it shakes the speaker and muddies the sound when I put these under my speaker it was a revelation a friend of mine was over and we did the before and after and we just looked at each other and said what the fuck just happened it's as if I went to much more expensive electronics also the other benefit is it stops the electronics from shaking from vibration as well they're not cheap but it's the best upgrade you'll ever do.
@@GramophoneMD and don't get me wrong I love the sound of the SF speakers but they're definitely not as three-dimensional airy and spacious and as enveloping a sound stage as the monitor audio platinum, there's not many speakers out there at any price that do it as well as the MA platinum and my system is pretty good It's worth 72,000 and I put it together with my ear not just my pocketbook.
I have the Sonus Faber Aida 2's. Very good speakers. It's all about room setup and what you have powering them. Mcintosh was good back in the day and has gone through many ownership changes so has had some ups and downs. For tube amps they are pretty decent. I do not feel they hold a candle to VAC gear. I have a pair of 452 IQ musicblocks running about 900 watts mono rms to each speaker. Before the Sonus Faber I had the Monitor Audio 500II and I can tell you for the money of about 30k they are really amazing for that price versus 100k a pair and up speakers. The one negative is they cast a massive soundstage but the voice was not as centered and accurate with the layering. With the Sonus Faber it's like they are in the room singing to me and I am in a lounge type vibe a few rows back from the singer. I do not care for Audio research gear their vocal processing has the singer too far back for my taste. If you are buying 1,000 speakers don't expect a dealer to let them test drive in your space as they are only making few hundred bucks for crap ton of set up and work. If you are buying gear tens of thousands per piece or hundreds of thousands then if a store knows you they might lend you gear for 2 to 3 weeks to see how it performs in your room.
Thanks for your comments Joe. Yes, the room and how it influences the sound, as well as the set-up of the speakers, makes a big difference!
452 IQ music blocs? That’s $75k EACH. You don’t need that unless you just want to spend money just for the sake of spending it. Just grab some Accuphase. McIntosh quality has dropped and they’ve lost their ways, but VAC isn’t magical. Also, you probably only ever use 10 watts in a room, if that. Lol. There’s no reason to have 700-1,000 watts of power. What are your speakers placed in, a school gym?
@@omgwtfpwnd Big lakehouse. 20 years commercial real estate. My system is amazing. Would say one of the top in the country. I bought VAC because I loved the tube sound and listened to lots of brands and tested in my room. I could have bought more expensive but it's about quality for what I pay and not bragging rights to spend the most.
@@joelowens5211 But it is about bragging rights, because you just said it’s one of the “best in the country.” What constitutes as best, the price? The Magico M9 speakers cost almost $1M, so according to your logic, those are much better. Sonus Faber voiced their speakers with the human ear, so how can you be sure they’re accurate? How can you listen to amplifiers and compare them? To suggest that amplifier sounds different from the other means that one or the other is coloring the signal (or even both). The guiding principle of these companies had always been firmly grounded in NO coloration. Coloration is measured as DISTORTION. When a amplifier is spec @ x watts 20-20,000 hz with no more than y% THD, it either performs to that spec or it does not. Pure and simple. If one performs and sounds different than another, either it’s out of spec and needs service or the company is LYING about their performance specs! Amplifiers built by Accuphase are made as good and cost FAR less. Where are VAC parts made from? Santa’s magic shop in the North Pole? Are the capacitors made of solid gold? The speakers are and should be the only component that changes the sound. And if you want to change it, buy a preamp with tone controls.
@@joelowens5211 But it is about bragging rights, because you just said it's one of the "best in the country." What constitutes as best, the price?
The Magico M9 speakers cost almost $1M, so according to your logic, those are much better.
Sonus Faber voiced their speakers with the human ear, so how can you be sure they're accurate? How can you listen to amplifiers and compare them? In a blindfold ABX test you couldn’t tell!
HI JOE! Didn't you work for Parasound? What is going on with Parasound since the take over? Is the New guy Killing the Company? Thank you.
Hello Tom B, thank you for your note, and yes, I sure did! As Gramophone is not a retailer for the brand, it's unwise for me to comment.
Thank you for the quick response. @@GramophoneMD
Would you please tell me what is the BGM at the beginning of the last chapter "Outro" ?
Thanks a lot!
Hello Nico, yes, it's cool background music, but selected by a former employee, so we aren't sure where it originated
I will be upgrading my Signature’s to Nova’s or to the Homage line in the near future . I kick myself for not buying a new in the crate pair of Cremones that someone passed on before delivery, 24k is steep but a very reasonable price on those .
Thanks DS - our guess is that you will love your new Nova or Homage. Good luck and have fun comparing the models in your price range. We hope it's with us!
Nice speakers. But should this really be called a review... seems to be a sales person doing the "review".
You make a good point
So lovely 🥰
I own the mini version :) but the Amati Futura front is exactly the same. Yes ofcourse the Aida 2 has newer drivers and a bigger in build bas speaker extra.
Hello User, we're glad you are enjoying those "minis"!
@4:45 THEY ARE USING WAVIN BRAND PE WASTE WATER PIPES AHAHAHAHHAHAA
Seems so funny 😂😂😂
Ok. I put my house, my boat and two cars for sale so i might get a pair of those! Nothing to drive them with so Sorry no deal😂
Waiting so long to experience my beautiful life 💟☮️
POLK L800
DEFINITIVE TECHNOLOGY DM80
KEF The Reference 5 Meta
Sonus Faber Aida II
Focal Grande Utopia EM EVO
on and on and on and on.
Awesome 🤩
Agreed, Save! Thanks for watching
Stradivari are most beautiful.
Hi Stefano, the Stradivari are gorgeous. Pretty much everything Sonus faber makes looks good, right?
@@GramophoneMDIt is also a question of personal taste, I find the 2 red series wonderful, while the 1 series with the black band in the center I don't like.
Aida, who cost double, are certainly excellent speakers, but not judging beautiful.
Hello @@StefanoDallAgata - agreed, personal taste plays a role. Someone loves a $2,000 pair of speakers, speaker A, because the bass is a little richer than a similarly priced speaker, speaker B. The next customer prefers speaker B, preferring the bit of extra mid and high end clarity vs. speaker A. Which customer is right? Personal preference is not only ok, it's good. Restaurants would only offer one entree if everybody liked the same thing
Sound panels on the wall and than a speaker with extra pair of tweeters on the back… complete useless.
Hello Darth, thank you. As they are adjustable, it actually works well to have rear-firing mid / tweeter modules. You can customize to any room - reflective, absorptive, anything in between. You can see more on p 17 of their owner's manual:a.storyblok.com/f/259299/x/20ac4208e2/web_aida-new_2017_owners_manual.pdf
McIntosh are overrated and overpriced. One of the last brands I would buy. All you get with McIntosh is ok sound. Way better amps out there that will blow McIntosh away. You don’t see many audiophiles running McIntosh.
Respectfully, you may want to revisit the present McIntosh line-up. It's one of our best selling brands, and an aspirational brand for quite a few salespeople
It is a brand I would buy in a heartbeat. They are highly regarded, great build quality and years of experience.
@@GramophoneMD love my MA352
McIntosh doesn't arbitrarily have the reputation they do. Everyone has their own preferences, but McIntosh has some truly astounding equipment out there.
McIntosh heart of music 🙏🙏🙏
I've heard it and it's nowhere near the best..!!!!
Thank you for your comment, Garth. In our Experience Center, they sound incredible, but we cannot vouch for how they are set up in other environments