BRUTALLY Honest About Sonus Faber - the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ต.ค. 2023
- What even is ugly about Sonus Faber? Let's find out, comment down below your thoughts on the video!
Previous Brutally Honest video on McIntosh: • BRUTALLY Honest about ...
First impression of Sonus Faber SE17: • First Impressions of t...
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Audio Excellence Inc. is a high-end audio/video store in Markham, Ontario, Canada, a suburb of Toronto. We've been in business since 1991.
Check out our interviews with designers and audio luminaries like Daryl Wilson of Wilson Audio, Paul McGowan of PS Audio, Paolo Tezzon of Sonus Faber, Wendell Diller of Magnepan, John Atkinson of Stereophile, Dan D'Agostino of D'Agostino Master Audio Systems, Nelson Pass of Pass Labs and others.
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Edited by: Alison@audioexcellence.ca - บันเทิง
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Adrian, please let me say how much I appreciate your videos, and how impressed I am with your poise and presence on camera. You are a gifted media star.
Today you spoke about comparing early S-F speakers to Wilson Audio, and I’m struck by how people like me-not in the business-can only evaluate sound by comparison, not as an absolute or stand-alone value. I am always hoping that your videos will say, “I put this piece of equipment side-by-side with its competitor, and these are the differences I heard…”. To me, that is the most valuable information you can give me.
Thanks again for all you do.
Chuck Ferguson
Thanks Chuck. We do try to make videos that compare similarly priced options.
Love Sonus Fabre. It makes the audiophile happy and the significant other feel happy too.
Congrats!!
Faber
Keep 'em coming! What a fresh take for an audio channel. Typically it's a review of a specific speaker but an brand review, to me, is so novel. Love it!
Thanks Paul
Loving this series of videos! I've had just one pair of Sonus Faber speakers - the Cremona Auditor M. As you were describing the older SF sound as being only appropriate with some genres of music, I was nodding my head in agreement. The Cremona Auditor Ms were warm to the point of being flawed by it...just thick and gooey. NOT hyper resolving at all, but when they hit a track they got along with, oh boy! Those glimpses of brilliance, along with the stunning aesthetic design is what kept them around for a while. In fairness, I do kind of miss them even though they weren't the best at most things.
Love this series Adrian. A really insightful and fresh take in the reviewing space.
Thanks
Just a wonderful concept/series Adrian! Always informative, entertaining and enlightening. Just such a huge shame I am in the States and cannot take advantage of having you and your staff as my go to dealer…bummer! Wonderful, and thank you all the same.
My pleasure!
What a Beautifully Honest analogy in the comparison about hearing the Sonus Faber and feeling like you're first love. I'm still waiting for mine anxiously. I experienced my first true love in Rome Italy where I grew up. Can't wait to feel that feeling again. Hearing you for the first time today and I'm hooked. It's an honor knowing we share that same first time feeling.
Adrian, it's refreshing to have someone give the real scoop on their products.
Thank you
I watch a ton of hifi TH-cam from affordable up to unrealistic (for my budget). This is by far my favorite "series". Great work!
Thanks very much!
Love your authentic discussion based on your extensive experience ❤ Great job, keep up the good work!
Adrian these video's are a massive help to potential buyers. One of the contributing reasons I purchased the JC5 (Your take on Parasound amps in the past) Thank you
Glad you like them!!
Thanks Adrian, great review keep up the good work!
I love this series! These are the best videos I have seen from your team, Thanks!
Thanks!
Very insightful! Thanks very much, Adrian ❤
Please keep it coming! Thanks :)
Great idea for a video series.
l had a very weird experience trying to trade in my Sonus Faber Cremona Auditors. No dealer in the NY area wanted to take them in trade. They are very nice speakers, with a slightly warm, and very smooth and detailed sound for bookshelf size speakers. Yet, apparently, there is no no demand for them. I was told by one highly respected dealer that they have a "European" sound, meaning soft on the bass, I think. He said Americans want more bass, more room presence. So I sold them on Ebay.
well, Cremona are not exactly "party speakers": cannot drop basses like DJs in techno-clubs!
Thank you for your honest truth.... Waiting for your takes on Wilson's Speakers 😊
I live in Italy and I have the Sonus Faber Venere Signature which is the only one in the Venere series made in Italy.
It's nice to hear the review from a foreign importer, very interesting thank you.
Saw you today at the Audio Fest at Acora Acoustics room
Listening to this on a hazy Sat morning with coffee was such a joy and pleasure. Thank you for such enagaging and interesting content.
Thanks!
Great video series. I almost didn't want to hear other speakers at your shop because the Amati's are beautiful and sounded great, if I heard something better I'd be torn 😆
Your speakers are wonderful!!!
love the honesty, great job
Thank you
nice summary. Have owned several pairs of SFs as well as the W brand and the rockports. Two things you did not mention. 1. Which speaker keeps you in your listening chair the longest? 2. the larger Sonus Fabers are efficient but have a really low impedance curve at the lower frequencies so you need an amp that can drive 2 ohm loads easily. But same is true for some models of the W brand as well.
Great Video! Just traded my sonetto to V for the Olympics Nova V (same as behind you). I can say that they are just so beautiful in my room. A real work of art. And, they sound amazing. I’ve found no downside in my month of ownership. Thanks for this video.
Congrats!!
Enhorabuena
Wow, you had me worried about the tweeter! Sprinted to my early Lumina V, but all good there. Probably the issue was already sorted before release of the V (as it was the newest in the line).
I have a pair of mono VAC 452 IQ music blocks 1 to each speaker. My speakers are Sonus Faber Aida 2's in Wenge finish. All Dragon cables with Vivaldi stack. VAC master pre-amp. Wilsons to me are more clinical. I like to get lost in the music and have it wash over me. For me it's the perfect system.
great video, thanks!!
My pleasure
Great video thank you! THE GOOD THE BAD THE UGLY ❤
Great points! I love my Cremonas L/R/C with REL sub.....Beautifully built, and still sound great (Jazz/Home Theatre)...They are power hungry, though, a true lifetime investment. I had a bought a Lexicon receiver RV-8 at the same time which was a huge disappointment and a bad recommendation! It died within 5 years. I will also say this. It is really important to understand how the sound travels in your room: i.e. number of speakers, size and placement.... Considering wall treatment...Is it worth it? I am glad I found your channel.
Love the details, the knowledge and the history you share from years back. Could have listened for hours.
I like the big sound picture of floor standing speakers and i'm thinking of upgrading to a pair of either Lumina 5, Sonetto III or Sonetto 5. My current setup is not the newest and low budget compared to these, but i enjoy listening to them. It's Argon Audio 6355FS driven by a Denon DRA-700AE. Which one of the SF would you prefer and would my Denon fit any of these?
So true about the older generation being limited in scope. And I realised that even within the range, there appears to be some specialisation, though I'm sure it was not intended. e.g. the 1st gen Guarneri was so good in strings whereas the affordable Concerto excels in piano better than the Guarneri. Interestingly I had the chance to plug both sets of speakers into an amp with A+B channels and played both at the same time. I can tell you.. it sounded really surreal in an amazing way.
I've owned my sonetto 1s for 6 months now and love them so much the fact that they can play many types of music and sound so good doing it had me sold on them when I auditioned them
Congrats!!
I bought a pair of the Guinari Homages w/ stands back in 2003. Still love them besides their unique style of strung grills.
Congratulations on the award you received at the Canadian audiofest 😁
Thanks!
Thanks Adrian, you are so honest, this is exactly what I think about Sonus faber.
Thanks!
Hi Adrian, I just found this video and love your honest review. How do you feel about the original Stradivaris (which I own) compared to the new version of this speaker? Thanks for the great work!
Adrian LOVE THESE. Do not stop do not change. Keep it just you. AQ and Nordost and Magnepan pls
I own the Lilium. Wonderful sounding speaker that fills the room
Love your content. Are you planning to make a video about the Maxima Amator or can you say how versatile or specialised they are?
I came across four early edition (1980's?) Electa's all painted white with a hideous white, stained grille cloth at a local thrift shop. Very heavy for their size and well built. Got them for $30, then rushed them home, tested them for shorts and found them okay. Went to hear them and was impressed with the sound quality and soundstage where the speakers seem to disappear. That gave me the motivation to cosmetically restore them and now I'm enjoying them daily. Oddly after stripping the paint, I found one pair having wood finish while the other pair what appeared to be bare mdf. I wonder why that was on such a quality speaker that not all have a nice wood finish? 🤔
Hello Adrian, thank you very much for your videos! I always watch your channel with great pleasure. I have one question for you: what cable harness do you recommend to your customers in conjunction with Sonus Fabrer and McIntosh?
As for weight, don't the large ones come with their own transport carts? Still probably need 2 people to safely move, but not impossible. It's not like you'd take apart the Wilsons if you just wanted to move them a bit, either. :D
The Aida 2 is one of the three best speakers I ever heard (along with the Bayz Audio Counterpoint and the MBL 101 X-Treme). Curious to hear their new Suprema.
I had 2 pairs of the Stradivari several years ago and the only speakers I've had/sold that I miss.
Agree, I am a proud owner of the Nova 5. Love them.
Congrats!
I love my Sonettos 2 ... works really well with NAD c399 .. but I'm already saving money for the Olympica Nova 2 😝
I read that the new, just announced active streaming wireless speaker is also made in China. But not sure if this is true.
I had that exact problem on one of my Lumina 3’s,that the “point” did not touch the tweter,i tought it was normal🤦♂️ I had them for like 4 months and i just couldn’t get them to sound right and then sold them. Wondering if that could’ve been a problem 🤷♂️. Another great video,you should do more of theses
More coming
Adrian, what’s your thought upgrading from Sonetto V to nova III?
Nice material. Do you have Dali speakers to make a similar "brutally honest" ? :)
My local hi-fi shop “speaker shop” here in Buffalo New York 7v years ago allowed me to do a multi-speaker comparison that I did over several weeks and the finalists were the sonus Fabre venera 300 versus the kef r700 and I chose the kef’s that I still have to this day
Been to the Speaker Shop many times. Dangerous place. That’s where I got hooked on the Lumina V’s. Now, I guess I’ll have to check the tweeters 🙄
I'm thinking of upgrading my sonus faber nova 3 to amati g5.
What do you think of the update, do you think they would have a dynamic to listen to all types of musical styles.
Thank you very much
going to give the newest Sonus Faber Duettos a try.
Oh dear... Both of my Sonetto Vs are faulty in terms of DAD tweeter as the pines are not touching the dome.
Do you know from which SN number they fixed the production line?
Hi Adrian. I'm curious to know which model of Sonus Faber's are your favorite?
After watching this video, I’ve checked the tweeters on my Sonetto V’s and noticed they don’t touch the little thing. Should I reach out to my dealer about it? I bought them new a year ago. They sound great to me, but now you got me thinking these are flawed :(
Really highlights how good SF speakers are. Resale value is indeed baffling. Not sure how much PCB crossovers matter as long as the components are quality.
Great video and description, but the 'good' was so minimal and mostly on aesthetics and craftsmanship, not on sound quality or performance. That makes your closing statement confusing.
Recently bought a Gravis 1 subwoofer and was disappointed to see it was made in CHINA. Also recently received nova olympica 3 speakers and am ecstatic with their performance.
I ordered Nova 2 but I should change the order to 3 before paying. They are very expensive though. 19k for the 2 and 25k for the 3. Ridiculous prices really, problem is the manufacturer, distributor, and dealer all want their cut so by the time the buyer hands over the cash it’s 3 times the manufacture cost.
Wow, exhaustive!
:: dig your vids. love my olympica II
Congrats!
Quite like the workmanship of SF - auditioned the Olympica Nova 3 vs the Focal Sopra 2. Wanted the SF to do well but was shocked by how much better the Sopra 2 performed…
Love your comment about some speakers only sounding good with audiophile recordings. What a waste of time and money. We all have lots of music that we emotionally connect that is not well recorded. So what? It's about the music. Unfortunately, some audiophiles only listen to their systems and not the music and buy accordingly. Oh well...to each their own.
Well said .My biggest regret going down the home theater RABBIT HOLE. Could have purchased a decent 2 channel set up
I love my Sonus Faber Sonetto 3’s
Congrats!
What do you think of the Heritage series in terms of sound signature? e.g. Maxima Amator. Thanks
Warmer and more forgiving than the rest
One issue not mentioned is the strung grilles, I've re-strung my Elipsa floorstanders twice, ditto my Olympica centre. The pair of Cremona floorstanders are into their third set, not a difficult job but very tedious although SF do supply them FOC.
I've had the same issue with my Elipsa's. Don't restring, Just take some tweezers, pull each string from the bottom and tie a new knot in the stretched string. The strings are VERY elastic and can be stretched quite a bit. Trim the strings after they have been re-stretched.
Yes, I've done this for all of my strung SFs but the elasticity seems to be reduced and the repair does not last for long so, as the new strings are supplied FOC, I think new ones are the best bet.@@fraserkatz2081
I would be more concerned about the iron core inductors than I would about the use of PCB morass on the crossovers.
The ugly you're talking about is all about poor QUALITY CONTROL in the manufacturing plant. Some technicians were asleep at the wheel, or the lack of technicians (cost cutting) ???? Thanks for sharing valuable audio info.
Are the new serafino more neutral and less genre specific than the previous generation?
yes
Best looking speakers in the biz, but I always find their sound not involving and too warm for my tastes. As you say, perhaps more forgiving of source materials, but I didn't find myself wanting to hear more either, as I do for say ATC.
I still have my "Venere S" and they are made in Italy, so not the complete Venere line was made in China.
I still find the Sonus Faber to be less engaging with large scale, dense music. I listened to Amanti Traditions to finally upgrade my aging W/P 6's. With small scale stuff the sound is WONDERFUL, loads of inner detail; you want to hear every tone an nuance of a plucked string these are the speakers for you. But when the music gets big and dense they don't have the dynamics of even the old Wilsons, never mind the new ones. FWIW I ended up with CPO Alexia 2's, after living with the W/P since 1999 I just really like the Wilson sound.
Congrats Mark!
Good breakdown of the brand. Truly beautiful furniture that sounds great is Sonus Faber's wheelhouse. IMO, Chinese made equipment is acceptable for budget or modest products. Im not paying knowingly for what is a "premium" product, manufactured by the lowest bidder with the cheapest labor. It does not mean that a Chinese product like Paradigm doesnt sound great. It just means over a certain price point countries with cheapest labor really have to prove their product superior. China has not reached a level of quality, say like the Swiss with watches. And when audio components are easily $10,000....$20,000......$50,000.....to $100,000 and beyond, a company really has to have no question to its quality of manufacturing.
Paradigm are built in Canada - Founder and Persona.
Which Amati model you taking about?
IF you follow ISO standards it really doesn't matter where you build your factory. There is some exelent equipment coming from China, the fact that you don't have to pay the high wages of other countries is just a bonus.
This comment is ignorant to the fact that Western countries lost their manufacturing skills and machinery after outsourcing to China for decades. This is most obvious in the print industry and the textile industry. Many premium brands cannot produce their goods in their country, they have no choice but to outsource to China. When it comes to HiFi, American brands like Klipsch or Grado with mediocre build quality get a pass because they're American-made. Heck, I would bet my house that Klipsch and Grado would be higher quality if they were produced in China.
@user-xg6zz8qs3q The comment was NOT ignorant to the fact most manufacturing has been exported from western contries, it was highlighting that fact. Thats the whole reason to pay a premium price. Thats why premium brands are only 4% of the market. Obviously the market agrees with Sonus Faber's mistake and almost downfall. A European business, not a US one. Were not debating whether the 96% of products are any good regardless of their origin, im only referring to the 4% of premium customers that will pay a premium to employ folks in their own country or north of their border
don´t have any Sonus-Faber might have to travel 400kms to hear them maybe i would buy or not
The Aida, 89db @1W/1 m sensitivity ... not 92db, 4ohm speakers you will need to -3db. Because they went volts (2.83V) instead of watts (W=E^2/R), this causes power in watts to double in DUT. Don't be fooled by this trick.
The sonus faber speakers like to play at a relaxed pace. They like to saunter about. Easy to listen to but not great for critical listening especially if the music is complex and dynamic.
I would like have set but I didn't when had the money.
Hi Adrian,
This video actually steered something up in a few Sonus Faber forums (especially on Facebook), regarding the DAD not touching. There have been reports about the DAD being adjustable and such, but I'm to scared to try and turn/adjust mine. I've tried to contact Sonus Faber itself, but never had a reply (the same as others). It turns out a LOT of people actually have the DAD problem. I have it on my brand new Olympica Nova II's, and a lot have it on Sonneto's, Lumina's etc.
Did you ever receive an official response, or what do you guys do? I honestly find it pretty alarming.
I recently bought Nova 3s and the DAD components are in contact.
Nice speakers yes, overpriced speakers also yes.
I would add an ugly that they deceive on the driver size. They also state the cabinet width as the stand footprint width on the Nova. I think they may also deceive on the drivers being made in house. I think the cones may be but I think the rest of the driver is imported.
What do you think of Dynaudio speakers?
I don’t know what Adrian thinks but for the money you can’t beat them. I auditioned speakers for 3 years and couldn’t believe how incredible the Dynaudio Contour 60i were for $12,000. At half the price of the Focal Sopra 2, it was far superior to me. And yes, far more dynamic than any SF under $50,000. Just my opinion.
@@barrypatterson1154
No way the i60 is superior to the Sopra 2 😅
@@SirMountainpass As I said, just my opinion. In audio just like everything else, everyone has different tastes. I preferred the overall sound of the Dynaudio. Love their soft dome tweeters. Focal’s Beryllium tweeters are simply too bright for me.
S F . . .they are beautiful yes and nice sounding too . . . but we pay DEARLY for the beautiful lovingly made "boxes" whose beauty alone don't contribute in any significant way to the quality of sound . . . regarding SOUND, there are better values . . . such as Magnepan, and Dynaudio for just two examples out of several
I was a little surprised that price wasn’t an “ugly”.
Just listened to a pair in a hi-end audio store and the sound while focused between the speakers the music appeared to come from the floor. While listening I found myself dropping my head downward to the floor. I was disappointed in the presentation.
Your « ugly » about the weight… so fun!😂😂😂
Pre-Covid versus Post-Covid SF..
The TH-cam ads are unbelievably bad, they even appear not only at the beginning of the video, but also in the middle of it!
ABP is now redundant with the Tube, ads it is now unless you go premium or sign out then ABP works as should
“A picture is worth a thousand words.”
-Sonus Faber subwoofer owner’s manual
OH WE CARE where they are made when price demands it :)
Sonus Faber is a rather high end brand. I equate them to Ferrari. Their products have a combination of style, passion and engineering. Some of their products clearly perform better than others. Would I be OK with a Ferrari being manufactured in China like GM does with automobiles? No way. Do Ferraris contain some parts made in China? Yes. Do Sonus Faber speakers contain any parts made in China? Maybe, I am not sure. When you look at a GM car, it is difficult to tell which country it was assembled in unless you look at the MSRP window sticker.
China is a huge manufacturer and has transitioned to advanced engineering of some products. However, unlike countries like the US, Japan, Germany and Italy, etc., their own brands of high end audio are not yet known or sold in the USA. I know they have tried. That is the next plateau in audio that they should try to achieve.
Why don’t people get the point that it is about not exporting jobs from Italy or Canada or the US to China? Quality in this segment of industry is rarely a problem. And most certainly it is not about Chinese because we all love Adrian and I love my neurologist! the point is also not to enrich a totalitarian atheist dictator ship that has been responsible for tens of millions of deaths, and is still one of the most repressive regimes in the world. I certainly feel for the Chinese people but I feel for people in democracies more.
The worst thing for a very high end Italian product like Sonus Faber to be perceived as made in China. This is marketing suicide. Even Ferrari cars are marketed as "all genuine Ferrari parts are made in Italy". Even though many Ferrari parts come from China.
thanks for this video, really interesting
greetings from Ukraine 🇺🇦
Keep safe!
@@robinr5787 he is safe. Stop believing in TV.
Only tiny bit of Ukraine is at war.
Pisaj po sirotinji
REDICILOUS HYPERBOLE. You will need different speakers for different type of music. WHAT it either sounds good or it doesn't
early to mid 2000´s well we are a bit far from the year 2500, if will be still as we know lot´s of war, sickness, lies,lies,lies everywhere, the money of two individuals being more than 3 continents money flow ,that type of thing or Bakunine was right
The stigma of "Made in China" is tragic. Think any iPhones / Macs / Laptops etc...
I have two pair of Bowers 702s2 and 704s2, and both not only sound great but are well put together. I checked the inside with an orthoscope, the quality is not just skin deep. I also have a Rega Planar III, made in Europe, a Technics 1210 GR, made in Maylasia. All exelent equipment
@@musicman8270 I certainly do understand wanting to 'boycott' Made in China for political purposes (vs for quality purposes especially for western brands) but I think that is slightly misguided as most of these Chinese audio companies are mom-and-pop operations compared to the likes to Alibaba / Tencent etc that are more likely to have some government influence. The "Quality" issues is similar to what Americans thought of Japanese cars and electronics back in the 60's / 70's and look where they are at today.
I have Wharfedale Lintons + stands. Very well built. Better than American-built products I've owned. Factories in China can build to any customer's specifications from cheap all the way to high-end. The time they could build only cheap stuff is behind us.
@@colanitower My speakers on closeout were 4800 bucks (702s2). Doesn't bother me a bit they were made in China in a new factory built by Bowers and Wilkins. The 800 series is still handmade in England, but I couldn't swing that.
China is as capable of fine manufacture as any nation on earth. This stigma is a persistent and ugly myth.
Venere or venus in english
They're Italian speakers, dork.
Sonus Faber are not time and phase correct you hear a lot of time and phase irregularities smearing the sound. Vandersteens are superior. The truth is in the listening.
They are 1st order crossover, Ergo they are phase coherent just like Vandersteen.
Sonus faber probably has done that intentionally to provide a certain kind of sound. Sound quality is highly subjective. There are some audiophiles cannot stand the clinical and sterile sound of Focal Utopia Grandes and find it downright boring. There are some audiophiles that really swear by speakers that are only 2000 to 8000 dollars a pair and prefer the sound of them over much more expensive speakers.
so they build good things in China today celestion and kef lost their clients for the crap being done there, now wharfedale joined the club after the lintons second coming let´s see, they were my go to brand in professional equipment, to concert halls and mini clubs or alternative spaces to meet youngsters tastes in life ,but now i doubt it
And what difference does it make if it was made in China? What difference would make if ALL Sonus Faber speakers were made in China? The Chinese do great work.
Actually the only people who would have a legitimate reason to complain about it would be Italians themselves because having work done anywhere outside of Italy means less work for Italians