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SONUS FABER BOOKSHELF SPEAKER ADVICE: Lumina II; Sonetto I; Sonetto II; Venere 1.5

Bato

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I don't know if you have already bought something, but as an SF lover (i owned the Sonus Faber quid amplifier with the concertino and Cremona, and now i own a musica amp and a pair of Sonus Faber Pryma), if you liked the Cremona auditor i would suggest you to listen to concertino or concerto (First series, not the Home or Domus version) they has a very warm, but reactive sound (the classical sound of Sonus Faber)
 
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venessian

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I don't know if you have already bought something, but as an SF lover (i owned the Sonus Faber quid amplifier with the concertino and Cremona, and now i own a musica amp and a pair of Sonus Faber Pryma), if you liked the Cremona auditor i would suggest you to listen to concertino or concerto (First series, not the Home or Domus version) they has a very warm, but reactive sound (the classical sound of Sonus Faber)
Thanks. Unfortunately I have not bought anything yet, or even shopped more recently, and likely will not for a while as I had/have some health expenses now, and so need to save money for speakers all over again. I have read great reviews of the Concerto/Concertino. Were Sonus faber speakers designated "Home / Domus" different in that they were intended more for HT use?

I will say the last time I heard some Sf together they were Lumina II and the Cremona Auditor (not "M") A/B back and forth quite a few times, on a basic Cambridge Audio amp like mine. The Cremona still sounded great, as in the two sessions before, but the Lumina II gave up very little to them, in my limited experience. The Lumina II sounded not as deep/wide as the Cremona but nonetheless impressive to me.
 
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venessian

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I dislike researching and finding threads that the OP never concluded with a decision, so here is my last post on this:

Short story: Sonus faber Sonetto I for various reasons.

*********************************************************
Sorry for the delayed reply, but the final decision only occurred recently.

I decided I did not want to buy the Sonus faber Cremona Auditor because of the color/no grilles/price/stands, ergo not risk damage transporting them home and back, so I decided it was between Sonus faber Lumina II, Sonus faber Sonetto I, Vandersteen VLR Wood, and KEF R3. I did A/B compare the Lumina II and the Cremona at the dealer one last (third) time, and was sufficiently impressed with the Lumina II on second/third listen that I thought excluding the Cremona Auditor was the correct decision.

I had already crossed the KEF R3, as good as they are, off the list for my specific preferences and purposes.

Then, as noted above, I really liked the Vandersteen VLR Wood but also had some issues with them and decided I would be happier without them.

So in the end I bought the Sonus faber Sonetto I. They arrived today, are connected, and I have been listening to them for the last 4 hours. They are great, even better than at both dealers. I like everything about them, sonically, and find the design and piano black color really elegant. I love them.

Honestly I think I would have been OK with any of those 4 listed above, but feel like these are the right ones. I am not a seller/flipper; these will be with me a long time, likely for my life.

I will finish by saying that the new "entry level" Sonus faber are excellent, very consistent across Lumina and Sonetto lines. Fabrication is top-notch, and they sounded excellent in different stores, with different equipment. They are strong. That said, the:
Lumina I: just too small, only good for a desktop/small bedroom in my opinion. Not feasible in a larger, standard room in a 2.0 or 2.1 system.
Lumina II: really excellent, much "bigger" presence than the Lumina I and even gives very little away to the Sonetto I. Definitely worth the cost increase vs Lumina I.
Sonetto I: I do prefer the larger size, the lute shape, and the piano black finish of Sonetto over Lumina. I also think they sound a bit more developed, refined, balanced. Initially I was not sure that the $600 cost difference between Lumina II and Sonetto I was worth it (I still think it might not be for many buyers, especially when buying new) but in the end considering the characteristics and the fact that I am a one-time buyer I did think it worth it for myself. They merge extremely well with the Rythmik L12 subwoofers. I really have no regrets.
Sonetto II: I never had a chance to hear these but I suspect they are super. Worth the cost increase over Sonetto I? That I do not know; they seem very similar.

I am in the studio now, across a small hall from the living room where the Sonetto I are playing, so I am very off-axis, etc. The sound is still wonderful, precise, rich, light. In fact when I walk into the living room, and then into the kitchen, I really do not find the Sonetto I sound changing much with axis shifts and distance, other than volume of course. That is great performance for my life-style.

Room:
Standard residential living/dining room, approximately 14' x 18' + 7' x 6' nook
(circa 294 sq ft / 2,350 cu ft)

Equipment:
Speakers: 2x Sonus faber Sonetto I
Subwoofers: 2x Rythmik L12
Integrated Amplifier: Cambridge Audio 851A
Network Player: Cambridge Audio 851N
CD Player: Rotel RCC-955
Cables: various Blue Jeans Cable


Thanks to all who advised and participated here.
 

dman777

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I have the Yamaha r-n2000a amp paired with the Sonus Faber Lumina IIs. I love the sound of the Lumina IIs. To me it a colored (non neutral sound) that I really like. They pair great with my amp. I like them so much I decided to order the Sonetto II's to see how they sound. If I like the Sonettos as much as the Lumina IIs, I will switch them out. Still waiting for the Sonetto II to come in.
 

robbo0

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I have the Yamaha r-n2000a amp paired with the Sonus Faber Lumina IIs. I love the sound of the Lumina IIs. To me it a colored (non neutral sound) that I really like. They pair great with my amp. I like them so much I decided to order the Sonetto II's to see how they sound. If I like the Sonettos as much as the Lumina IIs, I will switch them out. Still waiting for the Sonetto II to come in.
@dman777 how did you find the change between Lumina II to Sonetto IIs? Is the silky smooth colouring and mids still there?

@venessian thank you for concluding this thread with your decision...and sorry for reviving it. I appear to be following in similar footsteps with the same mind set.

I'm oddly not finding much views and experiences of Sonetto Is, everyone seems to fork out and jump for the IIs. I have heard Lumina IIs and love the mids, but aesthetically Sonettos are gorgeous and in theory better, even if not as good VfM as Luminas. I'm therefore torn between Lumina II Amator and Sonetto I or II (the latter causing a dip into the forbidden piggy bank and really delaying a turn table & sub purchase). Do the Sonettos lose any of the luscious forward mids that makes you (me) feel the music/vocals more?

Part of me is thinking, Sonetto I, earlier enjoyment of a decent turntable (Rega P3 / RP40) and a JL Audio Dominion d110 is a better price and experience to walkaway with, than the price jump to Sonetto IIs...?

Perhaps looking for some words of encouragement to pull the trigger here!
 

Gringoaudio1

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I do not know much, but this seems a bit reductionist regarding Sf versus many other brands, no?

Sf certainly seem to have a definite reputation for their sound as well as the aesthetic design (I am a neophyte for sure, but when one can research a brand and quickly find it described as comprising "classic Serblin-era", followed by "post-Serblin transitional/HT/(and China-production) era", followed by "current modern (while maintaining Serblin principles) era"...that seems like very acoustically specific stuff. Whether some people like the sound is of course an entirely different issue, but to say "it was always about looks" doesn't seem very fair.

I would say, as an architect and designer, that Sf do not convey "industrial design" to me at all. When I hear that term, I think of very different speakers than Sf. But, subjective terms again.
[EDIT: I just read your second comment above explaining your use of the term "industrial design". I do agree with that: I thought at first you were referring to the aesthetic design of the speakers, rather than the production aspects. But by that production definition almost all speakers are "industrial design". One could even argue that hand-assembled speakers (as all post-China Sonus faber speakers are, if I understand correctly, now made by hand in the factory in Italy...along with many other brands in other countries) are, to a vast degree "industrial design", as they utilize mostly essential components of machine-driven production.]

I am an average, non-expert, listener, moving around and working in a relatively casual environment, and definitely not someone sitting very still at the apex of a precise listening triangle, so perhaps monitors, as well as they might chart on paper, are not really the "best" speakers for my life?
The Venere line sounds great with some EQ. Not a great FR curve from factory. Good waterfall so despite a thin cabinet it’s not adding resonance to the frequency response. They get no respect but are beautiful things.
 
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