Anybody like Sonus Faber ?

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Tim 2, Sep 6, 2015.

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  1. Tim 2

    Tim 2 MORE MUSIC PLEASE Thread Starter

    Location:
    Alberta Canada
    Purchased a pair of Anniversario's yesterday, any feedback, setup tips would be appreciated.

    Associated equipment is listed on my profile ( available to everyone here ) although I'm currently working on an amp/preamp change.
     
    BigGame likes this.
  2. Art K

    Art K Retired but not tired!

    Location:
    Corvallis, Oregon
    Beautiful speakers, congrats.
     
    Tim 2 likes this.
  3. Bathory

    Bathory 30 yr Single Malt, not just for breakfast anymore

    Location:
    usa
    Wow, too bad they cost more than I take home in an entire year. They are pipe dreams
     
  4. mds

    mds Forum Resident

    Location:
    PA
    Very musical and gorgeous to look and listen to
     
  5. triple

    triple Senior Member

    Location:
    Zagreb, Croatia
    So, you went to audition Revel subwofers to enhance your rock music listening, but bought Sonus faber speakers instead? Interesting. :)

    Btw, it would be helpful in the Sf threads like this if the Sf speakers discussed were described as "old" or "new" Sonus fabers. Similar to NOS vs. reissue Mullard tubes.
     
  6. Tim 2

    Tim 2 MORE MUSIC PLEASE Thread Starter

    Location:
    Alberta Canada
    Interesting indeed.
    But when you hear something very special and are on a quest to improve your audio and music experience why not channel your coppers to where they do the most good.
     
  7. triple

    triple Senior Member

    Location:
    Zagreb, Croatia
    These are the real deal from the good times, congratulations!

    There is a pair in stunning graphite finish being sold over here for 10k euro. Wonderful stuff.
     
  8. Tim 2

    Tim 2 MORE MUSIC PLEASE Thread Starter

    Location:
    Alberta Canada
    Wow great price. When still available a couple years ago, they were near $40,000 CDN, new.
    My favorite salon was asking $18,000 CDN for this used but perfect pair, they allowed me $11,000 trade-in for my Studio's and I also got them to consume the tax. :cheers:
     
  9. F1nut

    F1nut Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Mars Hotel
    Congrats, a very nice sounding speaker.
     
  10. Baron Von Talbot

    Baron Von Talbot Well-Known Member

    I am sure you will like the. Strings excell with SF. somehow they just bring out the best in that regard. Probably die to using the same wood used in Cremona for the best violins ever built. Besides that they are beautiful to look at, touch and of course to listen to. Besides strings, vocals , piano and percussion also are revealed in a convincing, lively, dynamic yet nice on the ear manner. There are no real weak points but if it is loud hard loud Rock you love, better look elsewhere. Blues, Reggae, Hip Hop, electronic music all do sound great, though.
    Never heard your speakers - chances are that they are good with Rock, too.
    Congrartulations on a great deal.
     
    jupiterboy and Tim 2 like this.
  11. Tim 2

    Tim 2 MORE MUSIC PLEASE Thread Starter

    Location:
    Alberta Canada
    Thanks
    Yes they are particularly good with vocals and strings.
    I don't listen to much HARD rock any more and certainly at lower levels than in my younger days, but still like some rock music both old and new. Have acquired a taste for jazz the last bunch of years.
    Now to find an amp to make them sing.
     
  12. Baron Von Talbot

    Baron Von Talbot Well-Known Member

    They are good at Rock. ZZ Top's TEJAS for example sounds majestic.
    What kind of amp are you looking for and how much do you want to spend ?
     
  13. Tim 2

    Tim 2 MORE MUSIC PLEASE Thread Starter

    Location:
    Alberta Canada
    I'm leaving the door open on both count's, but I've been told by the dealer and friends that own SF to avoid tube amps as these speakers are already on the the warm, lush side and the addition of an amp with those characteristics may be too much of a good thing. I've decided to part with my Ayre KX-R pre and Levinson #532 power amp in favor of an integrated amp. One possibility is Ayre's AX5. A friend has one, everyone that hears it is dumb-founded how an integrated can sound better than many pricy combo's. Since I can borrow it I'll give it a try for a start. I was considering Levinsons new #585 integrated but that was for my Revels, I'm not sure if it would be quite right for the SF's.
     
    Last edited: Sep 7, 2015
  14. audioguy3107

    audioguy3107 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta, Georgia
    The warm lush Sonus Faber sound was attributed more to their older models when Franco Serblin was still designing their speakers. The newer models are closer to neutral than a lot of people think. I'm not sure if I would have a problem with tubes on the newer ones but I'd have to do some type of in home audition. That being said, nothing wrong with anything by Ayre of course!

    - Buck
     
    Tim 2 likes this.
  15. Tim 2

    Tim 2 MORE MUSIC PLEASE Thread Starter

    Location:
    Alberta Canada
    Good point Buck.
    According to a friend whom is a long time SF owner, the design was Franco's but that he had left the company before the project was complete.
     
  16. jupiterboy

    jupiterboy Forum Residue

    Location:
    Buffalo, NY
    I listened to them with a Japanese tube amp that was anything but lush. Many tube amps today lean towards a cool neutral. I had to get some NOS tubes into mine to get a warmer tone from it.
     
    ceynon and Tim 2 like this.
  17. Tullman

    Tullman Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    How about some pics?
     
  18. Tim 2

    Tim 2 MORE MUSIC PLEASE Thread Starter

    Location:
    Alberta Canada
    Yup, give me a week or two.
     
    Ham Sandwich likes this.
  19. Colin M

    Colin M Forum Resident

    Well maybe if you gave up smoking! ;) (it's where my audio cash has come from, a 20 a day habit costs over £3000/yr here).
     
    mindblanking likes this.
  20. Bathory

    Bathory 30 yr Single Malt, not just for breakfast anymore

    Location:
    usa




    Don't smoke cigarettes. Have a ****e job. Pays 20k year. Barely enough for an apartment with 800$ a month rent, garbage,water, gas, food, kid, wife. Life is hard brother. Most of my stuff was used, or damaged, and saved to have it fixed. I'm happy with what I have, I'll never have top tier stuff, but that's ok, I have heard top tier, not much different from my setup, and I will put my sunfire signature against ANY amp that has the balls for a challenge. Just give me a 30 amp line, and I don't care krell, levinson, niam(maybe not the reference things) or whoever, sunfire will either embarrass you, or be neck and neck.

    Itjusttakes me quite a bit longer to save, On average about 4 years to stash 4-5 k us dollars
     
    jupiterboy likes this.
  21. Colin M

    Colin M Forum Resident

    Not sure like would be the correct response, in this case! But I hear you. I gave up the cancer sticks 7 years ago and have managed some audio upgrades but mainly paid off on a car whilst its still running.
     
  22. Bathory

    Bathory 30 yr Single Malt, not just for breakfast anymore

    Location:
    usa






    Totally understand, we bought a dealer demo, GMC Acadia with pretty low miles, at 61,000 transmission went out, not we called gmc and begged, asked for assistance, only 1000 miles out of warranty. They offered us 200 dollars, we had to pop for the rest, it was. Not cheap, the week it was in the shop, luckily I have an old beater pickup which I drove to work, wife had to ride her bicycle too work, and we're still hurting from that, and that was over a year ago. The country needs something........
    Sorry to go off topic.

    Cheers to all the financially challenged trying to be part time audio heads. Totally not easy.
    But getting broken equipment is fun sometimes. I picked up the sunfire signature for a damn near steal price, the transformer was loose in it, owner said it was broken, offered me a wicked price..paid 100 dollars for t he repair, and it is in like new cond, for a amp from 1998. Nothing inside looks even used bill flannery said when it left his shop with upgrades to parts, and a test. I then sent the amp to rockford,IL the transformer screws were just stripped is all, replaced them with new ones and better. Parts, and added a nice rubber mat to the top of the transformer to totally isolate if from the chassis, even better that the stock from factory sunfire. It's inlike new come, beaming with the Rob Carver sig on the upper left corner. It's a helluva amp, smokes those emotiva mono's. Only a 50lb amp. All transformer weight. Oh well, hope everyone had a good Labor Day, not looking forward to my damn job tomorrow m asking peanuts, working my butt off.
     
  23. james

    james Summon The Queen

    Location:
    Annapolis
    Thread turned terrible.
     
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  24. Bathory

    Bathory 30 yr Single Malt, not just for breakfast anymore

    Location:
    usa
    No money for further education. I have skilled labor, but body is wrecked from the past 25 years of labor, rotator in shoulder is shot, need operation, lower back, pinched nerve, left knee shattered from 2 story fall years back.
    Left foot and ankle shattered, twisted broke, carrying a fire hydrant, and hit a muddy spot, ankle broke, and hydrant landed on my ribs, needless to say, hahaha bad luck followed me.
     
  25. james

    james Summon The Queen

    Location:
    Annapolis
    no need to explain yourself. I wish i had more spare gear to send your way.

    On topic: I loved the entry level SF monitors I heard driven by a Mcintosh integrated.
     
    DangerousKitchen likes this.
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