Rob V 2 Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 Does anyone have a pair of Sonus Faber Homage Amati Tradition Speakers. If so, is it a reasonable upgrade to the preceding Amati Futura series. How are people finding these speakers. We currently own a pair of Sonus Faber Amati Futura and love em. Link to post Share on other sites
THOMO 1,746 Posted July 30, 2019 Share Posted July 30, 2019 The Amati Futura are worth keeping just based on their looks.In my opinion the most beautiful speaker ever made. Newer models do not always sound better.Quite often they are changed to be more "impressive" sounding or to measure better but that does not mean they are more musically engaging . 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Al.M 1,403 Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 (edited) Had a good listen to some good Sonus Fabers at West Coast Hifi Midland Perth, very nice room setup The older Amati are classic beauty against the impressive $70k Cremonese and $18k Olympica III and the $6k Krix Esoterix Altum were no slouches either. The Amati were very gutsy, Cremonese a giant room filler, Olympica voiced nicely and Krix fast sounding and agile Edited August 4, 2019 by Al.M 6 Link to post Share on other sites
darth vader 1,262 Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 They make some tasty stuff. I hope other Sonus Faber owners have the time to post their thoughts. I'd would be keen to hear them. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
THOMO 1,746 Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 This is the one I like.The Amati Futura .Unfortunately no longer made.The most beautiful of all the Sonus Fabers and as good on vocals as any speaker I have heard.The massive chrome steel column at the back was there for more than just looks. 3 Link to post Share on other sites
kelossus 2,033 Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 (edited) @Krell_audio Are they your old Amatis? Edited August 4, 2019 by kelossus Link to post Share on other sites
Al.M 1,403 Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 (edited) The Olympica models use a Paralaminar stealth flow vented system at the back of the cabinet seen in the below pics as chrome mesh things. In that room the bass was good but a little tubby, other than that they were extremely good highs, mids and bass with good imaging and musicality. We brought our own Hypex N500 mono 400w 8 ohm amps custom built by Chamila in Perth. Edited August 4, 2019 by Al.M Link to post Share on other sites
kelossus 2,033 Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 @Al.M Did the old Amati outperform the Olympica? Haven't heard the Olympica range but everyone I know who has preferred the old Cremona series. Even had a retailer here in Brisbane who sells Sonus Faber rubbish the Olympica line and modern Sonus Faber's in general. Link to post Share on other sites
sir sanders zingmore 12,370 Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 11 minutes ago, kelossus said: @Al.M Did the old Amati outperform the Olympica? Haven't heard the Olympica range but everyone I know who has preferred the old Cremona series. Even had a retailer here in Brisbane who sells Sonus Faber rubbish the Olympica line and modern Sonus Faber's in general. I've heard the old Cremona and also one of the Olympica models (can't remember which one, but retail was higher than the Cremona). No question in my mind that the Cremona was better 3 Link to post Share on other sites
Smp 526 Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 Interesting - I was the original purchaser of these Amatis in the late 1990’s, from Vince Ross Audio - pair serial number 459 - nice to see that they are still in fine condition. Traded them back to Vince for Stradivaris, which I still own. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Smp 526 Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 The original RRP of these Amatis was $37,000 not ($20k). The Olympia lll s (only heard a few times and not in my home) are very fine, but in my opinion can not touch the original Amatis. That said the Amati is not in the the same league as the Stradivari - l remember unboxing and setting up the Strads and from the first note I never ever thought about the Amatis ever again..................each improvement in amplification is clearly revealed. Often inexperienced/uninformed punters post the essential need for lots of power with these speakers - cobblers. Eighteen to about 80 watts of high quality SET power is more than one would reasonably need in in a domestic situation- provided you listening room isn’t a basketball court. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Al.M 1,403 Posted August 4, 2019 Share Posted August 4, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, kelossus said: Did the old Amati outperform the Olympica To me they didn’t, just different voicing. The Amati have a heavier bass and more laid back with tamish treble response, which is good for those who like that and seemed to have a lot of drive, naturally perhaps so with larger twin 8 inch Scanspeak carbon drivers, 7 inch Scanspeak carbon midbass woofer assigned to midrange duties and 2000 era best of Scanspeak Revelator 9900 tweeter. Whereas, the Olympica III is using modern in-house SF drivers (see article https://www.avhub.com.au/news/hi-fi/sonus-faber-il-cremonese-411001), twin 6 inch paper cone woofers, similar but 5 inch midrange and some kind of fabric dome tweeter (pictures below) resulting in a lighter faster sound, midrange was more coherent and tweeter balanced for elevated detail or intensity. The cabinet build quality and the woofer venting system though impressive in theory may only achieve what a traditional bass port does, no internet articles to support what it is otherwise. I heard the Cremona equivalent to the Olympica III using similar sized drivers but all Scanspeak paper slit cone Revelator range and the miserable (to me at least the most boring cheap tweeter of that era) Vifa XT 19 or 25 ring radiator $30-40 tweeter unit. I was never impressed with this speaker, nice looking and great cabinet but boring as bat excreta. My comments above are not based on ownership of those speakers so I can’t say that I have spent enough personal time with them to further support my impressions of them. Edited August 4, 2019 by Al.M Link to post Share on other sites
Krell_audio 44 Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 @Krell_audio Are they your old Amatis?Not sure I don’t think so Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Music monster Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 I herd a pair of Sonus Faber,cart remember the model . They were $ 130 grand a pair driven by flagship mcintosh amplification . The sound was excellent, Effortless very rich and lush sounding. Just wanted to listen all day. Gary the music monster 🎶 Link to post Share on other sites
44maloo 406 Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 On 04/08/2019 at 7:42 PM, Smp said: Interesting - I was the original purchaser of these Amatis in the late 1990’s, from Vince Ross Audio - pair serial number 459 - nice to see that they are still in fine condition. Traded them back to Vince for Stradivaris, which I still own. Still one of the best speakers I’ve heard the Stradivari. If I didn’t love my JBL Everest so much this is what I’d own simply awesome. Link to post Share on other sites
Ittaku 4,717 Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 1 hour ago, Music monster said: I herd a pair of Sonus Faber,cart remember the model . They were $ 130 grand a pair driven by flagship mcintosh amplification . The sound was excellent, Effortless very rich and lush sounding. Just wanted to listen all day. That would be the Aida. Lovely sounding speakers. Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Music monster Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 1 minute ago, Ittaku said: That would be the Aida. Lovely sounding speakers. Thanks con they were the ones. Link to post Share on other sites
pine weasel 991 Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 (edited) On 03/08/2019 at 9:30 PM, Al.M said: Had a good listen to some good Sonus Fabers at West Coast Hifi Midland Perth, very nice room setup The older Amati are classic beauty against the impressive $70k Cremonese and $18k Olympica III and the $6k Krix Esoterix Altum were no slouches either. The Amati were very gutsy, Cremonese a giant room filler, Olympica voiced nicely and Krix fast sounding and agile That looks like a fun afternoon! I've had a pair of Amati Anniversarios since about 2009 and love them. I've yet to hear anything that would tempt me to change them for, unless we're talking serious dollars ( The Kyron Kronos system and the big active SGRs come to mind ) and even then, there were some things that I thought the Amatis did a bit better. I've not had a listen to any of the newer Sonus Fabers so cant comment on them in comparison. Edited August 7, 2019 by pine weasel 8 Link to post Share on other sites
Pops110 3,557 Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 @Yngvi 🤣 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites
keinesorge 127 Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 On 04/08/2019 at 5:29 PM, kelossus said: @Al.M Did the old Amati outperform the Olympica? Haven't heard the Olympica range but everyone I know who has preferred the old Cremona series. Even had a retailer here in Brisbane who sells Sonus Faber rubbish the Olympica line and modern Sonus Faber's in general. I've got an older concertino and ive heard the olympica 1. While it is a nice speaker, its not my cup of tea. Not the same without Franco Serblin. 5 Link to post Share on other sites
BAM 151 Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 I have owned a pair of Amati Homage speakers for approx. 10 years using various amplifiers. The Amatis sound the best from my experience with the grunt of class A amps. Either tube (Icon Audio) or solid state (Passlabs) class A or equal the speakers just come alive. Note: If you like an analytical sound this combination is not for you. If you like a solid base, natural mid and highs then there is no better in their price range. Link to post Share on other sites
Al.M 1,403 Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 (edited) There are a lot of speakers would appear to keep pace with the Amati depending what you like most such as VAF I93 & 66, ATC SM40, many ESLs, Yamaha NS5000, SF Olympica III, bigger more expensive SF and Kef Blade etc. Edited August 7, 2019 by Al.M Link to post Share on other sites
BAM 151 Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 3 minutes ago, Al.M said: There are a lot of speakers would appear to keep pace with the Amati depending what you like most such as VAF I93 & 66, ATC SM40, many ESLs, Yamaha NS5000, SF Olympica III, bigger more expensive SF and Kef Blade etc. Before I listen to any speakers I tap the sides. If it sounds solid it tells me generally what to expect. The Amatis weigh 75 kg each which tells you how structurally solid they are. Lenehan Audio also put a lot of effort into their cabinet structure which provides a a non distorted sound. Not many speakers that I have heard can equal this. Link to post Share on other sites
Al.M 1,403 Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 12 minutes ago, BAM said: structurally solid Is not the only factor in good speaker design, instead good driver quality, selection, matching and crossover integration is far more important. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
JOH1975 165 Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 i have a pair of SF Liuto's. I adore them and have always lusted after SF loudspeakers since selling them at Challenge HiFi in Adelaide. At the time i was enamoured with the Grand Piano's and the Concertinos. These Liutos came along 2nd hand and i grabbed them. I drive them with a quassimodo amplifier and mostly a project RPM5 Carbon with a 2m Blue Cartridge and Vincent Phono Stage. It all seems to work pretty well. Link to post Share on other sites
cafe67 4,106 Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 The bizarrest thread ever about SF. I can remember listening at Vince Ross to the original extrema (with the bass radiaditor) hooked to a complete nakamichi 7 system in the early 90's sounded brilliant amazing sound from standmounts. More recently ive heard the SF hooked up to mcintosh at the midland WC hifi. Again a good sound Link to post Share on other sites
TerryO 2,849 Posted September 7, 2019 Share Posted September 7, 2019 I’m interested to hear more about the various SF models from past and present owners, hopefully this thread can get back on track now. cheers Terry 1 Link to post Share on other sites
candyflip 3,886 Posted September 8, 2019 Share Posted September 8, 2019 Cleaning up...please HOLD. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
bzr 900 Posted September 8, 2019 Share Posted September 8, 2019 (edited) Probably should have just stopped there.... Stradivari & MC 2301's . I wouldn't stray from the Franco Serblin design imo. Edited September 8, 2019 by bzr 8 Link to post Share on other sites
RankStranger 3,903 Posted September 8, 2019 Share Posted September 8, 2019 The strads are, hands down, my favourite speaker I’ve ever heard. I worked at Encel through the aughts through the introduction and the revision of the Cremona line, the revision of the Guarneri and Amatis and, of course the introduction of the strads. I uncrated and set up the first pair to come to Australia and I didn’t leave the shop until super late that night because I couldn’t pull myself away from them. I’ve owned 2 pairs of Sonus Fabers myself but I haven’t fallen in love with anything released after the strads. I’m sure they’re objectively great speakers but once Serblin wasn’t involved they ceased to have much attraction to me. The later models just didn’t do it for me and the high end stuff went from being the simplest possible design made incredibly beautifully to this full-on high tech behemoth (aria?). Again, I’m sure it’s awesome but it doesn’t say Sonus Faber to me. No shade to people who love them, they just stopped rocking my boat. Ironically, I don’t love the look of his own line of speakers so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Hazzzy 388 Posted September 18, 2019 Share Posted September 18, 2019 (edited) On 08/09/2019 at 8:40 AM, TerryO said: I’m interested to hear more about the various SF models from past and present owners I am at the bottom of the chain here but feel compelled to comment on the cheaper variety they make now. I have a pair of Chamelon T's which are the budget floor standers compared to the speakers discussed here. They should not be dismissed as not all of us can ever own the beautiful things the Sonus Faber company has produced. The T's can sound really nice with a bit of power for the money compared to other speakers around the same price! They seem to enjoy lots of power currently getting lots of class A. Of course I lust after the beauties spoken about above but can be happy where I am unless powerball happens. Happy listening. Edited September 18, 2019 by Hazzzy 3 Link to post Share on other sites
sfdoddsy 256 Posted October 9, 2019 Share Posted October 9, 2019 On a whim I just bought a pair of SF Grand Pianos. They look great and were cheap(ish) plus I have very fond memories of my SF Concertos, the first ‘high end’ speakers I ever owned. They actually hold up very well against my ultra-modern KEF R3s, both sonically and in measurements. It’s a different kind of sound, closer to the lively PMCs I also auditioned recently than the more neutral KEF. But very enjoyable. My wife has a thing against floor standers, but she also likes leather so we’ll see what her response is when she gets back from holiday. Link to post Share on other sites
Hazzzy 388 Posted February 27, 2020 Share Posted February 27, 2020 (edited) Never mind.😑 Edited March 4, 2020 by Hazzzy Link to post Share on other sites
sootshe 81 Posted April 3, 2020 Share Posted April 3, 2020 On 04/08/2019 at 7:42 PM, Smp said: Interesting - I was the original purchaser of these Amatis in the late 1990’s, from Vince Ross Audio - pair serial number 459 - nice to see that they are still in fine condition. Traded them back to Vince for Stradivaris, which I still own. I bought 459's about 8 months ago from West Coast Hi Fi & they are still in as new condition. They sound fabulous....the best speakers I have owned. Running them with a Luxman 509X integrated & a Melco hard disk server. Pretty hard to beat. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Jayroc5000 0 Posted June 25, 2020 Share Posted June 25, 2020 Hi, does anyone think the sound will improve going from a SF Olympica 1 bookshelf to a Sonetto 3 floorstander, using a Naim Nova amp? Or is Sonetto too far down the line from Olympica? Link to post Share on other sites
sootshe 81 Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 11 hours ago, Jayroc5000 said: Hi, does anyone think the sound will improve going from a SF Olympica 1 bookshelf to a Sonetto 3 floorstander, using a Naim Nova amp? Or is Sonetto too far down the line from Olympica? I think your opinion is on the right track. I have a set of Cremona Auditor M's & a pair of Amati Homage's. As you go up the chain, the improvements get bigger. The Olympica 1's are a fine speaker. What are you trying to achieve by going from the Olympica's to the Sonetto's? Link to post Share on other sites
Fangzie 77 Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 On 25/06/2020 at 10:10 PM, Jayroc5000 said: Hi, does anyone think the sound will improve going from a SF Olympica 1 bookshelf to a Sonetto 3 floorstander, using a Naim Nova amp? Or is Sonetto too far down the line from Olympica? I think you'll get better bass and room fill, and likely be able to play a bit louder. I don't think you'll improve actual sound quality. It might be worth it if you're a long way from your speakers or if you like volume (or if you like a few mates round for beers and tunes!). It probably won't be if these criteria don't fit you. Link to post Share on other sites
Ray H 780 Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 (edited) New SF floorstander coming out. Would have been nice if they put a third driver in it for 15k though; Edited January 21 by Ray H Link to post Share on other sites
Tony B 310 Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 35 minutes ago, Ray H said: New SF floorstander coming out. Would have been nice if they put a third driver in it for 15k though; Yes, I'm over looking at $15k 2 way's 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Ray H 780 Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 Imagine what it will cost over here, possibly mid twenty k. Link to post Share on other sites
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