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Review: Sonus Faber Cremona Speaker

Category: Speakers

I owned the Cremona for about 6 month. I usually listen to the classical music. I also own the old gurnerri. I spent about 20 hours of listening side by side. I auditioned classica music first. Mozart double concerto by violin and Viola. I major in viola so I love to hear strings. Very refined sound came out from Gurnerris. more air in the sound. Violin sounded very real and warm. Cremona had little bit more clean sound with deeper base. But for Mozart you don't need massive bass response. I enjoyed more gurnerris in Mozart. Next music I audition was Beethoven piano Sonata. Gurnerri sounded bit better in ADD recordings. Cremona sounded bit better in DDD recordings. Gurnerri wakes up when turntable or analog recording plays. I guess air makes it very smoother. I liked the piano sounds better in Cremona. More clean and piano string had more resinance to it. ringing sound. Next I listened to chamber music by Dvorak. Again Gurnerris were sounding but more smoother and warmer. Cremona was bit sharper and more accurate I say. Next day I listen to some movie sound track. Pirats of carabian. Gurnerri was lacking bass big time. And the speaker try to make it more to classical sounding then movie soundtrack. Cremona had very tight bass respond. I heard very deep timpani playing. What do I think is the better speaker ?
If you listen to mostly classical and Jazz then you will have good time with Gurnerris. Also specially chamber music or solo sonatas, piano sonata, even chamber orchestra. Cremona sounds very clean high and mids. tight bass. sounds good at almost every music. Classical in cremona is not bad. Definetly does not sound air like gurnerris. It has punch when music sounds loud. I am thinking to get my 3 speaker for LAT 2s or Resolution 1. I need something very completly different. any sugestions ?
SO far I owned 803D,802D,Grand piano, Resolution 1, 803N,804N, martinlogan Aeon, Aeon I, vantages, and Auditors. Oh Also Mahlers by Vienna accoustics. So far I liked Auditor, 803D,802D, I did not liked any of Martinlogan speakers. Aeon was good for the money. Mahlers were great but to big for my room. Grand piano sounds very different from any other speakers. carbon fiber with silk dorm tweeters sounds VERY WARM. Resolution 3 speakers sounds good when it plays so loud. I just wrote a long reviews for Creomona and gurnerris because I could not find any. If anyone wish to audition them I am in Boston Area so you can email me at Kimyonghaa@Gmail.com
Thank you.

Associated gear
400CX, UX-1, MP-3

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brphilharmoniker
lycas-b3d6
1 posts
 
I am happy to find someone who owned both the Guarneris and Cremonas, along some B&W's.
I am buying new spekers this month, and though at first I always thought of g of buying B&W 803d or 803s, I recently discovered Sonus Faber.
The speakers I have in mind from SF are the Cremona and the Guarneri.
I read about the difference between both in your review.

This brought up 2 questions for me
1) Could you please tell me some more on the difference between the B&W 803 and the Cremonas? Very interested in your opinion.
2) Any amplifiers you could advise for the Guarneri's or the Cremonas?
(was thinking something like Marantz PM11-S1, Pathos Logos, Prima Luna 70Watt Monos, Krell Kav-400xi or the KAV amp/preamp, ....)
hanwillem-edad
1 posts
 
Just listened to the Sonus Faber Cremona's and compared them with the B&W 803S. The amp used was a Jeff Rowland Concerto 501. Overall the sound quality was amazing. The B&W's seemed to provide more color, while the cremona's sounded a little bit more accurate. IF you like the warmth, the B&W will be a better bet. For classical music I would definitely suggest the Cremona's I also listened to a Classe amp hooked up to the 803S but was not very enthusiastic about it. It sounded a little flat compared to the Rowland.
btstrg
185 posts
 
" I did not liked any of Martinlogan speakers "
Really? What Logan's have you had in your system, you only Mention Aeon?

I am assuming you have had Prodigy,Odyssey and so on in your system.
Sorry, but I am just curious to your Statement, nothing malicious about.
Thanks
ozzy's avatar
ozzy
7,461 posts
 
I listened to the Cremona speakers and I was quite impressed while the salesman played audiophile 45 rpm records thru a Linn system with the volumne low.

When I returned with some rock Cds and turned the volumne up the Cremona's distorted badly and sounded like crap!
gjgoldy
7 posts
 
To my ear, the Cremona's are rich and a little warm. I have heard no problem with them at all with rock, including over processed Pink Floyd. Play them loudly and, if your other equipment it up to them, there is no distortion. Hat to contradict so, but it must have been something else in the system. The also have one of the most engaging sounds I have heard. They keep people transfixed and playing one cd or record after another. The only characteristic that is a negative for anyone I know of is that they are a bit warm and if you don't like that or view that as too colored, then you may not like their sound. (I have been listening to them with BAT tube gear for about 2 months now)
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