Silverline Sonata II or Sonatina II

Sorry, I cannot answer about the MK II versions of those speakers, so I don't know if this will help. But seeing as how no one has responded, here goes...

I heard the Sonata III and Sonatina III at length during a visit to Silverline HQ here in northern California. The Sonata was FAR more engaging than the Sonatina. After hearing the two, my wife and I would never consider the Sonatina. I know, it's an excellent speaker, but the only thing that came to mind for both of us during the audition was 'blah'. The Sonatina came off like a distant, thin sounding speaker with a barrier to engagement, while the Sonata (with Alan Yun's 7W SET amp) was for both of us beyond reproach. In other words, it sounded perfect in every way imaginable.

Good luck!
Howard

Now I can answer from specific experience, because I just picked up a pair of Sonata II's today. Holy moly, as my brother says. They are absolutely incredible. The person I bought them from had the Sonatina II's and said they sound quite thin in comparison. That was also my experience when comparing the Sonatina III to Sonata III. The Sonata's were engaging, while the Sonatina's were distant.

The Sonata II's are extraordinary. The drums have so much body. The vocals sound like they are floating in the room. The key for us was playing around with the interconnects. If the IC's are too muted on the top end, the speakers sound bass heavy and unbalanced. We put some silver IC's on, and pure magic. The speakers disappear in the room, and we cannot stop listening to them!

With our 7W SET amp & with a 40W hybrid, they are simply awesome! Back to the music....

Howard