Your question is unanswerable. When the right deal comes along for your budget grab it. In the mean time be happy with what you have.
Sonus Faber Alternatives That Offer Similar Sound and Performance, your expertise needed!
First of all, let me set the stage for this discussion. I have owned a pair of Sonus Faber Olympica III's for some time now, and love the sound of these speakers. And not only the sound, but the build quality, the appearance, everything about them. I only wish they could have been available in the classic, beautiful violin red color.
I made what was perhaps a mistake, in retrospect, in recently listening to both a pair of the Amati Futuras as well as it's recent successor, the Amati Tradition. The Futura's were in the home of a new friend, the Traditions were auditioned for myself, and a friend, while I accompanied him to the local premium audio seller. As I noted before, I am extremely happy with my Olympica III's. However, upon hearing both the Futura's and Traditions, they both exhibited everything I love about my Olympica's, but just more of all of it. And, very importantly, I heard the Futuras in a setting that virtually duplicated the size of my own room (13x15x8) , and seating position distance, so I know they would work.
Unfortunately, the Amati Futuras sold at $36k a pair, and Traditions go for $30,000 a pair, and an average of $18.5k and $17.5k used, respectively . I now really desire to move up to either the Amati Futura or Tradition, for the duration of my listening life, and, at the same time, get that wondrous red violin finish I've always dreamed of owning. Even give how much I am a dyed in the wool Sonus Faber fan, I simply have to realize I will not ever have the necessary funding to allow me to make an upgrade to either of these, which are the next step up in the line. The maximum I could manage to spend, is $11k, to upgrade. I realize this would buy me an older model from Sonus Faber, but their sound characteristics are quite different from that of the newer models that began with the Olympica line, the Futura's, etc.
The truly frustrating thing is that, with other speaker brands, you do sometimes come across a real steal which allows you to upgrade more than substantially. Recently, I found a deal for a friend who is a Von Schweikert enthusiast that allowed him to move up three models in their line, at the cost of $8000.00 for a pair of speakers that originally sold at $29,000.00. Six months ago, another friend found a deal on a pair of $30k B&W speakers for $10k. Yes, these were older speakers, but none the less brilliant performers regardless.
So now we come to the real discussion point. It's clear I cannot, and will not be able to afford what I want from Sonus Faber, what other brands, and potentially older speakers, would provide a similar sound that could likely be found on a great deal, used, in the kind of price range I can afford? Perhaps the answer is nothing, but I at least have to ask. Your opinions, expertise and thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I made what was perhaps a mistake, in retrospect, in recently listening to both a pair of the Amati Futuras as well as it's recent successor, the Amati Tradition. The Futura's were in the home of a new friend, the Traditions were auditioned for myself, and a friend, while I accompanied him to the local premium audio seller. As I noted before, I am extremely happy with my Olympica III's. However, upon hearing both the Futura's and Traditions, they both exhibited everything I love about my Olympica's, but just more of all of it. And, very importantly, I heard the Futuras in a setting that virtually duplicated the size of my own room (13x15x8) , and seating position distance, so I know they would work.
Unfortunately, the Amati Futuras sold at $36k a pair, and Traditions go for $30,000 a pair, and an average of $18.5k and $17.5k used, respectively . I now really desire to move up to either the Amati Futura or Tradition, for the duration of my listening life, and, at the same time, get that wondrous red violin finish I've always dreamed of owning. Even give how much I am a dyed in the wool Sonus Faber fan, I simply have to realize I will not ever have the necessary funding to allow me to make an upgrade to either of these, which are the next step up in the line. The maximum I could manage to spend, is $11k, to upgrade. I realize this would buy me an older model from Sonus Faber, but their sound characteristics are quite different from that of the newer models that began with the Olympica line, the Futura's, etc.
The truly frustrating thing is that, with other speaker brands, you do sometimes come across a real steal which allows you to upgrade more than substantially. Recently, I found a deal for a friend who is a Von Schweikert enthusiast that allowed him to move up three models in their line, at the cost of $8000.00 for a pair of speakers that originally sold at $29,000.00. Six months ago, another friend found a deal on a pair of $30k B&W speakers for $10k. Yes, these were older speakers, but none the less brilliant performers regardless.
So now we come to the real discussion point. It's clear I cannot, and will not be able to afford what I want from Sonus Faber, what other brands, and potentially older speakers, would provide a similar sound that could likely be found on a great deal, used, in the kind of price range I can afford? Perhaps the answer is nothing, but I at least have to ask. Your opinions, expertise and thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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nightfall, I can easily recommend a set of speakers that are in a league by themselves they are very rare and on the used market they are a steal. The speaker is a Polymer Audio Reserch MKX-s they were $68k speakers and by rights should have been priced at $120k a pair. http://polymeraudio.com/systems/polymer-mks-x/ They use the Acuton pure diamond tweeter which is a $3k tweeter that is each! and the famous Acuton pure Diamond midrange driver which are $10k each! in a nearly 300lb all metal cabinets. They are not wooden but metal so they look much more steampunk if you can adjust from sexy wood to clean silvery metal they will really impress you. The speakers actually sound sweet which you would not expect from Diamond drivers, they combine superb resolution with unbelievable soundstage they are very holographic. The speakers are also very compact and play quite loudly, they also have very tight bass down to 30hz so they will work well in moderatly sized rooms. We have a pair in the East Coast, they were something truly unique unfortunately the company was having some issues not related to audio and they may not be made anymore. The closest speakers to these are the $180k Gaudier Acoustiks from Germany. They are selling for $21k-28k so they may be affordable for a true reference grade loudspeaker with some of the best drivers on earth. The Tweeter and midrange drivers have very high power handling so unless you do something to physically damage the drivers you should never have to worry about them. Dave and Troy Audio Doctor NJ |
sfseay, I'm not sure you completely understand. My issues is that the two Sonus Faber speakers that I "could" potentially upgrade to will not be available, used, at a price I can afford, for the foreseeable future. I'm asking for suggestions of other, high end, speakers suitable for a room my size, and similar in sound characteristics to Sonus Faber, which are, at times available at a great discount, such as the two my friends have purchased recently. |
Here are two that would be on my short list... https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis8h5ac-joseph-audio-pearl-2-full-range https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis8h1fe-snell-a-7-illusions-mint-condition-full-range |
Of the more "musical" speakers from other makes available now that might sub for the newer SF speakers near your price (roughly in price order): - Joseph Audio Perspective (at Audio Asylum Trader) - Acoustic Zen Crescendo Mkii (USAudiomart) - Nola Metro Grand Reference - Verity Parsifal Ovation - Gershman Black Swan (huge discount, rare) - Rockport Atria Not available now but also very worth considering is Vandersteen 5a. Strongly agree with JA Pearl mentioned above but rarely available used. Best of luck. |
Nightfall...I never heard either one but I did own the JA Pulsars and they were fantastic. They are both dream speakers in my world...I am sure the Pearls and Snell Illusions would work in your room with careful setup and room treatment. Pull them out from the front and sidewalls and adjust toe to your liking and away you go. I do own the Olympica III’s and must say they are the best loudspeaker that I have ever owned.I have owned some decent speakers but the SF are special when feed well. Love them in my system. Good luck in your search. |
Just a comment. The Joseph Audio speakers use the Seas Magnesium woofers and the Seas soft dome tweeters (both which I have intimate experience as I have just built my own speakers using these drivers). This is a recording I have done with them: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cyA_zyIMX1I the Seas Magnesium are extremely high resolution drivers with lots of detail, attack and punch. I absolulately love them! I will agree that the Joseph Audio speakers are just phenomenal. They really draw you into the music and are extremely exciting to listen to. However, they are not the same as Sonus Faber. Sonus Faber is the type of speaker I recommend when somebody has a very stressful day and wants to come home and listen to very pleasant and calming sounds. With Sonus, all the detail is there, but it is definitely not a forward or exciting sounding speaker such as Joseph Audio. I think the Pearl3 will be fine in you’re room. If if you haven’t done so already, you might look into bass traps to help with standing waves. |
As a comparison, I initially built these speakers with the Seas coated paper woofers (which would be closer to the Sonus Faber sound). https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V8s7w04WKik If you listen, you can tell they are more laid back with the “attack” and have more of a tube like midrange bloom. |
nightfall, don't feel like you're all alone out there. I would greatly enjoy moving up the ladder as well. I would take a serious look at these... http://www.usaudiomart.com/details/649118161-legacy_aeris_rosewood_black_pearl_3_monthe_old_mint/ I would buy these in a heartbeat if I could pull it off but alas, I am in the same boat as you for now. These are a bit out of reach for me. This is a great buy on a wonderful set of speakers. Good luck to you! |
Nightfall, I understand your love and desire for upper end of the Sonus Faber. For the last 15 years I owned many SF models including Amati Anniversario, Elipsas SE Red, Guarneri Momentos and Evos. Currently own the latest Serafino Tradition model that I like a lot. May be you can swing several more grand or have something to trade so I recommend you a great dealer that can make new Serafino happen for you. And yes I have them in violin red - awesome speaker that I plan to retire with. You may find the speakers that will sound close or even some better than SF Tradition models within your price range (will not be that easy so) but I am not sure you can find anything that looks that great also. The SF did a great job with the latest Tradition series both look and sound wise. pm me for a dealer info if you in US and make a decision to swing for a new pair. |
NOTHING sounds like a Sonus Faber!Your going to make the same mistake made by countless audiophiles.Your going to try speaker after speaker trying to find a sound that is only available from SF..My advice is stick with what you have and keep saving. If that isn't doable you might try contacting Fritz speakers..He seems to have the ability to source pretty much any driver available and may be able to build your dream speaker for your budget... |
nightfallWe had a big all day session a pair of Quad ESL 57’s with a Decca Kelly ribbon from 13khz up. We replaced them with a pair Sonus Faber Amati’s using the same amp and source, and I thought to myself this is like the 57’s clone. Naturally the Amati’s could go a few dB louder if needed which we didn’t need. Cheers George |
How about this? I'm guessing your speakers sound at least somewhat similar to the Futuras from the mids on up and that a lot of the difference between these might be in their bass capabilities? If that's the case, I'd add a couple good subs with some EQ and maybe you can recreate most of the Futuras on the cheap. A couple SVS SB2000s would only be $1500 and get you down to 19Hz and maybe a used DSpeaker dual core 2.0 around 600 bucks could possibly bring you very close to your ideal -- minus the violin Red finish of course. Anyway, just another thought FWIW. |
I went from a pair of Sonus Faber Cremona Ms to Harbeth 30.1 Monitors on stands and an REL S/5 SHO sub. Kind of like going from a supermodel to a librarian in the looks department, but they sound much better. If I had the space, I’d consider Harbeth 40.2s. I’ve not listened to them but Focal is replacing the Scala Utopia v2 with the EVO and I’ve seen one dealer selling them for $19,999, that’s $14,000 off! Those are some stunning speakers that are incredibly well reviewed. |
Nightfall...I have the new SF Amati Homage Futuras and absolutely love them. I am surprised Audio Dave did not recommend the Legacy speakers. They are a great speaker and you can get them on the used market in your budget range. If I were to sell my SF's I might go to the Legacy Aeris. By the way, I would not sell my SF's for your suggested $18k price range. And if they did not sell in the $23-25k range I would gladly live with them. Another speaker you may want to try is the Tekton Ulf. |