Sonus Faber Amati Futura

i don't know about these specific model sonus fabers, but in my experience i have never heard a bad sounding pair of SF's whether they were extremas, guarneris, or electra amators (and the EA's were poorly set up at an audio show, which was a double surprise). OTOH the price on these compared to the $24K amati homages is a bit of a shock to say the least, and they are kind of "flashy"
looking over the previous lineups. however, i admit my biases are in favor of a smoother richer sound and i can understand people preferring a more "neutral" sound instead.

I just bought a pair last night and I will have them in my room this weekend. They will be in a very large space (17'W, 11'H, 27'D) and will be driven by McIntosh MC501's so power shouldn't be an issue. :-) I'll report back soon!

After a weekend of listening, tweaking and more listening I must say I'm quite happy with the Futura's. They are not as detailed as my friend's Wilson Sophia III's but I would not describe them as either laid back or euphonic and they energize my large room in a very satisfying way. The bass is well controlled and flat down to 30hz and the highs extend out to the limit of my measurement mic. The most impressive thing about the speakers is the "realness" of the music. Voices sound like voices, not a recording and the musical images are full scale. Large instruments like an upright bass sound (appear) like the full size instrument not a 3/4 scale version. I'm still playing with cable combos and positioning so there is certainly more to be had. I listened for several hours without any fatigue with excellent resolution and detail. On a line from clinical to euphoric with neutral in the middle, I would place the Futura's prestentaion just on the smooth side of neutral (more detailed than any Sonus Faber I've heard to date) compared to the Sophia III's that IMHO fall just on the clinical side of neutral. Oh, and they are BEAUTIFUL to look at!

Hi Fzfan,

After 6 weeks, have you experienced any changes after more hours are put on these speakers (i.e. more "break-in")

Do you see yourself keeping these speakers for a long time?

I own pair of Auditor M and would like to upgrade to this thus would like to hear your thoughts.

Finally, do you think my MC302 amp will be able to drive SF Amati Futura?

The Futura needs a lot of high quality power to truly sing... Myself, I'm waiting for the Karan monos to arrive.