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Sonus Faber Cremonas or JM lab Diva

I am thinking of buying either the Sonus Faber Cremona Floor Standers, or the JM Labs Divas for my home theater and initially to be used for my two channel. I have actually never heard either, but I like the lower end models by both except the JM Labs 907be which I was not crazy about. I will admit I got the green light to do this from my wife because of the way they look, so I think that choosing between the two is something I can live with, even though I know there are more choices out there. I love the Grand Pianos which I own, nd like the concertos which I have owned in the past. The Novas and the Altos are something special but I have never heard the Divas. I of course plan to audition both, but I would like to hear some opinions of other people. I will use the following equipment

First Sound Pre amp (Deluxe)

Cary v12r (intially not the monos, but I will move to them soon)

Balanced Audio Tech Super Tube CD or Sim Audio eclipse not decided. I would like to go with the Balanced but I am scared it would sound muddy.

I have also considered the Audes Orpheus.

I have even had someone suggest using two JM Labs LR's

Any thoughts?

Ted
tedmcq

Showing 2 responses by the_kid

the_kid's avatar
the_kid
465 posts
 
Tedmcq,

Nice choice in speakers and direction. I have owned several JM Lab speakers in the past as well as three pairs of Sonus Faber speakers. I presently own the Grand Pianos and purchased them as really a stepping stone to the Cremonas.

However, my results have been so fantastic with the Grand Pianos, my upgrade path is just not so urgent. I would say you really need to give a listen to each speaker. If it were me, I would purchase the Cremonas without hesitation.

The JMs do have tha Magic in presentation especially when powered by Tube Gear. However, I listen to a lot of music that is not recording perfectly. The Sonus Fabers seem to make everthing enjoyable which I have found is NOT the case with the JMs I have owned.

Please don't get me wrong. I am not bashing the JMs by any means. They are wonderful speakers. I just think the Cremonas are awful hard to beat. Good Luck to you and congrats on your purchase of either or.

Chris
the_kid's avatar
the_kid
465 posts
 
Arthur,

Nicely put, I agree 100% with your comments. My time with my JMs was a love & hate relationship. I use a CARY SLI-80 with a NOS tube setup for an amplifier so definately not a slouch. The JMs would absolutely give you goose bumps on about 1/100th of my CD Collection.

However, I mainly listen to Rock & Roll (Social Distortion, Wilco, Radiohead, Paul Westerberg, etc) which is unfortunately never recorded perfectly. The Tioxid tweeter was just not friendly to say the least. I even went as far as to play with the crossover points to lay it back slightly.

This worked but was not enough. A good friend purchased these speakers from me and still has them. They sound great in his room and he is using a Creek 5350SE. They still get schrilly with a bad recording but it is a trade off. However they do deliver the goosebumps on stellar recordings..Such a trade off..

Personally, I am in this hobby for my LOVE of music. The Sonus let me enjoy everything I listen to with no boundries. Are they the ultimate in resolution? NO, but they recreate enjoyable music with reference quality.

Thanks for your input! I enjoyed your perspective..

Nice System BTW..

Chris
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