Sonus Faber Liuto Or Vienna Acoustics Mozart Gran

As others will no doubt say, this is very far from the ideal way of buying expensive loudspeakers.

That being said, if it's any help, I listed to Liutos and VA Beethoven Baby Grands in same room with same equipment. It was a close run thing, but ultimately I preferred the VAs. I liked their overall musical presentation better, though the Liutos did better bass. Personally, against the Mozarts, and assuming that these are a scaled down version of the BBGs, I'd take the Liutos, because of the bass.

The Marantz PM11S1 is a very good amp that will easily drive either pair of the speakers you are considering. While I agree with others to always try and audition first, I also understand that this is becoming more and more difficult to do. And sometimes, as in your case, you have to rely on the opinions of others who have heard them.

I am a VA Bach Grand owner and when I was searching for an amp to drive them, I auditioned the 11S1's smaller sibling, the PM15S2 and ultimately bought it. This dealer also handled Sonus Faber and I auditioned the 15S2 driving both Cremona M's and the Liuto Woods. The SF's were the closest thing this dealer had to my VA's back home so they were the logical choice for my amp auditions. The 15S2 did a very impressive job driving either model but overall I preferred it with the Liuto Woods - it was a more lively speaker and seemed to pair well with the Marantz amp. When I got it home, it brought my VA's to new heights. Throughout my listening experiences with these brands, I have found them to be more similar than different. And what differences exist, are subtle. Again, too bad you cannot hear them first.

I can only imagine you would get an even better level of performance with the bigger 11S1 no matter which one you choose. But I still remember the sound of that Marantz driving the Liutos - a beautiful match. Hope this helps and best of luck to you.

Experience and thank you very much for your suggestions.

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